Monsters are usually referred to en masse by their species.

Red leaf hounds, or Red Hounds, are designated as standard rank 7, and any variants beyond that are simply termed alphas and left at that.

Although individual monsters may have their differences, these are not significant enough to distinguish separate species.

But this one was different.

Blood Cloud Aerulus.

A monster so unique that both the Association and the player’s system deemed it worthy of a sobriquet and a personal name.

Classified as rank 3. Among them, it is considered an alpha specimen.

In “Savior,” this creature is ranked quite high among the monsters wreaking havoc in the world.

There has never been a cycle where Aerulus has been fatal. However, many cycles have encountered it.

A cycle that has captured Aerulus? There was one. But it was never a clean hunt.

It wasn’t until the 8th cycle that we began to stably subdue class 3 creatures.

All cycles before that either had middling specs or, even if superior in output, were riddled with sloppy flaws.

The 9th cycle sought a malicious route but met its end midway due to straying from the path.

Only the 8th, 10th, 11th, and 12th cycles were capable of subduing rank 3 creatures or higher on their own.

‘Damn it.’

There it stood, a monster with such potential.

Naturally, it isn’t a rank 3 at the moment.

If it were, there would be no survivors.

-Kraaaaaaaah!

Still, to me, it was a monster.

Its roar overpowered. My clothes whipped wildly. The deafening roar and intense murderous intent left my complexion pale.

Momentum. Should I call it aura? Even with spatial perception, I gauged the level of that thing.

It seemed no different from the rank 5 creature burned to ashes by Hong Yeon-hwa.

A dreadful reality made my fingertips tremble. I steadied my unstable breathing and assessed my condition.

Below my left forearm, the sensation was faint. Flesh gouged out… Had I felt that pain in full, I might have screamed.

Magic is… more than half remains. The core and circuits cry out in pain from overuse. Except for the forearm, the rest of my body is somewhat intact.

Armed status. The supply sword I brought was reduced to junk while defending against Aerulus’s foreleg.

The sky’s wing feathers are slowly regaining their form, thanks to the magic poured into them. They would have become junk from that attack if they didn’t have a recovery function.

‘Damn it.’

Damn, damn, damn.

I nearly died. My head cooled eerily.

It’s not about might die. This isn’t some training from the cradle. It’s not like getting caught in a rampage; one wrong move and I’m dead.

Death was at my doorstep. Without spatial perception, without mapping my senses, I would’ve groped in the darkness, death flickering before me.

Defensive magic, a sword used as a shield, the sky’s wing feathers, Qi enveloping my whole body, and Hardening technique at full throttle.

Had anything been missing, I would have died.

My life would’ve ended. I would’ve ended up like the countless corpses I sensed through spatial perception.

‘I have to run…’

I must go. There’s no reason to hesitate.

Fighting that thing means death. My survival instincts were screaming.

Isn’t my life the most important? Isn’t everything else trivial?

I’ve always been selfish. My pursuit of strength, my struggle to become stronger, was all for my own survival.

With that thought, I dragged my feet back.

Information from inside the shelter crept in. There was no time to filter.

I couldn’t capture it all. Only fragments of information entered.

Fear and anxiety. The shelter’s interior, though summarized, was overwhelmed by chaotic emotions.

I am selfish.

I wondered.

Then, why did I save that person?

There was nothing to gain, almost died in the process, nearly lost a leg, so why did I move?

‘You were born to be unwanted filth, huh?’

Because it’s unfair. Because I had to reject that statement. If I had stayed still, it would seem like I was affirming those words.

I gritted my teeth. Liquid, not saliva, sloshed in my mouth. A sharp pain woke my senses.

I stirred up magic. The creaking core spewed out magic. Using the magic circulating through my body, I employed the Hardening technique.

I dragged my foot forward.

Whoosh! Qi, engorged with ample magic, violently encased me.

-Rumble!

Thunder sounded. The epicenter was the monster, Aerulus. Over its already blood-like fur, a crimson mist swirled.

Unique abilities aren’t exclusive to superhumans. Even if the terminology differs, even if the manifestation and operation differ, entities other than humans can also have unique abilities.

Monsters too. Most are grouped under racial traits, but distinct individuals like that one definitely possess unique abilities.

“Blood Cloud.”

A unique ability that manifests a mist as if made of blood.

That Blood Cloud serves as Qi. Merely wrapping it around the body enhances specs, becoming both a sturdy armor and a weapon that tears enemies apart.

-Crack!

I kicked off the ground. It wasn’t my footsteps but the monster’s. Asphalt crumbled, sending the behemoth hurtling forward.

Fast. The specs were overwhelmingly in its favor. If we moved simultaneously, I would be at a disadvantage. I had to anticipate its movements and act first.

I predicted the movement with spatial perception. Holding the sword, now virtually useless, in a reverse grip, I threw it. The Qi-wrapped sword sliced through the air.

Aerulus did not react. It didn’t even attempt to defend.

-Clang!

Metal clashed against metal. The sword collided with the mist and shattered, sending fragments scattering.

‘Of course, no damage.’

Aerulus closed in. As the distance narrowed, my spatial perception creaked.

‘An alpha.’

I abandoned the hopeful thought. This was undoubtedly an alpha specimen, actively backed by the rampaging dungeon.

Meaning, Aerulus is the core and the center of the dungeon. The place where Aerulus stands is the center of the dungeon, where the power of the dungeon is strongest.

The force pushing against spatial perception grew stronger. It interfered with gathering information. My expression contorted in frustration.

A thick foreleg reached out. Even the long claws were wrapped in Blood Cloud.

I extended a hand, imbued with Qi, keeping in mind the injury in my left forearm and stretching out my right hand first.

-Crack!

Blood Cloud and Qi clashed. An absurd repulsion transmitted through my arm. It felt as if my hand would break at any moment. Gritting my teeth, I altered my trajectory.

Swoosh! I narrowly deflected Aerulus’s thick foreleg which dug into the ground.

Had I been struck by that attack, my flesh would’ve been sliced like tofu. A chilling premonition flickered through my mind.

‘I can’t allow an attack.’

I learned from taking the hit; the fundamental difference in mass was too great.

I barely survived the last time, but if I kept allowing hits, I would end up as minced meat.

-Crack! Bang! Swoosh!

I was now fully engaged in combat. Constantly deflecting attacks. Missed attacks scraped across the surroundings.

The trajectory of the claws brought down buildings like falling dominos.

Asphalt cracked and split. Abandoned vehicles on the road were sliced, leading to rugged explosions.

My skill was superior. It was ridiculous to judge a beast’s technique, but it was thanks to the gap in skill that I could deflect the attacks.

Having handled numerous weapons during the duel with Professor Atra, I was most familiar with using my hands and feet.

I had to throw punches when I lost my sword, and I had to swing my legs.

Thanks to that experience, I could deflect the monster’s attacks.

-Crash!

Chunks of Qi were sheared off. No issue there. I refilled the gouged-out Qi.

The energy hardened even more than before. Magic consumption was like a gaping hole, but I pushed my circuits and core to their limits, pulling up more magic.

For now, it wouldn’t be destroyed with one blow. I could withstand a hit or two. As long as the attack wasn’t as sudden and full-powered as before, I could manage.

The spent Qi could be restored.

But…

-Tsk.

With my spatial perception groaning, magic recovery also became less satisfying.

The damage accumulated in my body. Although I was deflecting the attacks, the stress transferred to my body was inescapable.

I didn’t plan for a prolonged battle, but I couldn’t last as long as I hoped.

What about a short-term battle? Could I kill it?

I looked for an opportunity. Its foreleg swooped down. A shadow cast over my body.

The motion was large. Generally, that’s why I could deflect the attacks and occasionally land my own.

I twisted my body. The edge of Qi barely grazed as Aerulus’s foreleg passed close. I spread my left hand.

“Magic Slash: Barrage.”

The unleashed slashes enveloped Aerulus. Thanks to the size difference, the swarm of slashes struck its flank.

I cut through the red mist. In the process, many slashes were lost. The remaining slashes reached its fur.

-Crunch-crunch-crunch!

The bristling fur blocked the slashes. No matter how reduced in power, it only managed to slightly fray the fur.

-Kraaaaa!

My eardrums fluttered. Angrily, I quickly kicked off the ground to retreat.

Where I had just been, a massive muzzle snapped closed. Crunch! The clashing teeth produced a chilling sound.

Aerulus raised its head, whimpering. Between its grinding teeth, the remnants of the sky’s wing feathers were tangled.

I surveyed Aerulus through spatial perception. There were faint scars where the slashes had struck.

Can it be killed?

‘Impossible.’

Aerulus, looking similar to the parasitic moth, died from a direct hit of Hong Yeon-hwa’s blooming attack.

I don’t have that level of output.

Gop-hwa? I haven’t used it since that day. I’ve wanted to many times, but this damned ability doesn’t obey its master’s will.

-Rrrrrrr…

I wasn’t dead yet. If hit squarely with one blow, it would be the end, but I continuously deflected attacks while mindlessly destroying the landscape.

Perhaps it was an obstruction, Aerulus’s neck resonated. A sound like scraping iron with a spike echoed.

Then, its two forelegs lifted. The Blood Cloud wrapped around them swelled and bulged.

A clear sign of a powerful onslaught. My intuition rang with it.

If hit, I would die.

Should I block? Can’t block. Even if I could, I would die.

Should I dodge again? Intuition shook its head.

The sensation of malice and the force of magic hammered the ground.

Not forward, but backward. I increased the distance from Aerulus.

-Rrrrr!

An ominous howl. It felt as if it was mocking me. Thump! The Blood Cloud surrounding its forelegs swelled again.

Due to the similarity in color to the fur, the forelegs seemed to nearly triple in size.

No, it was just the forelegs. They stretched upwards, long enough to reach the relatively intact rooftops of the commercial buildings.

Then, Aerulus’s hind legs swelled. Muscles inflated like balloons, and Blood Cloud wrapped around them.

‘Right.’

If the opponent moves away, just get closer yourself.

Bang! The ground behind Aerulus surged.

Instead, Aerulus’s form shot forward, with its several times swollen forelegs coming along.

The sky disappeared from view.

The sunlight was blocked. My immediate surroundings darkened.

From above to below.

The sky-obscuring foreleg descended.

* * *

I kicked the ground, and a rough gust followed.

The force broke trees and shrubs, laying them flat. Dirt sprayed in all directions, and broken tree fragments exploded with them.

The clear destruction of nature, but Atra paid it no mind.

There’s no gate terminal in Shipnaha.

The nearest gate terminal is Edinburgh Gate.

From there, Atra raced in a straight line without rest.

Lee Hayul was caught up in a dungeon’s rampage.

The dungeon’s rank is merely class 4.

The standard tier of monsters pouring out is at most class 8. Considering the dungeon’s backup, it’s about class 7.

Given Lee Hayul’s abilities, surely he could survive.

I used to think that way.

That child would be fine. Objectively assessing and even Atra thought so.

And then, that child vanished, leaving behind only a cold arm.

‘Please.’

Atra’s face twisted in misery. The nightmares of the past superimposed on the present.

‘Just be alive.’

If alive, anything can be healed. There are many ways to heal in this world. Somehow, as long as you’re alive, it can be fixed.

Just repeating that, not thinking of what’s behind, Atra used the Hardening technique to traverse mountains and rivers.

A golden line was drawn across the sky.