A monk’s strength came not from blind faith but from self-belief, meditation infused with conviction, and discipline cultivated through reflection.
What happens when an indomitable mind, tougher than steel and unyielding like an ancient tree, is combined with martial arts?
You create a being capable of transcending human limits, even without wielding a weapon.

The monks who trained to such extremes embodied the pinnacle of physical mastery, and Valmonk stood as their elder.
For him, physical strength was inseparable from mental fortitude.
The world claimed that no one could shatter the harmony of Valmonk’s body and spirit.

He wasn’t just an elder; he was also a Hero of Faith.
Valmonk was one of the four heroes who had aided in the conquest of the Mugan Seventh Palace and the Dark Flame Abyss of Vangogh.

While the Empire’s citizens raised their glasses in celebration of this victory, Valmonk chose instead to return to his roots, dedicating himself to his training.

As part of his spiritual journey, Valmonk embarked on a pilgrimage. During this time, he spent a night in a small village.
The villagers were ecstatic to host a hero, but Valmonk politely declined their lavish hospitality.
Over time, his jovial demeanor eased the villagers’ initial nervousness, and they grew comfortable in his presence.

“Surely a Hero like you could crush a Death Knight’s skull like cheese, couldn’t you?”
“Hush! How dare you speak to the Hero with such impudence!”
“Well, it’s true, isn’t it? He’s one of the Four Heroes, after all!”

Valmonk, who had been enjoying a drink, raised an eyebrow. Why had the conversation suddenly turned to Death Knights?
When he inquired further, the villagers eagerly shared what they knew.

None of the men at the tavern had heard of the Mugan Seventh Palace. They only spoke of rumors about a Death Knight.
They claimed the creature had been spotted in the nearby mountains, and their hopeful gazes turned to Valmonk.

“You must all be quite troubled.”
“Oh, Hero, you have no idea! The women in the village are terrified because of that Death Knight!”
“Hmm. Should it cross my path, it will not find peace even in death.”

Valmonk made no promises to intervene.
Though he appreciated the villagers’ hospitality, it wasn’t enough to compel him to act. Unless fate placed the creature directly in his path, he wouldn’t bother.

...Ten minutes later.

“Are you trying to run away, Death Knight? How pathetic!”

By sheer coincidence—or perhaps misfortune for the Death Knight—Valmonk happened to spot it. Without hesitation, he pursued the creature relentlessly.
The chase ended at a cave halfway up the mountain.

“So, it’s a dungeon monster, after all.”

Valmonk narrowed his eyes.
The cave’s entrance reeked of intent. It was a clear lure, a trap.

Inside, there could be countless monsters and deadly traps waiting for him. But such dangers didn’t concern Valmonk. After all, he had helped conquer the Mugan Seventh Palace alongside his comrades.
A dungeon like this, even if he faced it alone, was nothing more than a trivial pastime.

With no hesitation, Valmonk followed the Death Knight into the cave.

***

If you think it’s a trap, don’t walk into it!

Footsteps echoed behind me, followed by sounds approaching from ahead.
Charlotte was walking toward me at a leisurely pace. I never thought I’d be so happy to see that lunatic witch’s face.

What the hell is all this now?

Behind Charlotte were massive figures that demanded attention simply by existing. Even from a distance, I could tell they were at least seven meters tall.

[Lv. 61]
[Lv. 62]
[Lv. 68]

Minotaurs and a basilisk. Great, new faces had joined the lineup while I was away.
Judging by the situation, Charlotte must have gone on a shopping spree for monsters after declaring herself my lieutenant.
I wanted to scream at her for her madness, but there was no time for explanations.

Or maybe...

A witch like Charlotte, flanked by three colossal monsters.
With this much firepower, it might actually be possible to fend off the hero who’d chased me all this way.

For some reason, Charlotte suddenly looked even more beautiful. Not just physically—though she was already stunning—but her personality seemed momentarily tolerable.

“You’ve returned, boss. Although, it seems you’ve brought some company.”

She didn’t need me to explain. She had already figured it out.
In my heart, I wanted to grab her by the hem of her robes and beg for help. But outwardly, I maintained my composure.

Feigning nonchalance, I spoke with the cold authority of the Mugan Seventh Palace’s boss.

“A guest has arrived. Prepare to welcome the Empire’s hero.”
“A hero, you say?”

For the first time, Charlotte’s usually impassive face showed emotion.
The slight dilation of her pupils betrayed her shock. Her expression also carried an unspoken question: Why on earth did you drag a hero here like some parasitic leech?
I didn’t bother responding.

“I see. So, repelling a hero is my first test as a lieutenant? And without any prior warning, purely as improvisation. Very well, it seems this is a qualification I must meet to hold my position.”

Her ability to misinterpret everything to suit her narrative was convenient.
Honestly, I didn’t care what she thought, as long as she kept me alive.

With a loud thud, heavy footsteps approached. I casually nodded toward the sound.
There, watching us intently, stood the Hero of Faith, Valmonk.

“Hmm...”

He appeared hesitant, as one might expect.
Even for a hero, he was alone and unarmed.
Facing a witch like Charlotte, along with minotaurs, a basilisk, and a horde of vampires, was practically a death sentence.

In situations like this, even heroes know that the odds are overwhelming. I hoped he’d retreat.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, Valmonk sprang forward, his body moving like a coiled spring unleashing its tension.
When his feet hit the ground, the impact caused the earth to tremble violently.

The sheer power of his movement left me speechless.
What kind of lunacy was it to call me a monster when humans like this existed?

“I am Valmonk. As the Hero of Faith, I will never turn my back on evil!”

Can’t you just leave, dammit?
How do you convince a lunatic like this to walk away?

“Are you not afraid of death? Leave now, and you may yet save your life.”
“Hah! Death Knight, your vile schemes are plain to see. It will be my pleasure to ensure your most agonizing demise!”

I was offering him a chance to live, but instead, he came back with a death threat.
It was an absolute loss in verbal combat, but my poker face held strong. Not that I had much of a choice, being a skeleton without facial expressions.

“Charlotte, deal with him.”
“As you command.”

Charlotte’s ominous magic began to rise like shimmering heatwaves.
The ground trembled, and pale hands burst forth from the soil.
Valmonk gritted his teeth at the sight.

“So, you’re not just some dark mage...!”

The summoned creatures were skeletal soldiers and ghouls.
A necromancer of Charlotte’s caliber could manipulate dozens of undead as if they were extensions of her own body.

Valmonk glared at Charlotte with murderous intent.
Knowing his backstory, I had expected this reaction.

“My sister was killed by a witch. Do you even understand what that means?”
“Oh, how convenient. That woman won’t be lonely for long. You’ll be joining her soon enough.”
“No! The one who will die is you!”

With a flick of Charlotte’s hand, the undead horde charged at Valmonk. He leaped into the fray, fighting them off.
The vampires soon joined the fray, followed by the massive monsters stomping forward with earth-shaking footsteps.

I stayed back, observing the chaos.
In the heat of battle, openings are bound to appear. If the opportunity arose, I’d make my escape.

“Greetings, esteemed ruler of the reborn Mugan Seventh Palace.”

Startled by the unfamiliar voice, I turned to see a demon dressed in a formal tailcoat, bowing deeply with one hand over his chest.

“And you are?”
“Forgive my late introduction. I am a mere merchant of the Dungeon Merchant Guild. It is an unparalleled honor to meet the new lord of the Mugan Seventh Palace.”

Of course, he mentioned the Mugan Seventh Palace. This had to be another one of Charlotte’s insane ideas.

“Will you not personally join the battle, my lord?”

I hesitated for a moment before speaking calmly.
“If I intervene, it would no longer be a test.”
“Ah, so you mean to judge their qualifications through strength. Truly, you possess the qualities of a ruler.”

Dungeon bosses rarely involve themselves in battles directly. After all, if the boss dies, the dungeon collapses.

At that moment, black portals appeared on either side of the demon.
I recognized those portals all too well—they were support reinforcements, a mechanic I’d seen countless times in the game.
As expected, armored beastmen and demons poured out from the portals.

“From this point onward, there will be no charge for monster hires. This is a unilateral decision by the guild. We, too, have a grudge against heroes and hope to make a good impression on you, my lord.”

The sheer audacity of their “good impression” left me chilled.
It seemed everyone had now fully embraced the idea that I was the boss of the Mugan Seventh Palace.
A misunderstanding like this could easily lead to execution if I denied it now.

There’s no way out of this alive if I try to argue.

The reinforcements engaged Valmonk, further tipping the scales against him.
At this point, the die had been cast.
Even if this was a mistake, I needed to extinguish the immediate fire before me. My first priority was dealing with Valmonk.

Boom!

Explosions echoed as the ground trembled, debris scattering everywhere.
Valmonk was on the defensive, under relentless assault from Charlotte’s magic and the overwhelming number of monsters.

For now, things seemed to be in our favor. But I knew better than to let my guard down.

Valmonk was being overwhelmed.

With the ground shaking beneath him, he struggled against the tide of undead soldiers, vampires, and massive monsters.
Charlotte’s dark magic harried him relentlessly, her projectiles of concentrated malice zipping through the air and narrowly avoiding her allies to focus solely on him.

In close combat, Valmonk might have stood a chance, but Charlotte’s long-range attacks were a nightmare. Each spell she cast was precise and deadly.

“Get out of my way, you bull-headed brute!”

Valmonk roared in frustration as a towering minotaur blocked his advance toward Charlotte.
The narrow cave corridor worked against him, giving the enormous beast the perfect position to lock him in. Even attempting to maneuver past it was a Herculean effort.

Perfect.

Charlotte’s basilisk further constrained him, its venom making the very air around him dangerous to breathe. Valmonk had nowhere to step, and the effects were starting to show.
Despite his legendary reputation, the hero couldn’t escape the poisonous trap closing in on him.

Still, he fought valiantly. The ground was soaked with the blood of slain monsters—a testament to his resilience.
But even this played into our advantage.

Buzz!

The blood pooling around him served as a medium for the vampires’ blood magic, turning into deadly blades that slashed at him mercilessly.
Among them, Isabella stood out, unleashing powerful attacks with precision. It seemed evolving her into a True Ancestor Vampire had paid off.

With the sheer number of monsters, the confined space, and reinforcements still pouring in from the portals, Valmonk’s defeat seemed inevitable.
We could win this.

“Do you think I’ll lose to this rabble?”

But then, something changed.

Suddenly, Valmonk’s movements grew sharper, his punches sending multiple enemies flying with a single strike.
The monsters hesitated, sensing the shift in his aura.

Valmonk, who had been on the defensive, was now on the offensive, cutting through our forces with terrifying efficiency.
The ground behind him was littered with corpses, and Charlotte’s attacks were becoming less frequent—a sign her mana was running low.

“This... won’t end well unless we take additional measures.”

The demon merchant standing beside me muttered nervously, his formal tone betraying his unease.
He was right. If this continued, we’d be wiped out.

What the hell is going on?

Had Valmonk been holding back this entire time? No, that couldn’t be it. Even for someone as strong as him, there were limits.

[Lv. 90]

My jaw would’ve dropped if I had one. Valmonk’s level had inexplicably skyrocketed.
I stared at him, trying to make sense of what I was seeing, when a notification appeared.

[Celestial Elixir (S)]
[Success rate for enhancement: 3%]
[Warning! Failure will result in destruction!]
[If enhancement fails, cooldown will reset.]
[Would you like to enhance the Celestial Elixir (S)? YES/NO]

No way...

He had used the Celestial Elixir? That would explain the sudden level increase, but... enhancing it? That shouldn’t even be possible.

The Celestial Elixir was a consumable item that dramatically boosted stats upon use. But how could he enhance something he had already consumed?

Unless...

The answer hit me like a bolt of lightning.
If the elixir wasn’t fully digested, its effects might still linger in his system, making enhancement theoretically possible.
But if it failed?

“Curse you, denizens of darkness! Come at me with everything you’ve got! I, Valmonk, will destroy you all!”

Valmonk’s roar snapped me out of my thoughts. I had no time to waste.

I stepped forward, catching his attention. His gaze locked onto me immediately.

“Hah! I almost forgot about you!”

In the blink of an eye, Valmonk closed the distance between us, his fist flying toward my face like a cannonball.
I saw nothing but his fist filling my vision. In less than a second, my skull would be separated from my body.

[Enhancing Celestial Elixir (S)]
[Enhancement failed. Celestial Elixir (S) has been destroyed.]

Boom!

Valmonk exploded. No other word could describe it. One moment, he was there, and the next, he was a cloud of blood and gore.

The cave fell silent.
Time itself seemed to freeze as everyone turned to look at me. Dozens of wide eyes locked onto me, each one filled with awe and disbelief.

Without a word, I glanced down at the blood splattered across my body. Then, in an unhurried motion, I turned away.

“Even in death, he dirties the place.”

Thank god I was undead.
If I’d still been alive, my expression would’ve been a total mess.