Suddenly, Kalak and Uz appeared.

Even someone unable to read the atmosphere could tell that they were not approaching with good intentions.

The countless players they had already killed in this dungeon were evidenced by the red marks above their heads and their names.

There was no way to not notice.

They had encountered notorious players in a maze-type dungeon.

What needed to be done in such a situation was obvious.

The tension was thick in the air, as taut as a pulled string.

It was a situation on the verge of exploding at any moment.

Kalak and Uz both turned to look at Seong and Kim Che-geon.

It was easy to tell that they were different from the noisy group near the entrance.

Uz, in particular, could feel the intensity in the air, licking his lips in anticipation.

So, are you going to avoid us?

"Not a chance!"

On the contrary, this was welcome.

After having only dealt with the weaklings, Seong felt the excitement that had been cooling down rise again.

Although he didn't say it out loud, Kalak felt the same way.

Despite his massive frame, his eyes were sharper than any blade, honed to a deadly edge.

Was the blood of a warrior beginning to boil?

"……."

Kalak didn't speak, but he crouched down, preparing to charge at any moment.

The instant there was a signal, he would shoot out with the speed of an arrow.

It wasn’t just them.

Kim Che-geon, too, was a swordswoman.

Her blood was also boiling as she placed a hand on her sword, ready to launch an attack at any moment.

"I’ve seen them outside, but they’re quite skilled."

Kim Che-geon seemed to enjoy the situation, her long smile curling beneath the straw hat that covered her face.

How strong were they really?

It was enough to spark her curiosity.

With the tension building up between the two sides, the atmosphere was now on the verge of combat.

At that moment, Seong, without a second thought, summoned the Legion of Death.

What was there to hesitate about?

The turquoise heart was grasped in Seong's hand, and as its pulse echoed through the air, the corpse of the minor demon, Kaishak, twitched, the darkness that already tainted its skin spreading and darkening, as greenish energy began to surge from its body.

But that was just the beginning.

Two undead arose, not one.

Identical undead appeared, both with a markedly different appearance from the usual undead.

Seong's undead caused Uz, Kalak, and even Kim Che-geon, his own party member, to flinch, their eyes trembling in shock.

"R, Rapid’s rookie!?"

"……!!"

"H, I knew you were a dark mage, but to think you were a rookie from Rapid Guild."

All three were taken aback, but regardless, Seong calmly sent the soulless minor demon Kaishak to the underworld.

It would be useful in combat, but Seong didn’t want to see a soulless soldier like Kaishak.

However, this action seemed to rattle Kalak and Uz.

The vein on Kalak's forehead bulged, and he glared at Seong, while Uz’s face turned red, biting his lip in humiliation.

"……Arrogant."

"Hah! You think we’re easy targets?"

Even Kalak, usually quiet, spoke up, his anger rising.

It was a natural reaction.

It was impossible not to feel that their presence had been underestimated.

Seong was simply curious about how much the soulless Kaishak could perform.

But who would notice that?

Even Kim Che-geon, his own ally, seemed to notice it.

"Ah, you're quite skilled at provoking, aren't you?"

Isn’t this what they call gejangjigye?

Kim Che-geon could tell from Seong’s demeanor that he wasn’t someone whose mental state could be easily underestimated.

However, Seong merely tilted his head in confusion as he looked at the two of them.

Why were they so angry?

He couldn’t understand.

Wouldn’t it make things easier if he added one more to their side? Shouldn’t they be happy?

Seong swallowed his thoughts, instead asking,

"Hm, weren’t you planning to attack?"

Unlike Seong, who was genuinely curious, Kalak and Uz trembled with clenched fists, their patience reaching its limit.

A rookie from Rapid Guild?

Seong's power was known through videos showing the vast number of undead he controlled, so they hadn’t dared approach recklessly, but now, seeing it firsthand...

"Adding one more, it’s not just a taunt, is it?"

The petite Uz was furious, but she calmly analyzed the situation.

The visible undead was just one, and the other one had already been summoned.

Even though it seemed difficult to maintain just that one, they had seen him command as many as twenty goblins.

Was there a difference?

The higher-tier skills in Eternal World were known to have complex effects. For instance, what if the fewer undead summoned, the more powerful they became?

"It’s a possibility to consider."

Uz, her heart burning with rage, kept her head cool and spoke to Kalak.

[Uz - It seems like summoning just that one is the key to becoming stronger.]
[Kalak - Got it.]

With those few words of communication, Kalak understood the order.

As soon as he received the signal, Kalak moved first, aiming directly at Seong, ignoring Kim Che-geon, who was close-range.

It was a smart strategy.

Kim Che-geon, noticing Kalak’s movement, was about to react.

But she hesitated when fire arrows shot toward her.

Swoosh!

The fire arrows, burning brightly in the air, veered in front of Kim Che-geon’s movements, forcing her to grimace and knock them away with her sword.

Without using a physical skill, she had no choice but to use a skill to deflect the arrows.

If she delayed, Kalak would reach Seong.

She didn't know how long the undead would hold out.

‘Better finish this quickly and move on.’

She needed to deal with Uz as fast as possible.

However...

"Is that so easy?"

Uz, hovering in the air, grinned and began preparing her skills, her eyes darting around.

Her odd appearance made Kim Che-geon scowl, realizing this was not going to be over quickly.

Kim Che-geon murmured, gripping her sword, as if stroking a nonexistent beard.

"Hah, you can’t ignore Joseon’s greatest swordsman."

Kim Che-geon’s words made Uz mutter, genuinely confused.

"Joseon? What’s that?"

"That’s unforgivable!!"

Kim Che-geon suddenly exploded with fury, and Uz quickly began using magic to block her charge, focusing on defense.

Uz, too, was a mage.

To last long against Kim Che-geon in close combat, she had no choice but to play defensively.

If Kalak could take care of the undead, they would be good to go.

But...

Fwoosh!

The sound of piercing flesh reached their ears, and they both turned their heads.

What they saw was horrifying.

[Critical Hit!]
[The effect of 『One Strike!』 is activated!]

Heh heh! Heh heh heh heh heh!

"Ugh."

The undead minor demon, Kaishak, let out an uncontrollable laugh, its tail piercing through Kalak's shoulder, who swallowed a groan as he quickly retreated.

Despite Kalak's superior physical strength, which was better than most armor, Uz couldn't help but be confused.

How did that tail pierce so easily?

Kim Che-geon, too, was thinking something similar.

'It's stronger than before it became undead...!'

Kim Che-geon had already fought Kaishak before, so she could feel how much stronger it had become.

While both of them were amazed, Seong simply observed Kalak and Kaishak with a calm expression.

Kalak, seeing Seong’s nonchalant expression, couldn’t help but grit his teeth.

Was Seong looking at him as if he were a joke? Or perhaps didn’t consider him worth worrying about?

Kalak wasn’t sure, but that’s what he imagined Seong might be thinking.

But what Kalak imagined was completely different.

‘He’s not just laughing... he’s actually enjoying it.’

Seong was the only one who understood the words of the ghostly death soldier. Kaishak had been laughing, and it turned out that was all there was to it.

Although Seong’s amusement slightly deflated the situation, he couldn't help but think, ‘It’s definitely strong.’

Kaishak was far stronger than the typical goblin undead or skeletons from mercenary groups.

Even now, it was clear.

Although Seong hadn’t given any specific orders, the undead followed his commands as other death soldiers did.

But there was a clear difference in the subtlety of Kaishak's movements.

When it launched its tail, Kalak raised both arms in defense, quickly activating his defensive skills.

But at that moment, the trajectory of the tail shifted, plunging straight into the ground in front of Kalak.

Thud!

Using the tail stuck in the ground as leverage, Kaishak’s body shot forward rapidly.

Time passed, and Kalak’s defensive skill started to crumble. As it collapsed, Kaishak’s short legs slammed down hard on Kalak’s exposed arms.

Boom!

The impact of the kick pushed Kalak back, and despite gritting his teeth, he was forced to slide backward.

In that instant, Kaishak lunged again with its tail.

Kalak, having already experienced the sharpness of the tail, had no choice but to react with a desperate grab.

The sound of skin tearing and bones twisting filled the air as Kalak finally managed to catch the tail.

Heh?

Kaishak, momentarily forgetting its laugh, stared in surprise as Kalak bared his teeth, his voice growling.

"...Finally caught you."

With that, Kalak yanked Kaishak toward him.

Kaishak, despite its impressive piercing power, had weak physical strength, making it impossible to resist Kalak’s strength.

Kaishak struggled to fight back, pushing power into its tail, but it only caused Kalak to stumble slightly—nothing more.

Kaishak, in the air, was at a clear disadvantage compared to Kalak, who had more leverage.

Ki, kiiru? (What is this!?)

As Kaishak’s bewildered voice echoed, Kalak’s clenched right fist, now enveloped in crimson energy, struck Kaishak squarely in the face.

It wasn’t enough. Kalak extended his fist, smashing Kaishak’s face into the ground.

Boom!

The shock was so powerful that the ground trembled, and Kalak’s punch created a crater beneath him. However, despite the violent impact, the ground remained intact—only Kaishak’s head shattered like a watermelon.

Kaishak had put up a decent fight against a formidable player like Kalak, but it seemed this was its limit.

Yet Seong’s expression remained satisfied.

Even though Kaishak had lost, it had put up quite a resistance.

But that wasn’t the end.

Critical Hit!

"Ugh."

Just before Kaishak’s final blow, it pushed its tail deeper into Kalak’s chest, striking a critical blow to his heart.

With a sickening pop, Kalak’s heart was pierced, but despite the brutal injury, he was tough enough to rise again.

Kaishak had been defeated, and now Kalak believed Seong was the only one left.

"...That was your strongest and only undead, wasn’t it? Now I’ll finish you off."

Kalak spoke with an uncharacteristically long monologue.

Seong, slightly confused, responded, "Hmm, only?"

"...?"

Kalak, puzzled by Seong’s question, was met with a light flick of Seong’s finger.

Immediately, turquoise portals appeared in the air, and from them emerged twenty goblin undead and twenty skeleton mercenaries.

Lastly, a powerful necromancer, shrouded in darkness, filled the air with an oppressive, heavy aura, making the entire passage feel colder by several degrees.

The path had been frozen in an instant.

But that wasn’t all.

Whoosh!

As the turquoise heart pulsed once more, Kaishak’s shattered head reformed and returned to its original state.

The undead creature, which had been nearly defeated, was resurrected with an eerie, nightmarish quality.

Kalak’s eyes trembled violently.

And it wasn’t just Kalak.

"Wh, what is this!? Th, this wasn’t supposed to be a skill that makes it stronger with each undead summoned!?!?"

Uz, who had been fighting Kim Che-geon, also paused, unable to look away from the spectacle unfolding before them.

The surrounding temperature dropped sharply, and the ominous presence of the necromancer further intensified the chilling atmosphere.

It felt like prey standing before a predator.

Even Kim Che-geon, who was on Seong’s side, could feel her heart racing, her eyes flickering with unease.

"Hah."

There was no pride left in Kalak, only fear.

Seong, having unleashed this terrifying force, calmly addressed them.

"Come."

At Seong’s words, Kalak trembled in fear, his previous bravado shattered.

Uz’s expectations had been completely overturned.