Alex and Eliria appeared directly in the central hall of the Morven Guild, where the coolness of the stone floor stood in sharp contrast to the tension pounding in their hearts. The first to notice them was a young woman—tall, with long chestnut hair tied in a low ponytail. There was seriousness in her eyes behind the glasses, and her restrained outfit—a white shirt, black knee-length skirt, and black tights—marked her clearly as a guild staff member.

  "Alex," she said, quickly approaching. "I was just waiting for you."

  "Teleport us to the dungeon," Alex demanded without wasting a second.

  "Follow me," the girl nodded shortly.

  They moved deeper into the building at a brisk pace. Along the way, she informed them:

  "One of the Central Guild’s operatives has already entered the dungeon. At the same time, we’re gathering a reinforcement squad of twelve fighters. They should be dispatched in just a few minutes."

  "How long ago did he go in?" Alex asked sharply.

  "Seven... maybe eight minutes ago," she replied. "He’s level seventy-four. If it’s not an S-rank monster, he should be able to handle it."

  "I hope you’re right..." Alex answered grimly. "But I need to see for myself."

  The girl nodded silently and opened the door to one of the rooms. Inside, a large magical circle glowed on the stone floor.

  "This circle will take you directly to the target dungeon."

  "Thank you," Alex replied curtly.

  He and Eliria stepped into the center of the circle. The glow intensified sharply—and in the next moment, their silhouettes dissolved into the air.

  Alex and Eliria appeared in a dungeon corridor. The dim light of the crystals scattered along the walls couldn’t hide what immediately struck them both—the air here was heavy, as if filled with lead, and even an untrained eye could tell that something sinister waited deep within.

  The aura was so thick it seemed you could slice skin with it.

  "This... this can’t be a C-rank monster," Eliria whispered, her pupils dilated in shock. "It’s—"

  "I know," Alex replied shortly. "You still have a chance to go back."

  The girl looked him straight in the eyes, silent but resolute.

  "I’m staying. With you."

  Alex smiled faintly. In the next moment, he swiftly lifted her into his arms.

  "Then hold on tight."

  Eliria immediately blushed and wrapped her arms around his neck, her heart pounding wildly. Alex surged forward—so fast that the air around them almost rang. Eliria couldn’t help but think she had never seen him so focused, so... fast.

  Meanwhile, in the boss chamber, the monster continued pacing back and forth with measured steps, radiating a threatening aura. Emma, who had somewhat acclimated to the pressure over the last few minutes, slowly crawled toward Gabriel. Her hands trembled, but she managed to reach him and began healing. The effect, however, was nearly zero—her fingers shook too much from fear, and it was too hard to concentrate.

  The monster stopped, glanced around, and, upon seeing her beside the man's body, stretched out a hand. A magical circle ignited—and three fireballs flew toward Emma.

  But the flames shattered against an ice wall that suddenly rose in front of her.

  The monster turned—and saw the figure of a man. Light hair, formal uniform stained with blood. His eyes burned with resolve, though his body barely held together.

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  "You again," the monster rasped with a hoarse satisfaction.

  The next instant—he was already in front of the fighter. Claws slashed the air. A deep cut appeared on the shirt, and the man fell to one knee, choking on blood.

  The monster's eyes turned to Alpha. Barely standing, she tried to raise her hand for an attack—but her body refused to obey. She could only watch as the monster approached... closer... and closer...

  And just as his claws were ready to tear her life away—he suddenly stopped.

  He felt it—another aura.

  He turned sharply—and saw a young man already ten meters away. Alex clenched his bloodied fist and readied a strike. But the monster leapt to the side, and in the same instant, Alex’s blow smashed into the stone floor, leaving behind a crater.

  The dungeon shook. All eyes turned to the newcomer.

  Alex straightened. His gaze was cold, yet full of resolve.

  "I made it in time."

  He slowly looked over to Alpha, who stood before him, shaking and exhausted. Her legs gave out—she collapsed to her knees, but before she hit the ground, Alex caught her in his arms. His hand glowed with the soft light of healing magic, and within seconds, energy began washing the wounds from her body.

  "It’s all right now," he said quietly, looking gently into her eyes.

  At that moment, Eliria burst into the room. She stopped abruptly at the sight—wounded everywhere, blood, magical pressure... But she composed herself, and immediately conjured a magical field around herself—beneath each wounded person, circles of green healing light began to glow.

  Her gaze fell on Gabriel’s body—still motionless. Eliria rushed to him, dropped to her knees, and with a tense expression, began healing the shattered chest cavity.

  As she worked, the cave was shaken by a sinister, cold laugh.

  "Oh, you finally came, Alex. How long I’ve—"

  "Shut up," Alex’s voice cut through the air like a blade.

  His magical aura ignited—dense, deep, laced with darkness and power. It surged through the room in a wave, momentarily pushing back the monster’s own aura. The air cracked from the shift in power.

  "It’s not your turn yet," Alex continued calmly, but cold as ice.

  Just as suddenly, the aura faded. The monster froze, narrowing his eyes in surprise, glancing at the man from the Central Guild. The man gave a slight nod. The monster didn’t move.

  Holding Alpha, Alex stepped closer to the wounded. Now everyone—Eliria, Emma, Gabriel, the maids—was gathered in a tight circle.

  "How is he?" Alex asked, standing beside Eliria.

  "Strong blow to the chest. Several bones broken... but we made it in time. He’ll be all right soon," Eliria replied, concentrating as she directed energy into the man’s body.

  Alex nodded, exhaled with relief, and looked at Emma. The woman, weeping, clutched the ground with trembling hands. Her eyes darted between her husband’s body and her son’s face.

  "Mom... are you okay?" Alex asked softly, kneeling beside her.

  She opened her mouth but couldn’t say a word—only trembling lips and more tears.

  Alex gently embraced her, pulling her close.

  "It’s going to be all right now. I promise. Eliria will take care of all of you, and I’ll lead us out of this cave."

  He was just about to rise when suddenly his mother grabbed his hand. Her eyes, full of terror and tears, looked into his.

  "Don’t go..." she whispered. "He’ll kill you."

  Alex smiled gently but firmly. He softly moved her hand from his and stood up, whispering:

  "I’ll be fine. Just trust me."

  Casting one last glance at his mother and the maids—whose wounds had already disappeared, though their eyes were still wet with tears—Alex turned around and, without a moment’s hesitation, walked toward the monster.

  Silence fell over the cave—everyone held their breath.

  At first, Alex slowly approached the man in the suit, who was standing off to the side, leaning against the cave wall. The wounds on his body had already healed thanks to Eliria’s magic, but his gaze remained tired, though attentive.

  Seeing Alex approach, the man gave a slight bow.

  "My name is Heinrich Vex. I work for the Central Guild."

  "Alex," he replied briefly, also giving a slight nod. "Thank you for coming to help my family."

  Heinrich gave a bitter smile, running a hand across his bloodstained shirt.

  "If only I could’ve truly helped… But even with all my strength, I couldn’t do a thing. My movements were too… slow for him."

  Heinrich’s gaze turned cold for a moment.

  "That monster," he added, "he’s definitely S-rank. Only they have that kind of dense, dark aura."

  Alex cast a quick glance at the monster, still standing motionless dozens of meters away, as if waiting. Then he turned back to Heinrich.

  "I have a favor to ask."

  "Your friend just saved my life," Heinrich replied, nodding toward Eliria. "So ask whatever you want… assuming we make it out of here alive."

  Alex looked him straight in the eye. His voice grew serious.

  "When I’m done with him—you’ll tell everyone that you killed him."

  Heinrich froze for a moment, tilting his head in surprise.

  "Excuse me? Did I hear that right?"

  "You did," Alex confirmed calmly. "No one can know about me."

  Heinrich raised an eyebrow, then gave a short, quiet laugh.

  "For saving this many people… they won’t just promote me—they’ll throw in a bonus. Deal."

  Alex nodded and, leaving Heinrich behind, continued walking forward with confidence.

  Once he was far enough away, Heinrich pressed two fingers to his ear.

  "Master, the boy is in position."

  A deep, calm male voice sounded in his ear.

  "Finally. I’d like to see what’s going on over there."

  Heinrich closed his eyes for a moment, focusing mana into his left eye. When he opened it, his pupil glowed softly—the internal visual link was activated.

  "I see," the voice said. "Your task is to keep your eyes on the boy."

  "Understood," Heinrich whispered, never taking his gaze off Alex, who walked slowly ahead.

  "Well then," said the voice, filled with curiosity and a hint of long-held knowledge, "let’s see just how much your power has grown since our last meeting..."