Level 107.

Ed didn't even meet the bare minimum for a C-rank dungeon, which started at level 120. For him, every second teetered on the edge of death.

RUMMMMBLE!!

A careless sweep from a blind Company member—

KRAKABOOM!

—or even a passing blow from a Horn Tribe warrior—

THUD... BOOOOM!

—could end him instantly. That was his reality.

Because of that, lower-level players like him didn't join the front lines.

Their job was support—resupply, disruption.

They stayed just outside the main battleground in Swansea. That potion rain that had drenched the whole region earlier? That was their doing.

At first, when they saw Company members running in panic, they thought things were going well.

'But how did it come to this…?'

Ed was barely hanging on to the edge of a jagged rock formation.

A sudden quake had shattered the ground beneath him. He had grabbed a tree jutting between the cliffs just in time to avoid falling to his death.

"Hang in there, Ed! I'll throw down a rope!"

It was pure luck he wasn't alone—if he'd been by himself, he would've already fallen, no question.

But things weren't going well.

RRRUMMBLE!!

The teammate trying to lower the rope.

The others calling out to him.

Even Ed, clinging below.

All of them turned their eyes to one spot.

"..."

A single massive monster emerged, shattering the jagged rock.

Its form—familiar.

Words stuck in his throat.

"...A Giant Horn Lizard…"

It was twice the size of the one he'd seen before in Arc.

'...This can't be real.'

Just locking eyes with the beast made it feel like his breath had been stolen.

Its roar weighed on his entire body like a soaked wool blanket.

They couldn't win.

They would die.

This was beyond their ability to resist.

A cascade of fear, despair, and paralysis wrapped around his mind and took hold of his body.

So deeply panicked was Ed that he didn't even notice the tree holding him slowly bending downward.

"...We're going to die."

A line that anyone in this place would agree with. And just as the despair consumed him—

—someone charged at the Giant Horn Lizard.

He recognized her instantly.

"Millie…?"

The celebrity, Millie.

He'd once been such a fan that he set her as his phone wallpaper.

No—he still was.

In this hellish, soul-crushing life in New Capital, she was his only light.

His only hope.

Just looking at her smiling photo could make energy surge into his weary body.

More vital than anything—even more than during his military service.

Millie meant that much to Ed.

'Clark… that's what they called her, right?'

It didn't seem to fit her at all, but the proof came from Bellatris.

She hadn't needed to prove herself with anything but her "Magic Bullet Revolver."

Unlike Jhin, who had competitors, Millie was uncontested—a clear Rank 12, a verified Clark.

The Magic Gunslinger.

And just recently, when she wiped out a swarm of Company members at the survival camp—

No one could deny it anymore.

She was in a league of her own.

'Even so… sometimes I still found it hard to believe.'

KRAAAASH!

BOOOM!!

SKREEEECH!!!

But how could he deny it now, watching her fight head-on against the very Giant Horn Lizard that made him want to curl up and die?

There was no room for doubt.

Millie was Clark.

And Clark was Millie.

It was burned into everyone's minds, as clear as day.

"...Watch out!!"

Ed, completely absorbed in the battle, saw it—

Millie slammed by the lizard's tail and sent tumbling across the ground.

A crisis.

It was a life-or-death moment.

Even though he wasn't in the fight himself, Ed found his hands drenched in sweat as he watched Adonis and his squad scramble to save her.

That's how dangerous it was.

And then—Jhin appeared.

"UWAHHHH!!"

"That's Kyle! It's Kyle!!"

"UWAHHHHHHH!!!"

A figure like a goblin out of myth.

Once in Zone 3, and once again during a fight with a fake Giant Horn Lizard—

Those who knew, knew.

He was Jhin.

He was Kyle.

The crowd exploded with cheers as Jhin fought toe-to-toe with the beast.

"Please! Please!!"

Without realizing it, the players watching were praying, fists clenched, sharing in the strain and pain of his fight as if it were their own.

SKREEEEEEEE!!

At last, under Jhin's onslaught, the Giant Horn Lizard began to retreat.

A player with a telescope didn't stop broadcasting a single moment of it live.

"It's a dragon! Kyle's squirrel turned into a dragon!!"

A dragon.

An S-rank monster that only appeared at level 500 or above.

And what everyone thought was just a squirrel… had been a dragon all along.

Ed felt a shiver run down his entire body.

'It's known that Kyle has a variety of pets.'

Sometimes it was a camel.

Sometimes a horse.

A tiger, even. Birds of many kinds.

Which was why for the longest time, the internet had buzzed with rumors that Kyle might be a tamer.

But what if—

'What if they were all the same one?'

He didn't know the conditions. Didn't know how a squirrel could become a dragon.

But seeing that incredible battle with the Giant Horn Lizard—

There was nothing left to deny.

A foreign Kyle?

Whoever beat a C-rank dungeon first would be Kyle?

Ed found it laughable.

Now everything was clear.

The bets didn't matter.

"No one else could be Kyle but him."

And just then—

CRACKK!!

Ed watched as the tree supporting him gave way with a hollow snap. Panic flared—but just then, a rope dangled down before his eyes, saving him from the fall.

"Hold on tight! We'll pull you up!"

His teammate's voice rang out as Ed swung midair.

"…Yeah," he muttered blankly, still stunned.

Even as the rope dragged him upward, his eyes remained locked in one direction.

Something had changed on the battlefield.

A new figure had appeared—

And with it, everything was shifting.

The leader of the NPCs.

Chief of the Horn Tribe.

Atlas .

They'd expected him to be powerful—sure.

Even when he was captured by the Company, half-dead and in tatters, his magic still flared at a level none of them had ever seen.

But seeing it in person…

'This isn't just strength.'

The Giant Horn Lizard lay crumpled, not even twitching.

That monster—the one who had shrugged off Jhin's full-power blows like they were nothing—

Now had a gaping hole through its torso.

Like tofu.

Pierced clean through.

And it had taken just one strike.

JhinJhinswallowed hard.

'He's beyond the scale…'

Atlas cast only a brief glance at the fallen monster before walking toward Jhin with measured, steady steps.

And this was the man who, just minutes ago, had been hanging on the edge of death?

Then Jhinsaw it—Atlas 's HP bar.

Still barely hanging on.

'He's almost out of health… and still killed that thing effortlessly.'

What do you even eat to get that strong?

'This is bad…'

Because now that strength was a pressure falling squarely on Jhin.

Sure, the fight against the Giant Horn Lizard had ended quickly thanks to Atlas —but somehow, it made the dungeon feel even more difficult than before.

'It means the boss monster will be even stronger.'

In this dungeon, the strongest NPCs paralleled the strongest monsters.

You couldn't just be glad about Atlas 's power—it meant what lay ahead would be brutal.

"My apologies for the late introduction. I am Atlas , chieftain of the Horn Tribe."

"…I'm Jhin."

That could come later.

Jhin shook the man's hand—one that looked sturdy enough to crush bones, despite Atlas 's nearly nonexistent HP.

Quest complete.

[You have successfully completed the quest.]

[You have gained 'Favor of NPC Atlas ' as a reward.]

[You have long held off the 'Giant Horn Lizard' from destroying the village.]

[Title acquired: 'Benefactor of the Horn Tribe'.]

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

No loot from the Giant Horn Lizard—that had been a letdown.

But the flood of EXP from the quest more than made up for it.

He couldn't complain.

And the title…

'Benefactor of the Horn Tribe.'

That would be useful in more ways than one.

Not just the perks from NPC villages—but in battle, too.

Benefactor of the Horn Tribe

• You can purchase all items in Swansea at a 30% discount.

• When fighting alongside Horn Tribe members, all stats +10.

• All members of the Horn Tribe trust your words unconditionally.

But it was the third perk that caught Jhin's eye.

Back when this was just an online game, he would've brushed past a line like that without thought.

But now, when the game had become reality—there was no more effective power than this.

Just like how his [Heaven's Martial Body] let him stay calm and focused no matter the situation—

Now, even if his level was lower than an NPC's, or his gear weaker than a Horn warrior's, his words would never be dismissed.

Titles mattered.

"I see… I've kept my benefactor in this poor place for too long. Let us return to Swansea. The village needs rebuilding, and I wish to show you gratitude."

Atlas's voice was formal, his offer polite.

But Jhin shook his head and looked away.

He still had unfinished business.

If what he'd just received was the system's reward…

'Then now it's time for the rewards I can claim through player initiative.'

His eyes scanned the battlefield—

The players of Ark slowly gathering.

Horn Tribe warriors approaching from Swansea.

Then he spoke.

"Would you mind waiting just a little?"

"Of course. Do as you please."

With a nod to Atlas , Jhin jogged over to the Giant Horn Lizard's massive corpse.

The thing lay there like a boulder, even in death radiating menace.

The closer he got, the more goosebumps he felt.

It wasn't just in his head.

The monster wasn't fully gone.

[Activating skill: Spirit Sight (A).]

Above the corpse, a soul hovered. Just as massive.

It didn't look ready to pass on.

Its expression was twisted with bitterness. Rage.

It couldn't accept its death.

'Still… it's just a soul.'

And for a goblin, that was the easiest thing to handle.

"Rise."

[Activating exclusive skill of the equipment 'Ring of the Goblin King': Goblin's Summon.]

[Warning: The soul's rank far exceeds the player's level.]

[High chance of failure.]

[Even if summoned, the spirit may not obey. Proceed anyway?]

The warning was harsher than with the Pierrot.

If this summon failed—it could attack the caster.

An undead Giant Horn Lizard.

That's what this might become.

'It'll be fine.'

There was nothing to fear.

He had a dragon perched on his shoulder.

Even in death, if that thing still had the instincts of a lizard—it should fear a dragon.

As long as Kimmywas with him, he would be fine.

'Besides… if not now, then when?'

And if anything went wrong, he had backup.

Atlas was right behind him—the very man who took this thing down in one hit.

If need be, he could kill it again.

So what if someone asked why he resurrected a monster?

'It's fine. I'm the Horn Tribe's benefactor.'

That title would cover him.

"I'm activating the skill."

ZZZZZHHHHT!!

The once-dead soul of the Giant Horn Lizard screamed in fury—

And began to take shape again in the land of Swansea.