In the Dream Amusement Park, there was a place known as the Demon King’s Castle.

It stood at the very edge of the fortress beyond the dazzling, eye-blinding attractions of the amusement park — a massive castle. Those who had received an official guided tour of the Dream Amusement Park were also granted access to visit that place.

However, no one had ever seen the owner of dreams there.

“Still... are we sure this really is the Demon King’s Castle?”

“Feels more like some sort of theme park attraction, honestly...”

Seo Seo-Hee smiled.

“There’s a familiar friend, at least.”

He looked at the man in front of him, who held a massive sword.

The man’s eyes, dyed in an unnatural golden hue, held no focus. Thick tears, the color of molten gold, continuously streamed down and hardened into solid chunks that clinked onto the floor with a dull metallic sound.

Seo Seo-Hee used a skill to read the man’s presence.

[Ancient Wraith, Ather]

“In eternity, even pain may become mercy.”

“...Well now.”

It seemed the hero had fallen into the Evil God’s grasp.

“The Saintess will be saddened by this.”

“Didn’t she already anticipate this? She seemed well aware of how things were unfolding.”

“But back then, it was just one of many possible outcomes.”

There’s a big difference between imagining a scenario and actually facing it.

“Not that this is a bad outcome for us.”

They had scouted all areas they could inside the dungeon. The ruins, the Black Forest — no trace of the Demon King’s true body. Only one place remained: the Demon King’s Castle, decorated with all manner of gold and jewels.

‘Until now, the Evil God had been blocking entry here.’

That’s why he came only with the vice-guildmaster — just in case.

So, the human-shaped monster they encountered inside was a welcome sight. At the very least, it meant things were progressing. Of course, it was likely all part of the Evil God’s plan — but that didn’t matter.

When facing mysteries, going along with the rhythm was always effective.

‘The Saintess also seemed to have roughly understood the situation. That’s likely why she passed on all the information she could. Thanks to her, I know what kind of person this hero was when he was still sane.’

And syncing with the rhythm — that was Seo Seo-Hee’s specialty.

“...I’m not sure what the Evil God’s exact intentions are, but this stage he’s set up is quite something. Though now even he seems to have forgotten everything and is standing confused on stage...”

“.......”

“I heard that the bishop of the Moon Sect has defected. Ah, of course, only a few of us know that — myself and a few friends. It would be troublesome if such bad news spread widely in a time like this.”

Information was being tightly controlled. He hadn’t had time to hear more after rushing back into the dungeon, but he believed that the awakened Saintess would be handling the Moon Sect’s situation well.

In that case, Seo Seo-Hee would assist her the way he knew best.

“Judging by that greatsword and your stance, I’d say you’re quite strong.”

Seo Seo-Hee playfully twirled his one-handed sword.

“That’s something I’m pretty confident in too.”

“.......”

“Not much of a talker, huh.”

He grinned and tilted his head.

“That’s fine too.”

Seo Seo-Hee motioned for the vice-guildmaster to fall back.

“Support me.”

“Will you be alright on your own?”

“Just look at those solid muscles. You, my scrawny vice-guildmaster, wouldn’t last a minute against that guy.”

“I’m not that fragile... but understood.”

The vice-guildmaster’s true strength didn’t lie in direct combat — he was a healer, a buffer, and a debuffer. If Seo Seo-Hee was injured, he’d heal him. If the monster posed a threat, he’d curse it.

In other words, he was Seo Seo-Hee’s lifeline. And such a person couldn’t be dragged into a brutal melee. Seo Seo-Hee locked eyes with those golden irises glaring unsteadily at him.

“.......”

“.......”

The smile faded from Seo Seo-Hee’s face.

Their blades clashed.

***

The world collapsed.

And that was no metaphor.

‘...So this building was an illusion after all. The way it’s crumbling so easily means it wasn’t particularly cherished.’

Just like the rest of the dazzling amusement park.

‘In the end, it was just a stage prop.’

Never truly someone’s home or castle.

‘If the Evil God truly cherished this place, he wouldn’t have let it crumble so easily.’

Kang Eun-Seong, vice-guildmaster of Justitia, silently activated a barrier around himself. Though he wished he could do the same for his guildmaster, it would only get in the way.

The sound of the world collapsing pounded painfully in his ears — a roar that shook his brain. Through the thick dust and flying debris, Kang Eun-Seong watched the battle with bloodshot eyes.

“...Still the same...”

Still refusing to protect himself.

‘When is he going to fix that terrible habit...’

With a precise gesture, he healed the guildmaster’s wounds from afar.

From the start, Seo Seo-Hee had always preferred being injured and healed over not getting hit at all. All his natural talents were optimized for one thing: making sure he didn’t die easily.

Even when hurt, it never disrupted his combat. His own defense and healing always came last. Swinging a weapon one more time was always more important, he claimed.

‘And he knows how much this worries people...!’

Kang Eun-Seong gripped his staff tighter. Remote healing wasn’t an easy task. Especially in a battle of this scale.

‘Don’t tell me he’s pushing harder because he trusts me to fix everything...’

Seo Seo-Hee trusted his friends too much. He probably believed Kang Eun-Seong would just heal him — again. And because he couldn’t not heal him out of spite, it just made the guildmaster’s habits worse.

“.......”

Still — this opponent wasn’t easy.

‘They weren’t kidding about him being an ancient hero...’

Ather was a man who hunted dragons. A hero who fought Demon Kings. A chosen one among humans.

Driven mad, his instincts and destructive power had only grown more intense — enough to shake the world and destroy the “Demon King’s Castle.”

‘His swordplay is refined — yet so brutal it almost feels savage.’

His greatsword was larger than his own body. A truly monstrous weapon.

And yet, the way he wielded it was terrifying. Even a single graze would be fatal for most.

‘Is the weapon designed to inflict pain?’

Kang Eun-Seong soon understood.

‘Well, it was made to slay dragons.’

Recalling the Evil God’s massive form and terrifying curses — it made sense. Only something as destructive and relentless could stand a chance.

‘But to use such a massive weapon with this level of agility — that’s a miracle in itself.’

He launched dozens of attacks in the blink of an eye. His defensive use of the greatsword was excellent. His use of terrain, debris, even the flow of air — flawless.

‘There’s not even a sound...’

He was intentionally demolishing the castle, using the falling debris for aerial combat. Leaping between the rubble as if weightless — dodging, countering, striking back.

“...Among humanoid monsters, this one’s extremely troublesome.”

Not just destructive, but intelligent. The Saintess had said he was once a royal archivist — and it showed. But that wasn’t the only issue.

There was the overwhelming curse surrounding him.

“...Ugh...”

“Eun-Seong!!”

“I’m fine!!”

The vice-guildmaster poured mana into the air to block the curse from reaching his guildmaster.

Blood poured from his orifices. His flesh decayed. His mind warped. But none of it was fatal — he could maintain function, so he ignored the pain.

The guildmaster and vice-guildmaster were alike in that way. Justitia’s core belief had always been: the right cause is more important than personal well-being. They debated it endlessly and looked at the world through that lens.

‘If I didn’t think I could help, I wouldn’t have come this far.’

Through bloodshot eyes, he stared at his guildmaster. He was nearly crying blood, but he couldn’t miss a single moment — Seo Seo-Hee trusted him with his life.

‘...Curse detected. Corrosive-type curse. Targeting equipment and weapons — especially metal. Counter it. Reflect it. Monster’s far too cunning. Even in madness, it’s targeting specific materials? Wound — neck this time. Stop the bleeding first. Reconnect vessels. Don’t let him feel pain. Anesthetize. Yes, clamp the largest artery right there...’

Remote healing — an art only three people on Earth could perform. Like doing surgery with forceps from a kilometer away on an unanesthetized patient. No magic button made it easy.

But Kang Eun-Seong did it. He was used to it. His guildmaster often treated this as a “side job” for his close friend. Yes — a side job.

‘...Each of us does what we do best.’

And the one with room to spare bears the burden of the other’s leftover weight.

‘Guildmaster’s job is to hold that monster back. Mine is to keep him from losing focus or getting fatally injured. To help him do his part.’

All while blocking the attacks flying his way. If he died — who would support Seo Seo-Hee? He couldn’t afford to leave him alone.

‘No one ever said the hero was this strong...!’

But thinking about it — of course he was. A premium ingredient in the Evil God’s hands. That horrific curse surrounding him was likely the Evil God’s doing. It was all too overwhelming.

“Ghh...!”

If I knew this would happen, I would’ve brought more people!!

‘...With all this noise, someone’s bound to show up. Our guildmaster doesn’t lose. If we can just hold the line, support will arrive. But if it’s someone incompetent, they’ll just become a burden or be taken hostage. That would backfire completely.’

He wanted to send a message. As a skilled mage, he was adept at telepathy — enough to reach people on the other side of the planet. But right now, he didn’t have the bandwidth.

Telepathy was nothing like spoken words. Done wrong, he might blow someone’s head up remotely. That was to be avoided.

Even if he could call for help — who would he summon?

‘If I have to screen candidates like this, what do I even write? Only strong ones? A-class or higher? No — has to be upper-tier A-class. This field is saturated with curses, so curse-vulnerable # Nоvеlight # people are out. Damn it, are there no S-classes?!’

The red-haired Collector came to mind — but he immediately dismissed it.

‘That guy is useless!’

Not the type to help out easily. His personality was one problem, but not the only one. Bisa Beul was weak. Hard to believe an S-class could be weak — but he was.

‘As a manager of bizarre relics, he’s knowledgeable about curses, sure — but in a battlefield this dense, he’d get hurt. His combat style relies on using his collection. He’s better at defense and leadership. If he interferes now, it could ruin everything.’

And he didn’t trust him. Always going on about art and whatnot. Bisa Beul had no regard for life — except his precious relics.

‘Worst of all, he hates the guildmaster.’

On the surface, relations were fine. But Bisa Beul had always loathed Justitia — calling them naïve fools. And yet, he always donated generously.

His feelings toward Justitia bordered on love-hate. So maybe, if they begged hard enough, he’d show up while clicking his tongue — but no. No way. That was a terrible idea.

The Collector was not to be relied on.

‘Damn it...! If only Hunter Sergio were in shape — I would’ve asked him!’

S-rank in secret, known as a Saint — Hunter Sergio. A priest of the Black Cloak. Surely adept at handling curses. A rare all-rounder: tank, damage, and support.

‘And he has a good personality too.’

Unlike his parents. Nearly a walking disaster once, but thankfully avoided that fate. Either way, Kang Eun-Seong had no time to indulge in such thoughts now.

‘Collector’s support is out of the question. That whole guild is just here on vacation. They’re too busy attending to him. Is there any competent A-rank among the raid team? No? No one? Damn it, no one fits!’

The qualifications for someone who could turn the tide here were absurdly high. Powerful, smart, versatile — near S-rank level.

“......!”

And yet, as always — Kang Eun-Seong found the answer.

“Excuse me—!!”

He slammed his staff into the ground.

A massive white magic circle bloomed around him, and within seconds, a pale figure appeared beside him.

Pop!

“Huh?”

The girl dragged by the teleport spell blinked in brief confusion.

“Ah. I see.”

Then she nodded.

“...Of course.”

“I formally apologize for the rudeness.”

“Coming back into the dungeon, and this is the welcome...?”

Saintess Aram raised her silver moon.

“You called the right person.”

The advantage was now theirs.