Chapter 220: The Door Opens

Episode 220

“Did they force their way through the main entrance?” Yoo Jun-ho asked, trying to understand how someone could breach their secure dungeon.

“No, it seems they infiltrated while avoiding our surveillance. When the patrol entered, all the guardians near the entrance were already destroyed,” Team Leader Hong reported.

“Infiltration… Who’s in charge of security on the 45th floor?”

“Team Leader Lee Chung-hoon, the Team 6 Leader,” Team Leader Hong replied promptly.

Yoo Jun-ho’s expression grew even more serious.

“Team Leader Lee is the best we have when it comes to security, isn’t he?”

“That’s right. He has a unique ability related to surveillance.”

“It doesn’t make sense that he didn’t notice someone infiltrating the entrance.”

Team Leader Hong nodded in agreement.

“I agree. It’s highly likely that they used a dimensional rift to infiltrate.”

“But how did they get the coordinates to the 45th floor dungeon?” Yoo Jun-ho asked, getting to the heart of the matter.

The 45th floor of the Trial Tower was an exclusive dungeon of the Korean Clan. It meant that only high-ranking members of the Korean Clan knew its coordinates.

The fact that an outsider had them…

“…This can only mean one thing. There’s a spy within the Korean Clan.”

Team Leader Hong’s face hardened.

He understood the implication of the Vice Master’s words.

‘Master Yong is a spy…?’

The one who knew all the details of Graham’s plan from start to finish.

And the one who knew the coordinates to the Korean Clan’s exclusive dungeon.

The only person who fit both criteria was Yong Hangil.

‘But why would Master Yong do that? He has no reason to help Kim Jinsung…’

He was confused. He knew Yong Hangil better than anyone.

Why would Yong Hangil, who seemingly hated Kim Jinsung the most, help him?

“But it doesn’t make sense for the Master to be a spy.”

Yoo Jun-ho seemed to read his mind and continued,

“There’s only one other explanation. Someone secretly used a surveillance skill on Master Yong.”

“…That doesn’t make sense either. There’s no way a Ranker like Master Yong wouldn’t notice being affected by a skill.”

“I agree, but it’s still more likely than the Master being a spy.

There are Awakened with all sorts of abilities in this world. There could be someone who can use a surveillance skill regardless of the target’s power level.”

“……”

Team Leader Hong couldn’t refute his logic.

It was a low probability, but not impossible, as Yoo Jun-ho had said.

“There have been cases of Major Clan Masters being manipulated in this way.”

“…That’s true.”

There had been Rankers who had died after being affected by unknown skills.

“We need to be even more careful when meeting with the Master. We might even need to change our encryption method.”

Yoo Jun-ho folded the encrypted message and put it in his pocket. He stood up.

“Let’s go to the 45th floor dungeon. There might be traces of a dimensional rift.”

“I’ll handle it myself. The Master ordered you to stay at the headquarters…”

“Let’s go!”

He ignored Team Leader Hong and hurried out of the hotel room.

Team Leader Hong watched him leave and

“……”

Shook his head, following him out of the room.

* * *

Meanwhile,

Kim Jinsung and Hong Hyeonjin were standing before the final gate of the 45th floor dungeon.

“That giant angel must be the final boss,” she said, looking ahead.

A magnificent temple stood at the top of the mountain, its peak piercing through the clouds.

A giant angel stood majestically in the center of the temple.

“Archangel Sariel…”

Hong Hyeonjin, who was well-versed in the theory of the New Continent, recognized the boss.

“…I don’t think I can defeat him with my current strength.”

Kim Jinsung turned to look at her.

She spoke calmly, but her fingers were trembling slightly.

‘She’s instinctively afraid.’

Hong Hyeonjin, who hadn’t shown any signs of fatigue on their way to the summit, was now trembling with fear just by looking at the archangel from afar.

It meant that the difference in their power levels was immense.

“Try fighting him. When else are you going to use all the spirits you’ve gathered?”

He looked at the 15 spirit angels she had summoned, surrounding her in formation.

“Do your best, and if it doesn’t work, let me know. I’ll take over.”

“…Alright.”

She reluctantly nodded and clenched her fists, steeling her resolve.

She gathered her Mana,

and her suit started glowing blue. The spirit angels around her also started moving.

They all merged with her, forming a giant spirit angel, almost as large as Archangel Sariel.

‘Spirit Fusion.’

She had used a skill that absorbed all her spirits and maximized her stats.

“I’m going for a one-hit kill.”

She said to him, taking a fighting stance, and

“Haaaah!!”

Charged towards Sariel with a loud shout, her speed rivaling a bullet.

[Hmph!]

Sariel scoffed and raised his shield.

The moment her spear struck the shield,

**Boooom!**

A deafening explosion engulfed the entire temple.

The aftermath of the explosion made it impossible to see anything inside the temple.

But Kim Jinsung already knew the outcome without having to see it.

‘She didn’t even scratch him.’

As he was thinking,

“Ugh…!”

Hong Hyeonjin stumbled out of the smoke, groaning in pain.

Her suit was torn and broken in several places.

“It was too much… Don’t worry, I’m not injured.”

She said weakly, waving her hand dismissively, trying to hide her pain.

Kim Jinsung could see that she wasn’t physically injured. It seemed the suit had absorbed most of the impact.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t fight anymore. My spirits are all gone, and my suit is broken…”

“Step back.”

He said curtly and drew his sword for the first time since entering the temple.

He walked towards the temple, where the smoke was clearing.

[You reached the 45th floor with that pathetic level of skill?!]

Archangel Sariel’s booming voice echoed through the temple.

The smoke cleared, and Sariel, completely unharmed, appeared in Hong Hyeonjin’s vision.

[You can’t defeat me, Archangel Sariel! And those who fail the trial shall face death!]

She felt the entire temple tremble from his shout.

White Mana waves started surging around his body, growing larger and more violent. He was gathering his Mana at full power.

She was shocked.

‘He wasn’t even using his full power…?’

The power level she felt from him now was on a completely different level compared to when he had blocked her attack.

Before, her fingers had trembled slightly. Now, she could barely breathe under his overwhelming pressure.

‘I expected him to be strong, but not this strong…!’

As expected, there was a huge difference between theory and reality.

The pressure he was emitting was far beyond anything she had imagined.

‘Can he really defeat that monster alone?’

She started to worry about Kim Jinsung, who was calmly walking towards Sariel.

At that moment, he changed his stance.

He raised his sword high above his head and swung it down in a vertical slash.

A giant crescent-shaped black Mana blade shot towards Sariel at the speed of light.

[Hmph! You fool!]

Sariel scoffed again and raised his shield.

Unlike before, his shield was covered in a thick layer of Mana, and white Mana waves surged violently on its surface.

The black crescent blade struck the shield.

And…

It pierced through it.

“……!!”

Hong Hyeonjin’s eyes widened in shock, and she jumped to her feet.

But no one was more shocked than Sariel.

[…I-impossible! How can a mere Middle Realm creature…!]

He stammered, his words cut short.

His body was split in half vertically, right down the middle.

He was bisected by the black crescent blade and started disintegrating rapidly, his body dissolving into light.

Hong Hyeonjin’s mind finally caught up after he completely vanished.

‘He killed that monster… in one hit?’

She looked at Kim Jinsung, her eyes filled with disbelief.

But he was unfazed.

He sheathed his sword and turned to her, his expression as calm as ever.

“Let’s talk after we move.”

“…What?”

“We need to leave this place before the portal closes.”

She saw a dimensional rift opening behind the temple,

a typical portal that appeared after defeating a boss.

* * *

Meanwhile,

“Vice Master!”

A middle-aged man rushed towards Yoo Jun-ho and Team Leader Hong.

It was Lee Chung-hoon, the Team 6 Leader, who was in charge of the 45th floor dungeon.

“The exit portal is opening!”

They both turned to look.

A white dimensional rift was forming in the center of the 45th floor exit portal.

—