The last night in the Dang Family.

The clan head held a lavish formal dinner, just like the first day.

Of course, a lot had changed since then.

On the first night, the atmosphere had been so suffocatingly heavy that everyone had barely eaten. Now, though, everyone was laughing, talking, and genuinely enjoying themselves.

The retainers’ attitudes were the same.

Young or old, man or woman—everyone offered Dang Gyu-young a warm wish or a kind word.

After the battle with the Blood Cult, the relationship had improved, and it felt like the psychological wall had come down a lot, too.

You could say they’d accepted them as part of the family again.

And the distance that had closed the most was, of course, between the Dang father and child.

Dang Gunak was keeping his promise to become a better father.

Not only did he keep talking with his child consistently—he also started saying things he’d never been able to say before, out of embarrassment or fear, and admitting them honestly.

It seemed like that night’s “last words” had finally opened the floodgates.

Sure, the side effect was having to endure the household whispering and trying not to laugh, but still.

Dang Gunak looked at his child with gentle eyes.

“I wish you ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ could stay a little longer, but if it’s work, there’s nothing we can do.”

“I’m going to miss it too.”

Outwardly, Dang Gyu-young was leaving to take a guard job at Dragonslayer Academy, and only a tiny few had been told about the re-enrollment plan.

Dang Gunak was one of those few.

He nodded slowly.

“I believe you can do it. If anything difficult happens, remember that the main family is behind you.”

“......Thank you.”

Then Dang Gunak turned to me.

“That applies to you as well. If the day comes when the main family needs to lend you strength, I’ll help gladly.”

“Just hearing you say that makes me feel secure.”

“Please take good care of my child, again.”

Next, the twins Dang Ilbi and Dang Hanbi came over.

“Next time we meet might not be at the main family. It could be somewhere else.”

“I think so too.”

Those two were extremely active on the outside.

I’d heard they worked with the Murim Alliance often enough that their epithet literally included the word “Hero.”

They’d keep traveling from region to region doing missions, and once or twice, their routes would probably overlap with Dragonslayer Academy.

The Dang twins smiled and each added a line.

“By then, you might be stronger than us.”

“Even just Gyu-young’s growth is insane.”

“And you... you don’t even need to be mentioned.”

I smiled back, full of confidence.

“You can look forward to it.”

After that, Dang Munhyeong, the Elder Council Head, and the siblings Dang Junyeop and Dang Huiyeon, among others, all came to see us—and the formal dinner continued late into the night.

The next day, we left the Dang Family and boarded a train departing Sichuan.

We were all headed in different directions, so we said our final goodbyes.

Seo Ye-in clung to my arm and whined.

“I want to go with you.”

“You have to go to Hyeseong.”

“Ruby Mage Tower.”

“It’s already decided. I’m going alone.”

“I’m regretting it.......”

“Regret won’t help. Your parents and the chairman are probably waiting for you.”

“Raising a daughter is pointless.......”

“You can’t say that.”

I peeled Seo Ye-in off me and soothed her calmly.

“We’ll see each other soon anyway. It’s only a week and a few days.”

“It’s long.......”

“Go rest up, and spend a good time with your family.”

“......Yeah.”

Only then did Seo Ye-in finally join the Hyeseong Group security team.

She kept looking back at me with eyes full of lingering regret, though.

Last, I shifted my gaze to Dang Gyu-young and Dang Eunbi.

As for why Dang Eunbi was here—she’d packed the moment she found out about the re-enrollment plan.

She said she was going into Dungeon Island together “with the other freshmen.”

“.......”

Dang Eunbi stared at me with a really unpleasant look.

It still felt like the distance between us hadn’t changed.

Every time I tried to get closer, Dang Gyu-young, Zhuge Soso, and Seo Ye-in would take turns showing affection and reminding her I was the “older-sister thief.”

Still, she clicked her tongue and left me a line.

“......See you later.”

“Yeah. Take care.”

In the meantime, Dang Gyu-young stepped closer and held both hands out.

They pulled me into a light hug, then whispered into my ear.

“I’ll come greet you later too, Senior.”

“Yeah, Dang Gyu-ri.”

“Heh-heh-heh.”

Dang Gyu-young giggled and stepped back.

I waved over my shoulder as I climbed onto the train.

Then I started walking, looking for an empty compartment.

*****

A massive bulk collapsed, shaking the entire area.

A red-haired man watched it with indifferent eyes.

Another dragon had just died by the Blood Cult leader’s hand.

He slid his sword into the golf bag offered by the Left Protector and thought—

Almost double digits now.

Up to now, he’d wandered from place to place, defeating a variety of S-rank powerhouses.

Some were boss monsters like dragons.

Some were reclusive eccentrics.

Some were leaders who commanded guilds or sects.

The ways they fought varied, too.

Sometimes two or three S-ranks would coordinate.

Sometimes they’d have their entire organization form an encirclement.

In response, the Blood Demon fought—sometimes alone, sometimes with the Protectors’ support—and in the end, he took victory every time.

And I’ve gained plenty.

The road to true transcendence was still long—far, far away.

But one thing was certain.

He was headed in the right direction.

Something he couldn’t even grasp before—he could now at least sense it, faintly.

But it’s still not enough.

To make his insight more concrete, he needed to clash with more rivals in desperate battles.

Maybe the S-ranks that existed right now weren’t enough.

That was why he meant to provoke chaos and increase the number of strong ones—by even one.

As his thoughts reached that point, the recent report he’d received about Sichuan surfaced in his mind.

Blood Sword Commander... so they didn’t make it.

With how much mental cultivation they’d built up, he’d expected the odds to be quite high.

But they’d fallen before crossing the wall into S-rank.

A good rival had vanished, and all he felt was regret.

Still, there was one piece of good news.

Dang Gunak crossed the wall.

It hadn’t gone the way he intended, but either way, it was true that he had one more rival now.

Someday, there would come a time when he stepped foot into Sichuan.

He’d also been informed that the Ghost Demon and Saber Demon had died, but the Blood Cult leader felt nothing about that.

Instead, something else caught his interest.

Hyeseong...

A short word slipped from his lips.

“Grand Protector.”

“Yes, Cult Leader.”

A blood-robed man answered immediately, bowing his head.

“Is Meteor Dragon still stationed near Hyeseong?”

“From what our subordinates have confirmed, yes.”

“And they have three lizards under them, don’t they.”

“Yes. All S-rank.”

Meteor Dragon, and three dragons that served as guardian escorts.

Four S-ranks in total—an overwhelming force.

They were mild-natured, so there hadn’t been any incidents, but as a single faction, they ranked among the strongest around.

Naturally, the Blood Cult knew that as well.

The Blood Demon asked again.

“How many can you tie down?”

“If it’s me and the Protectors’ masters... I believe two would be possible.”

“Two.”

The Grand Protector was also S-rank.

The Left and Right Protectors were A-rank, and the other masters hovered around that level.

If all of them joined together and formed an array...

They could temporarily separate the guardians and induce a direct clash between Meteor Dragon and the Cult Leader.

The Blood Cult leader fell into thought for a moment, then spoke again.

“......It’s tempting.”

*****

Endless darkness.

A place where you couldn’t tell if it was deep underground or inside a cavern.

Somewhere in that place, a black, sticky pool had collected.

Then ripples spread across the surface.

The stirring grew more violent, and a moment later, something thrust up from the center.

By its shape, it looked like a human hand.

Then the other hand appeared, and the thing crawled out with an unnatural, awkward motion.

And after a very long time, it finally exhaled.

“Huuurgh—”

I’m back......!

She was the Witch of Decay.

She’d infiltrated Dungeon Island and thrown Dragonslayer Academy into chaos, but she’d lost in the final battle.

And for that sin, she’d been absorbed back into the body of her master—the Corpse Dragon.

How much time had passed since then, she didn’t know.

But she had revived.

No... I was remade. And stronger.

She’d poured most of her power into the clone she sent into Dungeon Island, so when it was destroyed, the backlash had been severe.

Even if she hadn’t been absorbed by her master, she would’ve needed a long recovery.

But now, strength overflowed through her body—beyond her peak.

At this level, even S-rank is more than possible...!

If she built just a little more power, she might be able to do it.

And her body’s age seemed clearly younger as well.

So young that she could claim she was a freshman at Dragonslayer Academy and no one would doubt it.

Her thoughts spiraled, but the most important thing was something else.

The Witch of Decay bowed her head into the darkness.

“Thank you, Master. For giving me a new life—and for giving me another chance.”

As if in reply, a heavy voice echoed through the space.

[This is the last one.]

“I will never disappoint you.”

A moment later, the overwhelming presence that had dominated the area gradually thinned.

Only then did the Witch of Decay rise and look around.

She’d been feeling two presences for a while—and now they were approaching with an unhurried pace.

There was no need to guess.

They were sisters.

As she looked back and forth between them, confusion surfaced on the Witch of Decay’s face.

“......Where’s Starvation?”

“She got taken out.”

“How?”

“Same way you did.”

“......!”

So she’d infiltrated Dragonslayer Academy like her, been exposed, and hunted down.

The Witch of Decay asked again.

“Completely erased?”

“Seems like it.”

Then it made sense why their master had revived her instead of Starvation.

She had at least left something behind—reviving her would take less effort than creating someone from nothing.

“But how? Did she go down in the dungeon, like me?”

“We don’t know. We’re investigating.”

“.......”

For some reason, the Witch of Decay couldn’t shake the thought that it might’ve been that bastard’s doing.

The “freshman bastard” who’d ruined her plan.

While her face hardened, the Witch of Death smiled softly and said—

“I think I know who you’re thinking of.”

“You even showed me.”

When they reported the mission failure, they’d projected the footage as a video.

Death flicked her chin.

“I went and met him in person, too.”

“......You met him?”

“Yeah. When I went to Hyeseong for fun. He really wasn’t ordinary.”

The Witch of Decay frowned and fell silent.

Then she realized something and asked—

“So you couldn’t kill him.”

“Yeah. That’s why I’m really disappointed.”

“That’s it? That’s all you’re disappointed about?”

“Of course not.”

When the Witch of Decay saw the sisters’ smiles deepen, she understood again.

Why their master had given her a second chance despite her failure—and even granted her greater power.

He wants me to do it.

“That’s what he wants, right?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

She had to infiltrate Dragonslayer Academy again, achieve the original goal—and this time, kill that bastard, who was now a sophomore.

As a freshman.