Trial Dungeon, 6th Layer

'Light?' 

He didn't know if it was a coincidence or not. 

Is he the Light of Justice then? 

Unfortunately, no matter how many thoughts he came up with, Hans could only guess for now. As far as he could see, this boy, Light, didn't really coincide with the quest. 

[... free the Light of Justice.]

The young man isn't bound with anything, no locks or chains whatsoever. 

'Hmm… although confusing, I'm starting to get interested.'

The fact that this young man didn't help with the fight earlier showed that he's either very weak or plotting something. 

Clearing the grin on his lips, Hans turned towards Light and coldly spoke, "Why would you think I would help you?" 

Light, who was kneeling on the ground, gritted his teeth and hurriedly answered, "Our holy priest predicted your arrival before those ugly creatures came."

"Oh, tell me more."

Light lifted his upper chest, gulped his saliva, and narrated the whole story. 

According to him, Light was born from the Temple of Heaven King. As a child born with an insane amount of mana, he was crowned as the next Pope. 

Fast forward to 17 years later, he lived up to their expectations and became one of the youngest powerhouses of the Temple. 

Until one day, the Holy Priest, a man capable of precognition, called him inside his mansion and told him about the fate of the kingdom and their Temple. 

It was said that after he turned 18, a great disaster would rain upon the land, sweeping the world until it turned into a habitual land for those ugly creatures. 

… And Light was the hero who'll save the land. 

However, he did not accomplish it alone rather he received help from a man holding the key towards victory. As such, Light was tasked to find this man. 

Soon, unknown creatures marched onto their land. They trampled their houses like ants and massacred their people like bugs. Light could only watch the world he used to live get destroyed. 

But even then, he hid inside the castle waiting for the chosen man prophesied by the Holy Priest. 

That's why they met. 

Hans listened attentively and after hearing the story, his pupils narrowed sharply. 

'Hmm… suspicious.'

Anyways, Hans maintained his calm demeanor as to not startle this young man. Maybe he's really an enemy, or maybe not. Who knows. 

"So please help us!" Light slumped his head to the ground once again and cried his heart out, "Whatever you want we'll give it to you! Just… just help us!" 

Hans probed the boy's emotion and sensing no lies, he sighed. If that's the case, either this young man is innocent or he's well versed in the art of lying. 

"Do you have SS-rank skills?" 

Hearing Hans' inquiry, Light tilted his head in confusion. Because he had no idea what the power scaling of Earth is, of course, he wouldn't know what an SS-rank skill is. 

Sensing Light's confusion, Hans waved his hand and walked towards the throne. 

"Nevermind."

As Hans sat on the throne, a soothing energy flowed into his subconscious. It was as if he was being massaged throughout every corner of his body. 

'Damn, it's relaxing.'

As he thought of Light's words, Hans closed his eyes and formed a small puzzle in his head. At this point, he's 70% certain that the Light of Justice wasn't an item but an entity. As for why, it could be attributed to Light's story. 

'Well, looks like I would help him.'

In truth, he knows he had no other option, after all, the only way to get out of the 5th layer is… 

"Fine, I'll help you."

… to accept the young man's help. 

[You have successfully cleared the 5th Layer.]

[Rewards would be distributed after passing the 6th Layer.]

A forced plot where he would need to help the hero kill or fend the enemies. A side character if put in other terms. 

'It's not bad.'

After Hans accepted to aid him, Light's eyes brightened in delight. Mist formed in his eyes but he wiped it off before it could even fall to his cheek.

With a face full of gratitude, Light bowed and sincerely offered his thanks, "Thank you, thank you so much!!!" 

He's been at wit's end, trying to decrease the pressure of saving the world. But no matter how many times he tried, the title of a hero grew heavier on his shoulders. 

After the Holy Priest told him the prophecy, all he did was train without break. He thought it was his duty to save the people and punish the enemies. 

In the end, all he could kill were those ordinary monsters. What's funny is that he's even struggling to kill one. 

'Holy Priest, father, mother, the time has come for my revenge. I will definitely kill that abomination.'

For him, Hans's face was glittering in golden lights as if a real saint visiting their land.

Hans jovially clapped his hands and got up from the throne, "Now that we're done here, lead the way."

Hopefully, he could get a nice and comfy rest after he cleared the 6th Layer. 

...….. 

The path to the 6th Layer is more interesting than he expected. Light led him to a narrow tunnel under the throne room and they crossed a long bridge leading outside of the castle. 

After they arrived outside, Hans surveyed the vicinity. 

Unlike the castle which hasn't been destroyed yet, the view of the outside is a complete total mess. Large rubbles were littered on the ground. Houses, infrastructure, and towering trees were either cut or demolished. 

Rumble—

Piles of corpses sprawled on the ground but most of them were from the human's side. Hans raised his head and stared at the night sky covered in these humongous dark clouds. Thunder rumbled and lightning constantly struck the land. 

Rumble—

But even then, Hans hadn't spotted an enemy. Under his perception, no signs of evil or bad intent were revealed. 

"The enemies are all over the Temple, 15 miles to the East."

Hans smiled and nodded in understanding. Now that he knows their positions, the show is about to start. 

But before that.

'I need to rest first.'

After many hours of nonstop grinding, fatigue was piling up. 

'Whew—' 

Hans opened his storage bag, pulled a bottle of water, and drank from it. The enemies don't seem aggressive. 

An hour of rest or two wouldn't matter, right? 

Hans threw the empty bottle and stood with his hands on his hips. He really wanted to confirm his guesses but he was physically and mentally tired. 

Truthfully, he always had his blade ready, whenever Light got close towards him. If this guy turned out to be an enemy, at least he would have the energy to kill him. 

"Let's rest here first."

Without waiting for a response, Hans sat down with his back against a brick wall. 

'Status window.' 

[Constantine Sword Style: First Cut (B) 

Proficiency: 46.7%]

[Emperor Constantine Strides (S) 

Proficiency: 5.3%]

He had been spamming the sword style throughout the raid and it only increased by 26.7%. In his opinion, this progress was too slow. 

Even then, he could feel his swordsmanship being honed and becoming sharper. Although not as strong as Urs sword pressure, at least it improved. 

As for the [Emperor Constantine Strides], it's improving at a rabbit pace. Although he only used it for like 9 times, it's already 5.3% in proficiency. Also, his footwork was seemingly changing as well.

Before he got the Emperor's Strides, his footwork was a mess but now, there's seriously a qualitative change. 

As he was about to close his eyes and relax… 

Shu—

A sharp sound pierces across the air. With his otherworldly reaction time, Hans was able to catch the bullet that was flying towards him. 

Catch—

The attacker's eyes shot wide open. At a distance, the sniper perked his eyebrows before preparing its next shot. 

Hans opened his closed palm and stared at the thing he caught. 

'A sniper bullet.'

But compared to Kristina, the SS-Class who uses guns as a weapon, it's weak. 

'Won't even let me rest huh?' 

Before he entered the Trial Dungeon, he vowed not to use the red form unless his life is at stake. 

It seems like he wouldn't be able to fulfill that because now…

…he's pissed. 

......… 

Smash—

The ground shattered as a figure wrapped in red hue flashed everywhere and smashed his fists towards these experimented humans. Hans grasped his sword and pierced the enemy pouncing behind him. 

Stab—

Hans kicked the morphed human. Its body slammed into the wall, slid down, and stopped moving. 

Tri-ring—

[You have killed a 'Cycloped Human'.] 

It was unfortunate as he wasn't able to amass Exp, but Hans was still gaining battle experience through every fight. Additionally, he's also adjusting to his large stats as a bonus perk. 

[Emperor's Strides.]

Hans instantly flashed beside the monsters and weaved his sword around. 

Slash—, slash—, slash—, slash—

Heads began sliding down from their bodies as Hans slashed their necks. After the final cyclops died, Hans heaved a sigh of relief. He stared at his bloodied sword and clicked his tongue. 

'It seemed like I wouldn't need to rest now.'

Now that his red form is activated, there's no need to keep holding back anymore. What's more, the monsters seemed to have noticed his existence now. 

Well, after making so much noise, it would be strange if the monster didn't notice it. 

'Alright, let's see what you got.' Hans muttered as he glared at the sprinting figures slowly approaching his position. 

He moved his head behind and stared at the young man whose mouth was opened in amazement and surprise. 

Hans didn't know what the guy was thinking. As long as Light showed his fangs, he would immediately cut it off. 

'This is the final layer I have to clear…' 

Hans looked back on the path he had walked so far. 

A trial dungeon. A test dungeon. 

The answers that had been finding him were slowly unfolding in front of his eyes. 

Shreiiiiek—

Shireeiiik—

Shrieiiikk—

The cries of monsters echoed around the large field. The ground vibrated as the horde of monsters marched towards his way. 

'Oh, new combinations.'

Some of them have a gnoll's body and a snake head. There's also a monster with a dragon head and a body of a giant lion. Many strange monster combinations were revealed but only one thing was sure. 

'All of them are former humans.'

It's not a random guess that he came up with, but rather a strange connection in his subconscious. His blood lets him smell the different scents of races so these transformed humans can't be hidden from him. 

Based on their pressures, their strengths vary in their combinations. Some have S-class strength while others were just borderline A and B-class. 

'Is the boss monster inside the temple?' 

If so, is he the one doing all of this? 

.........… 

'Shit! Shit! Shit!' 

Light stared at Hans who easily slaughtered those Cycloped Humans. The rapier on his hand trembled in fear, remembering how Hans effortlessly blocked his sneak attack. 

'He's amazing!!!' 

He wanted to be like that too.

Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to destroy the wall preventing him from breaking through. 

'I need to stop him.' 

Once the man named Hans found out, they would all die. That enemy is not something they could contend with. It took him millions of lives to seal that guy and Hans was slowly getting out of his palms as he continued to showcase his overwhelming strength. 

'I need to stop him!!!' 

This shouldn't be allowed!

'Yes, yes! I must stop him!' 

He must kill this man! 

Then… 

… and then turn him into his greatest experiment the world has never seen!