B-Rank Dungeon

But Ares didn't mind them at all. Instead, he just covered his ears as if he were mocking them, which only enraged them.

"That brat is rude," one of the hunters said. His brown eyes and curly hair gave him a badass aura.

As Ares neared them, their whispers grew louder, as if they wanted him to hear every word. But Ares? He didn't mind them at all. The only thing on his mind right now was what the B-rank dungeon looked like.

He was only here to gain experience and observe how a team of hunters fought inside a dungeon, since he had always cleared them solo.

Then, when Ares looked at them with his piercing eyes, their whispers came to an abrupt stop, and they stood frozen in shock. The tension between them grew heavy, as if a single misplaced sound could lead to their demise.

Beads of sweat began to form on their faces, as if silently telling Ares to leave them alone. After a while, Ares sighed.

As Ares remained standing outside the dungeon, a black-haired man with a cocky grin, whose armor was epic grade, approached him.

"Hmm, brat, forgive my comrades' actions. They're just always like that with newcomers," he said, patting Ares' shoulder.

Ares narrowed his eyes, but soon, his serious expression slowly returned to normal.

Then, a man approached him and introduced himself. "I'm the leader of this raid, brat. If you have any questions, you can ask me. By the way, I'm Darius," he said, offering his right hand for a handshake.

Ares, not being a rude person, accepted the handshake, their palms meeting firmly.

"I'm Ares. Nice to meet you," he said, bowing his head.

But before their palms parted, Darius whispered, "If you plan to continue with us, then listen carefully to me and don't be slow."

Darius added his words, carrying a meaning.

After that, all of them entered the dungeon, with Ares following behind, carrying all of their luggage. But Ares didn't mind at all.

As they stepped inside, the once chilly and soft atmosphere grew more intense and heavy, filling the air with an ominous vibe.

As they stood inside the dungeon, the support team immediately cast their magic around them, boosting their stamina and vitality as if they had been buffed.

They raised their hands once with their artifact.

"Guardian's Wind," they muttered as their wands glowed. Their agility increased by twenty percent, making it easier to dodge all surprise attacks, and their defense was boosted by twenty percent, reducing incoming physical and magical damage.

Suddenly, the first wave of monsters appeared before them—a level 10, three-headed beast. Each head snarled with ferocious intensity, its cold eyes blazing with pure bloodlust.

The party quickly split up, with the tank in front, followed by the fighter and mage support. Meanwhile, Ares relaxed at the back, watching them struggle.

Gideon raised his shield in preparation, while Darius leaped into the air, sword in hand. As he flew toward the Cerberus, he struck with precision, slicing off one of its three heads. In a short moment, he followed up with another swift strike, severing the second head as well, leaving only one remaining.

Before the beast could retaliate, Elena unleashed a powerful spell, striking the last head and causing it to explode in a burst of magic.

"This monster is a weakling. If all the monsters coming at us are like this, then we have nothing to worry about," Darius exclaimed leisurely, holding his sword as they proceeded forward.

Then, another wave of level 10 Cerberuses reappeared—this time, their numbers had doubled. They emerged side by side, their snarls echoing through the dungeon.

Darius smirked at them, his eyes burning with excitement as the thrill of battle surged within him.

The intense battle began as they all launched their attacks.

Elena chanted, casting her Arcane Overlord magic, channeling a massive amount of energy into a single devastating blast. The energy gathered at the tip of her wand, crackling with power before she fired it straight at the Cerberuses.

BOOM!

Their bodies exploded instantly, flesh and bone scattering across the ground, while their fluids splattered through the air.

On the other hand, Darius launched a wide, sweeping attack. Gripping the bottom of his sword with both hands, he spun it around him in a deadly arc.

Slash! Slash!

The heads of the Cerberuses fell one by one, toppling like dominoes, their bodies collapsing in an instant.

As they were about to finish the fight, an unexpected monster appeared in front of them, leaving their bodies stunned.

"An orc?" Elena said, her eyes widening as she gazed at them.

A group of high-level orcs stood before them, their levels exceeding that of the hunters. An orc at level 20 was no joke, and not only that—there were 18 of them.

All of them swallowed their saliva in an instant—except for Ares. Their eyes and minds raced, filled with doubt and fear, unsure if they could defeat them.

Behind them, Ares, still carrying their luggage like a housemaid, effortlessly killed any monster that dared to charge at him, dispatching them in an instant.

He could tell that the party was starting to struggle, nearing their limit. They hadn't even finished clearing out the Cerberuses yet, and already, another wave of monsters was appearing.

At this rate, they wouldn't be making it out alive.

With a soft heart and no intention of letting them die, Ares secretly used his Void Skills to weaken all the monsters, ensuring that no one noticed what he had done.

The once-powerful Cerberuses suddenly became frail, allowing the party to cut them down with ease. Though clueless about what had happened, they didn't stop to question it.

The Red Orcs began to move, each wielding high-grade weapons with razor-sharp points. Some carried flame-enchanted blades, their tips glowing with an eerie heat, capable of reducing enemies to ashes in an instant—even armor was no match for their scorching power.

These creatures were notorious for their natural toughness, their skin hardened like stone, granting them immense resistance to physical attacks and allowing them to endure weaker magical strikes.

Although the Red Orcs were slow, their attacks were nothing to take lightly—one strike was enough to kill, and receiving a single blow was practically suicide.

The battle between the orcs and the hunters erupted, weapons clashing in a fierce struggle. But the overwhelming strength of the Red Orcs quickly became apparent.

With a single devastating strike, one of them sent Gideon, the party's tank, flying backward in an instant.

Thud!

Blood dripped from his mouth as he struggled to get up.

"T-They're strong..." Gideon mumbled, his voice shaky, pain evident in his expression.

Meanwhile, a fluffy-eared girl with green hair immediately approached him.

One of the healers in the hunter team, Soraka, quickly placed her hand on Gideon's wound to heal it. Her hand glowed as she channeled magic, coating it in a beautiful green aura.

The party, once calm, was now struggling against the orcs.

Darius' knees were starting to give out. He was only 30, yet he felt like a senior citizen due to the sheer weight of exhaustion. As he clashed weapons with a red orc, he felt the overwhelming difference in strength between them.

The support team didn't know what to do, their heads fidgeting in confusion.

They struggled, unsure of who to help first. But it didn't matter—because, in the end, they all fell.

One by one, every member of the team was wiped out, their bodies lying motionless on the frozen ground, covered in deep wounds. Their breathing was ragged, their strength completely drained.

And now—only Ares remained standing.

He exhaled, his breath visible in the freezing air. Without a word, he set his carrying luggage aside and stepped forward, his boots crunching against the ice. His serious gaze swept over his fallen comrades, their faces filled with exhaustion and despair. They had lost all hope.

But not him.

It's time to show them what I can really do, Ares thought, his eyes burning with determination. If no one else could fight… then he would do it alone.

"Damn it… this kid is totally useless. It's only a matter of time before we get killed in here," Darious mumbled, lying in his own blood on the ground. His arm had been severed after fighting the orcs.

"Kid, don't come here! You'll die!" Elena shouted.

The Red Orc took its chance, delivering a powerful smash as it swung its sword at Ares.

Unfortunately for the orc, Ares quickly reacted. In response, he effortlessly threw his dagger into the Red Orc's eye and used Void Manipulation to control the dagger, stabbing it into both of the Red Orc's eyes.

Finally, he slashed it off, finishing the attack.

In an instant, the orc died, its massive body collapsing to the ground.

The party members' eyes widened in shock, their jaws nearly dropping as they watched the scene unfold. It was so sudden, so effortless—as if the orc had been nothing more than an insect.

But Ares wasn't done.

With nothing but his dagger, he moved like a shadow, his body barely shifting as his hands controlled the weapon's direction with terrifying precision. Each strike was lethal. One after another, orc heads fell to the ground, their lifeless bodies dropping like puppets with their strings cut.

Darius, Elena, and Gideon watched in disbelief. The air around them felt heavy—this was not the same Ares they had mocked earlier.

The one who had ridiculed Ares the most stood frozen, his face pale as he watched the massacre unfold before him. His lips trembled as he muttered in shock,

"D-Damn… how could that weakling guy do that?!"

His mouth hung open, completely stunned by the sight before him. Ares wasn't just fighting—he was dominating.

Ares's skill was on another level compared to them.

"Is he really an E-rank? No… he's a B-rank or beyond that. But he's not just a normal guy—he's a monster!" Darious muttered under his breath.

In their minds, no E-rank could pull off that kind of attack. Only one thought remained about Ares—he was definitely a Second Awakener.

A Second Awakener was someone who received a second chance to unlock their true power. Their minds were blown as they imagined the possibilities.

Before Ares completed killing all the Red Orcs, he walked toward them, gazing down at them as if they were lowly humans belonging to the earth. Their faces were frightened, not knowing how to respond to their thoughts, and Ares started to move his mouth as he said something to them.

"I'll help you here, but under one condition," Ares said, leaving their thoughts anxious behind. They swallowed all their saliva, wondering what condition Ares wanted.

"Don't say anything to the media after this, don't get in my way, and most importantly, don't even try a reckless thought, or I will kill you," Ares said, his words cursing at them, yet his tone remained calm.

Darius' team quickly nodded in agreement.

After killing all the Red Orcs, Ares pulled out a Vital Surge Elixir from the screen and tossed it to them.

"Catch it," Ares said. "Drink it to tend to all your wounds," he added.

The party members hesitated, anxious about the bottle Ares had thrown. But with their bodies screaming in pain, they had no choice but to drink it.

"Co-Could it be…?" Elena muttered, her eyes shimmering as her body began to glow. Instantly, she felt lighter, completely healed.

The others had the same reaction as Elena—their bodies glowed for a few seconds, and they were healed in an instant.

They couldn't believe Ares had such an item, capable of full recovery. Even though they had brought a support healer, their healing abilities could only restore 50% of wounds—and that would take an hour to complete.

Their minds were blown, their faces left speechless.