The battlefield had finally gone quiet.
The massive corpse of the Abyssal Crimson Tyrant lay across the shattered ground of the floating island.
Smoke drifted through the crimson sky.
Hunters slowly lowered their weapons.
Many still couldn't believe what had just happened.
An S+ Rank monster… defeated.
Standing near the monster's body was Kael Varyn.
He breathed heavily as the last traces of his Berserker Form faded.
Nearby, Ronan Blackforge stared at him in disbelief.
"You're not normal."
Kael wiped sweat from his forehead.
"…I get that a lot today."
The system appeared again.
Status Window
Name: Kael Varyn
Level: 9
Rank: E
STR: 42
AGI: 16
END: 34
SPI: 7
INT: 4
LUK: 2
Stat Points Available: 12
Kael whistled quietly.
"That fight gave a lot of experience."
But before he could assign the points—
A powerful aura swept across the battlefield.
Golden flames illuminated the sky.
The legendary hunter Ardyn Solis stepped forward.
He stared at the distant fortress in the center of the dungeon.
"The real battle begins now."
Hunters turned toward the massive structure.
A towering black castle suspended in the sky.
The core of the Crimson Abyss.
Valerian approached Kael.
Valerian the Titan crossed his arms.
"You did well."
Kael smiled.
"Thanks."
Valerian's expression grew serious.
"But don't get comfortable."
Kael frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Valerian pointed toward the fortress.
"The monster we just killed…"
"…was only the gatekeeper."
Several hunters stiffened.
"If that was the gatekeeper…"
"What's inside?"
Ardyn answered.
"The dungeon ruler."
Silence spread across the battlefield.
A World Dungeon Ruler was far more powerful than any normal monster.
Kael looked up at the fortress.
"…So the real boss is inside there."
Before anyone could move—
A glowing holographic projection suddenly appeared in the sky.
A communication broadcast from the Hunter Council.
A deep voice echoed across the battlefield.
"Attention hunters of Aetherion."
The projection displayed ten glowing figures.
"The council has updated the official ranking of the strongest hunters in the world."
The battlefield fell silent.
Everyone watched.
Because these were the Ten Strongest Hunters Alive.
The Top 10 Strongest Hunters of Aetherion
1️⃣ Orion Drakos
Bloodline: Void Human
Rank: Myth+
2️⃣ Seraphina Lux
Bloodline: Arcanist
Rank: Myth+
3️⃣ Valerian the Titan
Bloodline: Berserker
Rank: Myth
4️⃣ Ardyn Solis
Bloodline: Elemental (Fire/Light)
Rank: Myth
5️⃣ Zephyr Gale
Bloodline: Elemental (Wind/Lightning)
6️⃣ Morgath Nightveil
Bloodline: Arcanist
7️⃣ Astra Mindweaver
Bloodline: Telepath
8️⃣ Darius Stoneheart
Bloodline: Elemental (Earth/Metal)
9️⃣ Kaelen Dusk
Bloodline: Void Hybrid
🔟 Sylvara Frost
Bloodline: Elemental (Ice)
Hunters whispered among themselves.
"That Void hybrid we fought…"
"He's in the Top 10?"
Ronan looked horrified.
"…And we almost fought him seriously."
Kael stared at the list.
"So those are the strongest people in the world…"
Valerian looked down at him.
"For now."
Kael blinked.
"…What?"
Valerian smirked.
"You said you wanted to become the strongest."
He pointed at the list.
"Then one day…"
"You'll have to surpass them."
Kael looked back at the glowing projection.
The ten legendary hunters.
The strongest beings on the planet.
He clenched his fists.
"…Good."
Because that was exactly what he planned to do.
But suddenly—
A deep rumbling echoed from the black fortress ahead.
The massive gates of the dungeon castle slowly began to open.
A terrifying aura poured out.
Ardyn's eyes narrowed.
"…It's awake."
Something ancient was waiting inside.
The true ruler of the Crimson Abyss.
And the raid had just entered its most dangerous stage.