Rudo and the hero party finally reached Maria's hometown—
The southern village of Holy Lady Marona.
The southern village was full of life.
People walked through the streets, and a large market stretched across the center, with shopkeepers selling all kinds of goods.
It felt… peaceful.
A happy village.
Marona smiled.
"Welcome to our village, hero party."
She looked at them.
"You've always been in the east and central regions… I suppose this is your first time here."
Her eyes briefly moved toward Maria.
"Except for Maria… she grew up here."
She turned back.
"Once again… welcome. Come."
Everyone followed her.
They soon arrived at a grand cathedral.
Teras stepped forward and opened the gates for Marona.
Rudo and the others followed her inside.
After everyone settled down—
Marona began to pray.
"Oh Lord… please forgive these innocent people…"
After finishing, she stood up and turned to them.
"Hero party… I will now show you the place where you will be working."
"Come."
They walked behind her.
As they moved through the village, people bowed to her with respect.
Even children lowered their heads.
Maria was soon surrounded by her childhood friends, talking happily.
For a moment—
It almost felt like she had forgotten everything.
The group kept walking…
And walking…
Until finally—
They reached their destination.
A dungeon.
Marona stepped forward.
"Follow me."
They entered.
After descending, they stopped at the fourth floor.
Marona turned toward them.
"Listen carefully."
"This dungeon has ten floors in total. But unfortunately… we have only been able to reach up to the fourth."
She paused.
"Even Maria helped us reach this level."
Her expression became serious.
"We don't know why… but the fifth floor is the limit."
"Even if we clear a path… it closes again the next day."
"We have no idea what lies beyond."
She looked at them.
"So your task is simple."
"Create a path… all the way to the tenth floor."
"So that other adventurers can explore it."
She stepped back.
"But be careful."
"These paths have been sealed for a long time."
"There may be ancient magic beasts… still living there."
She turned away.
"You will be supervised by Apostle Teras."
And with that—
She left them there.
Rudo looked around.
"So… where are the other workers?"
Teras replied calmly,
"No one else is coming here."
He looked at them seriously.
"This is your punishment. You will work alone."
He stepped forward and handed them tools.
"Now… get to work."
The tasks were divided.
Rudo and Maria were assigned to protect the group in case any beasts appeared.
Pears, Selena, and Tank were given the job of digging the tunnel.
They worked in shifts.
While some dug—
others stayed alert.
Teras remained on the first floor…
watching everything from above.
Maria spoke while they worked.
"Guys… when I first got my magic power, I was assigned to work here with others my age."
"It was like a competition."
"The first three floors were easy… most of us reached them without any trouble."
She paused.
"But when some of us went to the fourth floor… we encountered a mythical beast."
Her voice lowered.
"Almost ten people died fighting it."
Everyone went silent.
"Lady Marona was the one who finally killed it."
"After that… the competition for new adventurers was stopped."
"Everyone realized this dungeon is dangerous."
"Only advanced adventurers were allowed after that."
She looked ahead.
"The last time I came here… the fourth floor was closed again."
"The third floor was open, so adventurers kept digging tunnels to reach the fourth."
"But every time they returned…"
Her expression grew serious.
"…the path closed again."
Rudo frowned.
"Oh… so that's why you were frustrated earlier when she told us about this work."
He looked around the dungeon.
"So basically… they want us to stay here and find out why the floors keep closing…"
He paused.
"…right?"
After some time, they reached the third floor.
There were no major monsters there—
only slimes.
For Rudo, it wasn't a problem.
He had already faced them back in Varner's village, so clearing them was easy.
With little difficulty, they moved forward—
and finally reached the fourth floor.
Rudo turned to Maria.
"Have you been here before?"
She nodded.
"Yes… I've reached the fourth floor."
She paused.
"But every time we enter…"
Her expression grew uneasy.
"…we are forced to retreat and return home."
"And when we come back…"
She looked at the path behind them.
"…the fourth floor is completely sealed again
Maria continued,
"After Holy Lady Marona defeated the beast, we were able to cross the fourth floor…"
"But when we reached the fifth floor…"
She hesitated.
"…we would suddenly become exhausted."
Rudo looked ahead.
"Then let's see what's really going on."
They moved forward.
On the fourth floor—
Goat-like monsters rushed toward them, aiming to gore them with their horns.
Tank stepped forward.
He grabbed one of the beasts and threw it into the others, knocking them off balance.
That gave Rudo enough time.
He cast his spell—
and defeated them all at once.
With that, they advanced—
and finally reached the fifth floor.
The moment they stepped in—
their energy dropped instantly.
A heavy weakness spread through their bodies.
Pears collapsed to the ground.
"Guys… I can't even move…"
Selena nodded weakly.
"…Same here… I feel drained…"
Even Rudo and Maria felt it.
So they decided to rest.
They waited.
Minutes passed.
Then an hour.
But nothing changed.
Their energy didn't return.
They were still weak.
Then—
A sound.
Pears forced himself up and walked toward it.
"Guys… I found it!"
Everyone turned.
"The thing that's draining our energy… it's here!"
They followed him.
And there—
they saw it.
A white rabbit.
With dark red eyes.
It stared at them silently.
That creature…
was the one draining their energy.
Until now, no one had discovered it—
because no one had stayed long enough.
But they did.
And now—
they had found the cause.
In a way…
that was a good thing.
Tank rushed forward and tried to grab the rabbit—
But the moment his hand got close—
it moved.
In an instant.
It was too fast.
Maria narrowed her eyes.
"Guys… I get it now."
"That rabbit is absorbing our energy… and using it to boost its speed."
She looked at everyone.
"That's why we can't catch it like this."
"We need a plan."
Everyone gathered together.
They quickly came up with an idea.
Then—
They turned toward Maria…
and gave her all of their remaining energy.
One by one—
they collapsed.
The rabbit watched from a distance.
Then slowly—
it moved forward.
To absorb the energy.
But to do that—
it had to return to its spot.
As it moved—
Tank lay there, motionless.
The rabbit got closer.
Closer—
And at that moment—
Maria acted.
She released all the stored energy back—
restoring everyone instantly.
Tank's eyes snapped open.
He grabbed the rabbit—
before it could escape.
But suddenly—
The rabbit began to change.
Its body twisted…
its form expanding.
Rudo and the others froze.
"What… is that…?"
It was no longer a simple rabbit.
It was a mythical beast.
A creature far beyond what they had expected.
Everyone slowly got back on their feet—
their bodies still weak—
but their eyes filled with determination.
They prepared themselves.
This time—
they had to fight.
Far away—
In the Demon Castle—
Rin had finally woken up after a long rest.
He sat up slowly, letting out a breath.
"…Uruka."
His expression hardened.
"I don't even know who took her…"
He clenched his fist.
"Damn it… how did this even happen…?"
He paused.
Then shook his head.
"…Since when did I start worrying about humans?"
His eyes turned cold again.
"I am the Demon King."
"I should be ruthless."
He stood up.
"…Enough."
"Back to work."
Uruka slowly opened her eyes.
Her vision was blurry at first—
but little by little, it became clear.
Rosene was sitting beside her.
"Oh… you're finally awake, kid," she said softly.
"You've been unconscious for a week."
Uruka blinked, still trying to process everything.
"Elder Shah… and Patrick big bro…?"
Rosene's expression softened.
"We were only able to save you," she said gently.
"We couldn't bring the others with us…"
Uruka's eyes widened.
"But don't worry," Rosene continued quickly,
"They were unarmed. I saw it myself—they were released and continued their journey."
"I even met Elder Shah and told him about your condition. We promised him we would take care of you."
Uruka stayed silent for a moment.
Her mind was still catching up—
but at least…
everyone was safe.
Then she looked up again.
"…What about Patrick big bro?"
Rosene hesitated.
"…He returned to his place."
"We saw someone take him… and fly away."
At that moment—
Tian entered the hut.
The moment he saw Uruka awake, his face lit up.
"Uruka!"
He rushed toward her.
They both started talking, relief filling the room.
Then—
A voice echoed from behind.
Deep.
Calm.
"How are you feeling now… kid?"
Uruka turned.
"I'm okay… big bro…"
She paused.
"Big bro…? Who are you?"
The man stepped slightly forward, still mostly in shadow.
"You can call me… John."
Uruka nodded innocently.
"Okay, big bro John…"
John looked at her for a moment.
"You will stay here from now on."
His tone became firm.
"Don't argue."
"I know you want to go back to the merchants… but don't worry."
"They will come here soon."
He turned away.
"Rosene… take care of her."
"I have work to do."
And just like that—
he left.
- to be continued -