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Unlike the golems that resembled knights, these creatures were very much alive, so the effects might be significant.

However, he didn’t want to exhaust his remaining lightning strikes just yet.

Deciding to use lightning only when absolutely necessary, Kang Jin-hyuk continued his escape.

After a fierce skirmish, the first to fall were the wolves.

One by one, they started collapsing as time passed, and eventually, even the leader of the pack, who had taken point, fell with its tongue lolling out.

Although he was weary, Kang Jin-hyuk felt his condition deteriorating, as if the potions he had earlier consumed would soon reverse and come back up.

“Guh~.”

After releasing a refreshing gasp from his mouth, he felt slightly better.

Dragging his baseball bat on the ground, he approached the fallen wolves.

“Who would’ve thought these monsters could be this big?”

While they may have only resembled ordinary wolves in appearance, their bulk, heavy musculature, and long fangs and claws made them far more menacing.

However, no matter how terrifying their appearance was, they no longer posed a threat now that they were all incapacitated.

“Just a bunch of weaklings making humans suffer.”

As Kang Jin-hyuk approached, he locked eyes with one of the wolves at the forefront.

With its eyes unfocused, it was staring back at him, as if it would die even if left alone.

Lifting the baseball bat with the intent to put it out of its misery, he prepared to end it quietly.

But at that moment, he felt a signal from the bat.

“Hmm?”

Realizing the signal’s meaning, Kang Jin-hyuk stopped in his tracks.

Then, from the wolf that had been lying down as if on the verge of death, a red glow emitted from its eyes.

The wolf sprang to its feet like it had been struck by lightning, charging at Kang Jin-hyuk’s neck.

“Not on my watch!”

Thanks to the bat’s ability to sense danger, he recognized the situation before it escalated.

Remaining calm, he stepped back and narrowly avoided the wolf’s teeth, then swung his bat with full force at its face.

The sound of the bat striking was sharp, and the wolf tumbled backward, performing a mid-air somersault before crashing to the ground.

The wolf lay still, no longer moving.

Having exhausted its energy for the last surprise attack, it couldn’t withstand the powerful blow.

[Your level has increased.]

Kang Jin-hyuk noted the message confirming the wolf’s death.

“That’s one tough little bugger.”

Had it not been for his bat’s enchanted ability, Kang Jin-hyuk would not have emerged unscathed.

Imagining those 30 cm long fangs buried in his neck made him involuntarily shrink back.

“There’s really no time to let my guard down.”

Since entering this dungeon, every moment felt like a crisis.

After breaking the necks of the remaining wolves, while also gathering their corpses into his inventory, he tried to recall his path.

“Let’s see, which route did I take to get in…?”

Kang Jin-hyuk racked his brain, but due to the frantic pace of his escape, he couldn’t remember where he had entered or exited.

With the maze-like structure around him, everything began to look the same.

“Damn. I remembered where to exit just before being chased.”

It was now impossible to even retrace his steps.

Realizing aimlessly running could easily render him lost, he pulled out his radar.

“At the very least, I should avoid the side swarming with monsters.”

If he were in any normal situation, he might not have been so wary, but now that he was heavy with potions, he desperately wanted to avoid conflict.

If a hunt was necessary, he preferred picking off a few monsters one-by-one.

Fortunately, there were no visible signals on the radar screen.

Leaning back against the wall, Kang Jin-hyuk let out a long sigh.

After all, he had a return scroll to use, so there was no rush to find an exit.

It would be wiser to wait a bit until he was ready to depart after letting his stomach settle.

“…Oh shit, I have a big problem.”

After spending quite some time without moving, Kang Jin-hyuk looked pale and was sweating profusely.

He had only thought about relieving his bloated stomach for now, neglecting the physiological needs looming ahead.

“Of course, there’s no bathroom here…”

His bladder, now exceeding its capacity, began protesting loudly.

Despite the absence of eyes around, Kang Jin-hyuk felt uncomfortable handling such a biological necessity here.

‘Pissing in a place called the ‘Temple of the Dragon?’ What if divine retribution comes my way?’

“What does it matter? Damn it, people need to survive!”

Just as his body was ready to release, he rushed to the corner.

Once he expelled the remnants of the potions he had taken, a wave of relief washed over him.

He felt foolish for hesitating in a temple when this moment felt so invigorating.

“Phew, I feel lighter now. Time to get moving.”

Staying here would lead to ammonia smells stimulating his senses, so he needed to be proactive.

After fixing his clothes, he turned towards the nearest corridor.

“…”

As he turned, he stiffened upon spotting someone clearly visible in his line of sight.

Just when had that person appeared there?

He was certain there had been no one in the area when he hurriedly attended to his business.

“Even the radar didn’t pick them up, and my bat didn’t react either…”

None of the detection methods he had were operational until the figure came within a ten-meter range.

Just that fact alone was enough to tell him this person was anything but ordinary.

“So, did you finish your business?”

The other person spoke first.

The figure stroking their platinum-colored beard appeared to be an elderly man, over eighty years old.

While he looked old, he didn’t seem frail in the slightest.

Far from lacking vitality, he radiated an air of a hidden master.

“Are you a resident here?”

“Indeed. You could call it my home in a way.”

Upon hearing the answer, a chill ran down Kang Jin-hyuk’s spine, causing sweat to trickle down his forehead.

“Uh… I’m truly sorry about that.”

Even for a homeless person, dodging around those living nearby is only courteous.

Let alone without permission in the place that someone claimed as their own; how rude could that be?

Feeling remorseful for his thoughtless actions, he massively regretted what transpired.

However, the elder did not seem to mind, laughing heartily.

“Haha, don’t worry about it. Anyone can get desperate in tough situations.”

Though he spoke kindly, Kang Jin-hyuk still wondered if the elder was secretly offended.

To be safe, he checked the old man’s karma value, just in case.

Yet, it yielded no noteworthy figures.

In fact, while there might have been numbers, they were rather unbelievable.

‘A karma value of 0?’

Karma values rise when one deceives or does wrong.

For his values to be zero meant he had never committed a morally questionable act in his life.

Kang Jin-hyuk couldn’t fathom the existence of someone like that.

Unless one was a saint, how could anyone live that way?

“Did you see something you shouldn’t have? Your complexion doesn’t look good.”

“Ah, it’s nothing.”

Feeling his thoughts exposed, he was visibly flustered.

The elder nodded as if he understood.

“To you, it might seem strange that one doesn’t accumulate karma.”

Hearing the elder’s words felt like a hammer striking the inside of his head.

Karma points were indicators of wrongdoing.

For someone who mentioned “karma,” it implied he had seen right through the skills Kang Jin-hyuk possessed.

“How did you…?”

“Hehe, you can gain that sort of insight after living long enough.”

Kang Jin-hyuk didn’t believe him.

Simply accumulating years wouldn’t allow seeing skills so openly.

‘What kind of old man is he?’

Not entirely convinced the elder was an enemy, he remained in a haze of confusion.

The old man soon stopped laughing, fixing a solemn look at Kang Jin-hyuk.

“So, what brings you all the way here?”

Kang Jin-hyuk hesitated.

He weighed honesty against crafting a convincing ruse.

Neither option gave him confidence.

After some contemplation, he chose honesty.

“I came here to level up and, incidentally, to ask for your help.”

“Leveling up… so that’s strength as the people here understand it?”

The elder effortlessly grasped the meaning behind Kang Jin-hyuk’s words.

“Given that, it seems you have come from a different realm.”

“I assumed you could tell simply from seeing me.”

With a wry smile, Kang Jin-hyuk closed his mouth.

The elder’s words reflected everything about him so accurately.

“There’s no need to regard me as a threat.”

“Then why did you come to me?”

“Out of boredom from a prolonged solitude.”

The old man lightly tapped his cane on the ground.

With that motion, an ornately decorated chair unexpectedly materialized in an empty space.

The elder leisurely leaned back against the chair with a look of astonishment on Kang Jin-hyuk’s face.

“So, you mentioned you had a request?”

“What do you mean…?”

“Don’t play coy. Based on the situation, you have a sense of what I am implying.”

Located deep within the dungeon, and revealing himself like a bizarre old man.

From the cliché context, it was clear he saw himself as an opportunity for a breakthrough.

Staring at the feast laid before him, Kang Jin-hyuk felt a twinge of distrust.

“Are you suddenly going to grant me wishes?”

Nothing in this world came free.

Kang Jin-hyuk suspected that the elder would demand an equivalent sacrifice in return for such a favor.

However, the elder’s response was different from what he anticipated.

“Rather than granting a wish, I offer you an opportunity.”

“An opportunity?”

“Precisely. It is a chance for you to seize what you desire.”

His openness in offering something so beneficial raised red flags for Kang Jin-hyuk.

Taking a loss still meant he could try something out, and he decided to bring out the ore he received from the dwarf.

“To start, I came here to purify this.”

“Ah, ore grown from a human. Where did you acquire such a vile artifact?”

“I’ll spare you the details; let’s just say I obtained it forcefully.”

“Hmm…”

The elder stroked his beard thoughtfully for a moment before flicking his fingers, creating a sound.

“Done.”

“What? What did you—?”

Was it wise to believe him that casually?

He found himself hesitating, questioning if it was indeed purified in such a simplistic manner.

Though Kang Jin-hyuk expected a more detailed procedure, he felt deflated by the answer.

“Now that I agreed, that surely isn’t your only wish.”

The elder wore an inscrutable smile.

Kang Jin-hyuk felt as if his intentions were being perfectly read, and the elder’s smile did not sit well with him.

“If you know so much, you might as well give it a try yourself.”

“Haha, you’re a bold little one.”

With another tap of his cane, the lights around began dimming.

Kang Jin-hyuk suddenly found himself engulfed in darkness where he could see nothing in front of him.

“Why the sudden darkness? What kind of trickery is this?”

“Didn’t you express a desire for power? Then give it a go.”

“What the hell?!”

Kang Jin-hyuk frantically pulled a scroll from his inventory.

As he tore the scroll inscribed with a glowing skill, a brilliant sphere lighted up the void, illuminating everything around him.

Yet when Kang Jin-hyuk regained his sight, the elder had disappeared.

All that remained was a swordsman clad in armor, standing directly across from him.

“Get into position.”

“What?”

“You have only one warning.”

The golden-haired youth stepped forward, unsheathing his sword to deliver a swift, lethal strike at Kang Jin-hyuk’s neck.

No room for reaction was afforded to him.

Before he could even get his bat out, Kang Jin-hyuk felt the icy metal slide across his neck.

Upon witnessing the blood bursting from his body, he truly believed he was dying.

Searing pain surged through him, and he succumbed, unable to contain his scream.

“AAAAH!”

Given that his throat was slashed, it should have been impossible to emit a sound.

However, Kang Jin-hyuk heard his own screams clearly.

“…Huh?”

Eventually, he became aware of his body lying on the ground.

Scrambling to rise, he was shocked to find no wounds marred his neck.

“What the hell is going on…?”

He realized he was no longer in the temple.

Before him loomed the shut door of the temple and the face of Lucia, who awaited him outside.

Lucia approached, breaking her candy as she held out her hand towards Kang Jin-hyuk.

“What happened inside that made you scream like that?”

Kang Jin-hyuk stared at her in bewilderment, clutching her hand as he rose.

“I don’t know. I thought I’d died and found myself here.”

As he stood up, he noticed a small piece of paper had dropped from his pocket.

Picking it up, he saw that illegible letters filled the surface.

“What is this?”

“What’s that? Give it here.”

Snatching the paper, Lucia, being a resident of this world, read the hard-to-decipher letters fluidly.

“It says to come back after getting stronger?”

In other words, he had failed the test.

“What kind of damn test is this?”

At the very least, they should have given participants some time to prepare before such random ambushes.

Frustrated, Kang Jin-hyuk returned to the entrance, banging on the closed door.

“Why won’t it open? Is it blocked?”

“They say you can only challenge once a day.”

Lucia explained the remaining contents of the note he hadn’t read yet.

“Alright, we’ll see about that.”

Fueled by determination, Kang Jin-hyuk gritted his teeth.

If they were treating it like that, he had his own plans forming.