"At this rate...

we’ll all die before we even reach the boss."

Moon spoke calmly, yet decisively.

"Instead of dying for nothing,

we should focus on finding the captured hunters...

then search for a way out of this labyrinth 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

and report everything to the Elders outside."

Luna nodded without hesitation.

"I agree...

that’s the most realistic plan we have right now."

"Then let’s present it to the First Squad."

Having reached their decision ...

knowing that further advancement

would only lead to their deaths—

the two sisters set out

to speak with Gustave Heart,

hoping to gain his approval.

Old Ashvarn...

was no ordinary dungeon.

According to Jackson ...the ancient hunter who had been trapped for centuries ...

the city had evolved...

into something far worse over time.

A true nightmare.

Spells had been cast upon it—

the first turning it into an endless labyrinth.

Once someone entered the city,

there was no escape—

unless a certain unknown condition was fulfilled.

Perhaps...

something tied to defeating the city’s boss.

The second spell ...

stripped time itself away.

Those trapped within Ashvarn

no longer aged...

no longer grew older .

as if the very concept of time

had been taken from them.

The city itself was divided

into three primary regions.

The outskirts—

where the weakest monsters roamed,

the very ones Ethan had hunted

for an entire month.

Then the depths...

where stronger creatures emerged,

and where the arena stood at its edge .

the place where the hunters had fought.

And finally...

the old cathedral.

A massive structure resembling a fortress ...

where the worst of all monsters nested.

Deep within its darkest chambers . the final boss awaited.

This level of horror

far exceeded what the hunters had been prepared for.

Even those outside

had begun to sense

that something was wrong.

Before the gates of Ashvarn .

the Elders had gathered.

They stood at a distance,

surrounding the city’s boundary

without entering ...

fearing the curse

would accelerate their transformation into monsters.

Among them—

Kevin Heart had begun to lose his patience.

"It’s been over a month...

and we’ve heard nothing.

Not a single word from the hunting squads."

The complete lack of communication

had turned the situation inside

into a complete unknown.

Every possibility was now on the table .

including total annihilation.

Old Ashvarn was changing by the day .

and the curse had begun to threaten

the stability of the city above.

Even the flames of Lord Vassel

were barely containing it.

Given the severity of the threat,

the Elders began seriously considering

sending one of their own inside.

despite the high risk

of that person becoming a monster.

Their number was not large .

but even the weakest among them

stood at the Saint rank.

And the strongest...

Asterion .

a High King at the very peak of that realm.

Kevin’s plan was simple .

but it demanded sacrifice.

Send a King-ranked Elder into the city.

Have him assist the hunters within—

and bring an end to the dungeon.

Yes—

he would eventually transform into a monster.

But not immediately.

He would have enough time

to defeat the boss first.

And once the city was freed ...

the remaining Elders

would kill him themselves.

A logical plan—

but one that required

one of them to be sacrificed.

Many were willing to accept that fate ...

for the sake of the family.

Until—

Asterion stepped forward

and rejected it outright.

"This plan is meaningless, Kevin."

The old man spoke calmly .

yet firmly.

"Sending an Elder at random

will only make things worse."

"Your plan assumes

that a King-level hunter is enough."

"That assumption...

is a grave mistake."

Asterion’s claim was dangerous .

and it gained no support,

lacking any concrete evidence.

But the proof he needed...

was simple.

He knew—

Ethan had lied about Matthius.

Claiming he was Saint-level...

when in truth ...

he was a King. And based on that ...

Asterion reached a conclusion.

If a lesser legacy dungeon

held a King-level boss...

then a far more dangerous one ...

like Old Ashvarn ...

would naturally contain something...

far worse.

"And that line of thought... was absolutely correct."

"Asterion... if what you’re saying is true, then what do you propose we do?

There’s no one here but you who can fight something beyond the King level."

At those words, the drunken old man allowed himself a faint, crooked smile.

"Obviously... you’ll have to send me."

He said it casually .

yet the rigid expressions on the Elders’ faces made it clear

there was nothing casual about what he had just proposed.

"I refuse."

Kevin Heart rejected the idea outright.

"And who exactly would be able to stop you...

if you were to turn into a monster?"

Asterion might have looked like nothing more than a wandering drunk .

but his strength was no joke.

If he were to transform,

he would become a threat greater than anything inside the city.

Asterion understood that better than anyone.

"Even if I’m cursed again after all these years,

I won’t turn immediately."

"I’ll be able to resist... for a time."

He paused briefly, then continued calmly.

"But you’re right—

eventually... I will become one."

"...However."

He raised a finger ...

drawing attention to something

they had all overlooked.

"There is a way."

"A way for me to enter...

and help them...

without facing the risk of turning into a monster."

The old man spoke .

then laid out his plan before the Elders.

A plan that—unexpectedly—

earned their approval.

Because they understood...

that the so-called Uncrowned Emperor

was right.

But for that plan to succeed .

someone inside the city

had to act first.

And unfortunately...

there was no way

to communicate with the hunters trapped inside Old Ashvarn.

"Then one of them... will have to figure it out on their own."

Asterion said calmly—

placing his faith entirely

in the young hunters fighting within the city.

Believing...

that one of them would notice it soon enough.

A belief that Kevin did not share.

"You really think someone among them

can comprehend something like that...

and actually pull it off?"

he asked skeptically.

Asterion fell silent for a moment—

thinking—

before finally answering.

"I’d say... there’s a chance."

"Fifty-fifty, perhaps."

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"I have a rather strange disciple...

one who never fails to surprise me."

"And I’m hoping...

he’ll do it again."

In the end ...

everything depended on Ethan

and his companions.

Until they prepared the stage ...

Asterion had no choice...

but to wait.