"Over here! I found them!!"

Chai’s voice rang out from above,

bringing with it the first truly hopeful news

since the hunters had endured that brutal battle.

"Really? Where?!"

Firing his grappling hook,

Ethan immediately launched himself upward toward Chai’s position.

The younger boy pointed toward the correct direction—

toward a distant area swallowed beneath a colossal cloud of smoke.

Following the trail while enhancing his vision through the Eyes of the Crow,

Ethan finally managed to see what Chai had spotted.

Far away, raging flames burned through hordes of monsters.

He also saw flickers of Aura Armor—

red, blue, and countless other colors—

making him instantly realize

those lights belonged to the other hunters.

They were fighting their own desperate battle

on the opposite side of the district,

separated from Ethan’s group

by a massive stretch of ruined streets and buildings.

"They’re not doing well..." Ethan muttered grimly.

The number of monsters surrounding them

was overwhelming to the point

that he could barely make out

any humans amidst that sea of abominations.

"We need to go help them," Chai said immediately,

having realized the same thing.

In response, Ethan hesitated for a brief moment.

They had only just survived a brutal fight themselves.

Several hunters had died,

many others were injured—

and nearly half of their remaining force

was barely capable of fighting anymore.

They had no priest among them.

All surviving priests were with the other hunters,

and they had already exhausted most of their healing flasks—

while the remaining ones

had been stolen during their imprisonment.

Those facts made Ethan hesitate—

but only briefly.

Because he understood better than anyone

that hesitation could become fatal in situations like this.

"Prepare to move. We leave in one minute."

Ethan gave the order before dropping back down,

while Chai nodded firmly in understanding.

The moment Ethan landed,

he saw exhaustion written across every face.

The hunters were desperately trying to treat the wounded.

Their injuries varied—

some minor... some horrifying.

The worst belonged to one of the knights.

His chest had been ripped open—

split apart by the blade-arm of one of those twisted humanoids.

He was in no condition to move.

Truthfully...

his life itself was hanging by a thread.

Ethan drew a deep breath,

then spoke with the authority of an unspoken leader.

"Burn the corpses.

Seal the wounds with fire—

let the flames purify them.

Then prepare yourselves. We move immediately."

He forced as much firmness into his voice as possible,

pretending strength he no longer truly possessed.

Not physical exhaustion—

mana exhaustion.

His stats were still heavily restricted

by Eventual Greatness,

making him unable to unleash

his strongest attacks in his current state.

But he concealed that weakness flawlessly.

"We found our comrades.

They’re close—only a few streets and buildings away.

But they’re not in good shape.

They’re fighting a brutal battle of their own... and they may need us."

Ethan urged them to hurry—

yet the response he received

was hesitation... and rejection.

They were wounded. Exhausted.

The idea of throwing themselves

into another even harsher battle

made several of them refuse immediately.

"Ethan... I don’t think they can endure another fight like this right now..."

Raiden stood between him and the others,

suggesting they wait a little longer—

at least until everyone recovered enough to move properly.

But Ethan rejected the idea instantly.

The expression on his face darkened more and more.

"It seems none of you understand the situation we’re in.

You still don’t grasp what you’re facing here—

so let me remind you of your reality."

"We are inside a Legacy Dungeon.

One of the most dangerous and unforgiving ones imaginable.

You want rest?

Too bad. There’s no time for it.

And there is no safe haven here."

"The monsters could surround us again at any moment.

So let me ask you something—

would you rather fight one battle beside the other hunters,

a battle that could vastly improve our situation if we win..."

"...or stay here licking your wounds,

groaning pathetically while waiting to die?"

Ethan’s eyes swept across every hunter present,

driving his point deeper with every word.

"You should all understand something clearly—

I’m going regardless of whether you follow me or not.

And Jackson here is coming with me as well.

So tell me...

do you honestly think you’ll survive without us?"

The hunters instinctively turned toward Jackson.

And just as Ethan had said—

the giant was already preparing to move,

fully standing on Ethan’s side.

The members of the Third Squad did the same.

Raiden. Chai.

Even Alicia—

despite her cowardice—

had never once abandoned her squad.

"I’ll go too!"

Schierke the mage came running toward Ethan’s side as well,

joining him without hesitation.

The others still hesitated—

but Ethan didn’t wait for them.

"A minute has already passed. Let’s move."

He turned his back on them,

personally burning the corpses

so they wouldn’t rise again as monsters.

Within those few moments,

two more hunters stepped forward to join him.

That left them with seven hunters in total—

plus Jackson.

While three hunters remained behind.

Two knights... and a young mage.

Judging by their behavior,

they all belonged to the same squad.

Two of them were uninjured.

The third was the knight whose chest had been split open—

still desperately clinging to life.

In a situation like this,

the most logical solution would’ve been simple:

kill him.

End his suffering.

That was what Ethan would have done.

But the wounded hunter’s companions

thought differently.

"We’re not abandoning him."

Their voices carried unwavering resolve.

Ethan looked at them silently for a moment...

then nodded, respecting their choice.

"Then I wish you luck.

If we survive the next battle...

we’ll come back for you."

It was an empty promise.

Then Ethan moved forward,

leading the hunters who had chosen to follow him.

From time to time,

Raiden and several others glanced back—

watching the comrades they had left behind

slowly disappear into the distance.

Ethan never looked back even once.

His eyes remained fixed only on the path ahead.

Because he already knew the truth.

Those three...

were never going to survive.

’I just... killed all three of them.’

Leaving them behind was no different from condemning them to death.

And between them... and Moon’s group...

Ethan had chosen the latter.

The more rational option.

The one that served their interests best.

And after making that decision...

he felt no regret whatsoever.

"Well done, boy.

That’s exactly how a leader should act."

Running beside Ethan,

Jackson offered a few words of praise—

words Ethan clearly had no interest in hearing.

"I’m not a leader.

And I never will be one either."

"Then that’s a waste.

Because you’re more suited for leadership

than everyone here combined."

Ethan stared into Jackson’s serpent-like eyes for a brief moment,

before turning his attention back ahead in silence.

Even so...

the giant’s words lingered in his mind longer than expected.