Ornis charges straight at Gloria, stabbing him again and again until one of Gloria’s arms is severed. This time, regeneration won’t save him—the flame attacks Ornis has been using have burned away Gloria’s blood itself. Without his regenerative ability, there’s no way he can keep up anymore.
But it’s already far too late to retreat. Ornis cuts off Gloria’s remaining arm and follows up with dozens of lethal spear thrusts, reducing him to nothing more than a scorched torso.
Meanwhile, at the bottom of the dungeon, Yora finally regains consciousness. She finds herself tied to a tree, with a Shadow Guild member standing over her. He tells her it’s already too late to stop anything now—he has the dungeon core in his possession.
Suddenly, Melia slashes Toro across the back, sending him crashing to the ground and dropping the dungeon core. Yora is completely confused. She thought Melia was supposed to be on the Shadow Guild’s side.
Melia calmly picks up the core and declares that he is now both the core and the seeker—and that he no longer has any reason to cooperate with the guild.
Even more confused, Yora asks why he just called her a seeker. Melia explains that he wants her help in finding Eden, a legendary place where dungeon cores can be used to grant wishes.
There’s just one problem.
Yora has never even heard of a place called Eden—let alone the idea that dungeons could grant wishes at all.
So Yora tells him that whatever he’s planning has nothing to do with her. Unfortunately, drama refuses to stay quiet. Toro suddenly regains consciousness and starts yelling at Alec for daring to betray the Shadow Guild. Even if Toro can’t take revenge right now, he insists the guild is packed with monsters who won’t rest until Alec pays for this stunt.
To Toro’s horror, Alec smiles and says that’s exactly what he wants. His goal is to become even stronger, and for that, he needs nonstop combat experience. The problem? Once you’re officially recognized as a swordmaster, people stop picking fights with you. Very rude of them, honestly.
So Alec reached a logical conclusion: if strong enemies won’t come to him, he’ll just make them—by committing as many spectacular betrayals as possible. And right on cue, Olivia and Krasia arrive. Yora is relieved to see them and, now back on her feet, tries to bluff Alec away by claiming even more allies will arrive any second now.
Unfortunately for her, Alec has literally just said he wants all the smoke, so threats don’t impress him. He casually asks whether Alec—sorry, another Alec—no, Alec asks if Alec is among them—
…Anyway, he asks if Alec is among her allies.
That’s when Yora gets nervous. She never mentioned Alec’s name before, so how does he know it? Alec answers that mystery himself, saying he’s been looking forward to meeting the son of Arya Egret. Turns out, he knows far more than he should.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the dungeon, Ornis tells Alec that he’s completely out of commission after his fight with Gloria. That means Alec will have to face the swordmaster alone—and Ornis makes it very clear this is a terrible matchup. She recalls how, four years ago, the academy headmaster scolded her for reckless fighting and warned that if she ever crossed blades with the swordmaster for no reason, it would be the end of her.
Sadly, this situation doesn’t allow for avoiding the fight. Ornis warns Alec not to do anything stupid because surviving comes first. Alec swears he’ll make sure Yora, Olivia, and Krasia all make it out alive. To save time, he activates the bracelet linked to Krasia and teleports straight to her location.
Meanwhile, at the bottom of the dungeon, Alec slowly advances toward Olivia as she charges straight at him. She swears she’ll make him pay for killing her mother, but she’s smart enough to know a head-on fight would end badly. So she dashes past him, grabs Yora, and leaps to safety. The moment they clear the area, Krasia unleashes a volley of arrows at Alec.
Unfortunately, Alec barely notices. He casually pulls his cloak around himself, blocking the arrow rain like it’s a mild inconvenience, then turns to face all three of them—today’s unlucky challengers. Yora, not taking any chances, immediately casts Bind, freezing Alec in place, while Krasia lines up another shot. Krasia confidently tells him he messed up by letting them save Yora, because now their formation is unbeatable.
To finish things off, Yora stacks a seven-fold enchantment onto Krasia’s bow, allowing her to fire a full-power Phoenix Arrow. A massive fireball roars toward Alec… and he smiles. This is exactly the excitement he’s been craving. He strains against the chains, slices through one, and once free, cleaves the Phoenix Arrow cleanly in half with a single swing.
Yora is stunned. That was her strongest spell, boosted by support magic—and he erased it like it was nothing. While the others freeze in shock, Olivia moves. She lunges from behind, blade ready, but Alec blocks the strike without even looking. He sounds genuinely disappointed, saying she should know by now that cheap tricks won’t work and that she can’t beat him alone.
Olivia snaps back that she won’t let anyone else take Alec’s head. As she attacks again, Alec remarks that Fisel must have an incredible healer if she’s recovered this quickly—clearly Krasia’s work. He admits her friends are impressive and their teamwork shows promise. Still, to him, they’re just kids playing adventurer. He finishes by coldly telling Olivia that no matter how many friends she gathers, they’ll never be enough to make up for her weakness.
Hearing those words from Alec’s mouth sends Olivia spiraling into a childhood memory. Back then, Alec found her crying alone in her room and asked what was wrong. She confessed she’d gotten into a fight with some kids who mocked her mother, saying she must’ve been a weak adventurer to die in a dungeon. They also refused to play with Olivia because she was adopted.
Alec didn’t scold her for fighting—some insults just aren’t meant to be swallowed. Instead, he calmly told her that loneliness wasn’t something to fear. Strength could be forged there, and it could become the fuel to rise above anyone who looked down on her. Whether he meant to comfort her or quietly mold her into a battle-hungry warrior is unclear, but the advice worked. From that day on, Olivia trained relentlessly, determined to become strong enough to stand on her own. And that’s exactly why she’s now determined to defeat him with her own hands.
Back in the present, Olivia slashes at Alec, but he blocks the strike while barely drawing his sword and shoves her back before kicking her straight into a rock. Krasia panics and starts to rush over, but Yora stops her, warning that neither of them can survive close combat with him. Even when Krasia fires another arrow, Alec casually catches it—it’s nothing compared to the Phoenix Arrow from earlier. Then he starts walking toward them, killing intent written all over his face.
Olivia shouts for Yora and Krasia to run, knowing they’re finished if he gets any closer. But it’s already too late. Alec is within striking distance, his hand resting on his sword.
Just as Alec unleashes his strike, Olivia throws herself in front of it. She can’t bear losing anyone else to him. She takes the full blow, shielding Yora and Krasia, but the damage is devastating. She collapses moments later, and Krasia immediately rushes to heal her. Alec simply stands there, waiting—confident that nothing they have can truly challenge him.
Then Al drops straight out of the sky.
This is exactly what Alec’s been waiting for. He grins, locks swords with Al, and knocks him back. Yora moves to help, but Al tells her to focus on Olivia while he handles this. He charges again, only for Alec to perfectly parry every strike. Furious, Al demands to know why Alec would treat Olivia so cruelly after earning her trust. Alec coldly replies that if she were strong enough to protect herself, she wouldn’t have been hurt so many times—so the fault lies with her.
“So it’s her own fault.”
Those words completely set Al off. Enraged, he charges straight at Alec again—but this time, Alec effortlessly sidesteps the blow and calmly tells him to start taking the fight seriously. He already knows Al is supposed to be an exceptional magician, so trying to win without magic is nothing short of wishful thinking.
Realizing Alec is right, Al finally stops holding back and unleashes his Thunder Dragon spell at full power. Alec doesn’t even move. He welcomes the attack head-on, and when his sword collides with the lightning, it actually pushes the spell back—something Yora didn’t even know was possible. After a brief struggle, Alec cleanly slices the spell apart. He looks genuinely satisfied, even bleeding slightly, and praises Al as the perfect example of what an adventurer should be.
That said, Alec bluntly tells him he’s still a terrible magician. The spell was strong, sure—but it lacked killing intent. He even considers targeting Yora just to push Al further. Al immediately catches on and warns him to leave the others out of it. If Alec wants murderous intent, then he’ll show him exactly what that looks like.
Al remembers the promise he made to Ornest not to do anything reckless—but it’s clear he has no other choice. He begins forcing all of his mana out of his body. The moment Yora realizes what he’s attempting, she panics and says they have to stop him. Unfortunately, it’s already too late.
Normally, replenishing mana from outside the body is impossible. Absorbing foreign mana is like poisoning yourself, since there are countless incompatible types of mana in the world. That’s why mages generate it internally. However, Al created a forbidden spell called Limit Break. It allows him to expel all of his mana and forcibly draw new mana directly from his surroundings. The strain on his body is immense, but in this state, there’s effectively no limit to how much magic he can wield.
This spell is Al’s ultimate trump card—and once it’s activated, there’s no turning back.
However, Alec Ygret is an exception to that rule. Four years earlier, while the team was preparing to fight the Hydra, they searched the library for any useful information and discovered some truly terrible news. The Hydra has five heads, each tied to a different element, and the only way to kill it is to strike all five at the same time. The problem? There were only four of them—and Rain Ornest couldn’t use magic at all.
Luckily, Alec already had fire and lightning covered. The remaining elements were another story. Krasia Annerose technically had an affinity for air and could use it with enough practice. Annerose, on the other hand, had affinities for earth and water but was hopeless at attack spells, no matter how hard she trained. Feeling useless, she apologized to everyone. Rain, however, wasn’t worried. He had already thought of a solution.
Since mana exists everywhere, Rain reasoned that if someone could draw in external mana directly, they could use all elements at once with a nearly unlimited supply. The idea sounded amazing—and extremely dangerous. No one had ever heard of safely absorbing external mana, and even if Alec managed it, that mana was basically poison. Still, ignoring all common sense, Alec grabbed a stack of books and went off to research it alone.
That research led to this moment. Eisenz Yorha explains that in this state, Alec can freely use all the mana in the surrounding area to cast any kind of magic without limits. To demonstrate, Alec instantly creates a five-layered elemental barrier against Miheila. At first, Miheila holds his ground, but he soon gets caught in a wind spell. Though he cuts his way out, he still ends up with a wound on his chest—the first time anyone has ever injured him. Seeing this, Yorha and Krasia become confident that Alec might actually win.
Alec keeps up the relentless wind attacks, forcing Miheila onto the defensive. To everyone’s surprise, Miheila is clearly enjoying himself; Alec is the first opponent in a long time to truly challenge him. He draws his second sword and slices through the incoming spells, charging straight at Alec with a grin—until the sword finally snaps from the strain. Dropping it, he thanks Alec, saying he only grows stronger when facing someone who can genuinely threaten his life, just as he’d expect from the apprentice of Eldas.
Hearing that name shocks Alec, who immediately asks if Miheila really knows Eldas. Miheila confirms that he does—and that he also knows Alec has been searching for him. Still, he warns him not to try. Elves may want to be found, but Alec definitely isn’t the right person to do it.
Miheila assumes there are many things Eldas never explained to Alec Ygret, including the truth behind his mother’s death. Alec was likely told she died from a plague, but Miheila scoffs at that idea—someone like Alec’s mother wouldn’t fall to something so trivial. Rain Ornest demands to know what he means, but Miheila only says that Alec will learn the truth someday. For now, he’s done talking, and it’s time to keep fighting.
Pulling out the dungeon core, Miheila channels its energy into himself and enchants his sword, eager to discover Alec’s true limit. After all, there’s no way Alec can maintain such a dangerous form forever. Elsewhere in the dungeon, Rain explains Alec’s limit break to the others. It allows him to freely use all five elements, but at the cost of turning his body into a vessel for overwhelming amounts of mana. If he stays in that state too long, the consequences could be severe.
Rain tries to stand and rush to Alec’s aid, but his injuries force him back down, making it clear he’s not going anywhere. Meanwhile, there’s still the issue of Gloria’s remains, which might resurrect. Leviel orders the casket he brought to deal with it. A bald man steps forward, places a coffin before Gloria’s corpse, and activates it, dragging him into a torturous limbo—ensuring Gloria won’t cause trouble again.
Even so, Leviel doubts that Alec, genius or not, can handle Miheila alone. Marbell wonders if there’s really cause for concern, since wide-open spaces favor mages. Leviel disagrees, explaining that Miheila likely possesses the dungeon core—the true heart of the dungeon. Unlike ordinary cores, it grants overwhelming power. That’s why Miheila was promoted to S-rank despite being a one-man party: he’s strong enough to rival an entire team by himself.
He’s deadly with a sword, but Miheila can also use magic—and absorbing a dungeon core massively boosts mana. If he truly has it, then Alec Ygret is in serious trouble. Back on the bottom floor, Miheila unleashes a brutal mana slash at Alec. Alec reacts fast enough to raise a shield, but the attack is far stronger than expected and shatters it instantly.
Just in time, Eisenz Yorha jumps in and stacks several barriers in front of Alec, barely redirecting the blast. Unfortunately, Miheila has plenty more where that came from. Yorha tries to block the next wave of slashes while Alec retreats, but one slips through and smashes into him, sending him flying. The strain from his limit break is catching up fast—he won’t last much longer like this.
From the sidelines, Silveria Loki finally regains enough strength to speak. She explains that Miheila is using Mana Blast, the only attack spell he knows, but one that becomes terrifyingly effective in his hands. She has a plan to stop him, but it’ll take time—and until then, Alec has to survive on his own. He’s already been in limit break for five minutes, and his body is nearing its limit.
Another mana slash comes flying. Alec blocks as best he can, knowing he can’t keep this up forever. The real problem is the dungeon core powering Miheila’s attacks, but Miheila gives him no opening. At that moment, Yorha burns the last of her mana to bind Miheila with multiple spells. He breaks free quickly, but the distraction is enough.
Alec counterattacks, unleashing dozens of spells at once. Miheila cuts through them effortlessly, even when Alec combines fire and lightning into a massive attack. The result is a deadlock—and Alec will run out of energy first. Just as doubt sets in, Krasia Annerose calls out with an idea. She reminds him of the monster nest where magic was useless due to an anti-magic barrier—and suggests recreating that situation.
As Alec draws his sword, Miheila fires another mana blast. This time, before it can hit, Krasia deploys an anti-magic barrier around the two of them, completely dispersing the attack.
Now only sword strikes will work. While the anti-magic barrier shuts down Miheila’s ranged attacks, he calls it a foolish move—magic was the only reason Alec Ygret could keep up with him. Limiting the fight to blades should mean instant defeat. Alec calmly downs a healing potion, raises his sword, and admits he can’t win alone—but he isn’t alone.
He charges in and clashes with Miheila, only to be slashed across the chest again and driven back. Unimpressed, Miheila notes Alec looks exhausted and figures his limit break will last maybe another minute. The odds are terrible. Then Alec remembers the sword lesson Silveria Loki taught him in the monster nest: treat the blade as part of your body. He commits—and attacks again.
Miheila parries the opening strikes, but when he counters, Alec ducks under and slices at his head, leaving a cut across Miheila’s face. Instead of anger, Miheila grins. Alec has exceeded his expectations—both as a magician and, surprisingly, as a swordsman. Eager for more, Miheila lunges, but Silveria suddenly cuts in and slashes him across the chest, catching him completely off guard. She demands answers—why raise her with care only to make her hate him? Miheila says she’ll have to defeat him to get them.
Alec and Silveria attack together, but even combined, their swordplay can’t overpower Miheila. Alec’s body finally starts to fail from the strain of limit break. Declaring the fight over, Miheila raises his sword—then the anti-magic barrier shatters. Realizing magic is back, Miheila goes for a mana blast, but Eisenz Yorha instantly blocks with a barrier. Alec seizes the opening and fires a lightning spell. Miheila tanks it and moves to retaliate, only for Silveria to jump in and block his blade, buying just enough time for another lightning strike. Miheila survives again, but as he focuses on stopping Alec’s casting, Krasia Annerose spots an opening and snipes him from afar.
