Free Web NovelChapter 19: A Hero?
’Desolate Moon Sword Art.’
A phantom moon briefly manifested behind Amon.
The next instant, fountains of blood erupted from the wolves’ severed necks.
Several warm droplets splashed across Rosa’s face, staining her skin crimson.
"The... Butcher!"
A loud cry erupted from the trees.
Amon briefly swept his gaze over the students before looking away.
He had no interest in them.
His goal was to clear the dungeon, and he intended to be swift about it.
After all, there were still nineteen more dungeons waiting to be cleared before dinner.
Holding the Winter Frost Sword in his hand, he strode deeper into the clearing.
His A-Rank Danger Sense had already activated.
Vague outlines appeared within his awareness, revealing the locations of every beast harboring killing intent toward him.
They could no longer hide.
And so...
Amon began a massacre.
’Eclipse Funeral Sword Art.’
The second form of the Elegant Netherblade Sword Technique.
Soon, he arrived before another group of wolves.
The beasts were still feeding on the bodies of the fallen students.
Without hesitation, Amon unleashed the technique.
Mana drained rapidly from his body, consuming more than ten percent of his reserves.
At the same time, a dazzling sword light bloomed across the battlefield.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A faint tremor rippled through the air wherever the blade passed.
More than ten wolves exploded apart instantly.
Awooooo!
Sharp howls tore through the forest as the surviving wolves scrambled backward in panic.
Fear filled their eyes.
The slaughter had come too suddenly.
Because this was an E-Rank dungeon, nearly every beast present was E-Rank.
Only the dungeon boss had reached the level of a low-grade D-Rank monster.
Unfortunately for them, none of it posed even the slightest threat to Amon.
Without slowing down, he rushed toward another pack attempting to flee deeper into the forest.
Dungeons came in many forms.
Some resembled caves.
Others looked like ruined cities or barren wastelands.
But ultimately, they all shared one thing in common.
Limited space.
Small pocket dimensions filled with monsters waiting to be hunted.
Amon closed the distance.
Boom!
The Winter Frost Sword smashed into one of the wolves.
The beast didn’t even have time to react.
Its body exploded into countless pieces from the sheer force behind the strike.
Just then, a howl echoed across the forest.
Awoooooo!
The sound was deeper.
Louder.
Far more chilling than the others.
Without hesitation, Amon turned toward the source.
The boss monster had finally arrived.
The pressure and bloodlust radiating from its body caused the students’ faces to pale instantly.
Shock filled their eyes as wolves emerged from every direction and surrounded Amon.
Under the command of their leader, the remaining beasts quickly formed an encirclement.
They understood something now.
This dungeon was a cage.
There was nowhere left to run.
Since escape was impossible, they chose to fight.
Awoooo!
The wolf leader barked out an order. frёeωebɳovel.com
Instantly, every wolf lunged forward.
’Unholy Death Sword Art.’
Amon’s eyes remained calm.
The next second, his blade moved.
Lightning seemed slow in comparison.
The Winter Frost Sword swept outward in a smooth arc.
The Divine-Rank weapon sliced through the wolves as effortlessly as paper.
Anything below its rank was meaningless before its edge.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
A pale black sword light flashed.
Ten heads flew into the air.
For a brief moment, the battlefield became eerily silent.
Then blood erupted skyward like crimson fountains.
The surrounding ground was instantly painted red.
The boss wolf froze.
Horror appeared in its eyes.
Unfortunately, realization had come too late.
Amon appeared before it.
His sword thrust forward.
The blade pierced straight through its skull.
The massive beast collapsed lifelessly.
[Congratulations! You have leveled up!]
[Level 16: 120/16000]
A notification appeared before Amon’s eyes.
He dismissed it immediately.
Then he continued walking toward the center of the dungeon.
Dungeons contained more than monsters.
At their core rested Dungeon Cores, rare materials capable of being forged into high-grade weapons and equipment with special properties.
Amon had little use for such things.
However, they still sold for thousands of dollars.
That alone made them worth collecting.
Behind him, the students stared in stunned silence.
One after another, they began climbing down from the trees.
The danger had passed.
Rosa remained seated on the ground.
Her face was pale.
Her leg throbbed painfully.
Yet her eyes never left the man walking away.
If not for the Butcher...
She would already be dead.
The thought made her chest tighten.
At the same time, a different emotion surfaced.
Her friends had abandoned her.
Even the boy she once loved had chosen himself when it mattered most.
"Hey... Rosa... about what happened, I’m sure you can under..."
"It’s over between us. Don’t bother contacting me anymore."
Before Daniel could finish speaking, Rosa cut him off coldly.
Her sharp glare struck harder than any slap.
"Rosa..." Daniel called out helplessly. "You don’t have to be like this. It’s just some..."
"I don’t want to hear anything more."
Her voice trembled with fury.
Daniel opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
In the end, he remained silent.
Rosa sneered.
Using a nearby tree for support, she struggled to her feet.
Her injured leg buckled immediately.
She staggered.
Daniel instinctively reached out and caught her.
"I don’t need your help!"
Rosa pulled away sharply.
Ignoring the pain, she steadied herself against the tree trunk and refused to look at him again.
Meanwhile, Amon continued deeper into the dungeon.
Eventually, he arrived before the Dungeon Core.
A shimmering blue crystal floated quietly at the center of a clearing.
Its surface rippled like liquid beneath moonlight.
Without hesitation, Amon stored it inside his system space.
Then he turned and left.
As he emerged from the forest, dozens of gazes immediately landed on him.
The surrounding students stared with shining eyes.
Amon ignored every single one of them.
He wasn’t a hero.
Never had been.
Everything he did was for his family.
If protecting them required becoming a villain, then he would become a villain without hesitation.
"Si-sir..."
Rosa called out softly, biting her rosy lips.
Amon didn’t pause.
His steady footsteps continued echoing through the forest.
Rosa stared at his departing back.
Her lips parted once more.
She wanted to call out again.
Yet in the end, no words came.
Still...
Something had already changed inside her heart.
It wasn’t love.
Not yet.
It was admiration.
Aspiration.
For the first time, she wanted strength.
The kind of strength that allowed someone to do whatever they wished.
The kind of strength that allowed someone to protect what mattered.
Biting her lip once more, Rosa puffed her cheeks slightly before limping toward the exit.
Moments later, she staggered through the dungeon portal that had appeared the instant the dungeon was cleared.
