Thanks to Soo-hyeok, who took the lead in organizing things, and the help of the three people who positioned themselves in spots where Atel's presence couldn't be felt, the rescue operation went more smoothly and quickly than expected.
Meanwhile, a message arrived from Han Tae-min, who had checked outside to determine the exact number of missing people.
"Total of 22 people. And Park Tae-jun said he heard a scream from one person, right?"
During the argument, one woman had died.
Soo-hyeok felt a bitter taste fill his mouth, but what was done couldn't be undone.
The fortunate part was that the remaining 21 people were all safely rescued.
Now, all that remained was to destroy the Cosmo Energy of this world.
"Finding it won't be difficult."
Given the small size of this world and the fact that Cosmo Energy had not yet revealed itself, there was a high probability that a boss monster was guarding it.
Or perhaps, just as he had feared from the beginning, the boss monster itself was the Cosmo Energy.
In the end, at this point, defeating the boss monster would all but seal the portal.
The Association had dispatched an awakened being to support Soo-hyeok upon Han Tae-min's request, but there was no reason to wait.
"I can do it alone."
Grade 6.
By his official rank, Soo-hyeok shouldn't have been able to clear the world beyond this portal alone.
But after defeating countless Atel, he was confident.
He possessed power that exceeded the level classifications used on Earth.
That power came from the presence of Heart and Energy —two of the core elements in martial cultivation alongside Body .
The immense inner power granted by the Divine Martial Art of Heaven and Earth Unification, and the experience and skills to wield it efficiently.
Soo-hyeok was overwhelmingly stronger than other Grade 6 hunters.
And he knew it.
What he had asked Oh Shin-woo to do might be resolved even more easily if he disclosed this fact.
But for that, of course, he needed results.
Soo-hyeok planned to prove it by single-handedly clearing this Grade 5 portal world.
"That's the one."
Almost 3 meters tall.
A massive Atel, an enormous creature that could only be described as a giant monster, was pushing through the bushes. Soo-hyeok checked his physical condition.
"My inner energy is full thanks to my level up."
It had even increased.
And his swordsmanship—
Even though it had been a while since he last used it, his pinnacle martial art—the "Life-Stealing Demon Sword", which corresponds to an S-rank awakened skill—still felt sharp, perhaps thanks to the quality of his sword.
There was little awkwardness.
"Do it as fast as possible… Let's try."
Staring at the over 3-meter-tall Atel in the distance, Soo-hyeok gulped.
A subtle tension crept into his body.
As the name implies, the Life-Stealing Demon Sword is a demon sword art.
Despite being a peak-level technique, it could unleash power equivalent to forbidden arts due to its nature as a demon art.
The price? It devours the user's sanity.
Those who use the Life-Stealing Demon Sword for long ultimately become madmen—or notorious murderers.
A vicious trade-off. But if one can control the sword, the unmatched power becomes their own.
And Soo-hyeok knew how to control it.
In fact, it was simple.
Don't overuse it—just apply power in moderation, in accordance with one's own limits.
Don't get drunk on the immense power of the demon sword.
That was the most efficient way to use it properly.
But that wasn't the only way. If one could resist the malice the sword exudes with sheer willpower, they could wield power beyond their level a few times.
And to defeat that massive Atel in one strike, he would need to overexert himself a bit.
Fortunately, Soo-hyeok had the mental control to maintain his sanity even amidst the malevolent intent the demon sword emitted.
That was thanks to his deep enlightenment from the Hwan Continent.
"Not my preferred method, but… it's been a while, so it's fine."
Once he made his decision, Soo-hyeok stepped forward using the Eight Steps of Taeguk, moving rapidly.
He began channeling his inner power to activate the demon sword's Ultimate Killing Technique.
Unlike regular peak-level techniques, this is a concept unique to demon arts—a pure killing technique fueled by deep murderous intent with the sole purpose of killing the enemy.
Before he knew it, the entire view before him became blurred and distorted.
It wasn't because of the Taeguk Eight Immortals Steps.
The power of the demon art was beginning to disorient his mind.
He could already feel he could wield dangerously great power—but it wasn't enough.
Not nearly enough to bring down that giant Atel.
"I'll feed it both my lower and middle dantian's energy."
As the Life-Stealing Demon Sword absorbed inner power, its presence swelled.
Malice rose to the top of his head.
Soo-hyeok accepted it.
And poured all that malice toward the gigantic Atel before him.
GYAAAARHH—!
Startled by the malice alone, the Atel looked at Soo-hyeok and launched its tendrils.
Soo-hyeok saw them.
But he didn't dodge.
He just charged forward.
Holding his sword straight ahead, he sprinted.
From the upper dantian—though only a small amount—the power it released into his sword was stronger than all the energy in the lower dantian combined.
Wooooom—!
For a brief moment, the tip of the sword shimmered with a blue aura.
Then, the tendril aiming for Soo-hyeok's head struck the ground instead.
Soo-hyeok had vanished.
Zzzrrrip—!
A blue flash, like a lightning bolt, and the sound of something being violently torn rang out at once.
GYAAAARGH—!
Confused, the Atel turned to find Soo-hyeok.
But it was too late.
A thick tendril was severed, and the enormous form began to topple.
Not just that—the massive tropical trees behind it began falling as if hit by a landslide.
KWA-KWANG—!
Amid the roaring noise, sparks began to crackle from the roots of every one of the Atel's severed limbs.
GYAAAH—!
The fallen Atel screamed in agony and writhed, but the sparking flames only grew fiercer.
Soon, they became a flower of fire.
The burning blaze devoured the Atel's entire body.
A stench of scorched flesh filled the air.
After passing over the 3-meter Atel's massive corpse, Soo-hyeok finally came to a stop and sheathed his sword. Then, he looked back.
It was total devastation.
Not just the Atel, but every living thing along the path had been annihilated. If the Cosmo Energy had been in the line of fire, it too would've been destroyed.
And in fact, that's exactly what happened.
A demon sword that steals life.
The ultimate killing technique of the Life-Stealing Demon Sword: Dalmyeongseom .
Soon after, the very world within the portal began to collapse as a result of the martial technique.
Crack—!
Standing in one corner of the crumbling world within the portal, Soo-hyeok clutched his head.
As the price of unleashing a martial art beyond his realm, chaotic malice was rampaging through his mind.
Soo-hyeok expelled the painful emotions with a deep breath.
"My only enemy was the giant Atel."
The Life-Stealing Demon Sword didn't just kill the Atel—it incinerated it in flames.
Thanks to fully absorbing that, the malice clouding Soo-hyeok's mind rapidly faded away.
All that remained was residue.
Just then, a notification sound rang out.
Ding—!
You have resisted mental corruption.
Your strong mental fortitude has repelled the attack of mental pollution.
You have acquired the passive skill: Mental Corruption Immunity (Grade C).
"A mental corruption immunity skill?"
It was an alert that snapped his eyes wide open.
He could already guess its effectiveness—and if used well, it could have tremendous utility.
And that wasn't the end of the notifications.
Ding—!
Due to unleashing an ultimate technique, the proficiency of the S-rank active martial art [Life-Stealing Demon Sword] has increased significantly.
Ding—!
You have leveled up.
Your mind has been completely purified.
You have destroyed an entire world on your own.
You have obtained the title: Lower-tier Destroyer.
With the flood of extraordinary notifications came a surge of energy to his slightly exhausted body.
The malice that had been swirling in his mind disappeared as if washed away by water.
"This… is beyond my expectations."
Soo-hyeok had intended to wipe away the lingering traces of malice through mind control—but unexpectedly, he gained something even better.
Even though he used the technique, it ended up purging him in a way he hadn't anticipated.
There wasn't even time to be surprised by the new powers granted through leveling up.
KWA-KWANG—!
The world was collapsing.
Time to escape.
Soo-hyeok dashed forward.
***
Soo-hyeok burst out of the portal.
The high-ranking hunters (Grade 5 and above) preparing to enter stopped in their tracks.
"Huh?"
"Did he run away?"
"Let's request backup just in case—"
Everyone stared at Soo-hyeok with dumbfounded expressions.
"Soo-hyeok! You're safe!"
Han Tae-min hurried over to him.
They had been worried since Soo-hyeok hadn't returned for quite a while after rescuing everyone.
"Yes, I'm fine. Oh, and thank you—the sword came in handy."
Soo-hyeok returned the sword to Han Tae-min.
"It's a well-made blade."
It had been extremely useful—and durable enough to withstand even Dalmyeongseom.
If it hadn't been Han Tae-min's sword, Soo-hyeok wouldn't have even attempted such a technique.
Flushed with pride, Han Tae-min replied:
"I spent my entire fortune on that dwarf-forged weapon. I'm glad you liked it."
As they were having their reunion, Kim In-gyu—the KR Guild's president and a Grade 7 hunter, who led the entry team—approached Soo-hyeok.
"Mr. Yang Soo-hyeok, we were about to begin portal-destruction operations. Could we ask for your assistance?"
"Oh, no need."
Kim In-gyu nodded and said:
"You've done an excellent job. Leave the rest to us—please take a break."
He took Soo-hyeok's response as a wish to rest and turned around—when suddenly:
"P-President! L-Look… over there!"
A guild member urgently pointed at the portal.
The light from the portal was dimming, as if dying out.
"What? That was clearly a Grade 5 gate, and the only ones who went in were Soo-hyeok, a Grade 6 hunter, and a few Grade 2 and 3 guardians."
No—Soo-hyeok was the only one who came out in the end.
"Did he clear the portal alone?"
Murmurs rose among the awakened.
"Even if he's a Grade 6… wasn't he just recently evaluated?"
Yang Soo-hyeok was quickly becoming a hot topic among awakened beings.
Especially from the perspective of a guild leader, he was someone to watch closely.
And Kim In-gyu, who knew the rumors well, looked back at Soo-hyeok.
He couldn't believe it—but when the portal shriveled up like a vortex and completely vanished, there was no more room for doubt.
"This is insane. A monster has appeared."
Just like the rumors—no, even beyond them.
An event that would shock not just Korea, but the world, had just occurred.