Max looked at the scene with a solemn expression on his face and turned his attention toward the Rune Tower. Looking back, he noticed that the area around that region seemed quiet and calm.

"It seems the monsters haven't reached that part yet," Max muttered, a bit worried about Alice. Though he knew that Lily's grandfather had been with them when they went to eat, he couldn't be sure he would still be with them after what had happened.

'If my guess is correct, then he should have entered the dome as well,' Max thought as he tapped his holowatch and contacted Alice to ask about her situation.

But no reply came from her after a full three minutes passed.

"Did something happen to them?" Max wondered, his expression full of worry.

Boom!

Just then, an explosion erupted far in the distance, and a mushroom cloud of brown flames bloomed into the air.

"Another?" Max frowned upon seeing that. If he recalled, there had been another explosion just moments ago, and yet a fight was still ongoing there.

He pondered for a moment before deciding to check it out. 'I'll check it quickly before heading to meet with Alice,' he thought as he took flight toward the direction of the brown clouds.

---

Somewhere in the city, deep underground, under a several figures stood with dark expressions. In front of them stood three figures—one a monster, the other two surprisingly humans.

The monster appeared to be humanoid in shape, with four arms, red skin, and the head of a tiger. A green goo-like substance stuck to its body around its arms and face, making it look hideous.

As for the humans, they appeared to be no more than 22-23 years old. One was a young man with green hair, a crazy smile on his face, and the other was a woman with green hair who appeared very calm and composed.

They wore black robes with a cloak that had a crown symbol on their backs.

On the other side stood many hunters, several of whom Max was familiar with. Anton, Nash, and Allen were among them, but all three wore incredibly solemn expressions as they stared at the two young figures with green hair.

Beside them stood a notable figure— a general with long brown hair and a well-built body. His presence exuded a terrifying aura, causing the very air to tremble.

Just behind him stood a petite figure with blonde hair. Her expression was serious as she conversed with the two figures with green hair.

Behind them stood several low-ranking hunters, with the corpses of many monsters and humans scattered around them.

The situation was tense as the two groups engaged in a heated exchange of words.

"Does the Monarch want to interfere now?" Allen asked, his tone annoyed. "Can't you see we are busy here?"

The green-haired lady calmly replied, "I came here just to play with my little brother and his toy."

The young man beside her nodded in agreement. "Yeah, big sis and I came here to play," he said excitedly.

Allen's expression darkened. "Do you think the Prince Monarch will be happy if I end up killing some of his people?"

The young lady's expression turned cruel as she spoke. "You can try, but since this is our first time meeting, I must say that someone related to you three is going down."

"What do you mean?!" Anton's voice echoed with rage.

The young lady smiled and turned to the young boy. "Little Billy, let's start your play again. We're heading into the second round."

With those words, she waved her hands. Vines, as thick as a man's arm, sprouted from the ground, moving toward Anton, Allen, Nash, and the others.

Meanwhile, the monster with the tiger head also moved, its four arms trembling with excitement as it prepared to fight again.

---

Max flew through many battlefields, clearing many monsters and helping numerous hunters along the way. Yet, he strangely couldn't find the place where the brown flames had erupted earlier.

He was sure he hadn't diverged from his path, as he had chosen a tall building as a reference point. Yet, there were no signs of any hunters around this region.

'Could I really have come to the wrong location?' Max wondered, looking around.

Just then, his Three Dimensional Body skill caught someone standing far behind him.

Turning around, he saw a figure in a black cloak, standing in the air. A sword was strapped to their back, but Max couldn't see him face.

What he was sure of, however, was that the figure didn't have good intentions. He could sense an overwhelmingly evil aura emanating from him.

"You seem very weak on the surface, with level 3 of Apprentice Rank, but why do I have the urge to battle you so badly? And the way you are floating in the air in Apprentice Rank, you really made me curious about yourself." The cloaked figure said, their voice sounding amused.

Max glanced at the figure and noticed their strength, causing his expression to turn incredibly serious. '7th level of Adept Rank.'

"Who are you?" Max asked calmly.

The cloaked figure replied, "Answer me first. Why do I have the urge to battle you so badly?"

Max shrugged. "How would I know?"

The figure fell silent for a moment before saying, "I only live to fight stronger opponents, but you, being so weak in Apprentice Rank, have awakened my battle instincts."

With that, he drew his sword. "I'd love to know the answer."

In the next instant, his figure disappeared, reappearing right before Max, his sword slashing at him.

Max, ever cautious after sensing the figure's strength at the 7th level of Adept Rank, reacted swiftly.

Drawing his own sword, he slashed forward to meet the cloaked figure's strike, channeling the power of 10 Draconic Essence.

CLANG!

Their swords collided with a resounding crash, sending shockwaves of wind and cascading sparks in all directions. For an instant, it seemed like a stalemate—both wielders evenly matched in strength.

But that moment quickly passed, and Max found himself forced back to the ground. His feet slid across the concrete street, leaving deep grooves in the earth as he struggled to regain his footing.

"Are you for real?" The cloaked figure's eyes narrowed at the scene. This attack of his could easily kill early-level Adept Rank hunters, and yet someone at level 3 of Apprentice Rank had just taken his attack head-on.

"You are indeed very strong, as expected." His expression turned wild as battle intent began to ooze from every inch of his body.

Max, on the other hand, felt his hands go numb, and his sword still trembled from the impact of the enemy's strike. 'He is too strong!' He thought silently, his Three Dimensional Body skill on full alert.

"What do you want?" He asked, clutching the grip of his sword tightly.

The cloaked figure observed Max for a moment before responding, "I am Five, and my life's greatest wish is to battle the strongest warriors of this world."

Max's expression turned strange. 'Damn, I encountered a madman!' He cursed his luck and said, "Well, then you've got the wrong person. I am weaker than you, no matter how you look at it."