Jjjjjjjik—

The Queen Bee belatedly began forming a sphere of magical energy, attempting to do something. However, with her head crushed and her insides shaken from being kicked, she struggled to muster any real strength.

“Oh no, that won’t do.”

‘Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts, Third Form: Defence Breaking.’

The moment the Queen Bee tried to act, Sungshik swiftly stepped forward and casually swung his sword.

Puhwak—

With that effortless strike, Sungshik executed the enormous Queen Bee in a single slash.

“Krrrk—”

“See? You should have given it your all from the start.”

She should never have allowed Sungshik the chance to rank up. At the very least, when she noticed the change in him after he leveled up, she should have enveloped her entire body in magic and used all the abilities at her disposal. If she had done that, she might have put up some form of resistance.

For a boss monster that had led thousands of ground wasps and reached the noble realm of 7-Star, it was an utterly meaningless end.

―Congratulations. You have defeated the Extra Dungeon boss. Destroy the Dungeon Core!

With the notification, the Dungeon Core emerged in the spot where the Queen Bee had fallen.

Sungshik quickly shattered the core before anything else. He had about 15 minutes left to maintain his Future Vision. He needed to take everything he could and escape within that time.

Kwajik—

―The Dungeon Core has been destroyed. Time remaining until the Gate closes: 24:00:00

Destroying the core triggered the usual Gate closure timer.

‘So even a double-layered dungeon follows the same structure as a regular one.’

This was Sungshik’s first experience with a double-layered dungeon, and he confirmed that its closing mechanics were no different from a regular dungeon.

While he destroyed the Dungeon Core, the Queen Bee’s corpse crumbled into dust, leaving behind the loot she had dropped.

• 715,380 Coins
• ―[Rare] Queen Bee’s Antenna
• ―[Heroic] Queen Bee’s Carapace ×2
• ―[Heroic] Queen Bee’s Wings ×1
• ―[Heroic] Elisa’s Staff

“Oh.”

All the dropped items were at least of rare quality. In addition to the 700,000+ coins, there was even a Heroic-grade piece of equipment. Truly fitting for a 7-Star boss monster.

He wanted to check the item options but remembered he was short on time, so he quickly stored them in his inventory. The equipment seemed to be meant for mages, but it would still fetch a hefty price at the shop.

And then—

“Alright, let’s—huh?”

―Congratulations. Extraction successful. You have obtained the trait ‘[S] Queen’s Armor.’

―You have successfully cleared the Extra Dungeon! Additional reward ‘[Heroic] Golden Chest ×1’ has been granted.

As Sungshik was about to leave, he paused. A notification of additional rewards had appeared.

‘!’

He had acquired an S-rank trait and a [Heroic] Golden Chest.

‘Wasn’t the extraction success rate like 0.01%?’

He had once seen the absurdly low probability and buried the thought deep in his memory, assuming it would happen someday. And now, it had triggered after defeating the 7-Star Queen Bee.

‘Life really is full of surprises.’

Just as misfortune seemed to drag him down, fortune had come knocking again.

And the [Heroic] Golden Chest—a bonus reward from clearing the double-layered dungeon. Sungshik immediately recognized what it was.

‘A gacha item.’

Indeed, it was a random loot box. It could contain anything—items, skills, traits, anything that existed. Because these boxes had the potential to yield incredibly rare items, they were always in high demand.

He wanted to open it right away, but time was pressing. He decided to check its contents later and stored it in his inventory.

Finally, Sungshik turned toward the exit.

Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiing—

Outside, hundreds, if not thousands, of Giant Ground Wasps were flying around in a frenzy.

‘So this is what happens when the Queen Bee dies, and the network collapses.’

Thud.

Like lunatics, the wasps flew wildly, crashing into walls and colliding with each other before dropping to the ground. It was a sight he had only heard of before his regression. Seeing thousands of Giant Ground Wasps in utter chaos firsthand was truly a spectacle.

And because of the aftermath, the ground was now swarming with wasps that had fallen and were writhing helplessly. The experience points and coins from them were far too valuable to ignore.

“It’d be a waste to just leave them.”

Though there wasn’t much time left on Future Vision, it was enough to wipe them all out in their current state.

‘Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts Fifth Technique—shattering.’

The technique he had seen the first time he unfolded the Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts manual—the one that had split apart a horde of one hundred thousand beasts in a single stroke. Normally, it was beyond his reach, but right now, with his temporarily boosted power at 7-Star, he could wield it.

Kwaaaang—

A single move from Sungshik obliterated countless Giant Ground Wasps. Though he was still too weak to replicate the overwhelming force he had once witnessed—where the entire world seemed to flip upside down—what he had just displayed was still more than enough to inspire awe.

Goooooo—

That one strike alone had wiped out at least a thousand Giant Ground Wasps.

“Hoo—”

Expending all his energy on the technique left him with an overwhelming sense of exhaustion. However, Sungshik had no intention of stopping after just one strike. The wasps were so broken they couldn’t even recognize they were under attack.

‘Wind Scar.’

Puhwaak—

Hundreds more wasps were torn apart. Even when using Wind Scar at full power, the burden on his mana felt significantly lighter compared to when he had been stuck at 5-Star+.

‘As expected, you really need to be at 7-Star for this skill to feel manageable.’

At 7-Star, one could start drawing mana from external sources. Thanks to his increased mana reserves and the ability to absorb external mana, Sungshik could continuously unleash blade-like gusts of wind.

‘Damn, this is a goldmine.’

It was as easy as eating while lying down. Like honey dripping straight into his mouth.

Attacking freely at 7-Star was beyond incredible—it was practically godlike. The Giant Ground Wasps were said to have defensive power reaching the upper limit of 6-Star, yet in mere moments, over two thousand of them had been massacred.

Even if the wasps were just standing there like sandbags, this was something most 7-Star warriors wouldn’t be capable of. It was a testament to how Sungshik stood apart from normal 7-Star beings.

Now, less than a quarter of the Giant Ground Wasps remained.

‘This is even better than I expected.’

Seeing the still-dazed wasps, it felt like honey was overflowing from the pot. Smiling in satisfaction, Sungshik swung his sword again.

When is the most anticipated day for a farmer in a year? Nine times out of ten, it’s probably the day they harvest their crops.

“Krrr.”

Sungshik felt the same way as the farmers. The Bear Cave Dungeon. And the Giant Ground Bees’ double dungeon. The moment of checking the rewards after clearing the dungeon, which was akin to a grueling harvest. Sungshik was certain that this moment was what farmers felt once a year.

“Status window.”

Name: Heo Sungshik

Title: Hero of Adversity, One Who Has Touched the Threshold of Transcendence

Rank: 6-Star (★★★★★★) (↑)

Combat Power: A+ (↑)

Stats:
Strength: A- (↑)
Agility: A (↑)
Stamina: A- (↑)
Magic Power: A (↑)

Traits:
1. [EX Rank] Consumption (LV 5)
2. [EX Rank] One More Time (Unavailable)
3. [EX Rank] Heaven-Splitting Divine Art (LV 5) (↑)
4. [SS Rank] Pocket Watch (LV 4)
5. [S Rank] Hyper-Sensitivity (LV 4) (↑)
6. [S Rank] Sword Sovereign (LV 5)
7. [S Rank] Fragment of Light (LV 1)
8. [S Rank] Queen’s Armor (LV 1)―New

Skills:
1. [S Rank] Insight (Restricted)
2. [S Rank] - Explosive Strike
3. [Unranked] Translation Skill
4. [A+ Rank] Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts (↑)
5. [A+ Rank] Heaven-Splitting Eyes (↑)
6. [SSS Rank] Future Vision
7. [S Rank] (Heaven-Splitting) Wind Scar―New

Currently, a debuff due to Future Vision usage is in effect.
All stats and skill power -50% (Remaining time: 18:52:33)

“Finally, I’ve reached the realm of 6-Star.”

The realm Sungshik had once reached in the past. At last, he had arrived at the 6-Star realm once again.

His absurd growth speed, reaching this point in less than a year since regression, even amazed him.

“But from here on out is the real challenge.”

Before regression, the 6-Star rank was merely considered the starting line. From the 7-Star rank onward, it was an insurmountable wall that could never be overcome without both natural talent and relentless effort.

More time was required to break through the wall of 7-Star than all the effort and time combined from 1-Star to 6-Star. In that sense, the 6-Star rank seemed insignificant compared to 7-Star. However, that didn’t mean reaching 6-Star was easy for just anyone.

The wall one had to overcome starting from 4-Star. Many were stuck at that barrier, unable to even reach 5-Star. Therefore, 6-Star was a domain reserved only for those with both innate talent and tireless effort.

That was how formidable the 6-Star rank was. In fact, at present, only about 300 individuals worldwide had reached the 6-Star rank, making them global rankers.

That was the reality. Just around 300 superhumans worldwide who had reached the 6-Star level. This power was equivalent to, or even surpassed, that of a lord ruling over an entire city in the past. A force powerful enough to reign over a whole region.

And now that Sungshik had reached this level, he was confident that he could soon ascend to 7-Star.

‘I must’ve accumulated quite a bit of rank experience from hunting a massive number of Giant Ground Bees this time.’

The double dungeon had propelled him further along the path to 7-Star. Feeling exhilarated at the unexpected boost in growth, Sungshik checked his inventory.

Current Funds: 3,242,120 Coins

“Oh.”

The first thing that caught his eye was the number of coins he had. Before leaving the Bear Cave, he had barely 400,000 Coins. Now, that amount had surged to 3.2 million. This was the result of defeating the 7-Star boss, the Queen Bee, along with countless Giant Ground Bees.

“With this, I can buy several lower-tier light attribute skills.”

Even just his earnings in coins had exceeded his initial expectations.

He then proceeded to check other items.

Elisa’s Staff
Rank: Heroic
Description: The staff once used by the great magician Elisa of Izar Palace. Contains Elisa’s secret technique.
Attack Power: S
Options:
- Magic casting speed +10%
- Water attribute magic damage +10%
- Once per day, allows the use of Elisa’s secret technique, ‘Breath of the Water Dragon’
- Magic power +10%

“Not bad.”

It seemed like a magic staff specialized for water attribute spells, but its overall stats and attack power were exceptional. It was definitely worthy of its Heroic rank. Sungshik had no use for it, but if he listed it on the community’s free marketplace or auction house, it would surely fetch a hefty sum of Coins.

[Common] Bear Gallbladder × 53
[Common] Bear Paw × 41
[Common] Grizzly Bear’s Tendon × 112
[Common] Giant Ground Bee Antenna × 2,513
[Rare] Giant Ground Bee Carapace × 512
[Rare] Giant Ground Bee Wing × 451
…
…

Countless other material items stacked up.

Even if he only sold off the bear gallbladders, bear paws, and other gathered materials at a shop, his profits would already far exceed what he had initially aimed for in his first Bear Cave hunt.

‘With results like this, I can see why people take the risk of entering double dungeons.’

Though the Giant Ground Bee Nest was a rather unique case, this level of reward made it more than worth the risk.

Moreover, the rewards weren’t limited to just items.

[S Rank] Queen’s Armor
- The protective armor once used by an unnamed queen. Greatly enhances defense.
- When the trait reaches its peak, it approaches the realm of Indestructible Vajra God.

The trait extracted from the 7-Star boss Queen Bee. It was a lower-tier version of Choi Moonguk’s [SSS Rank] Indestructible Vajra Body, but still an excellent trait. Especially for someone like Sungshik, who hunted solo, a trait that significantly increased defense was invaluable.

‘Wait, could I possibly obtain the Indestructible Vajra God trait in the future?’

A sudden thought occurred as he examined his traits. With the ‘Synthesis’ option he had acquired along with ‘Extraction,’ it felt possible that he could eventually upgrade [S Rank] Queen’s Armor into a superior trait.

Of course, he had yet to experiment with ‘Synthesis,’ so he first needed to understand its mechanics.

‘But somehow… I have a strong feeling that it’ll work.’

His intuition was telling him this had great potential.

“I should max out the ‘Consumption’ trait as soon as possible, too.”

A thrilling excitement surged within him at the unknown possibilities ahead.

Then, Sungshik turned his gaze to the [Heroic] Golden Chest he had obtained from the Queen Bee. As he fixated on it, he felt the same sensation as when he had drawn ‘Wind Scar’ from the skill orb before.