“This place is way too wide.”

The impression upon entering the boss room was just that. A vast, open space. At both ends of this open area, two massive pillars stood tall.

And that wasn't all. Most dungeons had ceilings. The rare exceptions were cases where flying-type monsters appeared. In those cases, there were no ceiling constraints.

“Don't tell me…”

Someone muttered those words. They trailed off, but everyone had the same thought in mind.

“A flying-type boss monster?”

Flying-type monsters were far trickier to deal with than regular ones.

It was only natural. Being able to fly meant securing a significant advantage in combat. Even if they were the same rank, a flying-type monster would effectively exhibit combat strength at least half a rank higher.

And if that flying monster specialized in long-range attacks?

That was nothing short of a disaster for close-combat super humans. A monster that soared through the sky while bombarding its enemies from a distance—facing such a foe, many close-combat super humans would say their best bet was simply to run.

“We have a total of eight long-range super humans. Will that be enough?”

By nature, there were far fewer long-range super humans compared to close-combat ones. There was a reason they were highly sought after.

That’s why, when forming a raid team, if the balance of long-range super humans wasn't carefully maintained, the team would naturally end up composed mostly of close-combat super humans.

This raid team was no exception. So far, dungeons where flying monsters appeared had been extremely rare. And there had never been a case of a flying-type boss, so the team had almost completely disregarded the possibility.

The only fortunate thing was that most of the team members were at least 5-star super humans, meaning they had access to ranged attacks. At the 5-star rank, super humans could manifest their aura into forms like sword energy, effectively giving them long-range attack capabilities.

Even if the enemy was a flying-type monster, as long as they could force it to the ground, they might actually have an easier time completing the raid.

With those concerns in mind, they stepped into the boss room. Their suspicions were confirmed.

“Kreeeek—!”

Letting out an ear-piercing screech, the boss monster revealed itself. It was perched at the far end of the left pillar.

The boss monster was a massive bird, its entire body crackling with earth-colored lightning. Even at a glance, its body was easily five meters tall. Its feathers were pitch-black, and the lightning it emitted was also a dark, ominous hue—black thunder.

“Damn it, just as we thought.”

“B-Team’s three long-range mercenaries, please join the frontline as we discussed.”

“Everyone, maintain your positions. Our top priority is the right wing.”

Perhaps because they had mentally prepared themselves beforehand, everyone got ready for battle without much panic.

‘Hmm.’

But upon examining the monster, Sungshik swallowed hard.

‘Insight.’

[Boss] Thunderbird
Rank: 6-Star+ (★★★★★★☆)
Combat Power: S

• A bird that feeds on lightning. With a single flap of its wings, it generates dozens of bolts of lightning.
• It has absorbed the power of darkness, making its thunder even more powerful.

An S-rank combat power. Typically, a 6-Star+ ranked monster should have an A+ combat rating.

The difference between A and S in combat power wasn’t just a simple one-step difference—it was a fundamental shift in class. That’s why 7-Star monsters with S-rank combat power displayed abilities vastly superior to those of 6-Star monsters.

‘Back then, the “Rampaging Mammutus” only had an S- combat rating.’

That was a 6-Star+ boss that had entered berserk mode, reaching S- combat power. Even then, its ability to transcend its rank had been overwhelming. But this time, the situation was even worse.

‘Looks like I’ll have to step in.’

To be fair, unlike before, they had Kang Hanil on their side now, so this raid should be possible. In fact, if it were a ground-type monster, they might have even been able to clear it more easily than expected. Raids, after all, were about overcoming monsters stronger than oneself.

They had successfully taken down monsters ranked higher than themselves multiple times before.

But given its flight capabilities and unexpectedly high combat power, this fight might not go smoothly. They might still succeed, but unnecessary casualties were a real concern. Many of the super humans here were still at the 5-star rank. A 6-Star+ boss with S-rank combat power posed a serious threat to them.

―Still too weak. If it were me, I’d slaughter it single-handedly.

At Heaven-Splitter’s words, Sungshik chuckled.

He wanted to do the same.

But the world hadn’t descended into lawlessness yet. He was here as an invited member of the raid team, not its leader. Even if he had the power to handle everything alone, disregarding the rules and rampaging through the battlefield would be no different from thuggery.

‘Yeah, not yet.’

The world before the Gate Breaks erupted. That’s where they still were. The era of pure survival of the fittest had yet to begin.

‘For now, following the system set by society is the right thing to do.’

Swoosh.

Sungshik began walking toward A-Team, ready to lend a hand in the raid.

“Huh? What are you doing here?”

That was when Han Seokwon from the Nati Guild Trio called out to him.

“Thought I’d lend a hand.”

Smirk.

At Sungshik’s words, Han Seokwon let out a mocking grin.

“You think you’re hot shit now just because you got yourself a good weapon?”

Twitch.

Sungshik’s right eyebrow twitched. Han Seokwon’s tone was incredibly irritating. No, not just irritating—downright infuriating.

‘Hah.’

Sometimes, even after returning, Sungshik found it hard to adjust to this world.

Just like now.

Having lived through an era where the strong ruled absolutely, moments like these made him feel entirely out of place.

As Han Seokwon’s words turned harsh, Kim Jihun quickly intervened. The last thing they needed was tensions flaring up right before a boss battle.

“Ah, looks like Seokwon is a bit on edge because of the upcoming fight. It’s great that Big Sir wants to help, but our formation is a bit tricky right now.”

Han Seokwon cast a glance toward the three new long-range super humans who had just joined A-Team’s formation.

In truth, a formation is meant to be an organic structure, but if everyone keeps joining in like this, it loses its meaning. If Sungshik were to participate, a significant number of B Team members would undoubtedly insist on joining as well. If the entire team entered battle on a large scale, they would have to reorganize the formation, but there was no time for that now.

“Alright then, whatever.”

Seeing Kim Jihoon step forward to mediate, Sungshik shrugged and responded.

― Tsk tsk, those kids over there... Not a single one of them has a proper eye for talent.

Heaven-Splitter clicked his tongue while observing the raid team. The atmosphere was anything but welcoming toward Sungshik’s participation. Only Seo Haneul seemed like he was about to say something, but he shut his mouth as the mood shifted.

With that, Sungshik stepped back, and the raid commenced.

Kang Hanil.

That ominous feeling he had when first entering the gate—where had it come from? The gate strategy had proceeded more smoothly than expected. Even when facing the boss, it felt manageable.

‘Was I overreacting?’

Perhaps it was thanks to Sungshik’s sense of judgment along the way that they had made it this far without major crises.

‘His instincts are impressive.’

Although he hadn’t witnessed Sungshik’s raw combat prowess firsthand, the decisions he had made throughout the raid left Kang Hanil impressed. Truthfully, when Sungshik volunteered to join the boss battle, he had been pleased. It would have been a chance to see his power in action.

However, Kim Jihoon had declined, citing team formation concerns. Even though Kang Hanil had a strong presence within the team, the one issuing commands was Kim Jihoon, so he respected his decision.

‘They could have allowed one more person, though.’

It wasn’t as if superhumans were like chess pieces, requiring a fixed number of participants in a formation. While formations followed a broad structure, adding an extra member wouldn’t have drastically changed anything.

‘He was probably considering B Team.’

There were undoubtedly some among them who also wanted a piece of the boss battle. If only Sungshik participated, it might have been seen as an issue of fairness. In the end, that was the real concern.

The backup team had been formed just in case. If they wanted to, they could have all joined in and fought together.

However, that would have led to issues when distributing the spoils afterward. Splitting contributions evenly was difficult, and sharing with too many people would significantly reduce the rewards from the gate. Clans competed fiercely over raid priorities precisely because of such profits, so an inefficient raid strategy like that was out of the question.

‘That said, forming a proper formation isn’t necessarily wrong either.’

Following Kim Jihoon’s established formation would certainly make for a more efficient battle.

‘But it’s still a shame.’

He had been eager to see Sungshik’s strength. The unusual weapon he carried was also intriguing. Kang Hanil had wanted to watch Sungshik fight up close.

He discreetly asked Seo Haneul, who had participated in an A-rank gate raid with Sungshik earlier.

“He’s amazing, isn’t he?”

Seo Haneul smiled as he spoke, and at that moment, Kang Hanil knew. The rumors about Sungshik weren’t exaggerated.

At the same time, a competitive spirit stirred within him. It was a natural instinct for a strong superhuman. As someone revered as South Korea’s strongest, he was even more curious about Sungshik’s power.

Since South Korea was often considered weaker than its neighboring countries in terms of superhumans, he had secretly wished for stronger individuals to emerge. But now that someone potentially stronger than himself had appeared, he felt reluctant to give up his top spot.

‘Well, I can always spar with him later.’

There was no rush. He had plenty of time and could confirm Sungshik’s abilities at his own pace. For now, the priority was taking down the massive beast before them.

However, the monster proved more formidable than expected.

“Kiaaaak―”

Pazizizik―

“Tsk. Now that’s intense.”

Kang Hanil took the brunt of the monster’s black lightning. He let out a bitter laugh as the tingling pain coursed through his body. The creature was even more difficult to deal with than he had imagined.

Fast, intelligent, and ruthless. The worst part was that it never descended below a certain altitude.

For a close-combat fighter like Kang Hanil, this was the first time he had ever felt so powerless. All he could do was endure the black lightning raining from above and throw out ineffective air punches.

Watching this battle, Sungshik reached a conclusion.

‘Now I’m certain. This creature didn’t exist before my regression.’

The appearance of South Korea’s third A-rank gate. He remembered the second one clearly because of the valuable Coldgrass that came from it. But when he heard that a third had emerged, he had been puzzled—he couldn’t recall what had come out of it.

He still remembered the major events, but details like this were hazy. If a troublesome flying creature like this thunderbird had appeared as a boss, it would have been a major issue.

However, he had never heard of a flying boss monster with lightning-based abilities.

‘Was this gate artificially created?’

Doubts began to arise. A mutated boss monster. While he didn’t know the exact mechanism, he understood that it was possible to mutate them using something called the ‘Black Moon Fragment.’

It was highly likely that Xiaoguang was responsible for this. He must have used his knowledge of the future to create a mutated boss using the ‘Black Moon Fragment.’

But creating a gate was an entirely different issue.

― Now that you mention it, this is odd. Maybe the gate itself didn’t change, but the boss monster inside did.

Even Heaven-Splitter seemed doubtful. However, there was no way to verify anything at the moment. It seemed that the answer to this mystery lay with the Revolutionary Knights.

‘More importantly, they’re starting to struggle.’

Pazizizik―

“Aaargh―”

Another distant-type superhuman was taken down by a barrage of black lightning.

The thunderbird was cunning, targeting only those who posed the greatest threat to it.

Watching this unfold, Sungshik arrived at a conclusion.

This raid was bound to fail.

That is—if he weren’t here.