Light...

"Kekeke~"

A maniacal laughter sounded behind his back. Hans fell on his knees with his hand stretched trying to stop himself from completely falling. He coughed a mouthful of blood as his breathing became uneven.

"Kekeke~, another human! another human!"

Hans turned his head and observed the monster behind his back. It somehow resembled a human male but it had four arms and its head was bigger. The monster wore a standard white lab coat and human clothing underneath.

With a face full of freckles and droopy cheeks, he was a maniacal looking old man. Additionally, the mana leaking from his body wasn't all that powerful.

So how did he get behind him?

"Kekeke~, are you looking for me?" Although playful, the humanoid monster displayed wariness and caution.

Hans propelled himself up only to fall again after he felt a blockage in his heart. His heartbeat throbbed in a way that it felt it might burst out. Oxygen filled his lungs but it couldn't be pumped into his blood.

'Poison!'

The humanoid monster's eyes brightened after seeing Hans struggling from the poison he developed. In fact, he's not certain of its effectiveness and lethality as it was only a test product.

Hans crawled away while the monster stood from where he left. His blood continued to gush out towards the white tiles, forming a trail of blood as he attempted to escape from the clutch of death.

However…

"Kekeke, leaving so early, ke? The monster began to approach him, carrying an ax to its right hand. Then, with a swing of its hand, the ax rammed straight to Hans's face.

Baaam—

The ground cracked in half from the force.

It didn't end there.

"Kekeke, so much fun!!! so much fun!!!"

In its mind, Hans was only a lamb to be slaughtered. Thus, without thinking, it raised the ax again and slammed it down towards Hans's body.

The moment it came into contact with the body, Hans' body popped in gray smoke.

...…..

Meanwhile, Hans, who was currently receiving the memories of his clone, sighed in relief. It seemed like that humanoid monster was the one experimenting with these humans.

'I need to be careful of that poison.'

Earlier, because he wasn't certain of the danger level of the 5th layer, Hans decided to send his mirror clone. The purpose is to draw out any monsters hiding in the shadows.

But it seemed like there's only one guy.

'This wouldn't be easy.'

He had a hunch. But even then, he had to pass this layer if he wanted to clear the trial dungeon. With a determined face, Hans readied himself and bolted down the basement.

There were faint traces of unknown energy in the air but Hans ignored it for now and focused on the current situation.

Shortly afterwards, he arrived at the back of the humanoid monster. He put his strength on his right hand and slashed the blade upwards.

Slash—

The monster, who was still surprised by the Clone Hans's disappearance, sensed a murderous intent behind him. With his instinct as a beast, he dodged the fatal strike at the cost of one arm.

Shu—

Having anticipated the monster's evasion, Hans did not give it a breath of fresh air. However, with the momentum of his previous dashed, it would be hard to follow another strike without the monster counterattacking.

On the other hand, as an intelligent beast, it knew Hans' state of mind in the current moment. As far as it could see, the human seemingly wanted to follow another attack.

'Kekeke~, dumb human.'

The human wouldn't be able to block his attack now. As such, he could easily win. A large needle weapon conjured on its hand, containing a lethal poison on its tip. The monster lunged the needle forward.

'I win, keke~'

As the tip of the needle reached the target's shoulder, it passed through.

"Huh?!"

It felt like stabbing the air.

"That's a dangerous attack right there."

At that moment, a deep voice echoed beside his ears. The humanoid monster immediately realized its mistake.

The human he stabbed was…

'...an afterimage!!!'

Unfortunately, it was too late to regret. Hans used the [Emperor's Strides] to stabilize his position and sneak behind the monster at a blinding speed. With the monster still on the lunging momentum, Hans responded with multiple consecutive slashes.

Slash—, slash—, slash—, slash—

In an instant, the humanoid monster exploded in a pile of mangled flesh until it slowly burned into ashes.

[You have killed a 'Four-Armed Ramone'.]

'Fuu—.'

In this battle, one of his weaknesses was revealed.

'I would need a detoxification skill or poison resistance.'

Either skill is good but he would rather select the detoxification skill than the poison resistance. With the job done, Hans slowly sheathed the blade. He didn't even bother to plunder the monster skill as it was useless.

'...'

Why is it not appearing? Shouldn't those experimented humans attack him, now that their creator is dead?

This is not in line with what he expected.

He already expected those experimented humans to break off these tube shells and recklessly pounced towards his face.

Well, it seems like that's only his wishful thinking.

But to be sure, Hans tapped the glass tube attempting to wake up the human but to his dismay, he received no response. With the battle ending in a flash, Hans scratched his chin.

'How am I supposed to clear this layer?'

He's not ready for these mind games.

'Do I need to kill them all?' Hans muttered as he alternated his gaze between the cylindrical glass tubes.

A trace of hesitation flashed before his eyes. If that's really the case, then this layer would be too easy. This is a trial dungeon. Every layer was supposed to be harder than the previous one.

Hans held his chin; his eyes narrowed as if a wise man constantly comprehending the secrets of the universe.

[You really are stupid.]

Plundy interrupted his thoughts.

"I know…" After a brief pause, he continued, "...help me."

[Bruh… why are you even staying here?]

As if the words were hard to understand, Hans tilted his head.

"Am I supposed to leave?"

If he leaves, wouldn't he go back to square one?

[Aren't you inside a castle?]

"Yep."

[THEN WHY ARE YOU STAYING IN THE FUCKING BASEMENT!!?]

"Uhmm, according to my—"

[That's bullshit. Don't ask me anymore. Adios.]

"..."

Ah, in all actuality, Plundy has a point. Just because it's experiment-themed doesn't mean the enemies would be inside the laboratory. The castle is huge. There might be secrets he hadn't seen yet.

"Thanks."

Hans didn't wait for a response. He scanned the laboratory thoroughly and after seeing no valuable items, he sprinted out of the basement.

Before he left, Hans freed the unfortunate humans by giving them a painless death. Although it somewhat pains him to kill a few children, he didn't have any option.

Even if he saved them, they would only live in pain.

Sooner or later, they would also die as they were unable to bear the pain or either from the human's hands who wouldn't be able to accept their half-monster appearance.

...….

Hans galloped around the hallways until he came across a curved path. It was easier to move here compared to the previous layer as there's light and there's no obstruction.

Turning around the corner, he saw a path seemingly leading to the throne room. The atmosphere was heavier and the danger level was much higher too.

Hans immediately concluded the place as the main area of the 5th Layer. His nerves tensed while his muscles bulged as he walked inside the throne room.

'Too quiet.'

Other than the sound of his steps, there's no other sound that made it more terrifying. In the center, a long red carpet tailored with golden edges was neatly spread. Rows of armored knights firmly stood on both sides, with their hands tightly gripped on the hilt of their swords.

A small staircase with four steps leads towards the glamorous and perfectly sculpted throne. The oversized, bejeweled chair exudes a ruler's aura even though no one was sitting on it.

'Are they gonna attack first or what?'

Contrary to his expectations, the armored knights did not move but instead figures crawling on the ceiling aimed their pupils to his subconscious.

'The moment I move is the moment they attack.'

Although he couldn't accurately tell, he could vaguely sense their intentions. What's more interesting is their numbers are easily counted to hundreds, maybe even thousands.

'Looks like this would be a long fight.'

Time is precious. Therefore, Hans decided to immediately start the bout with a thunderous howl.

...…

It was interesting. As he smashed the large insect with a human head, a thought came to his mind.

What does the 'Trial' mean in the Trial Dungeon?

If it's a test, what is it testing?

Even after 6 hours of battle, that thought remained in his mind. Sometimes, he even lost focus which caused him injuries from time to time.

The number of human insects diminished from thousands to a mere 23. Of course, Hans was exhausted too.

He grasped the handle of his sword and parried the insect's lethal sting. He quickly countered by locking the insect's beak with his foot and then smashing its head with a [Dragon Kick].

Smash—

[You have killed a 'Man-Faced Insect'.]

After receiving a fatal blow, the insect's head exploded so much that it made a loud boom.

Thud—

Its lower half fell to the floor before it burned into ashes. The remaining monsters trembled. The enemy's strength was too much for them to handle. Without regard for their kin, the insects flee in all directions.

Hans didn't move and watched them find escape routes.

'Thousands of humans were turned into lab rats.'

He didn't even want to think about what was waiting for him on the 6th Layer.

[Exploding Blood]

With a wave of his hand, the fleeting insects exploded in blood.

Hans trudged towards the throne while his senses functioned to their maximum output. In case these knights suddenly showed signs of movement, he would quickly decapitate them.

Suddenly, after he blinked, a figure appeared under his chin, carrying what seemed to be a rapier in his hand.

Stab—

The man stabbed forward.

But…

'Too slow.'

[Emperor's Strides]

Hans instantly moved behind the man.

"!!!"

The man sensed a danger aiming for his neck and subconsciously ducked his head, causing him to fall in balance.

Thud—

"Oh, nice reflexes."

Hans's brows knit as he observes the man in a new light. The fact that he managed to evade his beheading in a millisecond made him a little curious.

"Then how about another one?" Hans spoke with a devilish smile.

The man quickly stood up, stabilized his balance, and stared at Hans' figure. However, as his eyes blinked, Hans already moved in front of him.

'So fast!!!'

Trusting his instincts, the man leaned back, just enough for the opponent's sword to not reach his chest.

Stab—

Hans stared at the man that was leaning back and put away his sword.

'A human.'

The man was a human. Not like those monster's transformed one but a genuine human. The man is young, probably around his 17s or 18s. He has white hair stretching just below his neck. His smooth and silky face complimented his green hawk eyes.

He wore standard leather gear but his rapier exudes a strong ancient aura that even surpassed what he currently uses.

The sword he has came from Urs. Although he hadn't appraised it yet, its quality should be around A-rank to S-rank.

"Who are you?" Hans asked in an authoritative voice. The air quivered as Hans released his own mana pressure.

The young man gulped in fear as he struggled to utter a word. His opponent was too strong. He knows that the man in front of him was holding back. But even then, with his firm will, he managed to speak under the heavy pressure.

"I-I'm not an enemy."

"Yep, that's what an enemy would say." Hans turned around and began to walk the throne platform.

The young man watched his back and muttered, "But I'm really not an enemy."

"Not buying it."

"I'm telling the tru—"

Hans cocked his head behind and glared at the young man, "Look here, I'm asking your name, not if you're an enemy or an ally." With that, Hans quickened his pace until he reached the stair leading to the throne.

The young man hesitated before he finally blurted.

"M-My name is Light!! Please help me avenge my family!" Light kneeled on the floor; his head touched the ground, "I would do anything for you!"

Hans stopped in his tracks. With his eyes narrowed, a mischievous grin formed on his lips.