Black Ice Queen fought with all she had, fending off elemental arrows while closing the distance, leaving the alien with no chance to hurt Marlon.

She was usually the type to avoid conflict when there were other capable hunters around who could take care of it.

But that changed. She wanted nothing at this point but to ensure Marlon's survival. It was not personal. The world needed him.

A fate that would change the world had been halted slightly because of him. If he died, that darkness would swallow Arden whole.

She had a lovely husband. She had children and friends. This fight was to protect them. It was to protect the future they lived in.

She gritted her teeth as she flung aside a dozen arrows with a simple wave of her hand, then she channeled more aether into her body and closed the distance even faster. At the same time, she prepared her attack, her focus sharp and unwavering.

But then,

"What!"

Her opponent had disappeared.

Her emotions heightened in that instant, her eyes widening as she twisted her body, urgently searching for its new position.

As she turned behind her, she saw it floating right beside her, a devilish grin stretched across its face. In its pale hands, clenched tightly, was a unique dagger that gave off thick darkness, darkness that churned fear deep within her chest.

The kind of fear that dulled all her senses.

The kind that made her mind scream while her body became crippled and unresponsive.

She wanted to block. She wanted to counterattack. She wanted to flee with her life. Yet her body ignored every signal her mind sent.

At that moment, she could not tell whether it was the ominous energy or the fear she had been suppressing for years that had finally taken control.

She feared death.

It started during her first breakthrough trial. Others received combat trials, puzzles, and even games to advance, but she was given a new family, altered memories, and no understanding of her real self.

She spent years there. She grew up in that false world. Then one day, they were all taken away from her, or rather, she was taken away from them without warning.

She grew old in that story. She had grandchildren. On her deathbed, they all gathered around her, and it was in that moment that her fear of death was born.

Yet she had buried that fear beneath an armor of cold expressions and silent strength.

And now, it erupted, overflowing and corrupting her.

Time seemed to slow within her vision. She looked at the opponent ready to kill her. She saw her colleagues staring at her with terrified expressions, the very same expressions her family had worn in that altered breakthrough trial.

"Hehe."

The squeaky laughter of her opponent dragged her back to the present.

That sound was the last thing she heard before the dagger plunged forward.

It corroded her thick ice armor, which melted away instantly, and then the cold black blade tore through her flesh, filling her with pain that surged across her body in a single flash.

The pain was unimaginable. Extreme coldness, searing heat, and something entirely indescribable intertwined as one.

No human could ignore such pain. Or rather, no pain she could ignore.

It lasted only a second, yet it felt as though she had endured years of suffering.

Her eyes lost their strength, her vision dimmed, and then everything went black. Everything she had ever loved and hated vanished, along with the world itself.

Her body began to fall.

Before it could even touch the ground, one of the feral beasts wreaking havoc beneath launched upward and swallowed her whole.

It happened.

The Black Ice Queen was dead.

Marlon's eyes widened in disbelief.

Douglas' expression fell, his body stiffening.

Crimson's eyes moistened as she stared ahead.

The killer of their friend now looked at them with a gloating expression. It raised the dagger, still stained with the blood of their comrade, brought it to its face, and licked it provocatively.

Douglas clenched his fist tightly.

"Take him away. I will take care of this," he said as he stepped forward, his eyes locked firmly onto the Aurax.

Marlon heard them. Even now, they were still bent on protecting him despite what had just happened.

He hated it.

But this was not the time to argue. He forced his disagreement inward and steadied himself.

"You can't kill it," he said.

He strode forward, ignoring Crimson, whose hands were outstretched in an attempt to stop him.

"I am the only one with a skill that can easily kill it," he continued.

Douglas halted in his tracks and turned toward him.

How could he allow a C-rank genius into this battle when an S-rank guardian had just been defeated by the same enemy Marlon intended to challenge?

His hesitation was understandable in the current situation.

"I need your assistance. Do you have any skill that can keep it in place? Even if it is only for a few seconds," Marlon said firmly, now standing beside Douglas.

Crimson observed the exchange from behind without speaking, her eyes sharp.

Douglas still did not fully understand what Marlon planned to do, but his thoughts quickly returned to the reports they had received. Reports that spoke of Marlon possessing a unique skill that took the life of his opponents with a single hit.

After a brief pause, he decided to give him a chance.

Still, he remained vigilant for Marlon's safety.

He explained his skill, and the two acted.

The Aurax was grinning, still mocking them, its eyes fixed on Marlon with clear intent and twisted interest.

As it watched Marlon and the male hunter float toward it, its grin widened further.

Like a predator whose prey had willingly presented itself for consumption.

Another ominous dagger appeared in its other hand.

With a mental activation, the elemental arrow barrage began. Hundreds of arrows rained down from the sky toward the two of them with terrifying force.

Douglas activated his skill, creating two golden shields to block the deadly downpour. Then he outstretched his other hand without hesitation.

The Aurax was caught completely off guard.

A golden armor of ancient design appeared abruptly around its body.

It glowed so brightly that it blocked its vision entirely.

It expected pain, yet none came.

What it felt instead was relaxation, deeper and more profound than anything it had ever experienced before.

But that relaxation came with something else.

Its body became so relaxed that movement became impossible. Its mind remained active, even sharper than before, yet its connection to its body was severed, turning it into nothing more than an observer trapped within itself.

Stress twisted its expression as it turned to look at the two hunters before it.

Its eyes landed on Marlon.

He was floating directly in front of it, with barely a few inches between them.

Before it could even comprehend what was about to happen, a powerful dark force spread across the area.

Death.

The power was felt by every being within a wide radius, including hunters fighting desperately for their lives and monsters actively feasting below.

They all turned to look toward the figure above them.

But the Aurax felt it most intensely. Every instinct screamed at it to flee, yet escape was impossible. Even controlling its facial muscles was no longer possible beneath the golden armor.

Marlon activated the Punch of Death.

His fist connected.

At once, the golden armor vanished. As his fist struck its flesh, rapid aging took place. The Aurax, once youthful and arrogant, grew old, silent, and frail. Then its body rotted away, turning into black dust that scattered into nothingness under the wind.

Douglas and Crimson stared in stunned amazement.

With a single punch, Marlon had slain a beyond S-rank threat. That same power had even forced the feral beasts below to halt in place.

Marlon ignored the many eyes fixed on him.

His gaze followed an orb that appeared where the Aurax had vanished.

He floated toward it and caught it before it could fall to the ground.

Holding it in his palm, his mind began to anticipate the benefits it would grant him.

[ You've consumed an Index-2 True Core ]

[ You've obtained the following: ]

[ 2,000,000 EXP ]

[ 1 Skill Upgrade core has been transferred to inventory ]

[ 100 free stat points ]

Marlon clenched it tightly.

It was exactly what he needed.

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