Crimson could be seen sitting inside a spacious office, going through a long pile of documents, wearing an exhausted expression after hours of work.

Over the past few days, she had gradually gotten herself accustomed to carrying out her brother's duties, as no other hunter at the headquarters was idle or willing to take over.

She usually hated tasks like these that kept her seated for long periods. Nonetheless, she couldn't allow the association her brother had managed to stabilize to fall back into the disorganized state it had been in before he had taken over a few years ago.

As she went through the financial reports submitted yesterday, a knock came at the door. With her words, the one knocking stepped inside the room.

It was the Norian secretary who had started working for her. Her name was Anabel.

"Lady Crimson, there has been a portal break… It is really serious," Anabel reported.

"A portal break? Where?"

Crimson's eyes opened, immediately aware of the severity of such an event.

Anabel gave her all the details.

"Why didn't you report this to me earlier?"

"I'm very sorry, Lady Crimson. Reports like these usually go through a lot of protocols, and at the time of the first report, the portal was only reported as unstable," Anabel tried to explain.

Crimson listened. Protocols and long processes like these were also one of the reasons she had never really worked closely with the hunter organization in the past.

"Also, there was a call that Marlon Ashleigh was spotted in the area…" Anabel quickly added.

Hearing this, Crimson became even more serious about the situation.

She collected the printed report from Anabel and scanned through it with a stern expression on her face. The analysis department had already tagged the threat level of the dungeon break at C-rank, doom-level/D-rank, terror-level.

She knew very well that the analysis department was accurate with their reports, and seeing the threat level, she knew it would be impossible for even Marlon, who was an anomaly to take care of the situation alone.

"Next time, bring reports like this to my notice before any protocol," she warned sternly as she strode toward the door.

Usually, someone in her position would either contact a guild near the area of the break to take care of the situation. But after hearing that Marlon was there, she did not bother to follow the procedure and decided to handle it herself.

This would even serve as a break from the nerve-wracking paperwork.

===

The presence of the boss from the portal spread across the area.

It stood at almost fifteen feet, nearly as tall as the three-story buildings around it and a few feet taller than the two-story ones.

Like the serpigons, its scales were dark green. But unlike them, its body was sturdier, darker, and more intimidating.

Its head was massive, with two large eyes that glowed with piercing intensity. Its mouth was enormous, capable of swallowing a six-year-old child without effort.

An almost invincible aura radiated from its massive body, sending gusts of wind far stronger than the portal had produced earlier.

Ashton saw the monster and immediately knew it was impossible to kill. He turned his back to the battlefield and fled, relying on his agility without looking back.

Logan was terrified as well, but he did not run. Instead, he called Blitz away from the serpigons and sent it back to [beast domain] to prevent it from dying before hiding.

"Where is Marlon?" he wondered.

At that moment, Marlon stood in a corner, calmly observing the monster's stats:

Great Serpigon

Threat Level: C

Health: 100%

"Great Serpigon…" Marlon murmured. The name indeed fit. Its size, aura, and sheer presence left no doubt—it was far beyond any ordinary serpigon.

Currently, the great serpigon stood tall and observed the area with a fierce look on its horrifying face.

It observed the group of around a hundred serpigons still standing with the stern focus of a leader.

The serpigons returned its gaze with respect and a willingness to follow its orders.

Marlon observed the brief interaction and predicted what was about to happen—

Chaos.

And he could not let that happen.

"YOUR OPPONENT IS ME!" he declared, sprinting toward the chaos.

Logan spotted him and immediately heaved a sigh of relief. With Marlon present, he was sure they might survive.

The great serpigon noticed Marlon at once. With a small shriek, it ordered several of the serpigons to attack him. Obediently, about a dozen of them surged forward, smashing every object in their path.

As both parties moved at incredible speed, the distance between them closed in an instant.

Six of them spat out their venom at Marlon.

YESS!

This time, instead of dodging the green toxic saliva flying toward him, he ran straight at them.

Two of the shots came into contact with his skin at once.

Accompanying a mild burn that was effortlessly bearable, he felt a surge in strength.

[ Venom Adaptation: +10% Strength… Time Remaining: 29 seconds ]

A panel also appeared, displaying everything he needed to know. He caught the other venoms before they even touched the ground.

[ Venom Adaptation: +30% Strength… Time Remaining: 29 seconds ]

With a thirty percent surge, his 345 strength points shot to 449, and as a result, his 863 attack power increased to 1,121. It was a great boost.

One of the serpigons clasped its hands together and smashed down, intending to pound him into meat paste.

But with the newfound strength, Marlon caught the incoming attack effortlessly and even blocked another coming at his side.

He applied force through his feet and launched himself upward, activating Steel Punch as he delivered a clear uppercut strike to the one whose attack he had caught.

The head snapped from its body, flying several meters into the air before landing with a thud.

Marlon grinned, a thrill spreading across his body as he enjoyed the potency of his newfound powers.

With permanent strength enhancement and venom adaptation providing a continuous boost, he became unstoppable.

Before the effect of venom adaptation wore off, the wave of opponents sent by the great serpigon was defeated.

The last one fell.

[ You've slayed a Serpigon… +5,300 ]

[ Drain Activated: You've obtained 760 Aether Points ]

[Level Up]

[ level 27 -----> 28 ]

Marlon stood, confidence washing over him as he locked eyes with the great serpigon, as if provoking it to a one-on-one battle.

The boss seemed to have noticed someth

ing as its two massive eyes furrowed, and then its mouth opened slightly…

It was time to take care of the troublesome human.

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