—


    The team was shocked by Kieran’s appearance, not because of the fact he was here, but because of his equipment!


    It underwent aplete change, appearing as if he was dressed in some kind of unconventional and practically tribal set of heavy armor.


    Both of his arms werepletely bare, highlighting their chiseled muscture. His robust shoulders were coated by what seemed to be luxurious fur from a wolf or other powerful beast-type monster.


    Kieran’s feet were wrapped in bandages that, despite their tattered appearance, were more durable than many metal armor shoes.


    If one had to describe his top and bottom armor, it could only be described as a brownish-ck leather top and pants coated by metal-dipped beast bones!


    Atop Kieran’s forehead sat a crown made of fangs strung together by a beast tendon.


    This appearance was naturally the Savage Beast Lord Set Equipment that couldn’t be equipped until he reached Lv.40. Aside from his essories, Kieran’s equipment has undergone aplete overhaul!


    “Isn’t that…” Bastion’s eyes widened after understanding why Kieran’s armor had changed so much. It was the equipment picked up inside the Underground Labyrinth’s hidden treasure area. That meant Kieran’s level had at least increased to Lv.40.


    ‘Aatrox said he requires much more Experiencepared to other sses, so he must have killed countless brigand members to level up,’ Bastion estimated.


    After the party split up, everyone’s Experience became limited to the party they were inside. As a result, Kieran was the only one to benefit from his kills. However, Kieran did this purposefully.


    Although the Experience gained from each brigand lessened every time a party member leveled up, their progress still surpassed that of any other party known.


    But, that came with a severe drawback—missing out on important events due to being over-leveled. Thus, Kieran intended to control their level until he could ascertain the level range of certain vital dungeons._.


    ‘A dungeon’s level range increases after a certain difficulty is chosen, but there’s no telling how high our levels will reach after this quest,’ Kieran mused.


    Afterward, he walked up and pulled Crimson Ashrune from the sand while taking in his surroundings. ‘Thirteen enemies, including a huge one. And finally, their controller.’


    “I’ll handle this. You guys conserve your Stamina for thest ughter. I’ve already taken care of their Vice Head.”


    Hearing this, Facina’s pupils constricted to the size of a needle. “Vidal?! What have you done with my brother, Vidal?”


    “He’s dead,” Kieran indifferently replied.


    He lifted Crimson Ashrune toward Facina and stared silently for a moment. “Don’t despair. You will apany your brother soon enough, and your father will eventually join that reunion.”


    Boom!


    The ground sttered apart as Kieran burst forth with frightening momentum.


    “Fury Rush!”


    “Wild Crash!”


    Kieran executed the two skills within seconds of each other, smashing apart two of the small golems in an instant. He leaned back andunched a Blood Wave from an almost impossible angle, which severed a few other golems.


    “Crimson Current,” Kieran said. His deep, emotionless voice echoed throughout the hall as it caused the immense onset of a disastrous blood deluge.


    Bang!


    The Crimson Current smashed the Guardian of the Northern Sands into the wall as Kieran lifted his hand in the air. “Blood Bind.”


    The twelve resilient blood chains sprouted from the blood-soaked floor, binding the remaining golems until Kieran spoke his following words.


    “Burst.”


    It was a simplemand, but the results were akin to a bomb going off as the force made everyone’s hair flutter.


    The twelves sand pirs dissipated after Kieran destroyed the Guardian of the Northern Sands, leaving a disheveled Facina with less than 20% of her Health remaining.


    Facina sat on the floor in shock because she couldn’t understand how one person could make such a drastic difference. “W-what are you? How could the Aeredale Kingdom afford to enlist someone as strong as you?”


    “What am I?” Kieran parroted in a soft voice. After a brief silence, he smiled faintly. “I’m just someone seeking to make a name for myself. Sadly, you’re a victim of this aspiration. Also, I’m not strong…. You’re just weak.”


    “Crimson Barrage!”


    Before Facina could respond, her expression filled with disbelief and despair as six slender blood arcs hacked her into pieces and imed the rest of her life.


    〈System: You have gained 1,389,848 Experience.〉


    〈System: Congrattions, you have leveled up! [Lv.40→Lv.41]〉


    〈System: You have received 12 Assigned Points and 8 Skill Points.〉


    Kieran exhaled afterward and turned to the rest before nodding.


    〈System: Would you like to ?Auto Loot?? Manual looting is estimated to take upward of 1 hour.〉


    “Auto Loot,” Kieranmanded. In mere seconds, a window appeared before everyone after Kieran reset the party as one.


    “Wow… all that loot? Sheesh,” Bastion whistled in awe.


    “I mean, we should expect as much, no? We cleared out the entire hideout except for the remaining boss,” Ezra answered. Still, she couldn’t believe her eyes. ‘Over 500 Gold… that’s an amount of Gold that any guild would drool over.’


    Kieran waved his hand and split the Gold ten ways. However, he gave Ezra the portion for her members. After all, as the Guild Master, Ezra’s decision ultimately determined the purposes of earned Gold.


    At this stage in the game, there was no need for any yer to possess 50 Gold unless they traveled the route of a Guild Master. The cost of items and consumables didn’t surpass 5 Gold. Therefore, the rest was better off if used for development purposes.


    Lux and Cam looked at Ezra and shrugged. As core members of Eclipse, their sries were mind-boggling. Whether or not they received this 50 Gold didn’t interest them.


    It was only $100,000, which amounted to less than a fraction of their monthly earnings. They could also get that as a bonus for obtaining renown for Eclipse.


    “Spread the equipment amongst yourselves. If there is anything useful to you, equip it,” Kieran said.


    From how he half-heartedly gave the order, it was clear he didn’t care about any of the loot in the Loot Table, even opening ess to all party members.


    While the others looted up, Altair approached Kieran and analyzed his equipment. “How is it?”


    “Pretty powerful. It’s a set, so the bonuses are truly worth it. I probably won’t change it for quite some time,” Kieran answered.


    Altair could sense a difference in the air Kieran exuded. It was as if his indifference was bleeding into his every action. But, Altair understood something about apathy.


    ‘Those who appear nonchnt usually possess the worst tempers—a silent yet deadly rage. Aatrox probably fits this description at the core of his being, and it shows through his current demeanor,’ Altair thought.


    Kieran felt Altair’s eyes still on him and looked up. “What’s wrong?”


    “Nothing. You just feel… different. But not that different if I’m being truthful. It’s almost as if you’ve unshackled yourself and be something unrelenting.”


    “Unrelenting, huh?” Kieran leaned against the wall and sipped some water to help replenish his exhausted Stamina. “That isn’t wrong. I used to hold back in fear of alerting opponents outside our league, but I’ve learned that I’ve been underestimating my ss.”


    “How so?” Altair sat beside Kieran and found interest in his words.


    “My ss flourishes in adversity. I subconsciously repressed what was said to me before I epted this ss. I must grow stronger and do so quickly. The best option to do so is to go against formidable and nearly insurmountable opponents.”


    Kieran looked at everyone talking amongst themselves and organizing the loot before continuing. “But… at the same time, I’ll be dragging you all into this dangerous situation. In a sense, you guys are my anchors that keep me from doing excessively foolish things.”


    “Is that a good or bad thing? Won’t repressing your true nature be… boring?”


    “Repress? I never said I’d repress it, but I also won’t go looking for an opponent I know I can’t beat. However, we must maintain a certain intensity for the greatest progress. Take a look at Bastion.”


    “I saw,” Altair said.


    A hint of praise surfaced in his eyes while looking at Bastion. “He gained newfound confidence in his ability which shone through his skills. He probably didn’t realize it, but for a moment, his movement ability surpassed Nemean for a moment.”


    “They’re all natural talents, which is why I was drawn to them. But, we need to take another step if we want them to be stronger.”


    “What are you thinking?”


    “I might invite them to Metro City to train. Work on their reflexes, mental acuity, and… introduce them to X-hancers,” Kieran said.


    Inviting the others to train would be taking a great leap of faith because he’d be exposing his identity and location, but with the Zenith Covenant active, Kieran wasn’t worried about a betrayal of trust.


    Altair liked the idea Kieran proposed. “If you do… I’ll join you in helping them train.” Altair decided to no longer hide in the shadows, avoiding the clutches of the Wiyan Family.


    “We’ll talk about this more after we return. I’ll have to get everyone on board before going through with my n,” Kieran decided.


    The others approached the guys sitting on the floor a few minutester.


    “What now? Do we know where the boss is?” Ezra questioned.


    “I have an idea,” Kieran said before standing up. “We’ll need to head back to the area where we found the Deep Sands Chamber.”