Path To Godhood Begins With Marrying Wife And Gaining SSS Rank Skill

"WHAT THE—!" Han's jaw dropped wide open as he stared at the scene before him.

His eyes trembled with disbelief.

All he saw were flashes of light tearing across the air and cutting the monster apart.Before he could make sense of it,monsters had already fallen apart.

Joel, beside him, could only shake his head with a faint, bitter smile. "This… this is the difference between a knight with aura and one without," he murmured quietly, almost to himself.

An Advanced-stage warrior might have great physical strength, but against thick monster hides, raw power alone wasn't enough. Unless you had a high-rank weapon, your sword edge would dull quickly, losing its effectiveness.

Aura was different..it focused energy to a single sharp point. Every strike cut deeper, truer, and deadlier.

Before Joel could continue his thoughts, a cold voice drew his attention.

"Tell me everything."

Joel snapped to attention. Ethan stood before him, his presence steady and commanding. His blade still dripped with monster blood, yet his eyes were calm and focused.

Joel straightened and began to explain, his voice serious. "It's like this, my Lord. Three days ago, this dungeon suddenly came out from the ground. When Countess Rina received the report, she sent some of her personal guards and hired mercenaries to investigate."

He sighed, his expression tightening. "We were preparing our strategy and waiting for her next orders when the Dungeon Break occurred."

Ethan went silent for a moment, processing the information. His eyes narrowed. "Dungeon Break, huh… That means this dungeon won't last long."

He thought quietly for a few seconds, then looked back at Joel and Han. "You all should rest. I'll go inside and take a look at it myself."

"Sir, are you going alone?" Han blurted out, startled by the decision.

"It's better if I go alone rather than drag you all into danger," Ethan replied calmly.

He turned around, already heading toward the entrance. "If you meet my guards, tell them I'll take a quick look and return after assessing the situation."

Before anyone could respond, Ethan took a step forward and his figure vanished into the dungeon's entrance like a shadow melting into the dark.

A gust of chilling wind blew out from within.

....

Inside, Ethan's boots clicked lightly against the rough stone floor. "It's quite cold," he murmured, his breath faintly visible in the dim air.

The walls were slick with moisture, covered in a strange, dark slime that shimmered faintly under the bluish glow of crystal formations embedded in the stone.

He paused, closing his eyes for a moment, extending his senses outward.

"Ohh…" he muttered, frowning slightly. His divine sense could still perceive the dungeon's interior, but the moment he tried to connect to the outside world, his awareness hit a wall. It was completely cut off.

"Is this the effect of the dungeon's law? Cutting off perception from the outside world?" he said to himself, voice low and wary. "So my senses are limited here… tsk." He clicked his tongue in irritation, then continued walking deeper.

The silence inside was oppressive.

Only the echo of his footsteps against the stone.

Minutes passed. Ethan's brows furrowed. "What's going on?" he muttered aloud. "I've already gone this deep, yet not a single monster?" His voice echoed faintly, swallowed by the damp air.

He continued forward, sword in hand, alert. "Did all the monsters already escape from the dungeon?" He paused and looked around carefully. "Then why is the dungeon still stable?"

The corridor ahead twisted downward. The air grew thicker, colder. The faint glow of crystals dimmed until it was replaced by flickering red light from cracks in the wall, as if the dungeon itself was breathing.

Ethan descended carefully, and soon he heard faint scratching noises echoing from the dark.

He turned his head. From a small crevice in the wall, a swarm of tiny, screeching insect-like creatures crawled out, their bodies glimmering with a faint green hue. Their eyes glowed like burning embers.

Ethan frowned. "So, you were hiding here."

They leapt toward him with sharp, clicking sounds. He swung his sword with a single hand.

The air rippled with force. The insects split apart midair, their bodies falling to the ground and dissolving into black mist.

"That's it?" he muttered, scanning his surroundings. Then he felt a faint vibration beneath his feet.

He followed it forward until the tunnel widened into a massive cavern. A large boulder blocked the entrance. Ethan placed a hand on it and pushed.

The stone shifted with a loud grinding noise, sliding aside.

What lay beyond was a horrifying sight.

Bones and rotting carcasses littered the ground, piled together in grotesque heaps. The stench hit him instantly, so thick it made his stomach twist. The air was heavy, suffocating, and filled with decay.

CRUNCH. CRUNCH.

The ground groaned under his boots as he stepped over shattered ribs and skulls.

He raised his sword slightly, his senses on edge. "Is it empty?" he said quietly, scanning the cavern. He could see no movement. Only bones, scattered armor, and the faint drip of dark liquid from somewhere above.

"Did the monsters all leave?" he whispered.

Then a strange thought crossed his mind. He frowned. "Wait a minute…"

He tilted his head upward. The ceiling was far too high, swallowed in complete darkness. His senses couldn't reach it. He couldn't even tell where it ended.

DRIP.

A drop of liquid splattered on his shoulder. It hissed sharply, burning through his armor and smoke rose from the spot.

Ethan's pupils shrank. "Monster!" he shouted instinctively, his voice echoing through the cavern.

At that moment, the darkness above came alive.

Dozens..no, hundreds—of pairs of crimson eyes opened in the black ceiling, staring down at him.

"Shit!" Ethan cursed, leaping backward just as a massive shape dropped from above.

RUMBLE!

BOOOOM!

The impact shook the entire cavern.Pile of bones on the ground shattered under the weight of the falling creature. A thick cloud of dust and ash burst outward, filling the air and swallowing everything in choking darkness.