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

NEIGHH! NEIGHH!

The horses bellowed, their hooves pounding against the dirt as the knights charged forward in unison. The sound of metal clashing filled the air as blades met monstrous flesh.

Under Ray's sharp commands, the knights moved swiftly, cutting down the remaining beasts that had escaped from the dungeon.

"Hold the line! Don't let any of them get past!" Ray shouted, his small hand gripping the sword tightly. Though his voice still carried the softness of youth, there was firmness in his tone that made the soldiers listen without hesitation.

"Yes, Young Master!"

The knights maneuvered their horses and struck with precision. Spears pierced through tough flesh, swords cleaved through claws of the monsters and the field that had been filled with chaos moments ago slowly fell silent under Ray's leadership.

Behind them, the villagers trembled, clutching one another as they watched the knights defend them with unwavering courage. Children cried while their parents pulled them closer, whispering prayers to the heavens.

Amidst all of this, Miranda hid behind one of the knights, her small frame trembling seeing the fight.

Her hands clutched the edge of his cloak, and her eyes were wide and glassy as she looked around at the blood and carnage.

"Brother… it's too brutal…" she whispered, her voice shaky as tears welled up in her eyes.

Ray turned his head slightly, his cold and focused expression softened a bit as he looked at his sister. The sight of her frightened face made his heart ache a little.

"It is…" he said quietly, his tone gentle now.

"But if we don't kill them, then what will happen to these people?" His gaze shifted toward the weak and injured villagers huddled behind the knights.

"Miranda, this world isn't full of pretty roses," he said after a pause, his voice carrying the kind of maturity that felt older than his years.

"Don't think that Father is enjoying his days or just sitting behind a table doing nothing. We can't even imagine how much he's sacrificed and how much pain he's gone through to reach this level…"

Miranda looked at him quietly, her lips trembled a bit. She didn't fully understand, but her brother's words struck something deep inside her. She nodded faintly, wiping her tears with her sleeve.

If Ethan had heard Ray's words, he might have coughed up blood from frustration. After all, the path he took wasn't just filled with pain and training,it had required sacrifices of body at night that were better left unspoken.

The battle around them slowly came to an end. The last of the monsters fell under the knights' blades, and the cries of the wounded began to fade into faint sobs and sighs of relief.

Soon, Ray and Miranda, accompanied by several guards, made their way toward the dungeon. Along the way, a group of knights separated from them to escort the villagers to safety and tend to their wounds.

As they reached closer to the dungeon entrance, the smell of blood grew heavier. But thankfully, there were no more monsters left.

The ground was littered with corpses which were already taken care of by mercenaries and the air still hummed faintly from the traces of powerful aura.

Ray's sharp eyes scanned the area until he spotted a familiar figure. "Uncle Haro!" he called out.

Haro, who was busy cleaning his arrows beside a fallen creature, turned his head in surprise. "Young Master Ray!" he said, standing up quickly and bowing slightly.

Not far from him, Irida and Ryu also turned. They hurried over, lowering their heads in respect. "Young Master, Young Lady," they greeted politely.

Miranda looked around, her eyes darting among the many unfamiliar faces before landing on Irida. "Aunty Irida, where is Father? I can't see him anywhere," she asked, her voice trembling slightly with worry.

Irida hesitated, glancing at Haro and Ryu before answering softly, "Lord Ethan has gone inside the dungeon."

"Dungeon?" Ray's expression shifted. His eyes darkened slightly as he remembered what he had read about them, how unpredictable and dangerous dungeons could be, especially when explored for the first time.

"Who went with him?" Ray asked sharply.

"..."

The group fell silent. Their faces turned uneasy, and no one answered.

Ray's frown deepened. "Don't tell me Father went alone…"

Haro let out a long sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sadly, yes. He went in by himself."

"What!" Ray's eyes widened with a mix of shock and frustration flashing across his face.

Before he could say anything else, a low rumble echoed from deep inside the dungeon.

The knights turned their heads toward the entrance.

A faint tremor shook the ground.

...…

Inside the dungeon, Ethan's eyes gleamed in the haze. "So… you were waiting up there all along," he murmured.

From the shadows, the creature's outline began to emerge.

It was a monstrous spider with a head that had nearly a hundred glowing crimson eyes. Its body shimmered with sticky black slime, and its many legs gleamed like sharpened blades.

When it opened its mouth, jagged teeth glistened, dripping with saliva.

Ethan's expression hardened. "A gigantic spider… and it's fucking C-rank," he muttered under his breath.

SCREEECHHH!

The spider's scream tore through the cavern, shaking the walls. A web shot from behind it, splitting into several thick strands that streaked toward Ethan with terrifying speed.

Ethan's image blurred. The webs tore through empty air, slicing through stone where he had stood just a heartbeat ago. He rolled along the ground, kicking up dust, and stopped several feet away.

The spider screeched again, twisting its massive body around. Its many legs lifted high, and two of them slammed down with the force of falling trees. The pointed tips glistened like spears.

Ethan didn't dodge this time. He raised his greatsword. His eyes narrowed as he calculated the angle. He met the strike head-on.

BOOOM!

The impact shook the entire chamber. A shockwave rippled out, scattering loose bones across the floor. Sparks erupted as the blade and the monster's legs clashed. Ethan's boots dug into the ground, but he didn't budge an inch.

The spider screeched angrily, opening its gaping maw. A bright, glowing liquid began to form inside it before spraying outward in a long, continuous stream.

Ethan reacted instantly. "Wind Shield!"

SWOOSH!

A swirling layer of wind spun around him, forming a transparent barrier. The liquid splashed against it and hissed violently before falling to the ground, corroding everything it touched.

"Whoa… it's fascinating," Ethan muttered, his eyes glinting with interest instead of fear.

It had been a long time since he faced something that could truly make his blood boil with excitement. After reaching Master Knight rank and advancing as an Intermediate Mage, he had not gone all out in a real battle.

Now, facing this monstrous spider, he could finally let loose.

The spider, however, trembled instinctively. Its countless eyes locked onto Ethan.

For the first time, it felt a different feeling known as fear. The man before it wasn't looking at it like prey, rather he was looking at it like a hunter.

And that grin on Ethan's face, twisted with thrill and danger, was reflected a hundredfold in the spider's glowing eyes.