The Resolution Split. A test of resolution in the cribs of Galterius. Legends say that when the giant Galterius created his army in this dungeon, he raised them to treat lives as worthless and expendable, trying various ways to make them into sadistic creatures that even took joy in murder.

This was such creative measure made by Galterius. A path that splits in two, one filled with dangers and traps and the other like a walk in a park. It was a test of luck, a delirious and distasteful test of luck that would drive even the strongest willed insane. Because even when one got through the first passage, dozens more waited for them, each tougher than the last.

"Go! Go! I have their attention!" Vollrath screamed as he flamboyantly waved his gigantic battle axe at the Imp horde. The mindless monsters lifted their clubs and grouped around the warrior, but his swinging axe kept them at bay.

At his call, the other three circled around the horde and got around the end of the passage. With their back against their exit, they were now in a much better position.

Few Imps broke off from the horde and tried to take them on, but they were no match for the nimble Aida who swung her daggers at their necks.

"OOOH! {Axe Dance}!!" A red hue covered Vollrath's axe. The sheer power and force emitted from each swing hacked the Imps in half. With great finesse, Vollrath cut through the horde while back stepping to join the rest of his party.

"My turn!" Eilhard took a safe position between Liesl and Aida as he stomped his staff on the ground and chanted a prayer. "{Corroboro}!"

A white streak of mana jumped out of the healer's staff and crashed into the axe warrior. Using the axe dance had reduced his mana and stamina by a lot, so Eilhard's reinforcement buff came at the perfect timing.

Riding on his original momentum, Vollrath exerted all his strength to break away from the Imp horde. Just as he got out of the encirclement, the axe warrior completely ignored his flanks and dashed towards the group. "You're on!"

"Leave it to me!" Liesl scoffed and adjusted her long, pointy hat. Her hair floated up as the air around her grew denser. A blue glow covered the wizard as she raised her hands towards the Imp horde.

A wide circle formed in the air above the horde, strange engravings filled the circle. The Imps couldn't even realize their state as the magic circle formed in its entirety above the monsters.

"{Orgi}" The ethereal circle materialized in the air, sending a vast wave of mana below. Every monster halted in its tracks and looked at the circle above them as their eyes began drowning in despair. "{Vronti}"

-CRASSHH!

A flash.

A bellowing sound.

And the smell of ash.

Inside the small passage of the dungeon, a roar of lightning had shown its fangs. No one could even see it as dozens of streaks of lightning raged down on the Imps and burned them from head to toe, leaving only the Imp-shaped chars behind.

Liesl dusted her hands as she looked at the remains of the Imps, while the others stared at her with a mixture of awe and familiarity. They were used to it, but her magic was still amazing.

"Well, we have been on the wrong path for four times straight now," Aida said while looking ahead. "Which way should we go now?"

"Um… I say right?"

"I vote for right too, then."

"Got it. I'll scout ahead and get y'all to the right."

And so, the Sanguine Snakes cleared the tougher part for the fourth time and set off on the next one. Things were going smoother than they had expected.

┈ ┈ ┈ ⋞ ⟨ ⏣ ⟩ ⋟ ┈ ┈ ┈

"This path has been strangely quiet," Eilhard muttered.

"Maybe we finally got on the easier one," Vollrath said.

The group had been walking for almost ten minutes now, and they hadn't faced a single alive monster. There were some dead bodies of monsters, but that was never strange in the dungeon. It would have been a thing to worry about if they were killed in a gruesome manner, but internal strife was rather common amongst groups of monsters.

They had continued on unsuspectingly when Aida rushed back to the group.

"Guys! Guys!" the scout shouted in a small voice. The rest of the group was alarmed at Aida's sudden disheveled appearance. Her hair had become a mess, and she was completely out of breath as she ran back to them.

"What happened?" Liesl grabbed Aida's shoulders and asked.

"It's! It's! It's him!"

"Who?" Vollrath asked.

"Him!! The Destroyer, Iatra!"

"What?!" The three of the Sanguine Snakes reeled back at her words in surprise. Their faces were brimming with shock and excitement. On one hand, they were on the same route as that Iatra, and on the other, they were on the same route as that Iatra!

They were curious, but also scared.

Unfortunately for them. A human's curiosity always won.

"Take us to him!" Liesl said.

┈ ┈ ┈ ⋞ ⟨ ⏣ ⟩ ⋟ ┈ ┈ ┈

Walking through the dark passages of the dungeon was Iatra. An orb of flame floated ahead of him as a guide while he a long staff hung from his back. With regal steps that seemed to ooze out with confidence and a gait so relaxed as if he were walking in a park, the man dominated his surroundings with his presence alone.

The Sanguine Snakes looked at the man from behind a giant rock as he coursed through the dungeon. He didn't even think of recruiting a scout for the Galterius Cribs. Only someone with the title of 'The Destroyer' could be that confident in his abilities. After all, it was basic knowledge that this place was laden with traps on all corners, even in the easier paths of the Resolution Split.

"Graaa!"

The Sanguine Snakes continued their secret espionage when a large orc appeared from ahead. Their eyes immediately lit up as Iatra stopped in his tracks and looked at the orc.

"GRAA!!"

The orc didn't seem to have appreciated Iatra's challenging gaze as it growled and stamped its foot on the ground. Wheezing in anger, the orc rushed towards Iatra at breakneck speed! It was fast enough for Eilhard and Liesl to 'ooh' out in surprise as the monster closed in on the man.

Suddenly, the perfectly running monster lunged ahead. The Sanguine Snakes looked at it in confusion as the monster lost its momentum and started falling, with no interruption from anywhere.

Iatra nimbly stepped half a step to his side and avoided the monster.

The orc couldn't regain its balance and fell face first on the ground. Its head landed right next to where Iatra originally stood. Just then, a rumble spread through the ground.

In seconds, an enormous and sharp stalagmite formed on the ground and pierced through the orc's face, killing it in an instant.

"W-what… in the world." Aida couldn't believe her eyes. The monster running towards Iatra suddenly fell to the ground and had its head impaled through a stalagmite? Just what were the odds?

None. That was right. This was no coincidence.

Of course, he didn't need a party. Of course, he strode in here without a scout.

This was a show of true power. He used magic to make the orc trip and made it die from the trap he had detected long back.

It wasn't just Aida. Vollrath, Liesl, Eilhard, all of them could only see this scene as humbling.

This person just took care of an Orc without as much as showing the tiniest bit of aggression.

This was the strength of the man called 'The Destroyer.'