Even though Aries held a sword, that didn't mean he was a real warrior like outsiders. He could only swing his blade and rely on magic that boosted his physical power.

There were no skills or techniques —that was a problem for him. But for Aries, that enhancement magic had already helped him a lot in this fight.

He charged at Ethan, and Ethan quickly raised his sword to block the incoming slash. The two blades clashed, and the impact released a wave of powerful energy.

Ethan managed to hold his ground without being pushed back, which drew everyone's attention to him.

Aries tried to kick Ethan away, but Ethan reacted fast —he caught Aries's leg and threw him backward with raw strength.

Instead of Ethan being pushed away, Aries was the one who got tossed through the air. The old man was shocked, speechless.

Not just him —most of the villagers gasped when they saw Aries hurled far away. Ethan narrowed his eyes, keeping his focus on Aries still flying through the air.

"Take this!"

Ethan swung his Bloodblade Ashura upward, releasing a crimson slash aimed straight at Aries midair.

It was almost impossible for Aries to dodge —he couldn't even fly. Desperate, Aries tried to block it with his sword.

BLAST!

A crimson explosion bloomed in the sky above the village, shaking everyone below. His father's eyes widened as debris started raining down from above.

"A–Aries?" the old man muttered.

Through the rising red smoke, Aries's body fell to the ground, landing hard on his back. The villagers grew anxious —their tribe had no other heir besides Aries.

If he died, the village leader would have no choice but to hand leadership to his younger brother, one of the village elders.

But right now, he just needed to keep his son alive, even if it meant losing his dignity as the tribe's chief.

Aries lay on the ground, barely breathing. His sword was shattered in two, the berserk aura gone, leaving him fatally wounded and close to death.

"Aries?!"

The old man ran to his son, trying to stabilize him. But Ethan didn't stop. He swung his sword again, sending another crimson slash right after the cooldown ended.

"Chief!"

"Watch out, Chief! Another attack!"

The old man turned around, eyes wide as the crimson wave shot toward him. Two elders jumped in front of him, slamming their staffs to the ground and summoning a red barrier.

The shield collided with Ethan's attack, but the crimson energy was too strong —cracks began to spread across the barrier.

BLAST!

Another explosion ripped through the arena, shattering the red wall to pieces. The two elders were thrown back, coughing blood from the backlash of their failed spell.

"Stop, Ethan!" the old man shouted.

Ethan froze mid-swing, his eyes locked on the worried face of the village chief.

There was fear in those eyes —fear that his son might die, fear that the Blood-Cursed Tribe would lose its rightful heir.

Ethan exhaled quietly, then lowered his sword. He didn't need to push it any further. He hadn't come to destroy them —only to claim their red teleportation token.

"The final battle is over. You're the winner," said the old man.

He reached into his robe and tossed the red teleportation token toward Ethan. Ethan caught it, and his body returned to normal as the Ashura Mode deactivated.

Ethan smiled faintly, glad that it was finally over. Leon and Risa walked into the arena, and Risa stopped beside him to congratulate him.

"Give me your red token," Ethan said. Risa nodded and handed it to him.

Now Ethan had two red teleportation tokens. It was a smart choice for him to keep them rather than Risa — she didn't have an inventory system.

With one, items stayed safe unless Ethan died. But with his power, that was nearly impossible.

If death ever came for him, it would only be at the hands of a legendary monster above level 100.

"Your business here is finished. Can you leave now?" asked the old man.

Ethan said nothing. He didn't care much about Aries's condition —the wounds were the price of their fight. He felt no guilt for that.

Aries was carried away to the chief's home for treatment, while Ethan and the others prepared to leave the village.

One of the elders, a woman and the chief's younger sister, escorted them to the gate.

"I'm sorry about the injuries Aries suffered."

"It's fine. Everyone knows the risks of battle," the woman replied.

"We only want peace. Living on the second floor always means living in fear of someone attacking us."

"That's why we hope you can guide us to the fiftieth floor and fulfill our old wish," she added.

Risa smiled and promised the woman she would help bring the tribe's people from the second floor to the fiftieth.

After saying their farewells, Ethan and his team left the place, heading back to their base village.

The red teleportation token was finally secured. That night felt long and exhausting — Ethan had been fighting nonstop.

Traveling while tired wasn't a good idea; it risked losing focus. The best choice was to return and rest.

"How are you holding up?" Leon asked.

"I'm fine. Luckily, I didn't get hurt."

"Do we have to do this on every floor? You know, fight another Blood-Cursed Tribe like them?" Leon asked. Ethan cleared his throat and raised the red teleportation token in his hand.

"Yeah. We came to get this," Ethan said.

"Without it, my side quest won't succeed."

"I see."

They walked through the forest path for two hours. In the distance, Ethan could already see the village gate in the southeast.

There weren't many players around —understandable, since it was already 11 p.m.

Most were probably resting or exploring elsewhere.

When they entered the village, the streets were quiet. They went straight to the inn and rented rooms again.

This time, they chose regular rooms instead of a suite to save money.

"Hissy," Ethan called.

The small creature crawled out from under his sleeve and perched on his hand.

Ethan told Hissy to stay in the room and watch over Risa. Risa looked sleepy —with Hissy nearby, she felt safe enough to rest.

"Aren't you going to sleep?" Leon asked.

"I need a drink first. You coming?" Ethan replied.

"Sure."

They locked their room and headed to the town tavern. When Ethan pushed the door open, there weren't many customers left inside.

"Good evening, Mr. Cheeseburger."

"My name's Ethan. E-THAN," he said firmly.

"I don't know, man. Cheeseburger suits you."

"What are you two drinking? Taking it easy after killing some monsters?" the tavern owner asked.

"Just beer. We don't need any fucking fancy drink."

"Got it!"

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