Summoned with an SSS-Rank Portal Skill

The group of adventurers burst into laughter. They simply couldn't imagine a world where a single man could defeat all ten of them.

"Are you all right?" the leader asked, his voice tinged with concern. "You might be mentally ill or something..."

William already knew they wouldn't believe him. Who would? But the best way to convince them was to show them.

He wanted to demonstrate his power—and end their lives—like specks of dust swept away by the wind.

The very first thing William did was activate his Demonic Transformation: Stage One.

[+200 to all attributes]

[+50% damage to all demonic spells]

[+120% healing speed]

Now that he had been absorbing far more demonic energy, his transformation had evolved. The sheer number of attributes he gained was astonishing, altering him completely.

But his powers weren't the only thing that had changed—his appearance had as well.

His eyes were now completely black, and a dark energy surrounded his body, like a black, living goo writhing around him. The veins on his face and body had turned black, bulging ominously, giving him a disturbingly eerie look.

"What the fuck is that?!" one of the adventurers yelled.

No one had ever seen anything like it. William didn't even reach for his sword—he didn't need to. He could handle them without it.

The black goo twisted and morphed into the shape of a claw around his hand, and in an instant, he dashed toward them. His first targets were the ones closest to him—the group that had found him by the tree.

One of the men attempted to block him with a two-handed sword, but it was futile. William was simply too fast. Too strong.

His claw tore through the man's arm, sending it flying to the side.

"Agghhh—"

A scream of agony—cut short when William severed his head in one swift motion. But he didn't stop. There were more. And he was coming for them too.

With an extra 200 points to all attributes, his agility had reached terrifying heights.

The adventurers couldn't keep up with him.

When the leader realized things were going south, he shouted, "Someone immobilize him! Use your control spells!"

William heard the command and instantly changed targets. He dashed toward the man holding a staff—he looked like the type who would have a crowd-control spell.

"No!"

The man begged as he saw William closing in at terrifying speed, but it didn't matter. William's claw sliced through him, cutting him clean in half.

He killed two more after that. In mere seconds, he had taken down four of the ten adventurers.

The leader, despite his pride, surrendered. He commanded the remaining members to kneel before William and beg for their lives.

"We give up! We'll do anything you want—just please, don't kill us," the leader pleaded.

William stared at them, listening to the fear in their voices, seeing it in their eyes. They sounded sincere.

So, he deactivated his demonic transformation.

"Good. Now, do you have a place for me to stay the night?"

"Of course! You can have my tent," the leader said hurriedly. "It's the best one here."

They were already treating William as their new leader—which, in a way, he was.

Before heading to his tent, he gathered everyone near the campfire. There were questions he needed answers to.

"Do you know where the portal is?" he asked.

The remaining adventurers exchanged nervous glances before turning to their leader—their former leader—waiting for him to respond.

"We do," he admitted. "That's where we usually go to ambush people fighting the creature guarding the portal."

Everything was much better now that William had taken control of the group. It was easier to ask them questions directly rather than having to spy on them or follow them.

"I want to go there," William said. "Me and a group of girls. We just want to reach the next floor, which, from what I've heard, is a hub where adventurers can rest. Is that true?"

It wasn't that he doubted what the girls had told him—he just wanted to be sure. And since these men were terrified of him, they were willing to tell him everything he wanted to know.

"It's a hub. The place is basically a city with places to eat, sleep, and train. You can also travel freely to any floor you've already cleared. The next hub is five floors up, and from what people say, a hub appears every five levels."

William was intrigued. He wanted to learn more about the dungeon and the people who had created it.

"I see. Can we reach it tomorrow, or is it far?"

"We can."

"Good."

He ordered them to make something for him to eat—watching them carefully to make sure nothing suspicious happened—then went to his tent.

With his current power, he could sense their movements. If anyone tried to leave or make a move against him, he would know.

He expected them to try something. No one would just accept a situation like this without resistance. But they didn't.

After what they had witnessed—after seeing William cut their comrades in half—they weren't willing to take that risk.

The following morning, William ordered the adventurers to get rid of the bodies. He didn't want the girls to arrive and see the aftermath—that might make them look at him differently.

He explained this to the old leader, who agreed without hesitation. Together, the group worked to dispose of the corpses.

When the girls arrived, they expected to find William hiding behind the trees and bushes, watching the adventurers from a distance.

But instead, they saw him standing among them, as if he were part of the group.

At first, they thought he had been captured, but he wasn't tied up or restrained in any way.

"Is he alright in there?" the girl in plate armor asked, uncertainty in her voice.

"It does seem like he's alright," the other girl said.

William was casually chatting with the adventurers, and when the girls saw that, they knew he was fine.

They moved toward the camp. When William noticed them, he called out, "Hey, I'm here."

The girl in plate armor still felt uneasy. What if this was all an act? What if the adventurers were just waiting for them to get close before launching an attack?

It was only after speaking with William that the girls finally relaxed, realizing everything was truly fine.

"I decided to come here and talk to them," William explained. "They're willing to help us get to the portal. They aren't as bad as the rumors say. Maybe those stories aren't even true."

The former leader nodded eagerly. "Yeah. People spread a lot of false rumors around here. Sure, we've stolen a few times, but we never killed anyone. And we're trying to stop stealing, too."

"I see," the girl in plate armor said. "So, when are we leaving?"

"Now," William replied.

Before departing, they gathered everything from the camp. Someone had to carry the backpacks, tent kits, and tools—naturally, the adventurers took care of that. William had no intention of carrying anything himself.

"The portal isn't far from here," William said as they walked along the road, "but I found out some interesting things."

He explained about the other hubs and how they appeared every five levels. The girls looked surprised, but William could tell their reactions were fake.

He wasn't stupid.

"So, they already knew about that," he thought.

They had this information yet never mentioned it to him, which meant they were likely hiding even more.

One of the best parts of traveling with the adventurers was that no beasts attacked them. The former leader explained why.

"We have an artifact that hides our scent and aura, so the only beasts we have to face are the ones that actually see us. Of course, we can always turn it off if we need to level up," he said.

It was a powerful artifact. For a moment, William considered taking it for himself—stealing it from the man—but he didn't. They had been useful, at least after he killed a few of them, and because of that, he decided to let it be.

After three hours of walking, they finally reached the portal. The sun was still low in the sky.

Standing near the portal was a massive creature. It resembled the werewolves they had encountered throughout the floor, but this one was different. It was enormous in every way—taller, heavier, more imposing. And it had three heads.

The beast looked like some kind of Cerberus.

William could feel the raw power radiating from it. This wasn't a weak opponent.

"Have you ever fought this thing before?" he asked the former leader.

"No, never," the man admitted. "This creature is ridiculously strong. Most of the time, we only enter the hub when a powerful adventurer comes by and takes it down. Honestly, that's what most people on this floor do."

It seemed that the guardian creatures protecting the portal to each hub—whether this one or the ones appearing every five levels—were significantly stronger than typical bosses.

William's blood pumped with excitement. He was eager to fight it.