The giant pulled its sword back and swung horizontally this time, a wide arc meant to cleave everything in its path. The blade came at Min-Jae with terrifying speed—
And stopped against Infinity.
Min-Jae sidestepped casually as the giant tried to push through the barrier, its muscles straining. The force of the attempt cracked the already shattered ground even further.
"Still not getting through," Min-Jae said.
The giant roared in frustration and raised its sword overhead again, this time channeling magical energy into the blade. The weapon began to glow faintly with a dark red aura.
'Oh, now it's trying something different,' Min-Jae thought.
The giant brought the sword down with even more force than before. The enhanced blade struck Infinity—and still stopped, but the impact released a shockwave of magical energy that rippled outward, tearing up the surrounding terrain.
Min-Jae raised an eyebrow behind his blindfold. "Interesting. But not enough."
He raised his right hand. "Red."
A sphere of repulsive force formed at his fingertip and shot forward, striking the giant's chest. The blast pushed it backward several meters, its feet tearing trenches in the ground as it tried to stop itself.
The giant recovered quickly and charged again, this time faster, more aggressive. It swung its sword in rapid succession—vertical, horizontal, diagonal—each strike backed by immense power.
All of them stopped against Infinity.
Min-Jae didn't even flinch.
Suddenly, a burst of flames erupted from behind him, shooting past and slamming into the giant's side. The fire exploded on impact, leaving scorch marks across its armor.
Min-Jae turned his head slightly. "I said don't get involved."
Camille stood a safe distance away, her hand still glowing with residual flames. "The cameras are watching," she called back with a grin. "If it doesn't record my involvement in defeating this thing, I won't get paid extra."
Min-Jae sighed. "Of course."
"Don't worry, I'll stay out of your way!" she added cheerfully. "Just… you know, making sure I'm in frame."
Min-Jae shook his head and turned back to the giant, which was now glaring at both of them.
The giant roared again, louder this time, and swung its sword at Min-Jae with renewed fury.
Infinity stopped it.
Min-Jae raised both hands.
First, his left hand. "Blue."
A sphere of compressed gravitational force formed in front of him, glowing with intense blue light. The pull activated instantly, dragging the giant forward despite its attempts to resist. Its feet left the ground as it was yanked toward the focal point.
Then, his right hand. "Red."
A sphere of repulsive force formed, crackling with violent energy.
Min-Jae brought his hands together.
"Hollow Purple. Maximum Output."
The blue and red spheres merged, creating a glowing violet orb of pure destructive energy. Min-Jae flicked his fingers forward.
The beam shot out in a concentrated streak, distorting the air around it as it tore through space itself.
The giant didn't even have time to react.
The beam struck it dead center, and for a moment, everything seemed to freeze.
Then the giant simply… ceased to exist.
Not shattered. Not blown apart. Just erased. The area where the beam passed through was left completely empty, as if the giant had never been there at all.
'I don't know if a technique called Hollow Purple: Maximum Output exists canonically or not. But I just used twice the amount of magical energy it normally takes to launch a Hollow Purple—about two hundred percent. I don't know.'
The ground beneath where it had stood was carved into a massive, perfectly smooth trench that extended far into the distance.
Silence.
Camille stood there, mouth slightly open, staring at the destruction. "…What the hell was that?"
Min-Jae lowered his hands. "Hollow Purple."
"Yeah, I got that part," she said, still staring. "But… it's just gone. Like it was deleted."
"That's kind of the point."
She let out a disbelieving laugh. "Well, at least the cameras got a good shot of me throwing fire at it before you vaporized the thing."
Min-Jae gave her a flat look. "You're really that concerned about the payment?"
"Hey, a girl's gotta eat," Camille said with a shrug. "Plus, those extra bonuses add up. Do you know how expensive it is to maintain my lifestyle?"
"I really don't care."
"Rude." She crossed her arms, though she was still smiling. "But seriously, that was insane. No wonder they sent you here."
Ayaka approached cautiously, her eyes wide. "Hunter Min-Jae… that was…"
"Over," Min-Jae finished. "The giants are dealt with. You can report back to the association."
Camille tilted her head. "So what now? You just… leave?"
"Pretty much."
"No victory speech? No triumphant pose for the cameras?"
Min-Jae started walking away. "I'm not here for a photoshoot."
"Aw, come on! At least wave or something!" Camille called after him.
He didn't respond.
Camille watched him go, then turned to Ayaka. "Is he always this boring?"
Ayaka smiled slightly. "I think that's just who he is."
"Shame. Could've at least made it dramatic." She paused. "Still… that Hollow Purple thing was pretty dramatic on its own."
Ayaka nodded, still staring at the massive trench carved into the ground. "Yes. It was."
As Min-Jae was about to walk out, a massive wave of magical energy swept past them. Even the two S-Ranks standing in front of him were nearly pushed back by the sheer force of it.
Min-Jae turned toward the gate. It was still there — not collapsed as it should have been after the dungeon boss's defeat.
'So that wasn't the dungeon boss after all,' he thought. 'I should've known. That thing was far too weak.'
He walked past Camille and Ayaka. "I'll head inside the gate," he said calmly, before teleporting right in front of it. His blindfold fluttered slightly from the residual energy as he stared into the swirling vortex.
'Let's see what's waiting in there. Hopefully something worth my time.'
Camille crossed her arms, watching him vanish. "He just had to go straight into the creepy magic hole, didn't he? Couldn't even wait five seconds for backup."