Chapter 14: Heading to the other village.

The man who had tried to attack Ethan gritted his teeth.

"That bastard..."

He looked at the Hell portal, his face still red with anger.

"We came to Elyria at the same time. How did he get so far ahead of us?"

He clenched his fists.

"We’ve already cleared Nightmare, yet he’s acting like we’re not even worth considering."

Elena was quiet for a moment before speaking.

"Ethan wasn’t like this before. We’ve known him for years. He used to trust people too easily and was always helping others, even when they took advantage of him."

She frowned.

"He was too soft. Even when someone treated him badly, he would just let it go. If someone asked him for something, he would usually agree."

Her expression became slightly cold.

"Especially when it came to people he cared about."

Lucian finally spoke.

"Yeah. It all started after we came to Elyria."

His eyes remained on the portal.

"Strange."

The man frowned and shook his head.

"Maybe he was just pretending before. Maybe that easygoing guy we knew was never his real self."

Lucian didn’t answer immediately.

The Ethan he knew had always been easy to deal with. If they needed something, Ethan would help. If they made a mistake, Ethan would usually be the one to apologize. Even when they took advantage of him, he rarely complained.

Lucian had always thought that was just the way Ethan was.

But now, Ethan didn’t even care about them.

The person who had just stepped into Hell looked down on all of them without the slightest hesitation.

Lucian’s eyes narrowed.

"He’s changed."

His voice was quiet.

"He’s not the Ethan we knew anymore."

The man who had tried to attack Ethan snorted.

"Then forget about him."

He looked toward the Nightmare portal.

"We already cleared it once. We can do it again."

A few people nodded.

They had come here to become stronger, not to stand around watching Ethan.

Lucian looked at the Nightmare portal for a moment before nodding.

"Let’s go."

He turned toward the others.

"We’ll clear Nightmare again."

The group quickly followed him toward the portal.

None of them mentioned Ethan again.

But before Lucian entered the portal, his eyes briefly move toward the Hell portal.

He still couldn’t understand how Ethan had cleared it alone.

And he definitely didn’t like it.

...

The elder had heard everything they said.

He looked at the Hell portal, then back at Lucian’s group.

He couldn’t say Ethan was completely in the right. Ethan had indeed forced his way into the Hell portal after they had waited for the cooldown.

But the way these young people had reacted was still troubling.

They had almost attacked him over it.

The Elder frowned slightly.

These were the people who had promised to protect the village.

Could they really be trusted?

He shook his head and didn’t think about it anymore. They were the village’s only hope after all.

He hoped they would keep that promise.

"I only hope they don’t forget why they came here."

...

Ethan had already cleared Hell once.

The second time was much easier.

He already knew the path, the monsters, and where the traps were located. There was no need to waste time figuring things out again.

The Shadow Wraiths moved through the dungeon and dealt with the monsters along the way. Ethan simply followed behind them.

Even the Waykeeper was easily dealt with compared to before. Ethan then continued toward the final area.

The Goblin Boss was still there, just as it had been during his first clear.

Ethan didn’t waste any time.

Since he already knew what the Goblin Boss could do, the battle was much easier this time.

Not long after, the Goblin Boss fell.

[You have cleared Hell Difficulty.]

Ethan glanced at the notification.

"That was faster."

He turned around and walked toward the exit.

The Hell portal lit up again, and Ethan walked through it.

He had cleared Hell for the second time.

As soon as he stepped out, he saw the elder still standing there.

Ethan walked toward him.

The elder looked at him, then glanced behind him at the empty portal. For some reason, he felt tense when he remembered the Shadow Wraiths that had appeared earlier.

He really didn’t want to see those things again.

Ethan stopped in front of him.

"I’ll be leaving."

The elder looked at him.

"Leaving?"

"I’m going to the other village."

The elder’s expression relaxed slightly.

"Oh."

At least he wasn’t planning to enter Hell again.

"You’re going to complete the quest?"

"Yes."

The elder nodded, then looked toward the cave entrance. It was already getting dark outside.

"It’s already getting late. Why are you leaving now? You just spent the whole day inside the dungeon. You should rest."

"I’m fine. I’m not tired."

The elder looked at him carefully. Ethan really didn’t look tired at all.

"At least wait until tomorrow."

"I can’t. There’s something I need to get from the other village."

The elder frowned.

"The other village isn’t close. You’ll have to travel through the wilderness, and there are monsters outside."

"I know, but I can’t wait until tomorrow. What I’m looking for won’t be there anymore."

The elder looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"What are you looking for?"

"I’ll explain when I get there. It’s not something I can afford to miss."

The elder was silent for a moment before sighing.

"You really are determined to leave tonight."

Ethan nodded.

"I have to. If I wait until tomorrow, I’ll miss my chance."

The elder shook his head.

"Fine. If you’re that determined, I won’t stop you. Just be careful on the way there."

"Thank you. I will."

Ethan turned around and started walking.

"Ethan."

He stopped and looked back.

The elder hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Don’t take unnecessary risks just because you’re in a hurry."

Ethan nodded.

"I won’t."

He turned around and continued walking.

The elder watched his figure slowly disappear into the distance.