Solo Leveling: Digispirit.

By the end of that single section, Takuya had gained 560 MB of data.

Just from one area, however even, for some reason, themonsters here gave him less data than before, still, it was a good pace.

Previously, he had struggled so much just to reach his first 500 MB.

"...I don’t know whether to laugh or cry," Takuya muttered.

The raid continued for hours.

They methodically cleared one section of the forest after another, and Takuya found himself engaging in more and more battles as they advanced deeper into the Dungeon.

The objective was simple.

They weren’t there just to defeat the Dungeon Boss.

They were there to completely clear every part of the Dungeon.

The operation was being carried out meticulously.

The plan was to finish the raid in under three days.

That would leave enough time before the Gate closed for the extraction teams to harvest the Dungeon’s resources.

In this case, that included the unique flora of the forest and, more importantly, its trees.

Wood saturated with mana was exceptionally sturdy and highly sought after.

It was one of the best materials for crafting mage staves and various magical equipment.

However...

None of that mattered to Takuya at the moment.

He was currently fighting monsters of his own level.

Two of them at once.

The raid had nearly reached the Boss Room, and unlike weaker Dungeons, this boss commanded an entire retinue of elite followers.

Every single one of them was an A-Rank monster.

The creatures resembled gigantic fairies.

At least, that was the official description.

In Takuya’s opinion, though...

The best way to describe them was Voldemort with insect wings and claws.

Both Fairy monsters lunged at him simultaneously, their razor-sharp claws slashing toward him at incredible speed.

Takuya met their assault head-on, blocking as quickly as he could.

The Fairies attacked from every direction.

Three-dimensional movement made them difficult opponents, darting through the air with incredible agility.

Takuya blocked the relentless assault with his armor and flames.

They had already identified who the healer was, and their objective was obvious.

They were trying to get past him.

The ground cracked beneath Takuya’s feet as flames spread around him, scorching everything within reach.

One could easily tell where he was fighting.

As for the others...

The Guild Master was facing six Fairies on his own.

The same went for Cha Hae-In with seven .

The tank and the remaining close-range Hunters were dealing with two each, meaning that everyone was already fighting at their limit.

No one had the freedom to help someone else.

The one under the greatest restriction was Choi Jong-In.

As an S-Rank mage, he could burn down the entire forest if he wanted to.

The problem was that doing so would destroy countless valuable resources.

And this raid was also a business.

Cha Hae-In wasn’t in a much better position.

Not only was she dealing with her own opponents, but she also kept an eye on the Guild Master, ready to intercept anything that slipped through his defenses.

She was eliminating the Fairies quickly.

Still...

She couldn’t afford to lose focus.

Back on Takuya’s side, he ignited both fists with flames and met the incoming claws head-on.

Mana-coated claws collided against blazing gauntlets.

The impacts were powerful enough to force him backward.

His feet slid across the grass, but the same happened to the fairies.

Several claws slipped past his guard, cutting into the parts of his body not protected by Agnimon’s armor.

Fortunately, Han Semi healed every wound almost immediately.

He wasn’t fighting recklessly.

But knowing he had a top-class healer supporting him allowed him to fight without worrying that a single mistake would leave him crippled—or worse, bleed out before anyone could reach him.

He needed to finish them.

The longer this battle dragged on, the less he could help the rest of the team.

So...

He changed tactics.

With a spinning kick, he created a wall of fire that intercepted one Fairy’s attack, forcing it back and creating an opening.

Immediately, he targeted the second Fairy.

"Fire Darts!"

Several flaming projectiles struck the creature, burning its skin and forcing it to flinch.

That single moment was all Takuya needed.

Using the same arm, he launched a point-blank Burning Salamander straight into the Fairy’s face.

The explosion engulfed its head completely.

When the flames faded...

The Fairy no longer had one.

It collapsed lifelessly to the ground.

Without wasting a second, Takuya turned toward the remaining Fairy.

Now that it was alone, the battle shifted completely in his favor.

His entire body erupted in flames as he rushed forward.

Punch after punch.

Kick after kick.

The constant barrage, combined with the relentless heat of his Spirit Fire, gradually wore the A-Rank monster down.

Even an A-Rank creature couldn’t withstand that punishment forever.

The Fairy’s arms, blackened by repeated burns, became slower every time it tried to block.

Finally...

One of Takuya’s punches broke through its guard.

The Spirit Fire consumed the arm, carbonizing it almost instantly.

The shock froze the Fairy for a brief moment.

Takuya didn’t hesitate.

He accelerated.

Sliding beneath the creature, he thrust both hands upward.

"Burning Salamander."

The attack exploded at point-blank range.

When the fire finally dispersed...

Everything above the Fairy’s waist was gone.

Takuya let out a slow breath before looking around the battlefield.

Some of his teammates were now struggling against three Fairies at once.

"...They’re called Fairies," he muttered.

"But they fight more like insects."

The next priority was freeing the tank.

If they could get him out of his current position, he could reinforce Chae, who was already busy holding back the majority of the enemies by herself.

Takuya moved in alongside Semi.

The instant he entered the battlefield, he unleashed Salamander Break, compressing the spiraling flames into a tightly controlled tornado that swept through a single section of the battlefield instead of scattering in every direction.

Seeing the incoming inferno, the fairy-like creatures immediately retreated, giving several of his teammates the breathing room they desperately needed.

Without wasting the opening, Takuya charged the nearest enemy.

This one...

Was stronger than the previous one.

Its movements were cleaner, its attacks more refined, and finding an opening proved far more difficult. Its speed was also nearly on par with his own.

A solid A-rank opponent.

The two clashed at full speed, exchanging blows faster than ordinary Hunters could even follow.

Even so...

Takuya still held the slightest advantage.

As one of his punches swept past the fairy’s face, he discreetly released Fire Darts.

The tiny projectiles buried themselves into the creature’s face before exploding in bursts of Spirit Fire.

The fairy staggered.

Takuya immediately seized both of its arms.

His legs ignited with blazing flames.

With a powerful spinning kick, he tore straight through its body, leaving behind nothing but a scorched shell that dissolved into Data.

But the moment he stepped a single pace deeper into enemy territory...

Three more fairies instantly descended upon him.

"...Seriously?"

It really was a swarm of Voldemort-looking fairies.

However, this time a torrent of flames swept past Takuya, completely engulfing him.

He felt a slight sting.

But it was bearable.

Fire was his ally.

It was the Guild Master’s flames.

The attack surged forward with overwhelming force, swallowing not only Takuya but also the remaining Fairies surrounding him.

When the flames finally receded...

They were all dead.

Seeing that display of power, Takuya clicked his tongue.

He still couldn’t produce that level of firepower.

Not yet.

But once he reached his next evolution...

He was certain he could.

Heck, he was confident he would surpass the average S-Rank Hunter.

With the enemies around him eliminated, the Hunters gradually reorganized their formation.

The battle became increasingly organized as they pushed deeper into the Gate, systematically wiping out every remaining monster.

It was difficult.

Very difficult.

Now Takuya truly understood why S-Rank Hunters were considered indispensable for Gates like this.

If he had entered alone...

Clearing the Dungeon would have been nearly impossible.

At the very least, an A gate needed an S-Rank Hunter to be safe.

Otherwise, the sheer number of A and B-Rank monsters would eventually overwhelm even the most capable Hunter.

He finally understood why Jinwoo clearing the High Orc Gate alone had been considered such an unbelievable achievement.

Thirty-six hours later...

The A Strike Team finally finished clearing the entire Dungeon.

Everything except the Boss.

It remained inside the Boss Room.

Strangely enough, unlike the rest of the Dungeon, which had been a massive enchanted forest, the Boss Chamber was located inside a cave.

Before entering, Takuya naturally took the opportunity to absorb every bit of remaining data he could find.

By the time he stood before the Boss Room...

His total had reached 4.3 GB.

That was an enormous amount.

If he kept progressing at this pace...

He might reach Vritramon trial before the end of the year.

There was also the option of unlocking a side evolution.

However, Takuya chose not to.

It would simply be a waste of data.

None of the Adult-level Digimon available through the side evolution path were powerful enough to justify the investment.

For now, his priority was Vritramon.

Maybe after reaching the Perfect—or even Ultimate—level, he would consider developing one of the alternate branches.

*I wonder if I’ll unlock another mechanic...*

If his calculations were correct, there were still several months before Jinwoo’s Second Awakening.

After that point, Jinwoo’s growth would become absurd.

He would grow stronger at a ridiculous pace.

Because of that, it was impossible to predict exactly when the Monarchs would begin to appear.

There was also what AeroVeedramon had said...

That they would meet again.

"Takuya..."

"Takuya..."

He snapped out of his thoughts.

Guild Master Choi was calling his name.

Walking over to the group, Takuya noticed everyone was eating.

A lot.

Apparently, it wasn’t just him.

Good to know.

"We’re discussing who will guard the Boss Room," Choi explained. "Originally, we were thinking about leaving another Guild team here while we rested. However, we always ask everyone’s opinion before making that decision. We’ve all seen the Boss, and we want to know if anyone noticed something unusual. Dungeons are unpredictable, after all."

"We’re staying here to subdue the Boss?" Takuya asked.

"Of course," Choi replied with a nod. "Generally speaking, an A-Rank Dungeon Boss possesses power comparable to either a top-tier A-Rank monster or a low S-Rank monster. We need to remain nearby until the raid begins. Otherwise, if something unexpected happens, we can’t guarantee there won’t be casualties."

"I see..." Takuya nodded thoughtfully. "Well, the Boss is some kind of giant snake. The only thing that worries me is that every monster we’ve encountered so far has been humanoid—and surprisingly intelligent. Are we sure the Boss won’t leave its lair on its own?"

"That was exactly our concern," Choi answered. "So here’s my proposal."

He looked around at the team.

"We’ll take turns standing watch."

"The first shift will be Takuya and me."

"For the second shift, Cha Hae-In and Gina will take over."