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As soon as I stepped into the dungeon, the first thing I felt was the heat. It was like being in an oven, ready to roast.

Looking around, I murmured, “A volcano?”

This was definitely a volcanic area. Lava was flowing, and ash and smoke were spewing from the crater – unmistakable signs of an active volcano.

“Hmm… last time I came here, the volcano wasn’t erupting,” I recalled.

“It wasn’t erupting? When was that?”

“About ten years ago?”

Time must work differently in the fantasy world. Maybe this realm messes with your sense of time… Shaking off my thoughts and extending my senses, I realized oddly that there were not many monsters lurking around. They probably met their end in the volcanic chaos.

‘What a shame.’

The closest monster was a lizard with red skin, adorned with spikes all over its body. As it yawned, flames instead of breath poured out.

[Salamander]

[Length 1.56m] [Height 61.5cm] [Weight 97kg]

[Strength 196] [Agility 168] [Health 238] [Magic Power 195]

‘Ambiguous… No, I should say my standards have gone up.’

This thing was certainly a step above a running raptor and a kapturn. Considering its magic power, it was probably on par or even stronger than an orc.

“White Deer, where’s the boss?”

“Well… I’ve never seen it.”

With a hint of hope, I approached the salamander to consume it when suddenly it blasted flames at me. The flames danced in the wind, and my tentacle wrapped around the salamander’s neck, while the shadow sliced its head off like a guillotine.

[You have consumed the Salamander. Experience and fullness increase.]

Wow, that was a lot of experience. Just then, I caught a glimpse of the fairy roasting a piece of flesh in the lava and it made me a bit uneasy.

“What is that?”

Caught off guard by White Deer’s question, I struggled to explain before finally just dishing out what I knew. It was an incomplete product. A product of alchemy mixed with the blood of all existing and non-existing species.

“I see.”

White Deer nodded, apparently fascinated by the explanation.

“If that’s the case, then it must be tainted with evil. It’s definitely unclean. We’ve found the perfect meal.”

“…Is it really okay to eat?”

“Of course. We actually look for stuff like this.”

With that boast, my lingering worries vanished. Besides, there was still plenty left for the fairy to eat.

“For now…”

I used my tentacle to wrap around the fairy and jumped up, avoiding the flowing lava. As I soared high, I spotted more monsters below.

[Lesser Drake]

[Length 4.51m] [Height 1.87m] [Weight 1.11T]

[Strength 355] [Agility 311] [Health 406] [Magic Power 296]

[Skills]

[Dragon Scale (C)]

‘Wow, that’s something.’

There were a whole bunch of monsters that looked like oversized rhinos from a zoo. Each of them was close to or just below the spiders I had seen before.

‘Why am I so pleased to see such monsters grouped up?’

This was a refreshing change. They weren’t even the dragon type I had seen before in the dragon wasteland. The drake was essentially a wingless dragon, also known as ‘sub-dragon’.

‘Even if they’re of an inferior breed.’

Even with the ‘lesser’ title, they were still strong. If they were real drakes, they might outclass the Earth Serpent. Their pack was small, just seven of them, but that didn’t matter.

‘I might actually have high hopes for the boss here.’

The last dungeon with that cyclops was honestly a letdown. But if these guys were any indication, I could be looking at a level 20 achievement.

As I dropped down to block their path, their expressions soured. It seemed they were quite displeased that a single wolf dared to stop them, barking loudly. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the absurdity since my shadow couldn’t pierce through their scales.

‘Can’t penetrate, huh?’

Dragon scale. It was the covering of the dragon’s body. Their C-grade skill was enough to block my shadow. I could cause minor scratches, maybe, but nothing more.

‘If the shadow can’t work…’

Then naturally, a gust of wind wouldn’t do either. There was no way to take on a full-frontal charge.

‘Damn it.’

Avoiding wasn’t an issue, but it was a bad matchup. The Lesser Drake stretched out its neck, jaws wide open to bite, and I ducked, dodging it while initiating transformation.

“―――!”

The Lesser Drake engulfed in black flames screamed in agony yet continued to persist. Its dragon-like tenacity and the volcanic area had clearly strengthened its resistance. It didn’t make for a good matchup all around.

‘If shadow, wind, and transformation don’t work…!’

While dodging the charging monster, I wrapped my tentacles around it. Its long neck and strong jaw quickly bit through my hardened tentacles.

‘Insanely powerful bite.’

Diving into my shadow, I sprang up from underneath and pulled on its neck with my tentacle as I transformed. Pulling something over a ton was excessive. I was yanked towards it by the rebound.

‘That’ll do.’

While it writhed in surprise, my aura surged and penetrated its neck.

‘This time will be different.’

Under normal conditions, I wouldn’t have been able to penetrate, but the lower effect of ‘Devouring’ included ‘Evil Consumption’. Anything and everything was edible, including dragon scales. My shadow burrowed deeply into the gaps of the scales I had digested.

“―――!”

The creature writhed in pain. The ground began to crumble, and lava surged upwards. Realizing that more Lesser Drakes were pushing forward, I decided it was time to drop out.

‘Not so easy, huh?’

The monsters encircled the wounded Lesser Drake. But with the aura I had unleashed, covering its body in transformation, it was useless. Even if they had resistance to heat, they still had biological limits. The Lesser Drake, writhing in what seemed like agony with evaporating blood, soon breathed its last.

‘Five more to go.’

As I took down one, the other monsters’ expressions changed. It seemed I had shifted from being a mere ‘annoying hindrance’ to a ‘killable enemy.’ They began to coat their bodies in the magic power they possessed.

‘Like armor.’

It was as if another layer of protection had been added on top of their dragon scales. Not only would their defense increase, but so would their strength and speed. This was where the real battle began.

“Kyuuh!”

White Deer was tying down a little dragon flapping its wings. When the fairy shot a resentful glance, White Deer shook its head.

“Just watch quietly.”

The magic power enveloping them was more than just armor. The Lesser Drake’s strength and speed were on another level compared to before. When the wolf leaped high to dodge the charging beasts, they too slammed down on the ground.

“Kyuuh!”

While the Fairy Dragon looked worried, White Deer was able to watch comfortably.

‘Indeed.’

It wasn’t easy to change direction in mid-air— but the wolf had both tentacles and elasticity. It pulled itself up with its tentacles and took off over the neck of the Lesser Drake. The result was the same as before. Although the Lesser Drake had activated its magic, the wolf had magic of its own as well.

‘Plus.’

The amount and quality of its magic had greatly increased. Even in the present circumstances, its movements were seamless. It meant it was capable of reading the movements of all six monsters and thinking of the next move. What on earth had happened during that brief moment of returning to the main realm?

‘A remarkable transformation indeed.’

The wolf moved effortlessly, dodging once and at the same time attacking the Lesser Drakes. Without needing to look, it was clear the outcome was already decided.

‘…It might take time, but.’

If all goes well— the wolf would soon devour them all.

***

‘Magic power.’

There was still plenty left. Thanks to the great magic skill, I had amassed far more magic power than my stats indicated. Plus, the effects of devouring replenished any deficiencies.

‘They won’t stop.’

They pressed forward, not giving me any time to transform. Their charges had surpassed the limits of living beings. Just one collision could lead to a critical injury.

‘One hit can be deadly.’

Everything had to be avoided. If I allowed a single attack, dodging would get increasingly difficult.

‘Still.’

There were now only four remaining. Having taken one down, that meant I had some breathing room. Most importantly, their attacks had become monotonous.

‘Bitten, charged, or maybe!’

Just then, I felt a chill from a whiplash. A fast-moving tail whip grazed just above my head. As I dodged the charging drake, I spotted two others far away gaping their mouths wide.

‘…No way?!’

It was hard to believe, but that was the only conclusion I could draw. As a wave of panic swept over me, I widened my eyes and dove beneath the shadow just in time as a flicker of flame erupted from their throats, melting the ground.

‘Damn it.’

The shadow flickered. If I hadn’t dodged at that moment out of my unease, I would surely have been hit.

‘Breath.’

They were a type of sub-dragon. I had never imagined that even an inferior kind could unleash a breath like that.

‘The ground’s been revealed.’

As the volcanic rock melted, it revealed the flowing lava underneath. It spewed out scalding steam, but the real issue wasn’t the lava itself.

‘Underneath this.’

Gritting my teeth, I sprinted forward just as a massive spout of lava erupted where I had just been standing a moment ago. Leaping once more, the Lesser Drakes were sucked down into the lava beneath. I had clearly seen it. The creature leaping out of the lava.

‘Prominence Crocodile…!’

That was the name I recognized through my insight.

Prominence. That is, the bright flame of the sun. It referred to a pillar of fire.

‘…A pillar of fire.’

The creature swimming through the lava truly resembled that. Not in a sea or river, but rather like an alligator swimming in molten rock. As it leaped up, the lava it displaced separated me from the Lesser Drakes.

‘So, the main attraction of this dungeon isn’t the volcanic area.’

It was the lava zone beneath. Countless presences swam within it. When I extended my perception, I had initially thought there were few monsters, but they were actually hiding in the lava. Most likely, the boss was somewhere down there as well.

‘Now I understand why White Deer hadn’t seen it.’

There was no way to fight against the creatures lurking within the lava. I had to find a way out of here. But when I turned my head, I was already too late.

“……!”

A massive column of lava surged upwards behind White Deer and the fairy, like a pillar of fire.

 

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