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Rushing with a tempest, but it’s too slow. Just before the falling lava engulfs the two, the White Deer conjured its magic power to create a barrier, but with over 500 magic power, it seemed tough to completely block it, as it was eroded away by the overwhelming weight of the lava and magma.

“Perry!”

Seeing the intent, Perry used teleportation alongside the White Deer to narrowly escape the flowing lava, but the beast immediately pursued them.

‘…It’s targeting me.’

Above all, it was a problem that monsters from the lava zone were gathering beneath their feet.

[Prominence Crocodile]

[Length ―] [Height ―] [Weight ―]

[Strength ―] [Agility ―] [Stamina ―] [Magic Power 401]

[Skills]

[Swimming (F)]

‘Can’t read it?’

No, I’ve read it. It’s just changing in real-time. I’ve had this experience before.

‘The Awakening Evil.’

The amount of lava it encircled changes its status and physique. The approximate status is similar to that of a Lesser Drake, but the problem isn’t the status; it’s the creature’s very nature. It’s an existence that defies common sense—surrounded by lava, not just a skill. The fact that its weight is changing in real-time is enough to step outside the realm of living beings.

“White Deer! Don’t stop running!”

“What about you?!”

“Don’t worry about me!”

Leaving the bewildered White Deer behind, I dashed forward. I read the movements of the crocodile as I ran across the lava-pulsing ground. The lava splashed up upon impact with the ground. In that moment, a fierce wind blew, blasting away the flames.

‘—It’s not invulnerable!’

Normal attacks won’t work on it. Tentacles would melt upon contact, so I can’t use them. It’s difficult to believe that Transformation would work on something wrapped in lava or magma. But the White Deer showed that it can block it with magic power.

‘If it’s an intangible attack…!’

The fierce wind scattered the lava, but just a little. Its magic power was condensing the lava. Yet, in an instant, its true nature was revealed.

‘Flame of Prominence.’

A gas rippling like vapor. The crocodile is just a form—its essence is closer to a spirit or a ghost than to a living creature.

‘That’s why it can encircle itself with lava.’

A shadow extended from the creature, but it was blocked by the lava.

‘This alone won’t do.’

It leapt into the lava below without hesitation. The shadow tried to hold it back, but it lacked power. Eventually, it burst forth again, this time engulfed in lava and magma. Not just it, but monsters beneath the lava were showing interest. In a situation where they might burst up through the ground at any moment, the wolf’s eyes shone.

‘I’ve been waiting.’

[Wind (C) Lv.5’s proficiency has reached its maximum. Wind (C) Lv.5 → Wind (C) Lv.6]

The heightened gale blew away the lava, and amidst the chaos, the shadow sliced and tore into it.

‘It’s coming—!’

The wolf jumped high, not because of the crocodile in front of it, but because the lava monsters, just as expected, burst forth from the ground.

‘Where’s the boss?’

The wolf’s insight scanned the battlefield. There were many monsters stronger than the Prominence Crocodile, but none seemed to stand out as a boss. It was thought to be hiding beneath the lava, but where could it be?

‘Damn it.’

There was no time to think. The wolf landed deftly and charged toward the torn-apart crocodile, cloaked in shadow, with the wind as its ally.

The wind generated from the wolf grew stronger the closer it was to the source. The moment the fierce gale blew away the lava, the wolf pounced without hesitation.

“……!”

Even after shaking off the lava, the heat surrounding it remained. Its mouth was a mess from burns, but with pain immunity, it didn’t stop, believing it would heal soon.

[You have consumed Prominence Crocodile. Experience and satiety increased.]

[Experience has reached its maximum. Lv.13 → Lv.14]

With steam filling its mouth, the wolf dashed across the ground like it was nothing. Not far away, it leapt onto the waiting back of the White Deer. No matter how fast it ran, it couldn’t catch up to the White Deer’s teleportation, and soon enough, they managed to shake off the pursuers.

“You! What on earth were you thinking, jumping in like that?!”

“I didn’t die, did I?”

With such a laid-back answer, the White Deer looked like it was about to lose its mind.

“Do you have any idea how reckless that was?! If you had been just a little slower, you would have died! Why didn’t you escape immediately?!”

Staring into the wolf’s glaring red eyes, the White Deer didn’t look away. But in reality, the wolf wasn’t looking at the White Deer. It was just reading a system message.

“Anyway.”

[EXP 84126 / 212478]

“…I’ll eat it all.”

***

“Dawn 47. Light 25. Giant Stone 18. Jade 11. Temple 6. Silver 3.”

A total of 110 high-level hunters. Yet, Hong Yu-ri frowned.

“Are you crazy? You intend to take it down with this?”

Not to mention the Plateau, but Mars’ outer region, Incheon’s Heavenly Lord, and Gwangju’s Mangwoldo were not participating. It was even recommended to halt raids at the Square. Cracking a rock with an egg. At best, they would get wiped out when they barely make it into the third zone. No, they might even get obliterated before then.

“Do you think Neverland is a walk in the park? If you want to commit suicide, go alone!”

With disbelief in her voice, Hong Yu-ri noticed Kang Tae-ho scratching the back of his head.

“Hmm. It does seem a bit small.”

“Small? It’s less than half of usual!”

The representative clans had pulled out, but the general clans had actually submitted applications. Gu Jin-ha sighed deeply as he read the documents sent from the Giant Stone.

“There’s no clan we can actually use.”

Only the representative clans that were confirmed to attend numbered 110. Most of the other representative clans had withdrawn. But conversely, there were many participation requests from general clans. They might think the space would be vacant and want to let their clan hunters gain experience, but it was a shallow thought.

“D-class…?”

Hong Yu-ri chuckled at the fact that most of them were D-class.

“If you want to die, there are plenty of other ways.”

Below B-class, it’s hard to be of help in Neverland. The C-class hunters taken from Dawn were only useful in areas outside of combat, like detecting traps. Even if D-class participated, they would definitely only be a hindrance. However, Kang Tae-ho tilted his head in confusion.

“Why wouldn’t they be helpful?”

At that, Gu Jin-ha raised an eyebrow.

“You’re not seriously considering using them as meat shields. What do you plan to do with them?”

“Bait. I need them to bring back the head too.”

“Are you serious?”

“In any case, if they only come, they’ll be useless.”

Kang Tae-ho was suggesting that while letting them gain experience, they’d bring the leaders of the clans along. At that earnest remark, Gu Jin-ha shook his head quietly.

‘It’s brave to talk big in this situation.’

Even minor clans would likely be B-class or thereabouts for their clan leader. If they could bring them along, great, but if not, that was the plan. It was a risky situation, and while they could pull off such a gamble, it was questionable if any clan would join under such conditions.

“But, can you all afford to be doing this? Are you not busy?”

Kang Tae-ho asked in disbelief, to which Gu Jin-ha replied.

“What work are you referring to?”

“I’m preparing for Neverland, while aren’t you guys chasing Alpha?”

“Ah.”

It wasn’t that they had forgotten. After saving the people from the western coast, they had, of course, gone to the Daejeon alongside Hong Yu-ri.

‘The problem is.’

Gu Jin-ha glanced sideways at Hong Yu-ri. The B-class skill track of hers could follow any trace, regardless of what it was, if even a little was left. But.

‘The issue is that there were no traces.’

In reality, there were traces. However, they simply vanished at a certain point.

‘I don’t know what method it used, but as long as Fairy-type is around, it’s impossible to chase Alpha head-on.’

That fact only confirmed what he already suspected. Looking like her pride was hurt, Hong Yu-ri turned her gaze away, and Gu Jin-ha sighed. With no way to chase Alpha, the only option left was to wait for it to come looking for them, tailing the representative clans as he initially thought. But.

‘There’s no way that’s possible right now, with them preparing to raid Neverland.’

He couldn’t afford to make the situation worse, and ultimately it meant they had no means to chase after Alpha.

***

After enduring a long lecture from the White Deer, they resumed hunting. They couldn’t leave the dungeon unattended any longer. Eventually, the White Deer had no choice but to cooperate with the wolf.

‘I hope it doesn’t overdo it.’

Finally understanding the concern of the young dragon, they could be at ease while watching a Lesser Drake, but when the wolf had charged in alone earlier, it had made their heart drop. Its battles seemed like a tightrope act, dancing on a razor’s edge. As the volcano churned, spewing ash and smoke everywhere, the monsters began to charge at them as they returned to the lava zone.

“White Deer.”

“…Got it.”

Following the earlier plan, the White Deer waited in the back while the wolf charged at the monsters. As the massive jaws opened up, the wolf and the White Deer unleashed a powerful magic projectile.

‘This should do.’

High magic. Not only the quantity of magic power but also every act of using magic was enhanced with a B-class skill. Though the White Deer’s magic still surpassed it, it had enough power to trigger an explosion of lava.

‘And.’

With the remnants of lava scattered by the wind, the shadow unleashed from the spirit surged in and sliced through the chaos. At this point, it was already dead, but the heat that surrounded it must be endured and swallowed.

[You have consumed Prominence Crocodile. Experience and satiety increased.]

‘This… is the answer.’

Under the wolf, nothing remained but lava. Because the ground that had barely been left behind along with the earlier massive magic projectile had disappeared. In a situation where there was no ground to stand on, far away, just as they had promised, the White Deer leaped up.

“…I’ve got it!”

And the wolf extended its tentacles. Meanwhile, the volcano heaved, erupting with great ash and dust. Just as the tentacles wrapped around the White Deer, Perry used teleportation as if to say they had been waiting, but from below, the shark sprang up, jaws wide open to the limit.

“……!”

The short distance of the teleportation couldn’t be helped. Yet it was too far to leap onto the back of the White Deer. In that instant, the White Deer’s eyes shone in response to the wolf’s direction.

“Jump!”

From a distance, the White Deer created a magical platform beneath the wolf’s feet. The wolf gathered all its strength and successfully leaped once more into the air. The platform, under the force of the impact, shattered violently.

‘Hardening!’

The tentacle hardened with hardening. And the very moment the shadow pulled the White Deer, the lava shark’s jaws gorged on empty air.

Soon after they barely landed away from the lava zone, the White Deer frowned.

“You! I told you this was too much! Shouldn’t you just take down one at a time…?”

In surprise, the White Deer questioned. But the wolf wasn’t focused on it; it saw something much farther away. Following the wolf’s gaze, the White Deer’s eyes widened in shock.

‘……!’

From the erupting volcano’s crater—something was slowly revealing itself, breaking through the volcano itself.

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