Chapter 47

Exion shifted freely from Zeon’s fists.

At times it became a spike, piercing through the chimera snakes, and at other times it transformed into an axe, cleaving their heads off.

There wasn’t even a moment to catch his breath.

Zeon knew well that the moment his momentum broke, it meant death. So he fought desperately to keep the flow of Exion unbroken.

Flash!

At that moment, lightning struck again.

It was the special-type chimera attacking.

A skill called Lighthein—a concentrated lightning strike focused into a single point.

Lighthein relentlessly targeted Zeon.

Zeon formed a shield with Exion and blocked it.

The pure white lightning fragmented against the barrier and scattered in all directions.

Kiiieeek!

Krrk!

The chimeras were electrocuted, their flesh bursting apart or burning black.

“Oh?”

Zeon’s eyes lit up.

An idea had come to him.

Fighting directly wasn’t the only answer.

Using the enemy’s power against itself was also a method.

At that moment, the special chimera fired Lighthein again.

Zeon tilted the Exion shield at an angle.

Pajijijik!

The lightning struck the barrier and dispersed wildly in every direction.

He adjusted the angle, allowing the lightning to spread even more efficiently.

In an instant, the battlefield turned into chaos.

Far more chimera snakes died this way than when Zeon fought them himself.

After several instances of its own attacks killing its allies, the special chimera finally realized it was being used by Zeon.

But by then, a clear path had already opened between them.

In a flash, Zeon closed the distance.

“Die!”

He concentrated Exion into his gauntlet and struck.

Boom!

The special chimera’s head exploded.

Without hesitation, Zeon moved to hunt the next special-type.

As he destroyed the special individuals and swept away the surrounding monsters, eventually he found himself standing alone.

“Haa… haa…”

Leaning briefly against the wall, Zeon caught his breath.

He had poured out his full strength in a short time, and fatigue washed over him. But he couldn’t afford to rest and recover.

Even now, Deioden was likely advancing toward the dragon.

If he wanted to be of any help, Zeon had to keep moving as well.

So he moved again.

The passage stretched endlessly forward.

Fortunately, no chimeras appeared this time. Still, he did not let his guard down.

This was a dragon’s lair.

There was no way such a place would be guarded by only those chimeras.

Something larger, something far more powerful, was surely waiting ahead.

Zeon checked his condition once more.

Thankfully, he wasn’t in bad shape.

He still had more stamina than expected, and his mana was steadily recovering.

At this level, he wouldn’t be helpless no matter what enemy he faced.

Keeping his senses heightened, ready to react at any moment, Zeon continued forward.

Yet strangely, everything was silent.

It wasn’t that enemies were hiding—the place felt completely empty.

Still, he advanced cautiously.

After walking for a long time, a vast space suddenly opened before him.

It resembled a massive circular arena, like an ancient colosseum.

Dozens of meters high and hundreds of meters wide, the entire space was filled with—

sand.

“What… is this?”

Zeon frowned.

As a sand manipulator, this should have been the most favorable terrain for him.

But he knew the world was never that simple.

There had to be a reason why the floor of such a colossal arena was filled with sand.

Just as Zeon raised his control to probe the sand—

Srrrk—

Something suddenly emerged from beneath it.

“What is that?”

Startled, Zeon tried to manipulate the sand—

But in the next moment, his body froze as if cursed.

He wasn’t actually under a curse.

He was simply too shocked by what had appeared.

“A… woman?”

And not just any woman—

She was completely naked.

Her hair swayed like mystical blue seaweed, and her snow-white skin shimmered with a faint glow.

Her large eyes and lips shone red, as if infused with crushed rubies.

She radiated an overwhelming sensuality.

Zeon’s face flushed bright red.

He had never even been close to a woman before.

He had been too busy surviving to date anyone—he had never even held a woman’s hand.

He had absolutely no resistance to this.

And now, a completely naked woman had suddenly appeared before him.

His eyes darted aimlessly, not knowing where to look.

“Uh…!”

His mind went blank, as if he had truly been cursed.

Meanwhile, the woman continued approaching him.

She smiled as she looked at Zeon.

With her alluring gaze and expression, she was captivating him.

A deep crimson glow filled her eyes, and Zeon stared at her with his mouth slightly open.

To a boy who had not yet become an adult, the sight of a naked woman was an overwhelming temptation.

Without realizing it, tension built in his lower abdomen, and his lips went dry.

His hands hovered awkwardly in the air, not knowing what to do.

“Hoho…”

The woman laughed softly, as if amused by him.

That only drove Zeon further into a daze.

He couldn’t think of anything.

His mind was completely filled with a single, overwhelming desire—

to embrace her.

It was the first time he had ever felt such an overwhelming desire.

Zeon reached out his hand.

The woman smiled softly and took it.

In that instant, it felt as if an electric current ran through his entire body.

His desire grew even stronger, tormenting him with the urge to devour her, to claim her as quickly as possible.

As if teasing him, the woman circled around him for a moment. Zeon turned his body, following her movements.

His eyes had already lost focus.

Only then did the woman approach him closely—

so close that their faces nearly touched.

She slowly studied his face, then leaned in toward his lips.

Her sweet breath stimulated his senses.

Just before their lips met, Zeon’s eyes suddenly regained clarity.

The smell in her breath had snapped him back to reality.

A faint, fishy odor—like that of a dead insect.

It was a scent he had noticed not long ago.

“A chimera!”

Shouting, Zeon drove his fist into her chest.

Boom!

With a thunderous impact, the woman—just moments away from kissing him—was sent sliding backward. Her face twisted viciously.

“How dare a mere human—”

“Damn it! I almost… did that with a chimera. My first time… with something like that… Ugh!”

Zeon trembled all over.

The mere thought of it was horrifying.

If anyone else had seen it, he would’ve been mocked for the rest of his life.

“I won’t forgive this!”

Zeon’s anger erupted.

The woman was just as furious.

“I’ll kill you.”

Sssshhk!

Her body shot upward into the air—and her true form was revealed.

“What the hell… is that even possible?”

Zeon’s eyes widened.

What emerged from the sand was a nine-headed monster—

a hydra.

What Zeon had thought was the woman’s body was actually the hydra’s tail.

It was a massive chimera created by fusing a hydra with a succubus.

Its name was Kaeshu.

One of the three great guardians painstakingly created by the Gold Dragon, Hieltun.

Hieltun had placed three guardians at the core of his lair.

Kaeshu was one of them, boasting immense regenerative power, deadly poison, and overwhelming physical strength.

The scales covering its body possessed tremendous anti-magic properties, granting it resistance to magical attacks.

Hydras were classified as A-rank monsters.

There was no way someone like Zeon—barely C-rank—could normally stand against such a being.

“Haa… this is insane…”

Even though his abilities had rapidly grown and he had reached C-rank, he was nowhere near an A-rank.

The gap between A and B rank was even greater than the gap between C and D.

And now he faced an A-rank enemy.

It was a difference that could never be overcome with effort or determination alone.

Worse still, by fusing with a succubus, it had gained high intelligence and the ability to charm.

The reason Zeon had lost his senses earlier and been consumed by desire was due to the succubus’s charm skill.

If not for that faint, fishy scent unique to chimeras, he would have been drained of all his essence and died.

Though Kaeshu was technically A-rank, its power was close to that of an S-rank.

Faced with such a monster, Zeon couldn’t even begin to imagine how to fight it.

“Die!”

At that moment, Kaeshu attacked.

All nine heads spat out streams of venom.

“Tch!”

Zeon bit his lip and quickly dodged.

Ssshhh!

The sand that the venom touched melted instantly.

If he had been hit directly, he would have ended up the same.

The thought sent chills down his spine—

but at the same time, he saw a sliver of hope.

The entire underground cavern was filled with sand.

And Kaeshu—this fusion of hydra and succubus—stood on top of it.

Sand was Zeon’s domain. His weapon. His very essence.

Even with the overwhelming difference in rank, this changed things.

“Good. Let’s try this.”

Snap!

Zeon snapped his fingers.

Gaaaaang!

The sand around the hydra began to rotate at high speed.

He had activated Sand Mixer.

Kwagagak!

Rough grains of sand scraped violently across the hydra’s body—

but not a single scratch appeared.

A protective force field—something only B-rank monsters and above possessed—shielded it.

Instead of injuring the hydra, Sand Mixer only provoked its fury.

Kuwaaaah!

All nine heads lunged at Zeon at once.

Zeon unleashed Claymore in front of him.

Boom!

With a massive explosion, thousands of sand pellets—like steel balls—slammed into the hydra’s heads.

It was a skill powerful enough to instantly kill most awakened beings.

But against the hydra, it was insufficient.

Kuuuu—

The hydra’s heads burst through the swirling dust.

“Damn it!”

Zeon immediately used Sand Step.

Snap!

One of the hydra’s heads snapped down where he had just been.

If he had been even a moment slower, those massive jaws would have torn him apart.

All nine heads attacked relentlessly.

Zeon responded with Sand Missile and Claymore in rapid succession.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Explosions echoed as thick clouds of dust filled the air—

but not even a scratch appeared on Kaeshu’s massive heads.

‘What do I do…?’

While desperately dodging the attacks, Zeon racked his brain.

It was a hopeless situation—

but he believed that as long as he didn’t give up, there had to be a way to turn things around.

“Hoho… die.”

The succubus fused to the hydra’s tail mocked him.

At that moment, Zeon’s eyes flashed.

‘Does that woman have the same durability as the hydra?’

The hydra was protected by powerful scales—

but the succubus was completely exposed.

‘Then…’

Zeon changed his target.

Behind the succubus, soldiers made of sand rose silently.

While Zeon drew the attention of both the hydra and the succubus, ten Sand Soldiers moved into position.

They struck the succubus from behind.

“Kyyaaaah!”

Caught off guard, the succubus let out a scream.