Chapter 7

Zeon couldn't even bring himself to look at the old man.

Everything about him was terrifying.

It wasn't simply because he was large or had fierce eyes.

There was something emanating from the old man—an overwhelming presence that instilled fear in anyone who faced him.

It felt as though he were standing naked before a massive desert storm.

The old man embodied just how insignificant a human could become when confronted with the unstoppable force of nature.

As Zeon trembled, unable to answer, the old man spoke again.

"Are you some mute idiot? If you don't tell me your name, I'll turn you into something like those flame crocodiles."

"I–It's Zeon."

"Zeon? What a stupid name."

Despite the old man's mockery, Zeon couldn't say a word in response.

If he spoke carelessly, that sword—the one that had reduced the crocodile to mush—might swing at him next.

The old man asked again.

"Well, idiot! How did you get into this dungeon? You shouldn't be able to enter through the path I used."

"Th-that is…"

"If you stutter one more time, I'll cut your head off."

"I–I came through an underground tunnel."

"A tunnel?"

"Yes! I was working in a magic stone mine, and an entrance to a dungeon appeared behind a collapsed wall and dragged me in."

"Heh… looks like a snare was triggered."

"A snare?"

"Sometimes, there are dungeons that reach the brink of exploding due to mana over-saturation. To protect themselves, they create another entrance and release mana outside. That's what a snare is. At the same time it releases mana, it also drags in living beings."

"That…"

"Heh heh… You've got terrible luck. Most people go their whole lives without ever encountering one."

The old man openly mocked Zeon's misfortune.

Zeon couldn't deny it.

Just as the old man said, his luck had always been abysmal.

Summoning his courage, Zeon asked,

"Who are you? And where is this place?"

"My name is Deioden."

"Deioden?"

"And this place… from now on, will be my hunting ground."

"Hunting ground?"

"That's right. A hunting ground."

At the old man—Deioden's—mad declaration, Zeon's body trembled.

It didn't feel like empty bravado or nonsense.

The savage gleam in his eyes, the storm-like madness radiating from him—it all felt undeniably real.

Then it happened.

Fwoooosh!

Suddenly, giant crocodiles burst through the lava.

They were creatures known as flame crocodiles.

With their massive jaws wide open, they charged forward.

Even at such a horrifying sight, Deioden only laughed.

"Heh heh… Crayon."

The moment he finished speaking, the enormous sword embedded in the ground floated into the air.

Deioden grasped the blade he had called Crayon.

Whoooom!

In an instant, a ringing resonance burst forth from the sword.

The sound spread through the entire dungeon in concentric waves.

Zeon's face twisted.

His heart pounded violently.

It wasn't excitement.

If anything, the feeling was closer to discomfort.

The sword's cry scraped harshly against his nerves.

And Zeon wasn't the only one who felt it.

The flame crocodiles, stimulated by the resonance that stirred their very hearts, unleashed ferocious roars.

KRRROOOAR!

But they weren't the only ones.

BOOOOM!

All across the volcanic region, demonic beasts began to appear.

From flying beasts that darkened the sky to gigantic monsters larger than the flame crocodiles, all of them rushed toward Deioden.

The resonance of Crayon had provoked every single beast in the dungeon.

Zeon could only gape in disbelief.

"Insane…"

What came next was even more unbelievable.

Deioden charged straight into the swarm of beasts with Crayon in hand.

SHIIING!

The massive body of a flame crocodile was split clean in two.

The sight of its tough, resilient body being sliced apart like paper was unreal.

And it wasn't just the crocodiles.

All kinds of unidentified demonic beasts were being mercilessly cut down.

CRAAASH!

Deioden was a storm.

Like debris caught in a massive tempest, the beasts were swept away.

Even the flowing rivers of lava and the volcanic ash filling the air were scattered in all directions by the storm that was Deioden.

"What kind of rank does he even have…?"

It was power that defied belief, even as he watched it with his own eyes.

It didn't seem like he was using any particular skill.

He was simply slaughtering the beasts with his raw, innate strength and the greatsword named Crayon.

Before long, a mountain of corpses piled up around Deioden.

"HAHAHA!"

His manic laughter echoed throughout the dungeon.

Covered in the blood and flesh of the beasts, swinging Crayon, he no longer looked human.

He was something wearing human skin.

Zeon was completely overwhelmed by Deioden's madness.

He couldn't move a single finger, nor could he even breathe properly.

THUD!

The last one was a beast resembling a rhinoceros.

There were no more standing creatures left on the ground.

Deioden had annihilated the entire horde by himself.

And yet, not even his breathing had grown heavier.

Gulp.

Zeon swallowed dryly without realizing it.

At that moment—

KRRROOOOAR!

A deafening roar suddenly erupted from the summit of the volcano.

The instant he heard it, Zeon's mind went blank.

Barely holding onto his consciousness, he saw it—

A massive demonic beast bursting out from the peak.

Its overwhelming presence resembled the dragons of myth, and Zeon couldn't move a single muscle.

Deioden smiled as he looked at the creature.

"So, you've finally come out… Crimson Drake!"

A gigantic beast wrapped in dark crimson scales.

From head to tail, it measured over thirty meters, and its fully spread wings were even larger.

That's not a dragon?

Zeon trembled at the sheer presence of the drake—something he had never seen before.

Its aura alone made his mind spin and his legs shake.

It was a miracle he hadn't collapsed on the spot.

Despite emerging from molten lava, the Crimson Drake's body was enveloped in a blue aura.

Beasts ranked B-grade or higher possessed traits, just like humans.

A blood-red hue indicated a martial-type attribute, while a blue field signified a magic-type.

In other words, this creature—despite being a beast—could use magic.

The Crimson Drake before them was a monster of B-grade or higher with magical attributes.

Deioden tightened his grip on Crayon and spoke.

"That thing is the final boss of this dungeon."

Even facing the dungeon's final boss, there wasn't a trace of fear on his face.

If anything, he looked delighted—wearing a crazed smile.

Zeon couldn't understand him at all.

Was it that high-ranking Awakened all became like this… or that only the insane could reach such heights?

KRRROOOO!

With a powerful flap of its wings, the Crimson Drake soared into the air.

Its target was Deioden.

It shot toward him at terrifying speed.

Before it even reached him, a slicing gale swept through the area.

Deioden slightly bent his knees and said,

"Idiot."

"Y-yes?"

"Survive on your own."

"B-but—"

At that moment, Deioden kicked off the ground and launched himself into the air.

BOOM!

It was shocking enough that a human could fly—

—but a sonic boom exploded as he did.

Deioden had broken through the sound barrier and appeared before the Crimson Drake in an instant.

KABOOOOM!

The massive beast and the tiny human collided midair.

The aftermath shook the entire dungeon.

The once calmly flowing lava surged like a tidal wave, splashing in every direction, while the volcano spewed even thicker black smoke.

The corpses of the beasts Deioden had slain melted into the lava, their protective energy fields gone.

The lava surged toward Zeon as well.

"Damn it!"

Zeon scrambled to avoid it, but wherever he moved, the lava followed.

At this rate, he would melt away just like the other beasts—without leaving a trace.

BOOM! KRAAASH!

Even then, Deioden and the Crimson Drake were locked in fierce combat in the sky.

The drake unleashed blazing breath, and Deioden deflected it with Crayon.

The problem—

was that the deflected breath landed right near Zeon.

KABOOOM!

An explosion sent lava flying everywhere, and Zeon had to bear the full brunt of it.

"Ugh!"

Zeon ran around like a madman.

The violently surging lava and the desperate situation left him unable to think of how to use his abilities.

If he wanted to survive, he had to get as far away as possible from their battlefield.

He leapt across rivers of lava, sprinting over black volcanic rock.

Then suddenly—

the rock beneath his foot collapsed.

Below it flowed a river of blazing lava.

If he fell, it was over.

"Haah!"

Instinctively, Zeon pulled in the surrounding sand.

Just like when he had escaped the flame crocodile, he created a foothold of sand.

He kept forming sand platforms in succession as he ran.

But as he continued, his mana quickly ran out.

Fortunately, before it was completely depleted, he managed to land on solid volcanic rock.

"Haa… haa…"

Dropping to his knees, Zeon gasped for breath.

His heart felt like it would burst, and a metallic taste rose from his lungs.

It was the backlash of exhausting everything in a single moment.

Just then—

RUMBLE!

The entire dungeon shook violently.

Turning his head, Zeon saw the source—

Deioden and the Crimson Drake's battle was reaching its climax.

"It's over."

With Deioden's mad shout, an immense power gathered into Crayon.

To Zeon's eyes, the sword seemed to grow several times larger.

Deioden hurled Crayon at the Crimson Drake.

SHRIEEEEK!

Like a meteor, the sword shot forward and pierced straight through the drake's chest.

KRAAAAH!

With a sorrowful cry, the Crimson Drake fell.

CRASH!

Its enormous body slammed onto the lava-covered ground.

Deioden descended onto the drake's body.

The Crimson Drake, not yet fully dead, looked up at him, gasping weakly.

Deioden looked down at it and said,

"I wandered the desert for a whole year to hunt you. All to temper Crayon with your heart… So die quietly."

He raised Crayon high—

and drove it straight into the drake's heart.

THUD!

KRRROOOO!

The drake writhed in agony as its heart was pierced, but its final struggle was feeble.

Crayon, embedded in its heart, began to glow red.

As the dungeon's final boss, the Crimson Drake's heart contained an immense amount of fire-attribute mana.

Crayon heated up intensely from absorbing it—

so much that it seemed like it might melt.

At the peak of the heat, the sword suddenly changed.

CLANK! CLANK!

It broke apart into individual components—

and then reassembled itself.

The reconstructed Crayon was larger and sharper than before.

"Heh…"

Deioden smiled in satisfaction.

With all its mana drained, the Crimson Drake's heart lost its light.

Its massive body shriveled and withered without its energy field.

At that moment, the dungeon began to collapse.

The final boss was the dungeon's core.

Without its core, the dungeon could no longer maintain its form.

A dark red portal appeared before the drake's corpse.

It was the exit.

Just before stepping into it, Deioden turned his head toward Zeon.

"Aren't you coming out, idiot?"