#57 Volcanic Horned Dragon (2)
#57 Volcanic Horned Dragon (2)
Wolf swept the ground below with Detection and tilted his head, puzzled. The presences it picked up were fewer than he'd expected.
'This few?'
Fair enough — he'd taken out a decent number back then, and more of them had probably gotten caught up in the chaos when they'd fled from the Volcanic Horned Dragon. Once he factored that in, it wasn't implausible.
'Not a bad thing.'
He barely had any Experience Points left to gain before hitting the Level 19 cap, anyway. For now, he just needed to sweep them. Shadow, Gust, and even Black Fog couldn't penetrate lava. Same reason Devouring couldn't clear out the lava, either — it'd cook him before he got the chance. But Void... that could swallow even molten rock.
Haze bored through the floor and gorged itself on the lava, then started feeding on the monsters lurking beneath.
[Prominence Crocodile consumed. Experience Points and Satiety increase.]
After three or four had been devoured, a Lava Shark came thrashing at him — it must have finally realized something was hunting it. Not that it mattered. Haze swallowed it whole.
"———!"
Sensing the startled monsters thrashing below, Wolf readied his next move. In an instant, the creatures surging up from beneath shattered the floor — and were pierced through by shadow, gnawed apart by black mist wreathed in wind, vanishing without a trace in seconds.
The noise made the Volcanic Horned Dragon's colossal bulk twitch. A mountain stirring awake — the terrain shifted from the slightest movement alone, but Wolf's Stealth held. The only thing visible was the lava surging upward. The Volcanic Horned Dragon closed its eyes again.
'I had my worries, but...'
[Excellent Stealth (C) Lv.9 proficiency at maximum. Excellent Stealth (C) Lv.9 → Excellent Stealth (C) Lv.10]
[Excellent Stealth (C) has reached maximum level. Excellent Stealth (C) Lv.10 → Invisibility (B)]
Wolf, who'd been holding his breath and keeping his distance, let out an inward cheer. The trusty Stealth he'd relied on for so long had finally hit its cap. Invisibility — it didn't just bolster his existing Stealth; it allowed him to vanish from sight entirely. If he felt like it, not even a CCTV would pick him up.
'Now it shows up...?'
A little late for that. Still, he'd find no shortage of uses for it. After a brief wait, once both the Volcanic Horned Dragon and the lava had settled, Wolf stirred up the Void again.
***
"......!"
Hong Yuri swallowed hard when the Volcanic Horned Dragon opened its eyes. There was no helping the break in focus. Even though the thing had moved somewhere far off, the vibrations reached all the way here. It had long since left the realm of mere living creatures — a vastness that defied comprehension even by monster standards. Outside the Calamity of the Sea, it was probably the single largest monster in existence.
'...How are we supposed to deal with that?'
She'd been told the method, of course. Dodge the attacks however possible and prepare a Grand Magic spell, or something to that effect. But even if the Grand Magic landed, she had no confidence it would kill that thing. A monster like that — Alpha had to know it as well as she did. And yet he was still willing to fight. Why?
'...He said he was going to stop the end, didn't he?'
Humanity was certainly standing at the brink of destruction. But what did that have to do with killing monsters inside a phantom realm? ...She didn't know. Alpha was still hiding secrets — that much was clear. Even so... could she trust him?
'I don't know.'
But she didn't want to doubt him. Because...
"......."
"Teacher?"
When several gazes converged on her slightly vacant expression, Hong Yuri snapped back in a sharp tone.
"What?"
"......It's nothing."
Even as they said it, the dubious looks kept coming, and the corner of her eye twitched. Just as she was about to retort, the Volcanic Horned Dragon moved again, and without anyone needing to say a word, everyone covered their mouths and held their breath. In that moment of utter stillness — something pushed through the barrier. Hong Yuri's eyes shot open.
"Show yourself."
Nothing visible. But something was definitely there. Without the barrier, she might have missed it, but there was no mistaking that something had just breached it. The instant she raised a hand and aimed, a form materialized.
"......Alpha?"
The large Wolf nodded, and she let out a relieved breath. She'd nearly failed to recognize him even standing right in front of her. No need to ask — his Stealth had clearly reached a new level. Hong Yuri shook her head inwardly.
"Most of the monsters in the lava have been dealt with."
Already? Hardly any time had passed. At her incredulous look, Wolf turned his head away, a little sheepish. He'd left a few alive to keep Devouring and Fullness topped up before the fight with the Volcanic Horned Dragon, but what remained was nothing Baekrok couldn't handle alone. Even if the worst happened, there'd be no problem.
"...Now all that's left is to absorb the mana."
And the preparations for the Volcanic Horned Dragon fight would be complete.
***
The sight of Hong Yuri chewing on ginseng decoction and leftover ginseng roots looked exactly like someone working through a bottle of soju with dried squid.
"......It's almost time."
Wolf nodded at Baek So-yul's words. Four days had already passed since they'd cleared out the lava monsters. The Frost Valley had only taken two days, but the volcanic zone was on an entirely different scale, dragging things out far longer. Still, that was over now. They'd absorbed enough mana that even if the dungeon collapsed that very moment, they'd be fine.
'Even more than I thought.'
Baek So-yul's MP, which had been barely above 300 not long ago, was now climbing a steep curve toward 400. The absurd growth rate drew a hollow laugh, but there was a clear ceiling — it was gradually slowing. There seemed to be a limit to how much mana a person could absorb from the phantom realm.
'Same reason Baekrok doesn't bother absorbing mana here.'
For now, it was fine. But bringing Baek So-yul's mana any higher would eventually require a new power source. He glanced over at Baekrok, who was likewise eating ginseng.
"......What?"
The dragon tilted its head back at him. Wolf was staring because it was the first time he'd seen Baekrok eat anything. He used Insight at the same time and confirmed: its mana was rising too.
"Nothing."
He shook his head. They were taking their last rest before the fight with the Volcanic Horned Dragon. Time, too, to consolidate the phantom realm's mana.
Watching them close their eyes and concentrate, Wolf waited for the moment to come.
***
"Oh, you're back?"
"Yes. It's been a while."
The old hunter greeted him with boisterous warmth, and Jeon Woo-taek nodded. Ever since he'd picked up Weak Regeneration, all he'd needed to do was wait for his wounds to heal. After glancing around briefly, Woo-taek noticed one person was missing and asked.
"Where's the vice team leader?"
"Search me. Heard something about outside work, but... no idea where he went. Better off without him, so why worry?"
Hard to argue with that, so Woo-taek nodded. Then his gaze caught Lee Eun-ha in one corner of the room, and his head tilted.
"...Your mana's gone up?"
At the question, the old hunter dug at his ear with a finger and answered.
"Took some spiritual medicine."
"...Spiritual medicine? That came out of nowhere."
Spiritual medicine wasn't exactly something you just handed out. Even Dawn couldn't possibly be supplying it to a rank-and-file clan member. And the idea she'd bought it herself made even less sense.
"You, boy. Haven't you heard a damn thing?"
"Sir? Heard what?"
At Woo-taek's puzzled look, the old hunter clicked his tongue.
"There was a whole uproar not long ago. That Alpha — the Wolf — was staying right here in the clan, bold as you please."
"You can't mean the Alpha I'm thinking of."
The old hunter confirmed he did, but Woo-taek took it for a joke and let out a short laugh. Alpha, the one they called the Demon Wolf, staying at Dawn? How was that even remotely plausible?
"Nah, no joke, kid. Take a look at this."
The old hunter fumbled with his phone, opened his photo album, and showed him a picture. All Woo-taek saw was a cute little black puppy. His face said what the hell is this, and the old hunter answered with total seriousness.
"That's Alpha."
"......Sorry, but do you have dementia?"
The expression stayed dead serious. When Woo-taek asked another hunter nearby, he nodded in agreement. Unless they'd all planned this in advance, that meant it was real — and Woo-taek's expression turned odd.
"So you're saying Alpha came here and gave Eun-ha spiritual medicine? You're serious?"
"So I hear. The details are a bit hazy, but..."
Just then, the door swung open and Kang Tae-ho walked in, slinging an arm over Woo-taek's shoulder.
"T-Team Leader Kang?"
Both the team leader and vice leader were absent, so what was Team 2 doing in Team 3's space? At Woo-taek's questioning look, Kang Tae-ho pulled both corners of his mouth up — the expression of a man itching to spill something.
"Want me to tell you why that Alpha showed up?"
As Dawn's number two, he'd definitely know. Woo-taek nodded with full seriousness, and Kang Tae-ho made him promise to pass it on to his own team leader too. Not that he'd ever keep information that important to himself. Woo-taek nodded again, dead serious, and when the story was done, Kang Tae-ho was cackling like he'd just gotten something off his chest, while Woo-taek's expression had turned thoroughly poleaxed. And just like that, a story known to three — no, four — people had gained one more.
***
"Ah fuck, my ears are itching... Ascunde."
Hong Yuri threw up a fresh barrier and furrowed her brow.
"The last dungeon was way better."
She'd been griping the whole time back at the Frost Valley, and now she was singing a different tune. Three of them had entered the dungeon: herself, Wolf, and Perry. With the mana absorption already done, there was no need to bring Baek So-yul in. The leftover lava monsters had been fed to the Void, keeping Devouring and Fullness active.
'Now...'
The only thing left was the Volcanic Horned Dragon. Over the past four days, Hong Yuri had been practicing riding on his back. That had honestly been the biggest hurdle, but pride and stubbornness had carried her through, and she'd succeeded in the end. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that during this week in the phantom realm, she'd almost completely overcome her phobia.
"......."
Though her words and movements still carried a certain caution. By Hong Yuri standards, anyway.
"So. We open with the Grand Magic and go from there, right?"
"Yeah."
"Shit... what the hell kind of thing am I supposed to fight? Spiritual medicine's costing me a goddamn fortune."
She kept grumbling, but she started the incantation. He'd brought her into the phantom realm knowing full well she'd hate every second of it — fully intending to work her for all she was worth.
'With the Volcanic Horned Dragon, ginseng's the least of it...'
Besides, anyone with half a brain wouldn't spread phantom realm business around anyway. He looked out at the Volcanic Horned Dragon looming in the distance like a mountain of rock and couldn't suppress a new wave of grim assessment. Even on a second look — a dazzling status screen and a gargantuan frame. Not to mention an array of high-grade skills. All Damage Reduction and Weak Regeneration were both on the list, which meant they had to open with a confirmed, decisive hit. If it could all end with that one strike, great... but hoping for that would be shameless optimism.
"—Acoperit în foc negru."
Four verses. The moment the spell manifested and an enormous hexagram unfurled across the sky above them, the Volcanic Horned Dragon stirred — there was no way it hadn't noticed. The ground quaked just from the heaving bulk of it rising, but Wolf had already pressed off a foothold and was hovering high. Hong Yuri's eyes blazed crimson.
"Arzând în abis și transformându-se în cenușă—!"
With the final chant, black flame erupted — something that evoked the sun's own dark spots. A fire burning in the abyss, unstoppable until it reduced everything to ash. The Volcanic Horned Dragon, witnessing the Grand Magic incanted by Dawn's foremost mage, threw its jaws wide and roared. The roar alone made Wolf stagger and shattered the foothold he'd been braced against, but that wasn't nearly enough to disperse a Grand Magic spell. Wolf lashed Hong Yuri's waist tight with tentacles to keep her from being thrown off, and the plummeting black spot exploded.
"——————!"
The Volcanic Horned Dragon screamed. Whether from pain or fury, he couldn't tell...
'...One shot wasn't going to cut it after all, was it?'
It was magic that could burn an entire island to cinders. And yet the Volcanic Horned Dragon had endured. A body that could wade through lava unscathed was bound to carry powerful fire resistance — one glance at its A-rank Incarnation skill confirmed as much. Dragon Blood and Dragon Scales meant it was a true dragon species. Naturally, its vitality existed on an entirely different plane from other monsters. He'd expected as much.
"Well, the thing's so goddamn huge it's easy to hit."
Hong Yuri steadied her breath and began chanting again.
"Arzând în abis și transformându-se în cenușă—!"
The Grand Magic she'd held in reserve. At the sight of the hexagram reappearing overhead, the Volcanic Horned Dragon opened its maw wide, and mana boiled up from deep within, gathering and concentrating. A breath weapon — exactly what you'd expect of a dragon. But before it could unleash it, the second black spot exploded.