#38 Lava Volcano (3)
#38 Lava Volcano (3)
It was the volcano itself.
As if refusing to tolerate the intruder who had set foot on this land, the volcano spewed everything it had, and at last, that being revealed itself.
[Volcanic Horned Dragon (Volcano Ceratops)]
[Length 108.9m] [Height 37.8m] [Weight 1.7kt]
[STR 703] [AGI 408] [VIT 672] [MP 500]
[Skill List]
[Incarnation of Fire (A)] [Dragon Blood (B)] [Great Magic Power (B)] [Rapid Recovery (C)] [Superhuman Strength (C)] [Dragon Scale (C)] [Excellent Magic Regeneration (C)] [All Damage Reduction (D)] [Weak Regeneration (E)]
Its shape was that of a colossal horned dragon, but its horns were massive enough to bore through a mountain, and even buried under volcanic ash, they blazed with red embers.
'How the hell are you supposed to fight that?'
Not a single monster I'd seen—no, not every chimera put together—could hold a candle to this creature. The Quickening Evil? I guarantee even ten of those would never beat it.
'Incarnation of Fire?'
The sheer physique was monstrous, but it also possessed an A-rank skill I didn't have. Hell, the fact that it had nine skills at all was absurd.
'If only it were an Earth Serpent...'
At least then I could have burned it from the inside with Ghost Flame (C). But unless this thing carried a flower bed on its head, it was blindingly obvious that Ghost Flame (C) would do nothing.
'And I can't even get inside it in the first place.'
One thing was certain: it wouldn't take long for the creature to descend from the volcano's crater.
"We retreat. This is not a dungeon we can handle."
In a tone heavier than any I'd heard from him before—coldly assessing the situation—Baekrok cut the thought short.
"I had assumed the dungeon was not particularly significant. I was wrong. The true monsters lay beneath the lava and within the volcano itself. That thing has misjudged its own level. This is not a dungeon the two of us alone can manage."
He was right. Volcanic Horned Dragon. Our odds of beating it right now were exactly zero. Forget A-Class—short of someone on the level of Kang Tae-ho, there wasn't even a sliver of a chance.
"Further below, within the magma, mana is still pooling. It will take more time for that mana to bleed into the Reality Realm. This was a dungeon never meant to be cleared now in the first place."
"......."
Baekrok let out a long breath as he watched Wolf, who seemed to be deep in thought. The anxiety came from a fear that Wolf might, against all reason, prove obstinate. Bravery and foolhardiness were two different things, and Baekrok understood the difference better than anyone.
"Please. Do not entertain any foolish notions."
Foolish notions. I cocked my head at that.
'What's he so pointlessly worried about?'
When I'd first hurled myself at the Prominence Crocodile, I'd had a plan of sorts. A belief that even if things went wrong, I wouldn't be the one to suffer. But this—I knew perfectly well this went beyond reckless. It was just plain suicide.
"Obviously, I'm not planning to fight it either."
"Then we should leave quickly."
"No. That's not what I meant."
Baekrok was right. No matter what kind of ingenious trick I might dream up, there was no way to win now. Point-blank impossible.
'Even so.'
Not out of stubbornness. If I thought about it rationally—
'Its appearance itself isn't a bad thing.'
The area was teeming with monsters in a frenzy of activity. But hadn't I already experienced something like this in the Dragon's Wasteland?
'Like when the Wyvern hunted the Coatl.'
And just as the Prominence Crocodile had dragged the Lesser Drake down into the lava. Monsters didn't always get along. It was a matter of scale—they had their own ecosystems and food chains too.
'So if the Volcanic Horned Dragon goes on a rampage, I'd be more than grateful.'
The moment the earth rumbled, my eyes gleamed. Its weight—an overwhelming mass approaching two thousand tons—proved too much for the volcano to bear, and a landslide erupted. A massive volcanic boulder plunged straight into the gaping maw of a Lava Shark and sent it hurtling into the depths.
"Baekrok!"
Needless to say, we were already running. Countless rock fragments. The colossal impact, as if an entire mountain were shattering. All manner of debris rained down, and ash and dust surged skyward. With every step the beast took, a quake shook the world. Lava and magma churned upward in endless shockwaves.
'That thing is just as terrifying to the monsters here as it is to us.'
Overwhelming violence inflicts itself on them too. The creatures in the lava recoiled and hid, but one by one, they were crushed by the falling boulders. The monsters beneath the lava had it bad enough—the real nightmare was for the monsters on the volcanic terrain.
"―――!"
At a speed that defied comparison to any real landslide—engulfed and swept away by ash and rock, the monsters screamed their terrible screams.
'But.'
That didn't apply to us. Because we had already reached the dungeon's boundary.
"Kyu, kyuuuuuu...!"
The landscape of the Illusion Realm came back into view. Perry, terrified, fluttered his wings in a panic. It took a long while of stroking before I could calm him down.
'We wouldn't have been swept away anyway.'
But just watching was a spectacle of overwhelming destruction. A natural disaster of the sort you'd see only in videos. Relief at having narrowly evaded it came with a predictable new concern trailing right behind.
"Baekrok. What are the odds it comes out?"
"It completely lost sight of us—most likely, it has no idea where we are."
If a monster crossed the boundary, it could exit the dungeon. That was exactly why hunters guarded dungeon entrances like the Forest Dungeon or the Cobalt Mine. If that thing set foot in this Illusion Realm, the disaster that followed was obvious. This beautiful Illusion Realm might be annihilated entirely. Baekrok's expression had hardened in a way I'd never seen before.
...
A considerable amount of time passed, but there was no sign of the creature emerging. Mercifully, it seemed unwilling to leave the dungeon.
"Baekrok."
"...Why are you calling me?"
Baekrok turned his head, and I jerked my chin toward the other side of the boundary.
"You cannot possibly be suggesting we go back in."
"A fair amount of time has passed."
Baekrok's face was the picture of reluctance. I knew exactly what he was thinking—worrying that I was about to stir up a hornet's nest for no good reason.
"Wait here."
"Are you in your right mind?"
Baekrok furrowed his brow.
"What if you go in and that monster is right in front of your nose? Do you truly not understand that this is nothing short of suicide?"
I stared at him blankly. Had he always had this much heart? The Baekrok I'd known up to now had been intellectual. Then again, the way he'd fretted over the fairy at times—yes, he was clearly the affectionate sort.
"I'm not an idiot."
The probability Baekrok was worried about wasn't zero. But I had Stealth. And I'd already confirmed the creature had no skills that could pierce my Stealth.
"I'm going because I'll be fine."
And above all, I had a reason to go in.
'Experience Points.'
The monsters swept up by that thing were beyond counting. Monsters beneath the lava were one thing, but the monsters on the surface—I absolutely had to collect them. That alone could likely push me to Level 20.
'I have no choice but to go.'
This was exactly like when the Quickening Evil had rampaged. An opportunity like this could not slip by. The corpses wouldn't run away on their own, but the monsters under the lava would be licking their chops too—I had no idea how long those bodies would stay intact.
'A race against time.'
Feeling Baekrok's oddly weighted gaze on me, I moved toward the boundary.
"Kyu~ Kyu?!"
I left Perry, who looked ready to follow, in Baekrok's care, and once again refused Baekrok's offer to come with me—Even if he came, it would be a disaster if he got spotted by the Volcanic Horned Dragon.
'Stealth is something only I can use.'
Baekrok's concern was completely warranted. If that thing spotted me and followed, the Illusion Realm would be reduced to ashes. I drew a deep breath in front of the boundary, and just as I was about to step through, Baekrok spoke.
"Are you... truly going to be all right?"
I gave Baekrok a small nod and entered the dungeon.
***
"......."
Baekrok could say nothing. What he wanted to protect was this very Illusion Realm. The emerald sea visible from anywhere—a landscape where phantom beasts frolicked. For the sake of what he'd devoted his life to guarding, Wolf had stepped onto a path that might lead to his death.
Of course, Baekrok was no fool. He knew well that Wolf was not reckless. Wolf must have had some method, and that was why he had gone in.
'But even so.'
He still remembered the sight of Wolf fighting the two bats. And the Wolf from days ago—clumsy and unskilled, training under him.
The image of Wolf, in the Dragon's Wasteland, saving his life and then descending into the belly of the great serpent that crawled upon the earth in his place—that sight was etched into his memory so strongly he would never forget it.
'One fact remains.'
That Wolf was staking his life for the Illusion Realm—
That would never, ever change.
"...Please, come back safely."
***
'Bleak.'
The collapsed volcano and the land it had reshaped. I spread my Detection to locate the creature—though there was no need. Far off, at the closest point to the volcano, it was curled up.
'The Volcanic Horned Dragon is asleep.'
The thing had rampaged to its heart's content and now showed no sign of moving again. Keeping Stealth active, I scented the air.
Drawing air deep into my lungs and running, I soon caught a burning scent from a spot buried under ash.
'Here.'
The moment I parted the ash with a light Gust, the dead lizard came into view.
[Salamander consumed. Experience Points and Satiety increase.]
And just as I'd expected, I wasn't alone.
'As expected.'
A colossal mass of lava in the shape of a shark was ramming its head into the ground. The very same shark that had tried to swallow us at the end—using Stealth, I circled behind it and gathered my mana. In the midst of its feeding, it turned its head just in time to receive the gift of a Mana Blast charged to its limit.
"―――!"
The moment the lava burst, a Gust scattered the remnants, and the spiritual field I'd unleashed alongside the mana carved the creature to pieces.
'...It's different from the Crocodile.'
That one's true body was vapor wreathed in lava, but this creature was lava and magma itself.
[Magma Shark consumed. Experience Points and Satiety increase.]
Because of that, devouring it was a considerable ordeal. Even after it died, the lava did not cool immediately. I had to extend a tentacle and eat until it melted, then extend another, repeating the process over and over.
'If I hadn't had Regeneration...'
Bald Wolf. I let out a dry laugh at the thought that all my fur would have burned clean off.
[Experience Points at maximum. Lv.14 → Lv.15]
Devouring the shark pushed me to Level 15, and I polished off whatever it had left unfinished.
[Lesser Drake consumed. Experience Points and Satiety increase.]
I didn't even need to spread my Detection anymore. I was certain. So long as the sleeping Volcanic Horned Dragon didn't wake, reaching Level 20 would be no trouble at all.