Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: King Dragon Hunter
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The second group of guests entering the dungeon shelter had no choice but to tense up after hearing Ferguson's words.
What on earth could the strongest creature on land be?
"No way, a dragon?"
"Or maybe a race from the mythic era."
"Mr. Ferguson, by any chance..."
"Sorry, but that's all I can tell you. Spoilers are always a sin."
Ferguson caught the glint in the guests' eyes, hungry for bigger hints.
But he brushed off their expectations lightly and explained how to proceed to the next room.
"H-Here?"
"Hoo..."
Before leaving the shelter, they received various buffs from Ferguson and entrusted themselves to a certain device. Balak, who had been watching, clapped his hands.
Clap!
"They're finally here!!"
"Benefactor, what in the world is going on?"
"Ooh, you're awake!"
He needed advice on the balance there anyway—perfect timing!
Plus, their stomachs wouldn't be empty enough for training yet, so it was the perfect moment to show this guy the greatness of dinosaurs.
The newcomers to the third room soon entered, looking around in great confusion.
'What is this place?'
"Everything's huge? No, have we shrunk?"
"The grass is taller than me... Ack! Everyone, stick together!!"
Balak could understand their panic.
Who had ever seen plants that massive outside?
He had considered adding giant bugs for realism.
But after making wheel-bug monsters the size of humans, it felt off, so he scrapped it.
Anyway! The new third room was like a somewhat small X-park!
Think of it as a documentary jungle from his past life, scaled up huge with insane humidity.
So take this!!
Feel the sweltering midsummer of Hell Peninsula!!!!
"Ugh... So sticky."
"I can't believe I'm sweating this much without doing anything. Um... are the knights okay?"
"''''……….''''"
"They don't look okay at all. Mage, maybe..."
"Water, please conceal your form."
"As expected of the mages!"
Oh, right.
All players and NPCs entering here were pretty heat-resistant.
He hadn't thought they'd overcome the environment with magic!
Magic really was broken.
These environmental details were just flavor for the room anyway.
Now that their buffs were settling in, time for partner! Launch!
Thud—!!! Thud—!!!!
"W-What's that?"
"Everyone, battle positions!"
At the sudden eerie phenomenon, the knight party held their breath, steeling themselves in formation.
The earth-shaking vibrations grew louder until a massive shadow completely blanketed them overhead.
Finally, in their view, a colossal being beyond imagination revealed itself clearly.
**************
Spotting its prey, the Tyranno let out a sky-shaking roar and charged.
The hero party saw the Tyranno barreling toward them and flung themselves outward.
"Kuoooooh—!!!!"
Thud thud!! Thud!!
"W-What the hell is that thing!"
"Is everyone oka—? Huh?"
"''''Oh.''''"
The women quickly reformed their ranks, but the men stared blankly at the creature ahead, seemingly awestruck.
Normally, getting distracted in danger like that is suicidal.
But that's why you have comrades!
The women nagging beside them snapped the men out of it; they shook their heads, gripped their weapons tight.
"Hah... Those guys get romance after all."
"Honestly, this Tyranno hits me every time."
How much deep thought had he poured into perfectly recreating that Tyranno!
So this reaction was only natural.
Anyway! They seemed to grasp the new third room's concept!
"N-No way, we have to kill that?!"
"This is insane!!!"
Kwaaaaang!!!
That's right! Fight dinosaurs in that massive jungle and win!
Simple is best!
Truly, simplicity is the hardest.
The third room's exact concept was modeled after a certain game about hunting giant monsters with weapons and tools.
So if you don't know the patterns, you eat hits!! Just like there!
"Krahhh!"
"Herooo!!"
Oho, casualties already.
Honestly, hunting those game's giant monsters without patterns is pure horror.
But! Like the final trial awaiting him in the boss room.
Most attacks were simple and straightforward, so even as sacrifices mounted, they were adapting.
Slash!
"Leg attacks work!!"
"Watch the tail!!!"
"Urk?!"
As expected, focusing fire on the Tyranno's legs.
All creatures' weak point is the head, but the Tyranno was too huge.
Too fast-moving too, so they'd steadily rack up damage like that.
"Um... Benefactor?"
"Hm? Osa, what's up?"
"By any chance, that Tyranno can't use breath attacks or—"
"Gaaah!!!!"
"Kraaaah!!"
D-Dinosaurs using breath?! What kind of bullshit setting is that!!!
Why are King Dragons great!
No petty techniques—just pure physical warriors, that's why they're so cool!!
In the game inspiring this room, the most fun monsters to hunt were pure melee ones with barely any ranged moves.
Except that heartbreaking white wyvern in the snowy mountains!
Anyway, referencing monsters with obvious, honest patterns meant the Tyranno's legs soon scarred up!
Thud!!
"I-It fell!!"
"It's not dead! Aim for the head!!!"
"Uwaaah!! It's thrashing like crazy!"
Yes!! This is great justice!!
The prime DPS window after stacking damage on weak spots!
Why was that game so fun?
Giant monster WWE like that!
So now, go all-out DPS, heroes!
Half the party got shredded after, but tail cut success and all—the tide was turning for them.
Huh? Too easy like this?
Oh dear... Don't tell me you forgot its final evolution!
As his partner's HP hit exactly half, intense light erupted from the Tyranno, forming a magic barrier.
"W-What, this massive mana surge...? What's happening?!"
"Don't just stand there! Fire, annihilate the foe ahead!!!"
"Wind, rage!!"
Fwoooom!!!
"Uwaaaah!! Attacks aren't landing!!"
Hahaha!! Dungeon merchants' tech is number oooone!!!
Predicting clueless fools would attack mid-transformation was spot on.
That's why third-room dinos trigger that powerful magic barrier on evolution!
Block the evolution? Impossible now!
Soon, shedding its fleshy form, Mecha Tyranno emerged.
"Kuoooooh—!!!!"
"No way..."
"H-How do we..."
"'''Oh.'''"
"Not the time to admire it!?"
Fully reconstructed, Mecha Tyranno even regrew its severed tail.
Sky-high physical resistance meant no damage stacking—they faded into blue mist pathetically.
Just the one-armed knight left now.
Oho?
But this guy's not giving up!
For persisting without despair even when attacks fail, a reward for you.
Whiiirrr!!
"Changing again here?!"
The one-armed knight's area plunged into darkness as Mecha Tyranno evolved once more.
And!
"Kroooooh!!!"
"Th-This! The strongest land creature!!"
Facing Mecha Glow Tyranno, his partner, the knight despaired yet flushed with excitement.
Mecha Glow Tyranno now adjusted its glow to hide in darkness.
Glow only flared on attack—the knight clocked it.
But adapted to base patterns? Variants get brutal!
Relentless pattern shifts turned the one-armed knight to blue dust too.
Mecha Glow Tyranno, triumphant, roared skyward joyfully and reverted.
Third room running smooth—now just fine-tune dino balance.
For final Mecha Glow evo, what patterns beyond that?
For big groups, add Vulcan cannons on first phase?
Or ranged sniping with missiles—
Ah!!! Forgot something for the third room!
"Ugh... H-Head hurts."
"You're up!"
Perfect—Osa awake, so show him the scene I'd planned.
"That's..."
"Yeah, the clash of era-dominating apex predators."
On screen: Triceratops charged; Tyranno sidestepped horizontally, tail-swiped.
Tail barely hurt thanks to Triceratops' frill.
Tyranno edged a judgment win, duel ongoing.
And!!!
"Kroooooh!!!"
Spinosaurus ambushed from the water—1:1:1 standoff.
"Th-This is nature!!"
"Right! The ecosystem! Pure 'faction wars'!"
Osa watched huge dinos brawl pure physical—no gimmicks—shivering, hand over mouth.
Enemy of my enemy is friend—always romantic!
Third room inching toward perfection!
************
As Balak clapped in satisfaction at the third room's historic first battle.
The Elder Council met to plan ahead.
Except—
"Ahem... Truly impressive."
"Yes?"
"Nothing."
Zarkan admired Tyranno's sturdy legs and such.
Elderly bosses meant the meeting devolved into chit-chat fast.
But time passed, and it progressed somehow.
"So~ progress reports?"
"This one's busted."
"Huh? Lich, why?"
"Stuck at about 1% after. Feels like those admins are blocking hard."
"Can't be helped. Their lives are on the line."
"Belesa's right. So cheer up, Lich~ And it shows they're acting, right?"
Lich got encouraged; talk shifted to city planning.
"50th floor's mostly cleared."
"Wow~ How'd you handle those endless weirdos?"
"Dumped the land elsewhere. Gotta refill 50th floor soil... Best way?"
"Sometimes brute force wins. Flatten or haul from other floors. Round up earth mages—"
"I'll lead the research team to handle it."
"Lich, you'll fix it quick, but... aren't you overdoing it?"
"Zarkan-sir's right. Don't shoulder it all."
"It's a chance for experiments—no worries."
Lich soloed the Elder Council's mountain of tasks like a group project leader hard-carrying info-age homework.
Everyone fretted over his workload.
He brushed it off.
"But Lich, question?"
"What?"
"Once 50th-floor city's done, inviting Champion to the feast—why mandatory?"
"Ah... that? We check dungeon judgment when Champion leaves that spot."
"""Judgment??"""
"Ah, got it."
Abyss Pit's layer 2 lacks a hidden portal from layer 1—only opens on Balak's death.
Normally it'd never open.
But if Balak moves from 1 to another layer—what judgment?
Best case: outsiders like them can't detect dimensional rifts, so layer 2 inaccessible.
Worst: portal from 1 to 2 pops open.
Lich's take...
"My guess: portal to 2 opens the instant Champion moves elsewhere."
"Tch... Figures."
"Gods and world's will expected us shuffling layers—logical counter."
"So for safety, Champion must stay glued to layer 1?!"
"I doubt it."
"Don't worry. That's why I'm seizing dungeon authority fast."
"Ah~ Rewrite the rules?"
Exactly! Full authority from admins means:
Even sans Balak on 1, block layer 2 AND let him join us.
"Thanks to that Champion, we can act—so fitting reward."
"Oh my, a fanboy?"
"………."
"Not denying? It's true then. Explains your passion lately."
"Tch."
As other bosses said, Lich was massively motivated by Balak.
Never slacking despite immense power, endlessly seeking self-improvement, pouring passion into all—made Lich reflect.
Was he truly striving for all truths?
Or just a fool complacent in current strength.
This stark benchmark made Lich feel increasingly inadequate.
Thus, he shouldered more than anyone in the Council.
Realizing their comrade's fiery drive, the other layer bosses awakened too?
From then, they poured even more passion into their duties.