Descent into the Dragon's Lair
Zeon wrinkled his nose.
"So this is a chimera, huh?"
He hadn't noticed much when it was alive, but the dead chimera gave off a strange smell. It was like the faint fishy stench from dead insects.
Zeon crouched down for a closer look.
The muscle fibers were definitely different from a normal human's.
The outer layer was chitinous like an insect's, and the inner tendons were twisted like steel wire—insanely tough and elastic.
But the most alien part was the internal organs.
They weren't as complex as human ones, and their shapes were simple.
He could feel how they'd been arranged for maximum efficiency with the same energy input.
Zeon poked through the organs with his hand, inspecting the insides.
In the old days, he'd have shuddered at the gruesomeness. But after all the horrors he'd endured to get here, he stayed calm.
"Even the internal organs are transplants from monsters? Fucking disgusting."
Zeon shook his head with a grimace of revulsion.
This went beyond modification—it was creating an entirely new lifeform.
His gaze drifted to the chimera's heart.
A stone pulsing with strong mana was embedded in it.
"A magic stone? So it runs on magic stones for fuel?"
He was struck anew by the dragon's terrifying power.
Even in Neo Seoul, where magic stone research was rampant, no one dared use them to fuel living beings.
"Fucking insane."
Zeon shook his head as he stood.
Dayton spoke up.
"That's what the heteromorphs say. Dragons are masters of magic. To them, casting spells is as natural as breathing. If their magic is a storm, human magic is just a breeze."
"Hmm."
"Get it now? The bastard we're up against is on that level. Your odds of dying are dozens of times higher than surviving."
"Don't tell me to turn back if I'm scared. My resolve is set."
Zeon cut him off first. Dayton snorted and opened his subspace.
"Take this."
He pulled out a small vial and tossed it to Zeon.
"What's this?"
"Drink it if you're about to croak. It'll heal all but the worst wounds in a flash."
"Like an elixir?"
Zeon's eyes widened.
Elixirs were the legendary panacea dreamed of by every alchemy Awakener—curing any ailment instantly, even granting immortality.
Neo Seoul's alchemists were actively researching them.
Dayton snorted.
"Hah! As if real elixirs exist. It's an awakener drug cooked up by some mad alchemist. Made from the blood of monsters with top-tier regen and recovery."
"Monster blood? Safe to drink?"
"That's why I said drink it if you're dying. Might as well roll the dice. The awakening agents will dull the pain better than any healing potion."
"Got it."
Zeon pocketed the vial in his subspace with a dubious look.
The final battle with the dragon felt all too real now.
Even mighty Dayton arming him like this was proof of the tension.
Dayton gripped Clayon tight, glaring at the darkened night sky as if the dragon lurked there.
＊＊＊
Zeon and Dayton stayed until the oasis vanished, devouring every bit of sand ray meat.
The meat was packed with nutrients—perfect for peak condition before the fight of their lives.
Dayton said, "Time to go."
"Yeah!"
Zeon pulled his robe hood low and replied.
After full rest and feasting, his body was in top shape.
His senses were sharp, vitality surging through every limb.
Never had he felt this good.
Dayton strode into the sandstorm, hair whipping like a lion's mane.
Zeon followed with Sand Step.
The scorching sun baked the sands, radiating fierce heat. But it couldn't halt their advance.
Days later, pillars greeted them in the desert's heart.
Dozens of hexagonal pillars stood alone—suspicious to anyone.
Zeon stepped forward, channeling his dominance.
Fine sand particles carried his senses outward.
Nothing above ground.
Underground, then.
He focused downward.
One hundred meters, two hundred...
His senses plunged endlessly.
Up to five hundred meters underground—still nothing.
Zeon released his dominance. "Seems like it's deeper than five hundred meters."
"Figures. Lizard bastard dug deep to hide. They're cowards."
"Cowards? Doesn't seem like it."
"If they had real guts, they'd have moved Cracias themselves instead of siccing the heteromorphs. They shut up around the strong and puff up around the weak. What else you call that?"
It was oddly convincing.
Zeon nodded, seeing the point.
They reached the pillars.
Each was thick as several men combined, etched with indecipherable runes.
Zeon murmured, stroking one. "No idea what it says..."
Hwa-hwa!
The pillar flared brilliantly where he touched.
"What the—?"
He yanked his hand back in shock, but the light engulfed him.
When it faded, Zeon was gone.
Dayton muttered calmly, "Pillars are some kind of teleport array, huh."
He touched the same one—no light.
"One lifeform per pillar?"
He tried another. Light erupted, swallowing him.
＊＊＊
Zeon opened his eyes to a transformed world.
A massive cavern, vast enough for giant monsters to roam.
The walls glittered like gold veins snaking through rock.
Fitting for a gold dragon's lair.
"What's the point of all this?"
The gold hoard didn't tempt him much.
In this world, it held little value.
"Dayton got sent somewhere else?"
No sign of him anywhere.
Dayton must have touched a pillar too, so likely another spot.
"Gotta move solo till I find him."
Fear crept in at being separated in what he assumed was the dragon's lair.
He'd faced countless monsters, but a dragon was another league. Facing one alone? Terrifying.
Zeon forced a stoic expression.
Couldn't cower forever from fear.
Even if a dragon waited at the end, he had to go—to reunite with Dayton.
He proceeded cautiously.
This environment disadvantaged him—no sand amid the ore veins.
Thankfully, he had Exion.
Fully prepped to deploy it anytime, he advanced.
Deep in, yet nothing happened. Still, no complacency.
Experience taught him incidents struck when guards dropped.
His hunch was spot-on.
Sss...
A faint rustle from the opposite tunnel.
Hair-raising, spine-chilling noise.
"What the hell?"
Zeon unleashed Exion, glaring ahead.
Something pierced the dark—the source.
Snakes.
Two-headed vipers to four-headed freaks.
Some with wings, others with two or four legs.
Snake heads in common; everything else varied—form, material, color, size.
"Chimeras."
Not normal monsters—Hai Elton's creations.
Kuooo!
Spotting Zeon, they screeched and charged fiercer.
He unleashed Exion at the mad rush.
Tsss!
It cloaked his body.
Zeon charged the chimeras.
No fear on his face.
Kwagaga!
Exion spun wildly around him, shredding assailants.
Kreeek!
Kek!
Chimera screams echoed as they were ground up.
Flesh burst, blood sprayed.
Chiiik!
Acidic blood melted the floor.
Droplets hit Zeon, but Dayton's robe and armor shrugged it off.
Kwagagak!
More chimeras shredded nonstop.
The cavern filled with dismembered corpses. Still, they poured from cracks, attacking.
Zeon pulverized them, pushing forward.
Then—
Flash!
The cave blazed white. Lightning struck Zeon.
Boom!
"Guh!"
The blast hurled him back.
White smoke rose from his body.
Exion had shielded him; a direct hit would've exploded him.
Sss!
A massive snake emerged, parting chimeras. Horns on its head sparked.
It had fired the lightning.
Special specimen?
Some monsters wielded skills. This one seemed lightning-based.
Flash!
Another bolt from the horn.
Zeon dodged.
Boom!
His spot cratered.
He evaded, but Exion scattered briefly from lost control.
Chimeras pounced on the gap.
Zeon smashed the lead one with his gauntleted fist.
Boom!
Its head burst.
He rampaged through them, roaring,
"Don't fucking underestimate me, you snake shits!"