Chapter 71. Nutrients

Eight writhing legs, two heads, and an unusually long tail.

Even with its grotesque form, the reason it was called a dragon stemmed from its enormous size and the scales covering its entire body.

A silvery glow emanated from each scale, making it appear almost divine at first glance.

'No wonder the hunters who entered before freaked out and called it a dragon.'

However.

"Wasn't the thing here supposed to be a Dark Dragon?"

Irkalla, who had been watching the Dark Dragon, asked with a puzzled expression.

"See, that's the Dark Dragon."

"That's no Dark Dragon. How could that be a Dark Dragon? It's shining like a firefly in broad daylight—utterly hideous!"

"It's a bit too big and bright for a firefly, though…"

The Dark Dragons in the Dark Dragon Dungeon I knew all ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠devoured light and shone like that.

Of course, there were only five SSS-grade Dark Dragons on the entire planet Earth to begin with, so I couldn't claim to know everything about them based on that.

"Those dragons grow by stealing light and vitality from the monsters respawning in the dungeon and the hunters challenging it to clear. That's why they end up emitting that glow."

"I see… So that's how it is. Dark Dragons from the netherworld originally feed on darkness to grow. Their sleek black scales gleam so elegantly. But since it's been feeding on light instead of darkness, it's twisted into that form."

"So you're saying it's different from the Dark Dragons in the netherworld?"

Irkalla nodded, frowning in disgust.

"Of course. Do you think I'd create something so ugly that steals someone's light to make itself shine?"

"Hmm."

If what Irkalla said was true, this dragon must have absorbed netherworld dark energy before coming to Earth and switched its survival strategy to feeding on light.

It probably couldn't find enough dark energy on Earth to sustain that massive body.

'In that case, maybe I should change my strategy too.'

I'd originally planned to kill the Dark Dragon and wipe this place clean to turn it into a World Tree farm, but hearing about it sparked a better idea.

Thanks to that, I found myself smiling with genuine pleasure for the first time in a while as I scrolled through the skill info for Axis of Backlash - Reverse Terraforming.

With the newly rebuilt Hunter Associations in each country as a base, dungeon raids that had been deliberately left alone until now resumed everywhere.

From the lowest F-grade dungeons to the highest SSS-grade ones still existing on Earth.

Among them, S-grade and above were so difficult that only the top ten or so in the world hunter rankings could challenge them, so arrangements were made for heroes and rankers to handle those.

A-grade and below were being tackled by groups of hunters who had some real power.

Unlike the days when they hunted fellow humans instead of dungeon monsters, there might have been hunters dissatisfied with having to hunt actual monsters and beasts.

But anyone voicing that would be branded a Black Sheep cultist and socially buried, so even if they grumbled inwardly, everyone attacked the dungeons diligently on the surface.

B-grade hunter Patterson was one of them.

Fortunately, he'd jumped ship from the Black Sheep cult early before it completely collapsed, surviving the massive purge operation that followed.

'See? My instincts are spot on.'

When the hero appeared, most cultists boasted that the Black Sheep would crush some puny hero.

But the result was a total defeat.

After the World Hunter Association president declared it a red ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sheep instead of black and the thing went berserk before dying—a spectacle broadcast worldwide—the cultists lost all ground.

The fact that it all happened in an unprecedented week made it even harder for them to accept reality.

Still, Patterson had the knack for riding the wave.

The moment he saw the footage, he bolted to a Gaon of Light temple and registered as a believer.

Above all, he hadn't yet received the so-called "Black Baptism" that cultists underwent, which made it possible.

The Black Baptism was the process of accepting dark energy into the body and reawakening. Early on, it had many side effects, but after over a decade and countless studies, most could now implant it without issues.

Once baptized, you gained immense power and jumped several levels, so hunters joining the cult rushed to get it first.

But with so many applicants, Patterson was still waiting his turn, biding his time eagerly.

If he'd applied for the baptism a bit sooner or slipped a bribe to an impatient parish leader, he'd have been executed like the others by now.

'The spirits of Kalkazaka must have protected me.'

As he sighed in relief, recalling the folk faith his parents had told him about in Australia, he received a summons from the Hunter Association to raid a dungeon.

Refusing would draw unnecessary suspicion to a fresh convert from cultist to Gaon of Light believer.

Patterson gritted his teeth and accepted the draft.

He hadn't liked attacking fellow humans much either, but at least intimidation made it smooth sailing. Now he had to fight real dungeon monsters.

His only experience was catching them as a kid at Hunter Academy, so the gushing blood when stabbed, the rough texture of their hides—all of it felt alien and repulsive.

Even so.

He plastered on a cheerful face and raided dungeons. All to survive.

Today, he was tackling a B-grade dungeon assigned by the Australian Hunter Association with seven party members.

"Let's do our best today too, Patterson."

"Y-yeah… Sure. You too, Maria."

This was his third raid with Maria, so they were somewhat familiar.

Unlike Patterson, Maria Berg had been a Gaon of Light believer from the start and tackled dungeons like it was her life's mission, full of zeal.

Always bright and cheerful—a true follower of the Light—she was even kind to a former cultist like him.

Even so.

Patterson's heart harbored twisted lust more than gratitude.

'If I bring her down and make her mine, I can rise fast even in Gaon of Light.'

Hiding that, he played the perfect gentleman on the surface.

"Alright, boss room soon! ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Everyone, hang in there!"

"Yes, sir!"

The party leader rallied them as they reached the boss room.

While everyone rested, checking gear and potions, Patterson approached Maria.

"You must be tired."

His hand brushed her chest under the pretense of patting her shoulder.

"Eek! What are you doing?!"

"Huh? I was just going to pat your shoulder…"

"I-It's fine. I'm not tired, so please leave me alone."

Maria backed away warily to another spot.

'How dare she… embarrass me like this?'

Sure, he'd done it on purpose, but when called out, it stung.

Patterson decided he'd follow her after the dungeon and force what he wanted.

He was confident he could do it quickly and unnoticed.

His stealth-specialized skills would make it possible.

As he smirked inwardly at the thought, the boss room door opened.

KABOOM!

Crunch.

A massive foot flattened Patterson into a meat patty the moment the room opened.

The stunned party heard a deafening roar for the first time in their lives.

Faced with a boss impossible for a B-grade dungeon, the party gave up and fled that day.

And afterward.

A strange rumor began circulating on what was once called the Black Sheep Net—now Hunter Net.

That SSS-grade bosses searching for their king occasionally appeared in dungeon boss rooms.

The Reverse Terraforming skill had unlocked its level 500 effects, syncing with my recent level-ups.

The fact that it could rewind time for a designated target—not the entire Earth—was incredibly promising.

Until now, even with such an overpowered skill, the backlash from affecting the whole planet made it too risky to use freely.

But now, targeting specifics meant I could wield it without worry.

"Yeah. Designate target: Dark Dragon."

'Hm? So I can select multiple targets?'

I've never seen such a cheat skill. If I can designate multiples, I could wield near-invincible power.

Even if a crowd rushed me, the moment I targeted them with Reverse Terraforming, victory would tilt my way.

'Well, it's not the demon world—crowds ganging up on me are rare anyway.'

On Earth, I could confidently say no human could beat me.

If one existed, they would've appeared in one of my 998 loops.

More importantly, why would I have to play hero and defeat a fake demon king if such a powerhouse was around?

'Gaon of Light chose me because they had no one else.'

With no talent around, and me regressing after offsetting my bad luck, they thought, Perfect.

And I'd proven that choice right.

Vwoooom…

Flash!

Vwoooom…

Flash!

To onlookers, it probably just looked like I was touching the Dark Dragon's body here and there.

That explained Irkalla's baffled look.

"What are you doing? Petting that traitorous Dark Dragon?"

"…No. I'm attacking it. Can't you see my attacks?"

She watched me for a moment, then nodded as if getting it.

"I see. I can tell you're using some power. But it's not something I can wield."

"Really? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠That's surprising."

I kept casting Reverse Terraforming even mid-conversation with Irkalla.

The Dark Dragon, once radiating bright light, began darkening in patches.

And then.

Dazzling scales started peeling off its glowing body one by one, falling to the ground.

I quickly picked one up to check its info.

'Oh ho! World Tree fertilizer in one word!'

I cast Reverse Terraforming wildly, thrilled.