025. The Three-Headed Dragon 1
In the central region of the Gana Continent.
"Huff... huff... huff..."
Two knights in black armor fled as if their hearts might burst. They were members of the Black Wolf Division's 7th Knight Squad, who had escaped from Shobe Cave. On their way back to Plentel Castle, they encountered the enemy Red Knight Division closing in around the central continent.
Their breaths came in ragged gasps that felt like they might stop at any moment, but they kept running. Red Knight Division soldiers in crimson armor were hot on their heels. If captured, they wouldn't die cleanly—that much was certain. The enemy would interrogate them endlessly about the whereabouts of the dwarves and children, and their leader, Bin.
Torture without end awaited.
Even as they ran, the red knights' mad shouts echoed behind them.
"Black Wolf scum! Running like rats!"
"Let's see how long that flickering candle of a reputation lasts! Haha!"
The pursuing Red Knights hurled long spears at the Black Wolf knights.
Whoosh—Thud!Clang!Clang!
The spears missed narrowly, embedding in the ground and blocking their path. The Black Wolf knights' breathing grew even more frantic, but they couldn't stop. They sprinted on.
"Huff... huff huff..."
"D-Damn it..."
That was when it happened, as the two Black Wolf knights pushed themselves to the limit.
Swish.
Two cards flew toward them. In an instant, the cards embedded in their legs.
"Urk..."
"Agh...!"
With short cries of agony, they collapsed on the spot.
Drip. Drip.
As blood poured from their legs, a figure appeared before the fallen knights. It was Gangble Grander, tall and sneering.
"Kkkk."
The Black Wolf knights tried to bite their tongues at the sight of him, but Gangble swiftly crumpled several cards in his hand and shoved them into their mouths.
Shove.
It was to prevent suicide.
"Who'd have thought I'd end up as the Black Wolves' lifesaver one day? Guess I should charge for it."
Their mouths stuffed with crumpled cards, the Black Wolf knights could only make muffled noises.
"Mmph..."
"Mmgh..."
Gangble smirked at their blackened faces.
"Don't worry too much. I'll handle you with care. Just come along nicely. Kkkk."
With a sinister smile, Gangble pulled out a card and wedged it under one knight's fingernail.
It slipped right between nail and flesh.
"Mmph...!"
The Black Wolf knight grimaced and threw his head back.
"Every time you don't answer, I'll pull out a nail. Just a taste first."
Gangble lifted the card digging into the nail bed. Infused with mana from a 3rd Class knight like him, the card was harder than most blades.
The nail couldn't hold and popped up vertically.
Snap!
It dangled loosely now, ready to fall at any moment.
The knight's eyes bulged red with pain as he groaned.
"Mmph...!"
Muffled by the cards, his scream wasn't loud, but his flushed face told the tale of his suffering.
Gangble grinned with sadistic pleasure at the knight's torment.
"Where's the one who took down the kids and Tenka?"
* * *
Meanwhile, in Sector B of the Royal Tomb.
A eerie blue glow permeated the air here. Rectangular marble slabs lined the floor and walls.
Bin scanned the empty space as he passed through the passage. From his previous life, he knew the layout well—riddled with countless traps.
Though vacant, he examined his surroundings closely.
"One should be showing up about now..."
His instincts were spot on. As he eyed the area suspiciously, the marble floor sank beneath him.
He'd anticipated the trap and leaped back easily.
Thud.
But it didn't end there. The slab he'd stepped on gave way, and panels in the walls slid open, revealing a barrage of arrows.
Soon, a volley filled the air, raining down on Bin.
"...!"
Swish swish—
The arrows sliced through the air toward him. But Bin wasn't one to just stand there.
'Can't let this hit me.'
He swiftly drew Shabest and slammed it into the floor.
Thud!
An ice wall as tall as him sprang up, blocking the arrows.
Ting ting tink...!Ting!Ting...!
Bin's eyes widened at the sight of countless arrows embedding halfway into the sturdy ice.
"The Royal Tomb's defenses are on another level, huh?"
Ordinary arrows would have bounced off, but these had pierced halfway through—testament to their power. A direct hit would punch through flesh and bone alike.
"Even ancient arrows like these... insane performance."
Bin wasn't the only one stunned by the arrows' destructive force. Codic, at his belt, was speechless too.
'Didn't expect this much...'
Without Shabest, he'd have thrown himself in the way. But seeing arrows pierce such solid ice changed his mind. Even his perfectly spherical skull might get scratched.
Codic sighed in relief unwittingly.
'Phew...'
But they didn't know—this was just the beginning.
Bin stepped on another slab. The surroundings shook, and massive boulders began falling from the ceiling.
"What the—?!"
The rocks filled the space, accelerating as they dropped. Bin dodged into the gap left by the sunken slab, then sealed the empty space with an ice wall to prevent more from falling.
Ting!Crunch crunch.
Moments later, the boulders rolled away down the incline. Bin emerged, sighing in relief.
"Phew."
Without his memories from regression, he'd never have passed so easily.
* * *
Another passage in Sector B of the Royal Tomb.
Webs blanketed every direction like a dense net. Too tight for even a rabbit to squeeze through.
Bin eyed the thick webs.
'Makes sense—no one's come this way in ages.'
Rumors swirled about the Royal Tomb: dig it up and curse yourself, get trapped forever, and so on. No wonder it was overgrown with webs.
But unlike others, Bin knew the truth from his past life.
'All just nonsense.'
He lowered his gaze to meet Codic's, nodding toward the webs.
"Yes, my liege!"
Codic got it instantly, as always. He opened his mouth and fired a crystal.
"Gyaaak!"
Plop. Plop.
The sharp crystals sliced through the webs like fragile strands of hair.
* * *
Free of the webs, a scorching heat prickled their skin.
This trial featured a sea of boiling lava on the floor. Worse, no visible path led across.
"..."
An absurd setup.
'Can't fly, so impassable?'
As the thought crossed his mind, Codic faced the bizarre space.
Clack!Clack!
"What fool set up this nonsense...?"
Codic had every right to complain. After all that hardship to reach here, this was the obstacle? It was infuriating.
Bin, meanwhile, rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"...Something's off."
Someone had passed this way before regression—without special powers. The surroundings felt suspicious.
Scanning around, Bin spotted something odd: hot steam rising from the lava, veering sideways at a certain height. Invisible to the eye, but something was there.
"Let's check it out."
Grabbing a crystal from Codic's mouth, Bin skipped it across like a stone.
Thud!
It hit a solid object and bounced back. Something occupied the unseen space—confirmed.
Bin smirked.
"Knew it."
As he'd guessed, the path existed; it was just invisible.
To cross, Bin used Codic to tap the floor.
Thud!Thud!
A clear, wooden clack echoed.
"...?!"
His head bumping the floor left Codic with an unsettled feeling.
But Bin ignored it, tapping away.
Thud!Thud!Thud!Thud!
The crisp sounds cleared Codic's cluttered mind, like a meditative chime repeating.
"Ah, what does it matter this way or that..."
Thanks to Codic's "efforts," they crossed the trap unscathed.
* * *
Deeper in the Royal Tomb, Sector C.
A massive tomb loomed like a small mountain. Grinding teeth echoed from it.
"Grrr. Grind."
A house-sized beast resembling a Western dragon. Its teeth alone dwarfed a man's.
Another grinding came from beside it.
"Grrr. Crunch!"
Not one, but two more heads.
It was Cerberian, a 2nd Class monster with three heads—an apex predator that could wipe out a count's house.
The monster Bin sought, yet Bin was nowhere in sight. Only Gustr hesitated visibly.
"Grrrk."
Gustr flinched instinctively at the teeth-grinding.
Still, he approached Cerberian cautiously. Thankfully, it didn't wake.
Then something eye-catching appeared in Gustr's hand: just Codic's head.
'This one's skeleton is something else.'
Codic sensed from afar that Cerberian was no pushover.
'Hand over a fang to my liege, nice and easy.'
With that, Codic's head grew, mouth yawning wide. Bin emerged from within.
To handle the human-sensitive Cerberian, Bin had used his head.
Eyes gleaming at the sleeping beast, Bin thought:
'Gleipnir now...'
Fangs were the goal, so he'd chosen accordingly—for crafting the supreme weapon, Luminare.
As Bin moved to loop Gleipnir around Cerberian's neck—
Squeak. Squeak.
A rat appeared out of nowhere, squeaking.
Flash!
One head snapped awake, glaring at Bin with reptilian eyes—needle-sharp pupils pinning him.
In that instant—
Shing!
Bin smirked, drawing Shabest swiftly.
"Yeah, come at me like that—makes claiming you worthwhile."
The crystal-like blade surged toward the neck.
Slash!