Chapter 7
Jeon didn't dare look at the old man.
Because everything about the old man was terrifying.
It wasn't simply because he was large in stature, or because his gaze was ferocious.
From the old man, some kind of aura that made people afraid was emitting frightfully.
It felt like standing naked before a massive storm in the desert.
The old man was showing just how wretched a human could become when facing the power of irrepressible Mother Nature.
When Jeon couldn't answer and just trembled, the old man asked again.
“You mute cripple? If you don't tell me your name, I'll make you like a Flame Crocodile.”
“J- Jeon.”
“Jeon? What a crippled name.”
Despite the old man's ridicule, Jeon couldn't retort at all.
Because it felt like if he rashly talked back, the sword that had turned the crocodile into minced meat would be swung at him.
The old man asked again.
“So! Cripple! How did you get into this dungeon? There shouldn't be any more people coming in through the entrance I used.”
“Well...”
“If you stutter one more time, I'll blow your head off.”
“I- I came through an underground tunnel.”
“Tunnel?”
“Yes! I was working at a mana stone mine when an entrance to the dungeon appeared behind a collapsed wall and pulled me in.”
“Keke! Looks like the Snare activated.”
“Snare?”
“Occasionally, there are dungeons whose mana becomes oversaturated and on the verge of exploding. To protect themselves, they create another entrance to release mana externally. That place is precisely a Snare. While releasing mana, it snatches up living creatures.”
“Such a...”
“Keuheuheu! You're a fellow followed by bad luck. Snares are things ordinary people never encounter even once in their entire lives.”
The old man openly scoffed at Jeon's misfortune.
Jeon couldn't offer any rebuttal.
Because just as the old man said, terrible misfortune was following him.
Jeon worked up the courage to ask the old man.
“Who are you? Where is this?”
“My name is Deiodeun.”
“Deiodeun?”
“And from now on, this place will become my hunting ground.”
“Hunting ground?”
“That's right! A hunting ground.”
At the old man, Deiodeun's arrogant words, Jeon's body trembled.
Because he could feel it wasn't mere bluff or nonsense.
The old man's ferocious gaze, the storm-like madness emanating from him—all of it spoke the truth.
It was then.
Fwoosh!
Suddenly, giant crocodiles burst through the lava, revealing themselves.
They were beings called Flame Crocodiles.
The Flame Crocodiles rushed at him with their massive mouths gaping wide.
Even at the knee-buckling sight, Deiodeun smiled.
“Hehehe! Keureion.”
As soon as his words ended, the giant sword embedded in the ground floated gently into the air.
Deiodeun grabbed the sword called Keureion.
Swoosh!
In an instant, sword light burst from Keureion.
The sword light caused concentric waves of energy and spread throughout the entire dungeon.
Jeon's face twisted.
Because his heart was pounding violently.
It wasn't from excitement.
Rather, the emotion he felt was closer to displeasure.
The sword's cry scraped against his nerves ominously.
He wasn't the only one feeling that emotion.
Stimulated by the heart-stimulating sword light, the Flame Crocodiles let out a roar.
Gwarrr!
They weren't the only ones stimulated.
Kwaaah!
From all over the volcanic zone, demon beasts appeared.
From flying-type demon beasts that covered the sky in darkness to giant demon beasts even larger than the Flame Crocodiles, all of them charged toward Deiodeun.
Keureion's sword light had stimulated all the demon beasts existing within the dungeon.
At the unbelievable sight, Jeon couldn't close his gaping mouth.
“Crazy!”
The truly insane thing happened next.
Deiodeun leaped into the midst of the demon beasts, brandishing Keureion.
Shiiiaak!
The Flame Crocodile's massive body was split in two.
The sight of a tough demon beast's flesh being cut away like paper was surreal.
It wasn't just the Flame Crocodiles.
Various unnamed demon beasts were being ruthlessly slashed apart.
Clang! Clang!
Deiodeun was a storm.
The demon beasts were swept away as if caught in a massive storm.
The rivers of lava flowing across the ground, the volcanic ash filling the air—all were swept up by the storm called Deiodeun and scattered in every direction.
“Just what rank could he possibly be?”
It was an unbelievable display of force even with his own eyes watching.
He didn't even seem to be using any skills.
He was simply relying on his raw human strength and the greatsword called Keureion to slaughter the demon beasts.
Before he knew it, the demon beasts' corpses were piled high around Deiodeun.
“Kuhaha!”
Deiodeun's mad laughter echoed through the dungeon.
Covered in the blood and flesh of demon beasts, his appearance swinging Keureion was no longer human at all.
He was something wearing the mask of a human.
Jeon was overwhelmed by Deiodeun's madness.
He couldn't move a single finger, couldn't even breathe deeply.
Thud!
The rhino-like demon beast was the last one.
No more demon beasts stood upon the earth.
Deiodeun had annihilated the army of demon beasts alone. Even so, his breath didn't become the slightest bit rough.
Gulp!
Jeon swallowed dryly without realizing it.
It was then.
Gwaaaaar!
Suddenly, a roar erupted from the peak of the volcano.
The moment he heard the roar, Jeon's mind went hazy.
Barely holding onto his sanity, he saw a gigantic demon beast leaping from the volcano's peak.
The overwhelming presence of the gigantic demon beast that evoked a dragon from mythology left Jeon unable to move.
Deiodeun smiled upon seeing the demon beast.
“You came out. Crimson Drake!”
A gigantic beast wrapped in dark crimson scales.
From head to tail, its length reached thirty meters, and the span of its fully spread wings was even larger.
‘That's not a dragon?’
Jeon shuddered at the presence of the drake, which he had never seen in his life.
His mind grew hazy at the drake's presence, and his legs wobbled.
It was a wonder he hadn't collapsed to the ground.
A blue aura enveloped the Crimson Drake's entire body, incongruous to its nature, as it emerged through the lava.
Demon beasts of B-rank and above possess traits, just like humans.
Crimson—meaning red—signifies that a demon beast possesses the Combat trait.
Conversely, those with a blue field possess the Magic trait. Meaning these things can use magic despite being demon beasts.
The Crimson Drake that had appeared now was a monster of B-rank or higher possessing the Magic trait.
Deiodeun tightened his grip on Keureion and spoke.
“That thing is the final boss of this dungeon.”
Even when facing the dungeon's final boss, there wasn't a hint of apprehension on Deiodeun's face.
Rather, he wore a mad smile, as if enjoying himself.
Jeon simply couldn't understand such a Deiodeun.
He wondered if all high-rank Awakeners carried such madness, or if only madmen could become high-rank Awakeners.
Kuwaaaar!
The Crimson Drake flapped its wings and soared into the air.
Its target was Deiodeun.
The Crimson Drake flew toward Deiodeun at a terrifying speed.
Even before the Crimson Drake had arrived, razor-sharp winds whipped about.
Deiodeun bent his knees slightly and spoke.
“Cripple!”
“Yes?”
“Survive on your own.”
“But that's...”
At that moment, Deiodeun kicked off the ground and soared into the sky.
Boom!
It was astonishing enough that a person was flying through the sky, but a sonic boom erupted as well.
Deiodeun had broken the sound barrier and appeared in front of the Crimson Drake in an instant.
Kwaaaang!
The gigantic demon beast and the tiny human clashed in midair.
The shockwave shook the dungeon to its very foundation.
The quietly flowing lava surged like a tidal wave and splashed in all directions, and the volcano spewed black smoke even more violently.
The corpses of the demon beasts Deiodeun had killed melted into the lava as they were. The protective field that had shielded them from the volcano's heat had disappeared upon their death.
The lava surged toward Jeon as well.
“Damn it!”
Jeon hurriedly moved to avoid the lava. But lava surged toward the spot he had dodged to as well.
At this rate, he felt he too would melt into the lava and disappear without a trace, just like the other demon beasts.
Boom! Crash!
Even at that moment, Deiodeun and the Crimson Drake were fighting fiercely in the air.
The Crimson Drake spewed breath, and Deiodeun swung Keureion to deflect it.
The problem was that the Crimson Drake's breath, deflected by Deiodeun, fell right near Jeon.
Kwa-boom!
Along with the roar of the explosion, lava erupted, and the aftershock was something Jeon had to endure entirely.
“Kgh!”
Jeon flailed about like a madman.
The lava surged so violently, and the situation was so desperate that he couldn't think at all about how to use his ability.
To survive, he had to somehow get far away from where Deiodeun and the Crimson Drake were fighting.
Jeon leaped across the river of lava and ran atop black volcanic rock.
Suddenly, the volcanic rock he stepped on collapsed. Beneath the collapsed rock, crimson lava flowed.
If he fell like this, it would be the end.
“Haah!”
Instinctively, Jeon pulled in the surrounding sand.
Just as he had done to avoid the Flame Crocodile's attack, he created a sand platform.
Jeon ran, creating sand platforms one after another.
As he kept creating sand platforms, his mana was soon depleted. Still, fortunately, before his mana was completely exhausted, he managed to land on solid volcanic rock.
“Hahk! Hahk!”
Jeon fell to his knees on the volcanic rock and gasped for breath.
His heart felt like it would burst, and the smell of blood rose from his lungs.
It was the aftermath of pouring out everything in a single moment.
It was then.
Rumble!
The entire dungeon shook violently.
Jeon turned his head to look at the source and saw that the battle between Deiodeun and the Crimson Drake was reaching its climax.
“It's over.”
With Deiodeun's mad shout, an enormous energy gathered in Keureion.
In Jeon's eyes, Keureion appeared several times larger for an instant.
Deiodeun threw Keureion at the Crimson Drake.
Shwiiigaak!
Keureion flew like a meteor and pierced straight through the Crimson Drake's chest.
Kuaaa!
The Crimson Drake let out a sorrowful scream and crashed down.
Boom!
Its massive body, over thirty meters long, slammed into the lava ground.
Deiodeun descended upon the body of the drake, sprawled out powerlessly.
The Crimson Drake, still not completely dead, gasped and looked up at Deiodeun.
Deiodeun looked down at the Crimson Drake and spoke.
“I've been scouring the desert for a year to catch you. To temper Keureion with your heart... So die gracefully.”
Deiodeun raised Keureion high into the sky and then brought it down straight into the Crimson Drake's heart.
Thud!
Gwarrr!
The Crimson Drake thrashed in agony as its heart was pierced. But its final struggles were too weak.
Keureion embedded in the Crimson Drake's heart was dyed crimson.
Befitting the dungeon's final boss, the Crimson Drake's heart contained an enormous amount of fire-attribute mana.
Keureion was being intensely heated by the Crimson Drake's fire-attribute mana.
It seemed as if it might melt away at this rate.
When the heat reached its peak, Keureion suddenly began to change.
Click! Click!
It disassembled part by part and began reassembling.
The reassembled Keureion had grown larger and sharper.
“Hehe!”
Deiodeun smiled in satisfaction at Keureion's transformation.
The Crimson Drake's heart, having had all its mana stolen by Keureion, lost its light.
The Crimson Drake's corpse also lost its field and withered pathetically.
Then the dungeon began to collapse.
The final boss was the dungeon's core.
Having lost its core, the dungeon couldn't maintain its form and had no choice but to perish.
A dark red portal appeared before the Crimson Drake's corpse.
It was the passage to escape the dungeon.
Just before stepping into the portal, Deiodeun turned his head and looked at Jeon.
“Aren't you coming out? Cripple!”