Dungeon of Fire - 10

I finally snap back to reality, dazzled by a sudden burst of light.

When did I start using magic?

Though startled and my focus faltering, I quickly regain my composure. I can't stop here! I push the wind, wrapped in flames, toward the monster.

The heat of the fire is not just one kind.

The space turns crimson, and the heat from the light is palpable on exposed surfaces. The room warms as the heat travels along the oval-shaped outer walls, while the powerful wind gradually wears away the soft earthen walls.

The entrance, once sealed, is eroded by the explosion and wind, opening into a large hole.

The dungeon echoes with the sounds of battle and flames, a haunting noise reverberating through the halls. Shortly afterward, the hot wind sweeps through the entire dungeon.

Trying to increase the magic's output and burn everything to the ground as it was, but since this was the first time the spell had been cast, he couldn't gauge the power correctly and quickly ran out of magical energy.

Unable to sustain the wind force, the wind vanished.

The crackling sound of things burning and the smell of searing flesh spread through the air. He felt the pleasant aroma, his hands pressed against the ground.

He looked at the monster, his face drenched in sweat.

But the tsuchinoko monster wasn't burning. It had deliberately shed its flaming scales and was fleeing from the fire. Even its exposed body bore burns.

The monster glared at me fiercely, charging forward with its usual speed.

I couldn't move, overwhelmed by exhaustion.

Yet I wasn't knocked aside. I wasn't alone.

I had managed to shed all the hard scales covering my body. That alone was quite a feat.

The charge was halted by Kenny, and in that opening, Alex swiftly struck from above the neck, followed by another blow from beneath the jaw. Clara then delivered a powerful strike to the crown of the head with her magic bow. All attacks landed precisely on the soft, scale-free flesh, proving highly effective.

With such a barrage, and the cumulative force of repeated strikes, even the mighty monster could not endure any longer.

It collapsed onto the ground, motionless. The demon's eyes turned white, its mouth opened wide, and a torrent of blood poured out.

I finally won! After letting out a triumphant cry, I lay down on my back right there. Clara sat down nearby, leaning against her magic bow.

Kenny continued to keep watch close to Clara.

Alex cautiously approached and confirmed he had finally brought it down. Just to be safe, he severed the last remaining bone connected to the neck.

It's over.

Finally over.

Once again, my remaining stamina is barely enough....But I've gained so much.

Most importantly, magic—never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd be able to activate magic using the wind stone I created myself.

After a brief rest, everyone stood up, weary but beginning to clean up. I left the handling of the monster to Alek and Kenny, while Clara and I searched the space where the creature had been, checking for any remaining monsters or magical stones.

Incidentally, everyone had been hiding behind Kenny's large shield during that scorching wind. I had been so focused on attacking that I hadn't realized how much collateral damage my attacks were causing—when I thought about it later, I realized how reckless it had been.

The room where the monster was located had an egg-shaped form. The monster houses I had encountered prior to arriving here were undoubtedly created by the monster. If that was the case, the area where it had been would likely show a tendency toward fewer magical stones.

Was mining magical stones difficult?...But it wasn't actually difficult at all.

A large fire magic stone was easily discovered. There were bite marks on part of it. Had the monster been eating the magic stone buried here?

As the investigation continued, fire magic stones of various sizes were found exposed on the surface.

When I lightly applied a detection spell, the reaction from the magic stones buried underground was so strong it was almost overwhelming. This means the mining yield could be substantial... It was worth defeating the monster after all.

Just as I was thinking this, I was called over by Alex.

"Please take a look at this. It's what was collected inside the monster's belly."

It was a stone of fire. So the monster had indeed been digging through the ground, searching for the buried magic stone...

We still know nothing about the monster's ecology. Why do these creatures frequently appear in dungeons? Why do they grow so enormous and their combat power increase so dramatically? What do they even eat? This time, we still couldn't figure it out.

Alek held a spherical gem as large as his head, a deep crimson magical stone. When asked about it, he said such gems were often carried by large magical beasts. Apparently, many people keep them as monuments.

Amazingly, I ended up receiving this magical stone. Everyone said they believed I could handle it properly.

After a brief investigation, I secured the magic tri-wheeled device for emergency repairs and gathered only the necessary spoils before leaving the innermost chamber.

On the way back, there was no one anywhere. Our belongings were left behind.

They must have left in a hurry. Something must have happened?

We moved through the unnaturally quiet dungeon. Though our pace was slow, likely from exhaustion, our steps felt light from the victory in battle.

Eventually, the path opened wide, and we emerged from the dungeon.

Outside the dungeon, many people were gathered, watching us. Some faces looked familiar. What on earth was going on?

One of the adventurers watching us suddenly started firing off questions in rapid succession: what had happened deep inside the dungeon, what had become of the serpent-like head behind us, and where had that roaring sound and scorching wind come from?

Before we knew it, we’d been surrounded. We began explaining what had happened, step by step.

In the end, after sharing many details and giving a thorough explanation to the guild staff to prove we’d defeated the monster, we spent the night right at the dungeon’s entrance.

Even though we were already exhausted, we were bombarded with questions about the battle—how it went, what methods we used, and so on. Since we’d had some alcohol, I might have said things I shouldn’t have. I fell asleep quickly and don’t remember much.

The next day, I returned slowly to the empire, clutching my heavy head. Having just come from a warm cave, the winter road felt strangely cold.

Even though I hadn’t been gone for long, stepping through the capital’s gates felt like returning after a long absence.

After arriving back in the capital, I immediately went to the guild. It seemed the news had already spread by swift messenger, as I was quickly summoned to a room resembling a meeting hall.

In the end, the guild only required me to sign a contract proving I’d cleared the dungeon. Exactly who would develop it or how it would be handled still remained undecided. For the foreseeable future, I’d likely be buried in tedious paperwork.

I was pondering what to do next, but it seemed our reputation as dungeon conquerors had already spread far and wide—people kept approaching us, and we ended up seeking others out ourselves, making things unexpectedly busy.

It took me about two weeks to regain my composure. But I did manage to gather three significant rewards. Let me start by looking back at the first one.