After making sure that every last serpent had stopped moving, Ashan jumped down from the top of the barrier. His boots landed lightly on the scorched stone, which was now littered with charred remains and the faint smell of burnt venom.
He glanced around once, confirming there was no lingering mana reaction, then looked at the scraps of paper still fluttering weakly in the air.
"…Interesting."
For the first time since entering the dungeon, Ashan sounded genuinely impressed.
'Those bombs were more useful than I expected,' he thought. 'If I had infused more chakra into them, the blast radius and impact would've increased even further.'
Behind him, the barrier shimmered and slowly dissolved as Draven lowered his hands. His brows were tightly furrowed, his gaze fixed on the battlefield as if trying to dissect what he had just witnessed.
"…What kind of trick was that?" Draven asked finally.
His voice carried a mix of confusion and disbelief.
"They were just bombs," Ashan replied casually. "Why?"
Draven turned toward him fully now.
"I saw that," he said. "But they were thin sheets of paper. How did something like that explode with such force?"
Ashan tilted his head slightly, as if considering how much he should explain.
"Hm… I see your point," he said after a moment. "Let's just say it's a special technique I developed. It allows me to compress my energy into paper-like mediums. Once they make contact, they detonate."
He smirked faintly. "Pretty cool, right?"
Draven didn't respond immediately. Instead, he stared at Ashan with renewed caution.
'Compressing that much energy into something so fragile… That's not something you can do without absurd control.'
Before anyone could speak further, a familiar mechanical sound echoed inside Ashan's mind.
—--------------------------------------
You killed 1048 Black Fang Serpents
Reward:
System Points - 1048
—--------------------------------------
Ashan clicked his tongue softly.
'So one point per serpent,' he thought. 'If there were more of them, I could've earned even more.'
He turned back toward the corridor ahead, already losing interest in the aftermath.
"Shall we continue?" he said. "We should speed things up. The surroundings are becoming uncomfortable, and the air's getting harder to breathe."
The heat had indeed intensified. The stone walls glowed faintly red now, and every breath carried the sharp scent of sulfur and magma.
From behind, Magnar tapped his fingers together thoughtfully.
"They're about to reach the next section," he said, eyes narrowed. "Which means there's almost certainly a guardian ahead. I wonder what kind of monster it'll be."
Rowan crossed his arms.
"It won't be easy," he said bluntly. "The previous section was already brutal. The next one will be worse."
A sharp grin appeared on his face.
"I'm looking forward to seeing how that masked bastard handles it."
Ashan and the others soon stepped into the next area.
It was a massive hall, easily twice the size of the previous chamber. The ceiling stretched high above, lost in darkness, while the floor opened into a vast square arena.
At its center, a huge magma pond bubbled violently, thick molten waves churning and popping as if something beneath it was breathing.
The heat slammed into them instantly.
"This place…" Eirena murmured, scanning the area. "It's even creepier than the last one."
Her eyes lingered on the magma.
"I have a bad feeling," she added. "The danger is inside that pool."
Sisiliya nodded slowly, her gaze fixed on the bubbling surface.
"I was thinking the same thing," she said. "That magma isn't just environmental, it's hiding something."
Draven adjusted his stance.
"Professor, I agree. We should get our equipment ready."
"No need."
Ashan's voice cut through the tension.
Draven turned sharply.
"What are you saying?" he demanded. "Are you seriously telling us to do nothing if danger appears?"
Ashan looked at him calmly.
"When I agreed to let you all follow me," he said, "I never said we'd fight together."
His eyes swept across the group.
"Technically speaking, you're here to witness this dungeon. Not clear it. So stay back, maintain your defenses, and don't interfere."
His tone hardened slightly.
"I won't let anyone lose a limb because they tried to be heroic."
On the stream, Garrick leaned back in his chair.
"So he really plans to fight alone," he muttered. "Wouldn't it be more efficient if he fought alongside them?"
Sorin sighed softly.
"It's just like before," she said. "When he raided with us, Rowan and I barely did anything. We were just… there."
Inside the dungeon, Sisiliya stepped closer to Draven and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Let him do as he wants," she said quietly. "We'll form a barrier and prepare ourselves inside it. If something goes wrong, we'll intervene."
She looked toward Ashan.
"There's no issue with that, right?"
Ashan nodded once. "That's fine."
Eirena suddenly stepped forward.
"Wait," she said. "You're not planning to fight bare-handed, are you?"
Ashan paused and looked at her.
"…You're right," he admitted. "A weapon is essential."
Eirena studied him carefully.
"But I don't see you holding one," she said. "Hidden weapons?"
Ashan raised his hand above his head.
In the next instant, the gunbai materialized in his grip.
Sisiliya's eyes widened.
"What is that thing..? No, more importantly… how did it appear out of nowhere?"
Draven narrowed his eyes sharply.
"…Space storage?"
Ashan rested the gunbai on his shoulder.
"Yes," he replied. "I have one."
He glanced at Draven. "But why the surprise? You have one too."
Draven froze.
"…How did you know that?" he asked warily. "Only a handful of people know. You seem to know far too much about me."
Ashan grinned.
"Oh, I know quite a lot."
He casually started counting on his fingers.
"Your father is Taronis Ironfall. Your mother is Calithra Ironfall. You awakened at fifteen, right after getting beaten up by your elder sister."
Draven stiffened.
"And as for your current crush…" Ashan continued. "What was her name again? A mage, right? Oh.. yes, she's…"
BOOM.
Chunks of rock ripped themselves out of the ground and surrounded Ashan instantly.
"Don't you dare say another word!" Draven roared. "Say one more thing and I'll fight you instead of the monsters!"
His face was bright red, veins bulging, fury and embarrassment mixing violently.
On the stream, Sorin's eyes widened.
"Draven has a crush!?" she gasped. "That's… shocking."
Garrick covered his mouth, barely hiding a grin.
'It's definitely you,' he thought. 'I've seen the way he looks at you.'
Rowan burst into laughter.
"He awakened after getting beaten by his sister? That's hilarious. If it were me, I'd have died of shame."
Roswayn blinked.
"Oh? Draven has a crush? Is it me?"
Rowan snorted. "Dream on. He'd choose a normal girl over you any day."
Roswayn cracked her knuckles.
"Say that again and I'll remove your head."
Morevan, Dessa, and Magnar merely smiled knowingly.
Back in the dungeon, Ashan raised his hands slightly.
"My apologies," he said lightly. "I was just teasing. Didn't expect you to get this angry."
The rocks fell back to the ground.
Draven turned away with a sharp sigh.
"…I'm done. Do whatever you want."
Ashan chuckled softly.
"Then get to a safe spot and maintain your barrier. I'm moving ahead."
The raiders quickly gathered near the wall as Draven formed a protective barrier around them.
Thud. Thud.
Ashan walked toward the center of the hall.
With each step, the ground shook more violently.
The magma pond began to churn.
Eirena whispered, barely audible.
"…It's coming."