First, Arthur raised his arm and summoned the Boosted Gear.
The emerald core ignited.
A massive pillar of roaring flames erupted around his body, spiraling upward like a dragon awakening from slumber. The fire twisted violently, devouring the space around him as draconic pressure flooded the rest area. The polished stone beneath his feet cracked under the sudden surge of power.
[Welsh Dragon Balance Breaker!!!]
The flames condensed inward, compressing with terrifying force before exploding outward once more. When the inferno finally subsided, Arthur stood at its center.
Red plate armor completely encased his body, layered and interlocked like the scales of an ancient beast. Emerald jewels were embedded throughout the armor, pulsing with power, while golden spikes jutted outward along his shoulders, arms, and legs. A massive pair of dragon wings unfurled from his back, stretching wide enough to scrape the walls, and a long, armored tail swayed behind him with controlled weight.
Before Arthur could even take a breath, the system reacted.
["Multi-Source Dragon Heart (Incomplete)" is reacting with the "Boosted Gear" Balance Breaker.]
[Due to the inherent properties of your ability, a change is occurring.]
[The transformation time limit has been removed.]
Arthur's eyes widened slightly.
[Your species will temporarily change to Dragon (Overgeared).]
[You have temporarily gained the "Dragon Breath" ability.]
[You have temporarily gained the "Dragon Eyes" ability.]
[Your current source (Anti-Magic) is causing changes in the transformation.]
The armor shifted.
The bulky draconic frame compressed, plates realigning with unnatural smoothness. The red scales darkened rapidly, swallowing light until they became an abyssal black. The emerald jewels dulled, then reignited—this time glowing a deep, blood-red hue that pulsed in rhythm with his heartbeat.
The golden spikes remained, but those along the helmet dissolved away as two massive black horns emerged, curving backward from his skull. Cracks spread across them, veins of crimson light glowing from within like molten magma barely contained.
[You have obtained the Balance Breaker mutation:
"Abyss Dragon Scale Armor."]
Silence followed.
Then—
"Young wielder… No."
Ddraig's voice echoed from the central jewel, heavy with disbelief.
"Arthur… what is this?"
Arthur flexed his armored fingers, feeling the responsiveness of the armor as if it were an extension of his own body.
"The Balance Breaker mutated because of my abilities," he replied calmly, though even he hadn't fully anticipated the scale of the change.
Ddraig let out a low, rumbling breath.
"In all my existence, I have seen Sacred Gears evolve, synchronize, and even reject their wielders… but this."
The dragon paused.
"A Longinus mutating because of its host's power source… This should not be possible."
Arthur tilted his head slightly.
"Anti-Magic doesn't obey the same rules."
Ddraig laughed deeply.
"It seems I was still underestimating you, Arthur."
After a brief pause, the dragon continued more seriously.
"Despite the mutation, the core functions of the Balance Breaker remain intact. Enhancement, amplification, and draconic authority are still available."
Arthur nodded.
"Good."
He raised his arm.
"Boost."
Once.
Twice.
Ten times.
Fifteen.
Power surged violently through his body, but unlike before, the strain was controlled, distributed evenly through both his human and dragon hearts. He gathered the amplified energy into his palm, compressing it into a dense sphere of Anti-Magic before hurling it at the wall.
The impact created a massive fissure that spiderwebbed outward—before the dungeon repaired itself instantly, the stone flowing back into place as if nothing had happened.
Next, Arthur inhaled deeply.
His lungs burned as energy condensed inside him, pressure building to a dangerous threshold. When he exhaled—
A torrent of blackened dragon fire erupted from his mouth.
The flames were darker than ordinary fire, laced with crimson sparks and Anti-Magic distortion. Half the chamber was swallowed by the inferno before it dispersed, leaving behind warped air and scorched stone.
Arthur slowly lowered his head.
"…That's hotter than I expected."
For hours, he tested his limits.
Flight maneuvers.
Enhancement stacking.
Anti-Magic integration.
Dragon Breath modulation.
In the end, the results were clear.
Thirty enhancements could be sustained safely.
Forty were possible—but only at the cost of severe backlash.
With that level of power, Arthur knew one thing for certain.
"I can fight Maou-class demons head-on."
Satisfied, he dismissed the armor. The black scales dissolved into embers, the horns receding as his body returned to normal.
Ddraig remained silent for a moment.
"…Arthur," the dragon finally said. "You are no longer merely a wielder."
Arthur smiled faintly.
"I know."
Without hesitation, he stepped forward.
Once everything was checked, he entered the next floor of the dungeon.
He found himself once again inside the dark cave.
The oppressive silence pressed against his senses, thick and suffocating. Arthur immediately activated both of his eyes at full capacity, allowing no blind spots, no margin for error. This place was designed to punish complacency.
He moved forward carefully.
The moment his foot touched uneven stone, Instinct triggered.
An arrow was already in the air.
Arthur didn't think. He knew.
He ducked at the exact angle required, Anti-Magic flaring across his skin as the projectile screamed past his head. The instant the arrow missed, Instinct screamed again.
Left.
Arthur twisted his torso just as a massive sword cleaved through the space his neck had occupied a heartbeat earlier. The blade scraped sparks from the stone wall as it passed.
Two enemies.
A swordsman and an archer.
And they were working together.
Arthur shifted his stance, weight low. He stepped in to strike the swordsman—
Too late.
An arrow tore through the air, aimed directly at his shoulder. Arthur abandoned the attack and twisted away just as the swordsman lunged, blade flashing toward his throat.
Arthur vanished.
Shunpo carried him behind the archer in a burst of speed. His fist was already cocked, ready to end it—
Danger.
A dagger flew toward his chest from an impossible angle.
Arthur snapped his leg up and kicked it aside midair, metal ringing sharply through the cavern. But the delay cost him.
The archer blurred and reappeared several meters away, using a movement technique eerily similar to Shunpo.
Arthur's eyes narrowed.
"So even skeletons know how to counter mobility techniques."
The swordsman stepped between him and the archer, blade already in motion. The slash came from the side, forcing Arthur to evade—except an arrow followed immediately, perfectly placed to cut off his escape route.
They were predicting him.
Arthur made a split-second decision.
He didn't dodge.
Instead, he stepped forward and struck the sword.
All his strength went into a single blow, Anti-Magic flaring violently as his fist collided with the blade. The impact sent a shockwave through the cavern. The sword was forced upward, the skeleton's guard completely shattered.
Before the creature could recover—
"Noble Art: Fist of the Lightning God."
Arthur's left fist drove straight into the skeleton's chest.
Lightning exploded outward.
Its ribcage shattered, spine snapping apart as the energy tore through its body. The skeleton collapsed into lifeless fragments before it even hit the ground.
Arthur didn't stop.
Shunpo.
He appeared beside the archer, swept its legs out from under it, and brought his fist down onto its skull. Bone cracked. The red flames in its eyes flickered and died.
Silence returned.
Arthur exhaled slowly and scanned the area, ensuring both enemies were truly dead before moving on.
He advanced deeper into the cave.
A sharp fluctuation in mana rippled through the air.
Instinct screamed.
A bright light surged toward him at incredible speed.
A massive fireball filled the corridor, heat distorting the air as it rushed forward.
Arthur didn't even brace.
The moment it touched his aura, the spell unraveled completely, dispersing into harmless embers.
"If it's a mage," he muttered, "then this won't be difficult."
Shunpo carried him forward in a single step.
He appeared directly in front of a black skeleton clutching a wooden staff in one hand and a spellbook in the other.
The mage reacted instantly, launching a barrage of ice spikes while raising a layered barrier.
Arthur walked through the ice without slowing down, shards shattering against his Anti-Magic. He raised his hand.
A black lightning bolt erupted from his palm.
The barrier collapsed as if it had never existed. Electricity surged through the skeleton's frame, reducing it to scorched fragments in seconds.
Arthur crouched and examined the remains.
The staff was ruined, its enchantments burned out completely. He discarded it without hesitation. The book, however, remained intact.
He flipped through a few pages.
"…I'll read this later."
The tome vanished into his inventory.
Straightening up, Arthur looked ahead.
The cave stretched onward, darker and more oppressive than before.
He rolled his shoulders and continued walking forward.
The dungeon clearly wasn't done testing him yet.