I'd entered the worst archmage's password wrong five times in a row? What was this, some shitty smartphone? 'I've only pressed it once so far. Haven't you forgotten the password?'
—No way. No chance I'd forget. It just took a bit to recall it.
—And besides, that message popped up before I even finished entering it properly. Thinking back, yeah, that was right. Right before I could hit the 8 in 0918, the warning beep and orange light had flashed.
'You said it's linked to the dungeon interior, right?'
—Yeah, so... don't tell me... Pellelian let out a sigh like this was utterly ridiculous.
—The rats sneaked in during the commotion.
The dungeon I'd visited last time had already been picked completely clean. All the prime goodies were stolen outright, and now it was just a hands-on exhibit for kids. No way this dungeon, hidden deep in the demon realm, had suffered the same fate...
'It hasn't been looted already, has it? Maybe the password stopped them?' When I tried to console him like that, Pellelian nodded.
—Exactly. They're probably inside right now!
'There was something I saw earlier...' I told him about spotting what looked like a dwarf heading toward the dungeon. Pellelian flew into a rage.
—Why didn't you mention something that important sooner!
'There was no time to say anything.'
—...Fair enough. A three-headed wyvern and a triple-fused golem, with me caught right in the middle—they'd gotten a front-row seat to the chaos. He'd get why there was no chance to speak up.
'So what do we do? How do we unlock this thing?'
—Control it directly from the control room. Input my voice and mana wavelength...
The dungeon control room wouldn't be out here in the open. He was telling me to go inside, past that golem guarding it. Absurd. Unlocking this panel in the first place was supposed to keep us alive against the golem.
'Let's just run and come back later.'
—Can't do that. Pellelian was little more than a soul now, but I could tell his face had gone pale.
—Defense protocol's jumped to level 4. The dungeon's security systems are activating.
So that's what it was. From afar, the stone tower looked unchanged, but who knew what was happening inside.
—If the rats inside get wiped out, no problem. But if they hold out... we're screwed.
'What happens then...?'
—It escalates to defense level 5. The sequence is called... Somehow, I had a feeling I knew without hearing it. Like with the magic stone vault. That dungeon stuffed full of precious stones—Pellelian had rigged it to explode if anyone tried forcing their way in. With his paranoid mindset, this place probably had something similar.
—Incineration. It'll burn everything inside to ash with raging flames, so no one can identify what's there.
'So there is something important in there.'
—Probably... Even if Pellelian himself didn't know exactly what.
In that case, we had to get in quick and shut down the defense protocol. Or the whole dungeon might go up in flames right in front of us.
Kkiiig— Thunder Command's lightning only stalled the golem for a split second. I considered spamming it to buy more time, but held back. I'd be fine, but Isil might not. Plus, burning all my mana for a few extra seconds? No way.
Terung— The golem's armor plating split open, exposing internal heat sinks. A scorching blast of hot air vented out. I could hear the coolant churning inside with a gurgle-gurgle.
—It's prepping hyper-acceleration. That dodge earlier was pure luck. Can't count on it again.
But I wasn't alone. I had allies—well, wyverns—by my side. Wyvern Mom unleashed her destruction beam at max power.
Kwaaakwaaakwa—!
The golem's durability was no joke. It raised a hand to shield its face like blocking blinding sunlight, holding off the beam like damming a stream. It got pushed back and superheated, but that was it.
Still, plenty effective. Hyper-accel needed heat venting—that's why it exposed the sinks and cycled coolant. The beam reheated them, stalling the acceleration.
"Saaak!"
Who knew there was such a brilliant tactic. Time for me to breathe fire too.
Pellelian always nagged that my magic sucked. But honestly, not entirely true. I had a way to supercharge beginner elemental magic.
Borrowing Horn. Or rather, now...
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡Crown of Overcoming Lv1
The evolved skill boosted elemental magic power.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡Beginner Elemental Magic: Fire Lv7 temporarily becomes Intermediate Elemental Magic: Fire Lv1.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡Intermediate Elemental Magic: Fire Lv1
Flames burst from my mouth. Not as scorching or fierce as Isil's hellfire, but way bigger than my usual.
Come on, Isil, recover your mana quick.
Hwarrr— The flames poured onto the golem's exposed heat sinks.
Good, keep it up—overheat and break down...
Terung! But the golem rocketed a punch my way. Being hot stopped hyper-accel, not movement.
I went flying with a Kraaaak!
Wyvern Mom, who'd just fired her beam, swooped to save me. But Chuugota, regaining strength, was faster.
"Shihite!"
She snatched me up gently—not painful, like a tiger carrying her cub. Visually? More like a stork devouring a worm.
'Nooo—!'
Chuugota seemed obsessed with stealing me away. Couldn't fly properly yet, so she just crawled along the ground heedlessly.
"Saaak!"
I yelled for her to stop, but no use. Of course words wouldn't work.
—Try Oborean!
'Huh?'
—You can understand it, right? Oborean.
Come to think of it, pretty amazing. "Shihite" meant "my baby" in Oborean. No clue how old Chuugota was, but she didn't seem that smart. If she'd learned speech through high intelligence, she'd use common tongue like Silverback Akimus or the tarantula goblin—why Oborean?
—Maybe learned it from an Oborean in the past. The language made for humans to communicate with monsters!
Ah, right. But I'm a snake—I can't speak. Best I could do was Saaak! or Shiriit, Kiyaak, Haak!
—Wyverns are monsters too. It should work fine.
'Give me some words to make her stop!'
Even with my language talent, I couldn't freestyle unknown words. I mimicked the ones Pellelian rattled off.
"Shiik ki—"
Meant "stop." Chuugota didn't.
"Kiik, kik!"
"Angry." Told her I was angry, but the mom fleeing danger with her kid didn't stop.
"Ssist, sekehe! Hii chi—"
I spouted random words. Suddenly, Chuugota froze. Reacted to the last one.
"Hii chi—!"
That word halted her. She stopped dead, glancing around wildly. Flames nearly shot from her eyes; a deep grrr rumbled from her throat.
'Thief.' That's what "hii chi" meant in Oborean.
Chuugota was hunting a thief now.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡Ray Lv1
I fired a ray at the golem—not to damage, but to point it out as the thief. No idea why she reacted to "thief," but it worked. She flew into a berserk rage.
"Kweee— Taa—!"
All three heads screamed in unison: 'Give it back—!'
Her massive bulk leaped, slamming into the golem. The obelisk giant toppled with a keel.
Threatening for it too. It emergency-vented coolant for hyper-accel.
Tsssiiiik! Steam billowed ferociously.
Once heat vented, hyper-accel incoming. Whether she sensed it or instinct kicked in, Chuugota countered perfectly.
Point-blank destruction beam. The three heads unleashed without fear of backlash.
Kwaaakwa—!
The freshly cooled sinks reheated. And more—she tore and shook the sturdy golem wildly.
I slipped away in the chaos. Perfect chance while neither noticed me.
"Kkwaak!"
Wyvern Mom eyed me.
"Saaak!"
I shouted: 'Get your kids and run!'
She wasn't my real mom, but she'd cared like one. Thanks—but our bond ended here.
With Seletta, she'd chase me again. I bolted for the dungeon.
Golem and Chuugota were too tangled to notice.
The stone tower up close had an entrance. Or windows? Multiple holes, unclear where they led.
No need to puzzle alone.
—Upper right, that hole up top!
I leaped and slithered in.
* * *
"Hoo, haa." Zanil Peze exhaled raggedly. The leisure on his face had vanished sometime ago. Precisely when the dwarves finally forced the door open. When the trap inevitably triggered.
At first, he thought it was just dried, hardened sand pouring out. He quickly realized it was freeze-dried monster bugs—bedbugs the size of rice grains, preserved that way.
The awakened bedbugs swarmed the dwarves. They screamed unlike themselves.
The bugs' bellies ballooned from red grapes to crimson orbs in seconds. Hundreds, thousands clinging—death was inevitable.
All dwarves dead in a flash. Zanil Peze and Dr. Rovanton survived by sheer luck. Veteran rangers judged and acted fast.
Zanil smashed a special Empire ampule against his forehead. A fishy stench soaked him. Forgetting dignity, he huddled with Dr. Rovanton.
Supposedly unbearable for monsters. It worked—their radius cleared a clean circle amid the bug carpet. Bugs wouldn't approach.
"Slowly... one step at a time."
Rovanton nodded shakily. Bugs scattered like leaves as they stepped.
Lucky—the bloated bugs just sat. Stepping crushed them with a splurt of blood.
"Gotta go in. Effect won't last forever."
"What about out?"
"Fine, got another ampule."
They headed for the open door. Then—
Something popped from thin air.
—Intruders, eh.
One elf. But un-elf-like. An old man. Hooked witch's nose. Scruffy gray beard unbecoming an elf.
His mismatched features? Those eyes stood out. Pitch-black pupils, like a rat skulking in darkness.
Not unimpressive—terrifying. Robes of emperor-grade silk, gold-embroidered runes, ornate jewelry, mage rings.
Unmistakable. Even a century after his prime...
"Re... Reverse Heaven."
Zanil muttered the blasphemous epithet. The continent's top villain, once feared even by the emperor.
—So the rats finally pried open the locked door.
"You're alive!"
The seasoned ranger felt true dread. Reverse Heaven was that kind of being—one word could bring ruin.
—This ain't the storeroom you hoped for...
Turn back. You won't take a single grain of rice.
A warning. Turn back.
Unlike Empire man Zanil, Dr. Rovanton might not grasp Reverse Heaven's terror. Or spotted the oddity in the warning.
Impudently, he reached for Reverse Heaven's robe hem.
Zanil wouldn't be shocked if the doctor turned to ash. But his hand just passed through.
"...An illusion."
"...Ah!"
The sudden Reverse Heaven was just a projection. Zanil felt embarrassed—overreacted in fear?
"Le-let's go in."
Hiding fluster, he stepped forward. Passed through the illusion.
As they tried to proceed.
—No treasures or riches here.
Pellelian's projection kept speaking into the void.
—Just shame, regret, and haunted ghosts...
So turn back.
But no turning back now. Zanil Peze and Dr. Rovanton pressed on, deeper and deeper.
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Read 283 more chapters ahead on NovelDex!
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