Morning light filtered through the cavern valley, casting eerie shadows across the jagged rocks. My companions—Vampire Queen, Tamara the Slime Queen, and Yevna the newly evolved Witch—stood beside me, their faces still flushed from the pact we had formed.
The pact had not gone as planned. I had wanted equality, a 50-50 bond. But Lucky Looter twisted fate, binding them as my servants with a rare 100% master-servant pact. My profile panel confirmed it. My catastrophic level had dropped to 3, though I did not understand why. Still, I resolved to manage it.
Their own panels revealed new powers:
- Tamara had evolved into Slime Queen, gaining the ability to summon slimes.
- The Vampire Queen gained Transmuge Bat, allowing her to transform into a swarm of bats.
- Yevna, on the verge of full evolution, unlocked Sagout Slaves, controlling the senses of her minions.
We pressed deeper into Cavern Valley. Burned adventurers stumbled from the shadows, their bodies scarred.
"What happened?" I asked.
One adventurer gasped, "We couldn't even see the monster. When we looked up, it wiped us out instantly."
I nodded. "Thank you for the warning. I will avenge you."
The adventurer frowned. "What are you talking about? I'm not in critical condition. Heal me."
But mercy was not in me anymore. I struck them down, gaining catastrophic points. Yevna summoned their corpses, binding them with her Sagout Slaves to scout ahead. They revealed the truth: a Red Dragon awaited us.
The dragon's voice thundered. "Hero of humans, cheater creature. You will die."
I raised my blade. "I am no longer Hero of humans. I am the future emperor of this world."
We fought. Stones infused with Holy Slash missed their mark. Exhaustion weighed us down. My companions faltered. Yevna poured her full mana into summoning high undead, but the dragon's Hell Fire consumed her.
I cried out, despair gripping me. But in the flames, Yevna evolved—her body glowing with witchcraft. She rose as a Witch, wielding Mana Stealer. She drained the dragon's protective scales, stripping its defense.
Tamara summoned slimes to bind its wings. The Vampire Queen transformed into bats, striking from every angle.
I seized the moment. With bow and arrows infused with Holy Slash, I rained strikes upon the dragon. My golden eye burned, guiding each shot. The dragon roared, collapsing.
Smoke filled the cavern. The dragon's body twisted, reshaping. Its scales cracked, its form shifting.
From the ashes, something new emerged.
The Holy Eye whispered: This is no ordinary beast. The Red Dragon was a guardian. Its death has triggered transformation. What rises now… is closer to Catastrophe.
The smoke cleared. A towering figure stood where the dragon had fallen—its body humanoid, but its aura monstrous, eyes glowing with ancient power.
I tightened my grip on my sword. My companions braced themselves.
"This is only the beginning," I said. "The path to Catastrophe has opened."
Thus, the Red Dragon falls—but transforms into a new guardian, a being tied to the Catastrophe itself. Dransart and his girl friends stand at the threshold of destiny, their pact binding them together as they march toward the center of the world.