Chapter 4 - Not even a god
Question: On a rainy night, if you see a group of black-robed figures secretly following a little girl, what would most people think?
I don't know what others would think.
But Noah's first thought was that this was a typical gang of child traffickers.
When dealing with such people, Noah always followed his personal brand of justice, which was: "What's the point of talking about justice with these fiends? Just attack them all at once!"
This meant: if you can use poison, don't fight fair. If you can attack from a distance, don't engage in close combat. If you can launch a sneak attack, don't fight head-on. If you can overwhelm them with numbers, don't fight alone. In short, do whatever works!
In this situation, however, Noah had no choice but to launch a sneak attack by himself.
Although he'd lost the men in black robes along the way, Noah had cleverly followed the little blonde girl instead.
After watching her cut down monsters with a swordsmanship that even amazed him, he followed her deeper into the Dungeon and, as expected, saw the group of black-robed figures again.
Noah had originally planned to behead the purple-haired man in a single strike, but his target's guards were more alert than he'd expected, and his control over his own weak, collapsing body was severely diminished.
In the end, Noah could only watch as the purple-haired man ducked, dodging his blade.
However, he didn't dodge it completely.
Because the man lowered his head so quickly, the sword that was meant for his neck missed and grazed the top of his head.
The sword's energy swept past, shredding the hood and sending hair flying as the god let out a scream.
The attack had missed, and the opportunity was gone.
Even as Noah wanted to strike again, the guards had already drawn their weapons and were slashing at his back.
In desperation, Noah had to abandon his target and turn to face his new enemies.
Swords and axes flashed, but they all missed the silver-armored figure. At the same time, a sword light glimmered like a ray of moonlight, sliding across the bodies of the guards.
Noah leaped lightly, stepped on a heavy axe that swung past him, and withdrew from the crowd.
When Noah slowly came to a stop and turned around, blood blossomed from the guards' bodies, instantly dyeing the ground scarlet.
The few who were still alive clutched their wounds and cried out in fear.
"This speed and swordsmanship! This is at least a Level 3, maybe even a Level 4 adventurer! None of us are a match for him besides Lord Valletta! Retreat!"
Thanatos, who had fallen to the ground, scrambled to his senses, broke out in a cold sweat, and quickly touched his neck.
Although gods cannot die and are simply sent back to tenkai when their physical bodies are destroyed, being beheaded was still a terrifying prospect.
After confirming his neck was intact and his head was still on his shoulders, Thanatos breathed a sigh of relief.
But then, his vision was obscured by scattered purple hair.
Huh?
Feeling a strange chill on his scalp, Thanatos subconsciously reached up and touched the top of his head. It was completely smooth.
His expression froze, twisting into a mask of ugly, unbridled rage.
"You—! You despicable, back-stabbing mortal! You dared to chop off my precious hair and make me BALD?!"
Facts have proven that no matter how handsome a man is, he cannot pull off a bald look.
Not even a god.
The roar resounded throughout the 12th floor, almost drowning out the monster's own roar. It also attracted danger from the sky, the black Wyvern scanned the area below with its red eyes.
Discovering its target, the Wyvern opened its fang-filled maw and unleashed a huge fireball of terrifying heat.
Dazzling light filled the cavern.
A scorching flash consumed their vision, as if a sun had suddenly appeared in the dim Dungeon.
"Run!"
Two guards drew their magic swords and fired ice magic at the incoming dragon's breath, while the remaining guards ignored Thanatos's fury and dragged him away.
"My god, is this world always so intense?"
Feeling the scorching breath of the dragon, Noah couldn't help but narrow his eyes.
In his old world, this dragon was probably only two tiers below the Demon King.
There were no more than ten beings of that level on the entire continent.
How could he have run into a monster of this caliber so soon after arriving?
Tsk, am I just cannon fodder in this world?
Slightly bewildered, Noah was about to dodge when he saw a silver sphere, a magic prop of some kind, on the ground out of the corner of his eye.
Didn't that thing fall from that purple-haired pervert just now? It must be something good, right?
His body reacted before his mind could fully register the thought. Noah darted forward, snatched the silver ball, and dove behind a rock.
The scorching fireball passed over him by a hair's breadth, so close he could smell the singed blood from his own wounds.
The flames struck the ground, shattering the earth with a loud bang. Then, as the pitch-black Wyvern turned its head, the destructive flames swept across the entire cavern.
But after unleashing its breath, when the Wyvern closed its sparking, fang-filled mouth, it looked around with confusion and surprise.
Its target was gone.
The target called "god," the one whose destruction the Dungeon itself had willed it into existence for, had disappeared.
On the other side, Ais, who had avoided the scorching blast, stood up from behind a slope and stared silently at the scene before her.
Both the dead trees and the living ones had been burned to ash in an instant.
Thick flames licked the cavern's ceiling. On the charred ground where the fire had subsided, large patches of the rock and sand had melted into amber-colored crystal, dotted with lingering orange-red flames, giving it an otherworldly and mysterious beauty.
But Ais had no time to appreciate it, because the Wyvern in the sky had now locked onto her.