[Entering Floor 12 of the Tower of Myth.]
A beautiful snowstorm laced with flower petals welcomed the party.
Nice. Real nice.
My own private SSS-rank flower-viewing paradise. No matter how many times I entered, it always put me in a good mood.
Of course, not everyone felt the same.
"Ughhhh!"
"My bones are freezing!"
The moment we stepped in, Camella and Elia bolted straight for the barrier.
"Momo! Hurry up!"
"Odongtong, come quickly!"
Was it because Momo hadn't made a campfire yet? The two elders called out desperately.
"I'll make the fire for the grandmas first!"
"Don't waste the firewood!"
"No! You'll turn into frozen grandmas!"
"Momo, you go warm up too. We'll handle this and come back."
"Okay! How about hot tomato soup when you return?"
"Niice."
I gave her a thumbs-up. Just imagining it already made me feel warmer.
"Let's go."
We followed behind Darc. As usual, Kancho dived straight into the snow, tunneling around in all directions.
I glanced at Seira walking beside me.
Unlike her usual armor, she'd come in casual clothes today. They were so thin they made me feel cold just looking at her.
"Seira, aren't you cold? I know you're probably not, but you look freezing."
"This is fine. It's refreshing, really."
"How much cold can you handle?"
"Hmm. Hard to say."
After a moment's thought, she pointed at Darc.
"At the very least, I can easily endure that white-haired icicle over there. Perfect weather for shaved ice."
Darc stopped abruptly and turned around.
I swallowed.
Sorry, guys. That one's on me.
"Heh."
Darc swept his gaze up and down Seira, letting out his usual mocking chuckle before continuing as if nothing had happened.
"Master."
"Hm?"
"For some reason, whenever I hear that laugh, my hand twitches. It makes me want to cut him down immediately."
"It is a pretty irritating laugh. But you started it, so hold back."
"I will. I'll beat him again soon enough anyway."
Since ranking up to Epic, Darc had been picking fights with Seira more frequently. If he weren't immortal, he'd have died dozens more times by now.
"Commander. Commander."
Kancho climbed onto my shoulder and lowered his voice.
"Why does Darc keep challenging Seira when he always gets beaten up? Does he… enjoy it?"
He whispered so quietly it tickled my ear. Ever since the pecking order was established, he'd become extremely cautious.
I smiled. It was a reasonable question.
Seira had surpassed Level 200—Legendary rank. Darc had just crossed 120 and become Epic. Level wasn't everything in a fight, but the gap between them was obvious.
To an outsider, it looked like sheer recklessness.
But there was a clear reason behind it.
"He's getting stronger."
I lowered my voice too.
"Does getting beaten up make you stronger?"
"Not for everyone. But for Darc? It works."
Every fight rapidly increased his stats and the level of his unique trait. He knew it, too—that's why he kept charging in despite the gap.
It was a growth method only someone who couldn't truly die could afford.
Kancho clenched his fist with a dramatic expression.
"Then I'll start getting beaten by Seira too!"
"You'll just die. Then you won't be able to manifest for days."
"That's a problem. I can't order delivery in my space."
After thinking hard, Kancho snapped his fingers.
"I'll ask Momo to punch me instead. Odongtong bun-fist doesn't hurt at all!"
"If it doesn't hurt, it's not training."
"…That's true."
"Right? You can get stronger another way."
"There is another way?!"
I pulled a box out of my inventory—the one I'd taken from the Central Hunter Association's director-level vault, along with the two bags.
"It's a gift."
"For me again?!"
His eyes sparkled as his ears perked up.
Kancho eagerly opened the box.
Inside was a small, adorable slingshot.
"I know this! I saw it in a comic!"
"Don't shoot it just anywhere. It's more dangerous than it looks."
I wasn't exaggerating.
[Volkanu the Amplifier's Slingshot / Grade: Legendary / Level Requirement: 100]
Volkanu, an eccentric craftsman who devoted his life to amplifying power.
His research has finally borne fruit.
Burns all of the user's current mana to amplify the projectile loaded into the slingshot.
Amplification scales with mana consumed.
Only objects that fit in the sling may be amplified.
"It's like a finishing move!"
"Exactly. A one-shot killer."
Kancho beamed.
"That's so cool!"
"It scales with total mana, so when we get back, ask Elia to make you some mana potions."
Kancho squeezed his eyes shut.
"This is going to be a painful journey… but I'll drink them for the sake of Commander's gift!"
"Good. Let's get stronger."
"Yes! We must grow stronger!"
Already high-energy, he became even more hyper. He jumped off my shoulder and burrowed into the snow.
Dudududududu!
Like a deranged mole, he tore through the snow beneath us. Every so often, we'd hear a distant "Puhahaha!" that was slightly unsettling.
Yeah… good thing I gave it to him now. If I'd handed it over at the same time as Momo's bag, things would've gotten out of control.
"It's down there."
Darc stopped and pointed over a cliff.
The bottom was pitch black.
Back then, I would've just jumped. But now—
"I'll make stairs."
[Iron Brand.]
From the cliff's edge, iron constructs extended downward, forming a staircase.
The more I used it, the more natural it felt.
"Then let's go down—Seira?"
Darc, Kancho, and I all turned toward her.
She was standing there with her hands slightly outstretched.
A brief silence followed.
Slowly, Seira lowered her arms.
She'd realized.
There was no longer any need to carry me princess-style.
She closed her eyes.
Was this what it felt like?
That bittersweet sensation of a mother bird watching her chick leave the nest.
"Heh."
Darc's mocking chuckle shattered the moment.
Seira's hand moved to her sword hilt.
Yeah. I should kill him.
"Let's go, let's go, let's go."
I quickly hooked my arm around hers before she could draw her blade. Darc and Kancho headed down first.
As we descended side by side, I spoke.
"Thanks, Seira. For fighting with me, protecting me… and even sparring with me every day."
"You are my master. It is only natural."
I smiled.
"Just wait a little longer. I'll grow strong soon enough. One day, I'll be the one protecting you."
She blinked, momentarily stunned, before smiling as well.
To hear that someone would protect her.
It was unfamiliar—almost strange—but it warmed her heart.
It won't be long.
Her gaze drifted to the iron weapons forming the stairs.
Buried Windsor's ability. Iron Brand.
No matter how powerful a skill was, its true potential depended entirely on the user.
Yet I was already wielding it this freely.
It wasn't just my awakened ability that was exceptional.
My talent far surpassed that.
Yes… he is a master worth teaching.
Seira Kinkayton, commander of the Black Knights, slowly nodded.
She was already looking forward to it.
And at the same time, she couldn't quite fathom it.
I absorbed everything thrown at me.
Just how strong would I eventually become?
"We're here. It's inside this cave."
Darc, who'd gone down first, tilted his head toward the entrance.
A faintly ominous aura seeped from within.
Taking a deep breath, I stepped forward.
Please.
Let there be some trace of the Black Dragon inside.
Deep within the cave.
"Damn."
I pressed a hand to my forehead.
A massive footprint marked the ground—bigger than a multi-ton truck.
"Still ridiculously huge."
Darc whistled, looking half incredulous.
Kancho swallowed nervously.
"Just the footprint is over a hundred Yodel-meters long."
Which meant about the length of a hundred Kanzhos.
It was undeniably enormous.
So why did it feel… oddly cute?
"Let's look around. It might've left something behind."
We spread out.
While examining the ground carefully, I looked up.
The ceiling was now covered in ice. According to Darc, it had once been completely open.
So it must have entered from up there.
But why come to a frozen wasteland? It wasn't an ice dragon.
Just as I was scanning the area—
Something in my bag reacted.
The horn I'd taken from Maredo's space.
I tilted my head.
Why now?
Sssssss—!
The moment the thought formed, black smoke poured out again.
A memory.
The horn's owner, in the middle of battle.
But—
"Wait. What?"
The opponent was different this time.
Roaring fiercely ahead was a colossal dragon, towering like a mountain.
I couldn't confirm whether it was the Black Dragon Drakan.
But that didn't matter.
Dragons were calamities made flesh.
Creatures of overwhelming, terrifying power.
And yet, the memory's owner was fighting it one-on-one.
Countless exchanges unfolded before my eyes.
"Holy…"
Even though it was only an image woven from smoke, my palms grew sweaty.
Usually, fighting a dragon meant rainstorms of arrows, magic, and artillery from a safe distance.
Because getting close to one was suicide.
But the memory's owner did the opposite.
No guns. No spells.
Just closing in—strike, dodge, strike again.
Kuuuuuu—
Before long, the fight ended in an unexpected way.
Seizing a split-second opening, the dragon shot into the sky.
Was it about to unleash a breath attack?
No.
It twisted midair and fled.
"What?"
I blinked, stunned.
The dragon had run away.
The smoke dissipated.
So that's it.
Now I understood why the dragon had come to this frozen land.
It had fled here.
And a smile spread across my face.
The horn's owner had crossed blades with a dragon.
Which meant—
We might find the dragon far more easily than expected.
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T/N:
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