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Divine War Demigoddess' Weapon – Gauntlet Form.
BOOOM!
With a swift uppercut from my right arm, I smashed the Forest Wyvern's chin just as it lunged to snap its jaws at me. The creature bit its own tongue and went flying into the ceiling.
CRASH!
Furious, the wyvern hissed, jaws opening wide to unleash a destructive beam of green flames that struck my body and set me ablaze.
"Nnngaaaah!"
I roared, seizing the flames with both hands as I advanced. The wyvern gasped, dropped from the ceiling, and cut off its breath attack—only to swing its wing-claws at me.
CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!
The ground shook with every massive claw that shattered the wooden roots below. I used Shadow Step and Wild Cat's Leap to slip out of range, then smashed the beast's head once more with my gauntlet.
RUMBLE!
"Gryaaaerrrrr!"
Its tail lashed out in rage, hurling me through the air and into the wall.
It hurt, but not enough to stop me. I kicked aside the giant wooden debris blocking my path and watched my team engage the wyvern.
As planned, they targeted the tip of its tail and its eyes.
Veldr clashed with it sword-to-claw, holding the monster at bay despite its lethal strikes.
Ivar charged forward, seized the tail with both hands, and—with the full-strength boost from War Goddess' Rallying Cry—
"HAAAAH!"
He lifted the entire creature and slammed it into the wall. The Forest Wyvern reeled, disoriented and vomiting blood.
At the same time, Ylva bombarded it with fireballs and thunderbolts, slowly chipping through its thick scales.
And as they pressed the assault, I advanced.
"Hey, missed me?!"
"GRAAA?!"
The wyvern's mouth gaped wide. I met its face with a fist, sending the beast hurtling across the dungeon floor and crashing into the opposite wall.
BOOOM!
Its head smoldered as everyone piled on. Veldr's swords severed a wing, Ivar smashed the other into pieces, and Ylva rained fire and thunder across its body.
"GRYYAARRR!"
Unable to fly, the creature snapped desperately while tanking spells and blows with its super-hard scales and wooden hide.
"Hurry up, Brunhild—finish it!" Ylva shouted.
"On it!"
I summoned Shadow Clones again—two this time—and sent them forward. Both grappled the wyvern's long tongue, clamping its jaws shut.
Veldr, Ivar, and Ylva focused everything on its chest—the weak point—slowly cracking through.
But vines, sharp branches, and carnivorous flowers erupted from the wyvern's spirit magic, pressuring them from behind.
I rushed in, chaining Shadow Step with Wild Cat's Leap, then layered Demon Wolf's Claws on top. Fenrir howled, his roar sowing confusion and fear in the beast.
Fenrir sank his fangs into its flesh, tearing open a small wound just wide enough for my weapon.
Without any special technique, I poured every drop of my remaining Spirit Energy and Mana into the Divine Weapon, transforming it into a long spear that pierced straight through the monster's Spirit Heart.
CRAAASH!
"GYYAAAAAHHHHH!"
The wyvern released one final, agonized cry before life faded from its eyes. Its massive body collapsed with a thunderous thud, shaking the wooden floor.
"I-It's done…!" I exhaled in relief.
"Yeah… that wasn't easy," Ivar muttered. "But we pulled it off!"
"Tough as balls," Veldr growled. "How could anyone beat this thing without a monster like you around? Seriously, how are you so damn tough?!"
"Well, I'm just super talented," I teased with a grin. "Got a problem with my God-given gifts, bro?"
"Tsk…" He shrugged. "Whatever. Effort always beats talent."
"Hahaha! Sure, but what if a talented person puts in as much effort as someone talentless—on top of their talent?" I asked, smiling kindly.
His eyes widened. He even started sweating. "What?"
"Nothing," I said. "Anyway—loot time, everyone. Let's see what we got."
We carved open the wyvern's chest and found its shattered Spiritual Heart. Unlike most Spirit Beasts, this one had a true core, a Spiritual Wyvern Heart, nearly on par with a Lesser Dragon Heart.
"It's incredibly valuable," Ylva said, examining it. "Even this fragment could forge an amazing Spiritual Relic—or far more."
"Yeah, we're keeping it," I nodded, storing the heart and the rest of the body in my inventory.
"So it's got red flesh under that wooden skin, huh? Tasty?" Veldr wondered.
"I bet it is. It's basically a dragon," Ivar agreed. "Brunhild… could we…?"
"Hahaha, sure—we'll eat some for dinner," I said. "Alright, any treasure chest spawn?"
"Yes! I saw it!" Ylva called.
"Woof!" Fenrir barked, tail wagging furiously.
I ran to him and found a large wooden chest trimmed with green metal. I opened it quickly while my friends gathered behind me.
"Oh, looks similar to the last one," Ylva noted.
Gold and silver coins again, a couple dozen small nature-, fire-, and light-attribute spirit stones, some mana stones, and—buried at the bottom—the real prize: a dagger.
It was a beautiful green blade of elemental nature-attuned metal, with a spirit-wood handle and golden runes shaped like a wyvern. The dagger itself resembled a wyvern fang.
"I see. This is the Forest Wyvern Fang—a Magic Knife," I explained. "It channels Spirit Energy and can conjure sharp vines, carnivorous plants, or poisonous ones to attack enemies, though it consumes Mana. Obviously very sharp… and poisonous. Great weapon, but it might ruin monster meat if you want to eat afterward. Not that we can't purify it with holy magic anyway."
"Cool!" Ylva said. "So who gets it? You?"
"You did the most," Ivar said immediately.
"I wouldn't mind having it," Veldr added with a confident smile.
"Hmm…" I rubbed my chin. "For now, I'll let you borrow it, Ylva. Veldr, you don't have enough Mana to use it properly. But Ylva, you don't know those spells yet, right? You learn fast, so take it for now. Like the bracelet, though—I'm taking it back later."
"Alright!" Ylva nodded eagerly, accepting the dagger. "Thank you, Brunhild. I really appreciate the spells I'll learn from it—they're already a huge gift."
"Ah, so I can't keep the bracelet?" Ivar asked, looking a little disappointed.
"You'll probably develop an Auto Regeneration Skill after using it long enough," I said. "Once you do, you can return it."
"Oh! Okay!" He brightened. "I had no idea items could help us learn skills."
"Me neither. Where'd you even figure that out?" Veldr asked.
"I just… noticed," I said. "My Fireball, Holy Barrier, everything—I learned them as Skills after using the spells thousands of times through the Fireball Necklace and Holy Scepter. Right now I've got the Goblin Ring equipped. If I use it enough, I might unlock something like 'Swift Movements.' The Winged Boots too—wear them long enough and you could learn Float or Flight… I can't remember which."
"Y-You can learn to fly on your own just from using an item?!" Ylva stared in shock. "I had no idea! That would be so useful!"
"It would, right? But it takes years," I laughed. "So it's not that simple. Anyway—we're done here. Ready for the third stratum and the final boss? It's Tier 5, though. I'm not sure we can handle it."
"Tier 4s like this wyvern are already terrifying. Can we really take on Tier 5s?!" Ivar asked. "Aren't those legendary-level creatures?"
"Yeah," I nodded. "But that's why they drop the best loot, heh."
They exchanged glances. They looked exhausted.
"How about we do it tomorrow?" Ylva suggested. "Let's camp here, eat, rest, then go."
"Ah… sounds good," I agreed.
"Fine by me," Veldr said. "I don't mind facing a Tier 5. You keep bragging about your talent—let's see how real it is."
"Honestly, me too," I said. "But if it's too hard, we bail. I'm not risking everyone's lives. I'll fight it myself first."
"Sounds fair," Ivar nodded. "You're already this strong at eleven. I can't even imagine how powerful you'll be when you're older…"
"Hahaha, yeah—I'm looking forward to that too. I'll use that strength to protect everyone," I smiled.
We set up camp in the sealed boss room. Bosses respawn after a month in-game—about thirty real-life hours—but this wasn't a standard boss, so I wasn't sure. Still, we wouldn't stay longer than thirty hours, and once we replaced the door and sealed it, the room felt surprisingly cozy.
We built a bonfire. With Veldr and Ivar's help, we butchered the Forest Wyvern—taking tender meat from the chest, soft cheek meat from the face, and a huge leg.
We roasted it over high heat. I seasoned it with salt, fruit juices, and aromatic herbs we'd gathered along the way.
While the meat grilled and filled the air with mouthwatering aroma, we also cooked the giant mushrooms we'd harvested below.
The Myconid bodies were edible once purified, so we tried both the Myconid Queen and the Giant Mushrooms. Ylva's three Poison Heal spells easily removed all toxins.
We grilled the giant tree-shaped mushroom into huge steaks and cut the Myconid Queen into smaller pieces for mole and wyvern skewers.
During butchering we discovered the wyvern's blood was sweet and umami—like tree sap mixed with unagi sauce—so we used it as a glaze.
When everything was ready, we were all drooling. We dug in without another word.
"Oooohh! This is amazing!" Ivar—usually so quiet—couldn't hold back. "The meat is so tender?! And this flavor…! Sweet?!"
"What sweet red meat! I've never tasted anything like it," Ylva murmured. "And the mushrooms—hmmm! So chewy and flavorful."
"T-This is incredible…" Even Veldr's eyebrows twitched as he chewed. "I never thought food could be this good."
"And you haven't seen anything yet," I said, lifting the side pot to reveal wyvern meat and Myconid Queen stew made from leftovers. Beside it were wyvern burgers—minced by hand with wild bird eggs Huginn had brought me daily, topped with melted sheep cheese. "Try these!"
"Hmm! We're eating like kings in here, hahaha!" Ylva laughed.
"Ahh… I always get hungry again right after eating, but this is the first time I feel full before finishing," Ivar said.
"Yeah… gotta admit—the monsters in this dungeon make incredible food! Even the mole meat tastes like wild boar," Veldr nodded, draining a cup of wyvern soup. "You're not half bad as a cook, brat."
"Heh, thanks. Let's hit the bed for now," I yawned.
We slept soundly after that. No need for a watch—the powerful barrier and half-awake Fenrir kept us safe. The wolf ate his fill of meat and gnawed happily on a wyvern bone all night.
Morning came quickly. We had a quick breakfast with yesterday's leftovers, then headed to the third stratum.
And once we arrived… everything changed.
"A jungle?!"
"C-Colorful flowers everywhere?"
"What is that thing?!"
The third stratum of the Spirit Root Forest was an entirely new world.
"GROOOAARRR!"
"That is… a tyrannosaurus rex. Well, actually—a Tyranoflower Rex."
And the place was full of dinosaur monsters crowned with vibrant flowers—adorable and terrifying in equal measure.
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Author's Note:
Hello and thank you for reading so far! I am the author PancakesWitch and wanted to say that this is a novel I'm writing with a lot of love. I will publish 5 chapters a week, or sometimes 4.
There will always be an additional chapter on Patreon though, and you can also join it right now to get +21 Advanced Chapters for only $10! The number will keep increasing every week as well!
https://www.patreon.com/pancakeswitch