Chapter 86

I prepared myself and set out on the expedition with the hero Lawrence and the others.

Our goal is to retrieve the treasure left behind by the ancient hero.

We are on an uninhabited island at the northernmost part of this world.

At the foot of the mountain deep within the island lies the entrance to the dungeon we are after.

"Indeed! This is the [Seven Dungeons]!"

Lawrence looked at the entrance with shining eyes.

"What are the Seven Dungeons?"

Vivul, who had taken on a human form, asked me.

"In this world, there are seven dungeons that are designated as dangerous, where once a human enters, they are said to never return alive. They are called the [Seven Dungeons]."

"Never return alive!?"

Vivul screamed, eyes wide.

"I didn't know we were going to such a dangerous place!"

"You knew you'd chicken out, didn't you?"

"Of course I would! I'm not staying here! I'm going back!"

Vivul tried to escape, transforming into a dragon.

I stopped time and immobilized him.

"Ah! That's terrible! You're a devil! A demon! A wicked guild master!"

"Stop stalling and let's go."

"O-Okay!"

"No! I'm going back!"

I tied up the crying Vivul and dragged him along as we ventured deeper into the Seven Dungeons.

"Seven Dungeons! I wonder what kind of formidable foes await us! I'm excited!"

"I'm a bit hungry."

"Oh, I have sandwiches."

"Good grief, this isn't a field trip. You need to be more serious."

Lawrence and the others proceeded with very relaxed expressions.

"What are you all so relaxed about? Once you enter, you won't return alive!"

"Don't worry. We have the guild master with us."

"Indeed! With the guild master's eyes, we'll be fine!"

Everyone nodded at the words of Ulgar and Lawrence.

"What makes you so sure?"

"Act has the strongest appraisal eye."

"That's right. He'll guide us safely."

The mage Ira and the healer Luna said with smiles.

"Indeed... I can't imagine him sending Lawrence and the others to a place where they'd die... That's a relief... We'll return alive..."

We walked through the Seven Dungeons.

"It feels more like a regular dungeon."

The exposed ground, the rock walls—just as Vivul said, it had a typical dungeon structure.

"But... there are no enemies in sight."

"Of course. The monsters here are hiding in fear."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"They are intimidated by Lawrence and the others."

"Ah, I see... The hero party is a group of monsters. They all value their lives."

The path continued downward for a long time, and we didn't encounter a single monster.

"So what? I thought it would be something, but it's nothing!"

"Is that so?"

Eventually, we reached a dead end.

"What... is this...?"

It wasn't a dead end in the sense that the path was blocked. Below us was a massive hole.

"This... is even bigger than the hole we saw when we went to the Transcender's place with Act."

"Indeed. And it seems to generate a gravitational field."

"Gravitational field?"

I picked up a stone and lightly threw it into the hole.

The moment it reached the top of the hole, it fell at an incredible speed.

"Due to the strong gravitational field, anything that falls into this hole will plummet at an incredible speed and be smashed into the ground instantly."

"Hmm... I see... So, what do we do now?"

The heroes stared at Vivul.

"Y-You can't be serious...?"

"Alright, everyone, get on Vivul's back."

"No! No way!"

Vivul tried to turn back.

"Ah! I'm stopped again!"

I immobilized him with my eyes, grabbed his legs, and threw him into the hole.

"Ah! Ah!"

In an instant, Vivul was out of sight.

But the next moment, he appeared from below, spreading his wings.

"What if I die!?"

"Alright, everyone, get on Vivul's back."

"O-Okay!"

"Are you listening!?"

"Shut up."

The heroes mounted the dragon. Luna created a barrier to protect us from the gravitational field.

"If I hadn't powered up, I would have been smashed to pieces!"

"Well, well, you're alive, so that's good."

Ira tried to comfort him, but Vivul grumbled.

The dragon slowly descended into the hole.

"By the way, I've been wondering..."

Ulgar, sitting with his spear, asked me.

"Why did the ancient hero hide the treasure in such a remote place? If he was afraid of misuse, he could have just destroyed it."

"Perhaps he left it for future generations to use against evil when it rises again."

"But he didn't have to hide it in such a place."

"What if the hero's treasure fell into the hands of evil? It would be the end of humanity."

"You're right. Impressive, guild master."

It took a whole day to reach the bottom.

"Phew... I'm tired..."

"Good job, Vivul!"

"Thank you, Vivul."

Lawrence and Ira praised the dragon.

"So, is this the end?"

At that moment, something stirred in the darkness. A massive dragon appeared before us.

"Ah! Another Vivul!"

It looked exactly like Vivul in dragon form.

"Perfect. You, defeat it."

"Eh! You're overworking me!"

"Just do it."

"Ugh... This is so unfair..."

Vivul stood before the shadow dragon.

"That monster seems to mimic the appearance and power of its opponent. Vivul, release your power."

"O-Okay... Ugh... Ha!"

Immediately, Vivul's form changed.

He became smaller, but the magic power in his body increased a thousandfold.

"Wow! Amazing! Is this the result of your training?"

"Y-Yeah! I trained under the Transcender... This is the second form of the Evil God Dragon, Vivul!"

The two dragons faced each other. The shadow dragon swung its massive arm at incredible speed.

Vivul took the hit head-on.

"I won't budge!"

Vivul countered, and the shadow dragon's scales shattered, sending it flying like a leaf in the wind.

It crashed into the wall and dissipated into smoke.

"Amazing, Vivul! One-hit KO!"

"O-Oh... I'm stronger than I thought!"

Vivul's face lit up.

"Yay! I'm so strong! I had nothing to fear! Haha!"

"Indeed! Great job, Vivul! Everyone, give him a round of applause!"

The heroes clapped.

"Thank you, thank you! I'm sorry, everyone. I took out the final boss!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Huh?"

I pointed deeper.

"This is the Seven Dungeons."

At the end, there was a massive door, tightly shut.

"Alright! I'll open the door!"

"Wait. Don't."

"It's fine! I can open this heavy door easily!"

Vivul grabbed the door.

"Here goes...!"

In that instant, a fierce heat wave erupted from behind the door.

"Ah!?"

Vivul's massive body, hit by the heat wave, instantly vaporized.

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