Chapter 10: Breakthrough

When talking about the strongest species in the Demon World, the first one to be mentioned were the dragons.

The dragons, king of all beasts and flying animals, were different from other species since the time of their birth. The dragon’s skin and leather were the finest armour and the intimidation and power that came from the dragon’s gigantic body were stronger than any other monster’s.

Just based on their body, they were the best species, but dragons also had powerful magic. Unlike other species that had to learn magic, a dragon learnt magic as naturally as breathing. It was said that dragons themselves were magic as they were born in magic and life.

Therefore, the dragon species was the strongest species. When talking about the average strength of a dragon, there was no species in the Demon World that surpassed it.

However, it was the sura, not dragons, who were called the strongest combat species in the Demon World.

The sura had fewer numbers.

They were born like the dragons and were no different from the other species.

However, among them, there were monsters that destroyed the limits.

Demon King Mitra.

Undeniably, he was the strongest presence in the Demon World.

Additionally, there was the elder sura who brought him up.

Before the demon king, Mitra, there was Ishgard who represented the previous era.

Not all sura were strong, unlike the dragons.

However, there were those among them who truly transcended the limits and that was why they were called the strongest combat species.

&

After finishing his order, In-gong left the smithy and sighed as soon as he reached his carriage. It was due to the excitement of the two people with him.

“Please calm down.”

Carack’s eyes were shining and it was the first time he had seen the usually calm orc like this. Meanwhile, the excited Karma was almost breathless.

Karma took deep breaths after In-gong’s words, but her face was still red. Panting slightly, she asked,

“Does the Sword Duke feel some favor toward Prince?”

Sword Duke Ishgard.

The walking legend who had many stories about him. He was one of the demon king’s teachers and the strongest of the sura until the demon king came along.

The fact that he was called the ‘Sword Duke’ explained what he was:

The Demon World’s best swordsman. In the Demon World, there was a legend that there was nothing he couldn’t cut with his sword.

It had been more than 20 years since he entered retirement, yet there were still many who remembered his name and legends, just like Carack and Karma in front of him.

The Sword Duke Ishgard had sent a gift to In-gong. Additionally, it was dragon leather and scales.

They weren’t things that could be sent easily, even for the Sword Duke. Dragon leather and scales were the finest materials that were hard to find in the Demon World.

“It is really reassuring if the Sword Duke is behind Prince.”

Carack said with a laugh while Karma nodded enthusiastically.

“Well, I hope so.”

It wouldn’t be too bad to have outside support. In this situation, if the sura were behind him, he wouldn’t be jealous of the others who had the support of their mother’s side.

However, he wondered why it had happened so suddenly. It was virtually impossible to receive the support of the sura in Knight Saga. In-gong wouldn’t have been surprised if it was from his mother’s family.

This was uncommon, so doubts were raised in the midst of his joy.

‘Is it just because the demon king showed interest?’

That was the simplest reason and, at the same time, it was also a good reason. It was true that the demon king was showing an unprecedented interest in In-gong.

It shouldn’t be surprising that Ishgard, the demon king’s master, showed interest in In-gong too.

Additionally, in retrospect, it wasn’t the same as receiving the sura’s whole support. Sword Duke Ishgard was just expressing a private interest. If so, anything could happen.

‘Ah, I don’t know. Anyway, it is good.’

Although it was confusing because it hadn’t happened in Knight Saga, it wasn’t strange if he looked at the reasons. So, it was good.

Moreover, this gift had been sent privately, so he wouldn’t receive any unnecessary attention from the other royal children.

“Shouldn’t you go and say thank you?”

“I’ll have to prepare.”

The problem was that no one knew where the Sword Duke lived. There were rumours after his retirement but no specific residence was ever revealed. The gift was sent to the smithy, so he didn’t have a way to say thank you or to give him a note.

‘If he is really interested, he will contact me again.’

In-gong organized his thoughts and turned his attention to something else.

‘Gandharva.’

He wondered what they were doing.

‘I have to investigate.’

He couldn’t ask Felicia, but he could use Carack in many ways. If Carack asked Daphne or Delia while saying it was his personal interest, In-gong could get some answers.

After reviewing all these considerations, In-gong took a deep breath and relaxed his posture. He wanted to soothe his weary mind and body.

‘I’m really looking forward to it.’

Greaves made of dragon leather and scales… they would turn out better than he had first imagined.

‘Won’t it be at least a B rank?’

No, it might be A rank.

In-gong smiled widely, followed by Carack and Karma. Green Wind felt isolated from the three people and thought of the praise she would receive after they returned. Naturally, all three of them would join in.

&

After returning to the mansion by carriage, In-gong headed immediately to the drawing room. He heard from Flora that Felicia had arrived.

He opened the door of the drawing room to see Felicia and Delia elegantly drinking tea.

Felicia nodded to In-gong and asked him,

“Did something good happen?”

“No, it is nothing.”

In-gong erased the wide smile from his face and sat down on the opposite side of Felicia, while Carack took a seat next to In-gong. Karma was about to stand but took courage from the fact that both Carack and Delia were sitting down and sat down in a corner.

Once everyone was seated, Felicia put down her cup and said,

“Delia has been doing research, but there isn’t much more information than what you should have heard from the Merits Department. It is best to just be thoroughly prepared before entering.”

The intermediate general, Kashubal, had been poisoned by toxic gases that leaked from underground and died.

It was hard to find out much more information from the Demon King’s Palace. In-gong nodded and Felicia leaned closer to him.

“Shutra, how much do you know about the Thunderdoom Fortress?”

It was a quiet voice. In-gong quickly realized why Felicia was acting like this. He had pretended not to know about ruins while finding the Thunder Light Anvil. She was curious if he was once again an expert on these ruins.

‘Having the same hobby is always valuable.’

In-gong gave a short laugh as he shrugged and replied,

“Aren’t they the dwarves that fought dragons?”

“Huh? What does that mean? Fight a dragon? Didn’t the dwarves guard Enkidu’s treasures?”

Carack asked with wide eyes. Previously, Delia would have thought Carack was rude. However, now, Delia and Felicia just stared at Carack curiously.

“There are many dwarves. The Dwarf Kingdom, where Thunderdoom Fortress is, fought to defend their cities and treasures from dragons. In fact, they even knocked down a few dragons.”

Carack’s eyes widened even further at In-gong’s answer and declared with astonishment,

“K-killed dragons?”

He couldn’t believe it. In-gong was confused but Felicia instantly knew why Carack was reacting like this. She laughed and said,

“Carack, dragons are different from elder dragons. You can even call them different species altogether. It isn’t easy but dragons can be killed.”

Carack had seen the illusion of the Great Enkidu given by the Thunder Light Anvil. It was natural to be surprised if he thought that a dragon was the same as an elder dragon.

“Oh… Then Princess is also able to catch a dragon?”

Carack’s eyes shone as Felicia turned her gaze elsewhere. She covered her mouth with her fan and said in a low voice,

“Well, given enough time and budget…”

“She can’t catch it.”

“Shutra, I hate you.”

Felicia complained cutely while Delia and Karma both laughed.

After crushing Felicia’s pride, In-gong explained to Carack.

“It isn’t common to fight dragons. They aren’t elder dragons, but they are huge and excellent at magic. The Dwarf Kingdom, including Thunderdoom Fortress, was eventually destroyed fighting the dragons.”

“Huh, still, they are a manly race. I’ll have to see the dwarves again.”

He was burning with a strong fighting spirit.

Like Carack said, they were indeed a manly species.

‘Thus, they were destroyed.’

In-gong swallowed the bittersweet tea that Flora served him.

Likewise, Felicia drank the tea before speaking again.

“Among the fortresses in the Dwarf Kingdom, the Thunderdoom Fortress is quite powerful. The name has been mentioned several times in Dwarf Kingdom-related artifacts. If we can excavate it properly, it will be a really big jackpot.”

Felicia’s eyes burned ambitiously and it was the same for In-gong.

‘Yes, it definitely is a big jackpot.’

Thunderdoom Fortress, one of the so-called honey pot dungeons of Knight Saga…

The fortress’ location hadn’t been known for a long time because the battle with the dragons had buried all the walls, including the entrance.

The dwarves hadn’t been prepared for migration, so many high quality items, gold and silver were piled up inside the fortress.

It was a difficult dungeon but the rewards were high.

Moreover, it had more value to In-gong now than it had in Knight Saga.

‘The dragon slayer series of weapons.’

The dwarves of Thunderdoom Fortress had been experts in fighting dragons. They fought against the dragons until the end, so many in the army specialized in killing dragons.

Among them, the dragon slayers were special. They used special weapons that were deadly to dragons.

Zephyr had the blood of a dragon and a dragon humanoid. Assuming that he would face Zephyr one day, Thunderdoom Fortress was a place that he absolutely had to conquer.

‘I might also have to fight with Locke.’

Locke, the brave warrior who had the soul of a dragon… Similarly, the dragon slayer weapons were like a special drug.

It was a little bit strange, but it was also to protect himself. In-gong himself was a dragon humanoid. He would collect all weapons that could harm him in advance. In fact, he had done so when he played Zephyr.

‘If I can’t get into Thunderdoom Fortress, Chris and Silvan will end up carrying dragon slayer weapons.’

In-gong nodded as he kept his thoughts to himself and Felicia smiled brightly.

The following afternoon:

After collecting the Dragon Scale Greaves from the smithy, In-gong’s party left the Demon King’s Palace.

Their destination was Thunderdoom Fortress.

[Dragon Scale Greaves] [A Rank] [Fire Resistance Lv3 Fire Absorption Lv3] [Strength +5/ Agility increased by 10/ Feet damage increased by 5%] [Greaves made of the leather and scales of a red dragon. Made from the leather of a red dragon that deals with fire, it not only boasts a strong fire resistance but can also absorb fire. The more fire you absorb, the more damage your feet will do.] [Special Skill: Fire Strengthening] [Every time the level of Fire Strengthening increases by one, your feet damage will rise by 5%. (Maximum level five – in the absence of no additional fire absorption, this level can be maintained for five minutes. After five minutes, the level is reduced back to level 0.)]

In-gong checked the greaves as he sat in the carriage headed to Thunderdoom Fortress.

After slowly reading the long sentences that popped up in the air, In-gong gave a delighted smile and attached the greaves to his shins.

“This is good.”

It was really good. The strength stat was a little weak for an A rank, but the increase in agility was beautiful. 10% was excellent. It meant that the ratio would keep increasing the more levels In-gong gained.

This alone was enough to make In-gong satisfied, but the greaves also had a special skill built into it.

‘Red dragon leather.’

Fortunately, the greaves weren’t red. Was it closer to a blackish red colour? The red dragons in Knight Saga were strange because most of them had a leather colour that was close to the primary colour, so In-gong was quite fortunate.

‘The fire can be recharged with Fire Arrow.’

It would be considerably hard work, but training would increase the level of Fire Arrow.

In-gong rubbed the greaves and imagined himself dealing a burning kick. Green Wind whispered to In-gong.

‘Master, I am much better than the greaves.’

As it could cause problems, In-gong had already explained earlier to Felicia about the greaves as a green light emerged from White Eagle.

In-gong continued staring at the greaves and said,

“You aren’t White Eagle.”

‘It can be said that I am already one with White Eagle. White Eagle is excellent, so I am excellent.’

In-gong thought it was a strange logic. The translucent Green Wind sat on White Eagle and looked at him with discontent.

In-gong sighed without realising it.

“At first, I thought it was pretty cool, like something sacred.”

‘Master?’

“No, you are the best.”

In-gong touched White Eagle with the same hand he used to touch the greaves.

‘Uhh, I feel bad again. Continue.’

Green Wind closed her eyes as he kept stroking her head.

Felicia, who was watching In-gong converse, gawked at White Eagle.

“Are you talking to Green Wind?”

“Yes, she is a little jealous.”

‘It isn’t jealousy. I just told the truth.’

In-gong gently stroked her head a little bit more and Green Wind fell silent. As her mood subsided, the green light coming from White Eagle became more subdued.

Felicia asked,

“Can we see her like you do?”

“It might be possible.”

Green Wind’s power was recovering quite fast after staying in White Eagle. Maybe it would soon be safe to materialize.

“How about Karma?”

Karma, who was sitting in a corner of the wagon, replied to In-gong in a distracted voice.

“I feel like I don’t want to see her.”

She wanted to see Green Wind, who was the guardian of Enger Plains, but felt like all her worshipful feelings would fly away.

“I understand.”

Carack clicked his tongue and lay a hand on Karma’s shoulder.

Felicia laughed and asked In-gong another question,

“Is that the new armour?”

“I like it. Moving in it doesn’t feel uncomfortable.”

It wasn’t the Dragon Scale Greaves, but it was a pretty good piece of leather armour he had bought from the Demon King’s Palace.

It was Rank B. The leather armour itself wasn’t light, but the weight reduction magic made him feel like he was wearing clothes. He also liked the magic that increased his stamina by 10%.

‘There is a variety of resistance properties.’

By default, there was resistance to fire, ice and lightning. It wasn’t as much as the Dragon Scale Greaves but it would reduce the damage of magic by quite a bit.

Felicia suddenly looked In-gong up and down.

“Aren’t you really well armed?”

The enchanted leather armour that he took from the armoury of the Demon King’s Palace.

The greaves made from the leather and scales of a red dragon.

The magic shield White Eagle that contained Green Wind.

Earth Quaker that had already proven its power several times.

The Tears of a Dark Elf that boasted absolute defense against mind magic…

“Yes. Don’t I just need a helmet now?”

In-gong responded playfully but his thoughts were completely different.

‘Not yet.’

In-gong and Green Wind were the only ones aware that Earth Quaker and White Eagle both belonged to elder dragons.

In-gong was thinking of collecting all four remaining equipment of the elder dragons in the future and he wasn’t satisfied with only one accessory.

‘I’ll have to wear everything I can, including bracelets and earrings.’

He didn’t have any slot limits like in a game.

‘That would suck.’

A king should be properly fitted with items.

He also planned to increase Carack and Karma’s combat power with items.

In-gong’s eyes burned with ambition.

On the other hand, Felicia knew of the materials that formed the Dragon Scale Greaves and she was looking at them.

She might be congratulating him or feeling jealous, but Felicia had a strong will as a ‘dark elf’. In-gong didn’t receive any support from his mother’s side, so she was glad that he was being helped by the sura’s side.

Moreover, it was a secret from Daphne and Delia as he had only told Felicia.

Felicia tapped her fan against her cheeks before bringing up a new topic.

“I will go over something before we arrive.”

Naturally, everyone’s gaze moved toward Felicia. She stared at In-gong and explained,

“Shutra, you should know that there are two main ways of attacking dungeons. It is to push in with high numbers or breakthrough with a few elites.”

The first method was truly ignorant and cruel. As arrows were fired on the battlefield, they would literally push their troops into the body of the trap.

It was impossible for Felicia, who cared about her people, to use this method.

“It is obvious but we will breakthrough with a small number. The members will be limited to the people in this carriage.”

Felicia pointed to Delia who was sitting next to her.

“Delia will take the role of the guide. She had treasure hunter occupation, so she is good at discovering and disassembling traps.”

In a RPG, it would be the role of a thief.

After using Delia as an example, Felicia pointed to everyone in the carriage.

“Daphne will take the role of recovery and raise the abilities of the group, while I will take the role of support in the back. Shutra and Carack will protect us.”

“Understood.”

“Leave it to me.”

“And…”

Felicia glanced over at Karma. Karma was waiting for Felicia’s words with a look of anticipation.

Felicia thought about Karma’s role for a bit before declaring.

“I’ll ask you to protect Daphne. Stay by her side.”

“I understand. I’ll work hard.”

Felicia finished distributing the roles and looked at In-gong again.

“The Thunderdoom Fortress hasn’t been properly revealed yet. General Kushbak died in the tunnel connecting the mine to the fortress, so any excavation work has been suspended.”

In other words, it meant there was almost no progress in the excavation.

“There isn’t a time limit, so we don’t have to hurry. This is essential for the strategy.”

Felicia glanced at Delia who pulled out a long bag from under her seat. She opened the lid and revealed several small oxygen masks made of black leather.

“What is this? Is it for that reason?”

Carack blinked with surprise and Felicia laughed as she took out a mask. It completely covered her nose and mouth like an emergency oxygen mask.

“It is a tool to block the toxic gases inside the mine. It has a detoxifying effect, so gases won’t be a problem if you wear it.”

Felicia pointed to the box and Carack carefully raised a mask to his face. Despite Carack’s face being completely larger than Felicia’s, it was possible to cover his nose and mouth with the mask.

Delia smiled at Carack before looking at In-gong.

“The official cause of death for Kashubal is being trapped and poisoned with toxic gases, but there are likely to be other things inside the fortress. I’ve made a list of things that we are likely to encounter near the fortress.”

Delia’s report had pictures and explanations for each creature.

In-gong already knew the names and weakness of the creatures that appeared in Thunderdoom, but the report was a type of confirmation.

‘It is similar.’

In-gong further explained the general weakness and strategies to be used against the monsters appearing in Thunderdoom Fortress. He could use the excuse of reading it in a book but no one questioned him.

Some time passed…

And the carriage stopped moving.

&

The mine that was connected to Thunderdoom was virtually abandoned due to the toxic gases coming from underground.

General Kashubal had died here, so it was difficult for anyone to approach.

‘Why did that happen?’

Were the toxic gases more serious than he had thought?

In-gong was the representative of this mission but he didn’t have to deal with everything. Felicia handled the remaining forces of the 27th expedition still stationed her, while Delia invested General Kashubal once again.

In-gong left it to the experts and retired to his accommodation to rest.

And the next morning.

Felicia finished explaining to the local caretakers and the 27th expedition about the general excavation plan and explained that dark elves were scheduled to visit later. Then she headed to In-gong who was waiting to enter the mine.

“Let’s go.”

Unlike her normal exposed clothes, Felicia wore leather clothes similar to Shutra and the mask. There were many pockets in her clothes so they seemed to be dungeon exploration clothes.

The party entered the mine, with Delia in the lead holding a light. It was a straight path so there was no need for a local guide.

The fact that the toxic gases were thick and reached their waists made him think that it was a result of many experiments.

Thanks to the masks prepared by Felicia, they could breathe easily.

But Felicia was still alert. Instead of going deeper, she made Delia move forward and experimented with the stability of the masks near the entrance.

After walking down a gentle slope for approximately 50 metres, a huge hole was revealed. It was the entrance connected to Thunderdoom Fortress.

Delia looked at In-gong and Felicia once before entering the hole. At first, it seemed to be a cramped cave but then a large space appeared.

“I think it is over there.”

In the midst of the dense fog made of poisonous gases, Felicia pointed to a hole that was far away.

In-gong checked the mini-map and nodded. Thunderdoom Fortress were definitely beyond that hole.

The destination was right in front of them so the footsteps of the party quickened. And just as they were half-way across the space.

Carack abruptly stopped moving. Delia, who was leading, grabbed her chest like it was painful while Karma and Daphne leaned forward and gasped for breath.

Felicia was the fastest to respond to this simultaneous collapse. She opened her arms and cast a spell.

“The wind!”

The wind around Felicia pushed away the heavy toxic gases. However, it was useless. The gas returned before Felicia could cast another spell and she sat down with a moan.

Then the toxic gases suddenly changed. No, a new toxic gas was added to the existing ones.

Delia couldn’t endure it any longer and fell down. Karma grabbed Daphne and sat down while Carack fell to his knees.

The toxic gas filling the area changed from grey to dark yellow. And while the toxic gases were changing, bodies emerged.

Their arms were long and their hands were in a bent posture. Yellow eyes shone in the darkness as their bodies were all black.

There were six of them. One of them watched the party collapsed on the ground and raised his hand. The other five started to move at the same time. Their hands were all holding bone daggers.

And the moment that the first man reached Delia.

Kwang!

A white aura exploded among the yellow poisonous gas. The white aura had a green trail as it moved.

Kakakang!

Two of them fell to the ground with a sharp noise. White Eagle struck their heads in succession while In-gong moved.

By the time White Eagle had a new goal, In-gong had already reached the fourth person. Rather than letting the man open his mouth to scream, In-gong delivered a sharp uppercut.

The man crashed into the ground. There were two remaining. White Eagle took care of one of them. In-gong moved towards the man who raised his hand in the beginning. It was an explosive movement caused by Divine Beast Authority.

“H-how?”

The one person left was astonished. Five of his men had collapsed in a matter of seconds.

Even the intermediate general of the Demon King’s Palace lost his combat strength and died from this. Yet there was someone who moved freely through the poison!

“It is because I am the protagonist.”

[Protagonist Body Lv2] [Additional effects: Hundred Poisons Resistance Lv1.] [Poison resistance is greatly increased.]

In-gong’s fist struck his face.

Generally, being marked with hundreds or thousands had the connotation of ‘many.’

It wasn’t a skill that blocked a hundred types of poisons like the name implied. It was a skill that allowed the person to survive by increasing resistance to poisons.

In-gong took down the final man.

It was impossible for him to completely invalidate the poison using Hundred Poisons Resistance. His fingers were shaking and his breathing was becoming difficult.

“Cure Poison.”

In-gong used the magic on himself. It was a recovery spell he had acquired when he used an absurd excuse on Felicia.

Unlike Fire Arrow and Heal, he didn’t have much opportunity to use Cure Poison, so it was only level one. However, it worked quite well. Maybe it was due to his high magic control.

In-gong’s breathing calmed down. He was curious about the identities of those who had attacked, but it was more important to secure the safety of the party.

“Green Wind.”

Once In-gong called, White Eagle flew through the air and landed on his left arm. It was at that moment.

“Kiaack!”

The man in front of In-gong rolled over and opened his mouth. An ugly sound emerged from him.

‘Master?’

The ground convulsed. No, it was the ceiling. In-gong realized that the roof was starting to fall.

Magic? Explosion? A sign to other enemies hiding? Or was it just a coincidence?

It didn’t matter the reason. In-gong turned his head and saw that the entrance was starting to fall. He reached out to Felicia and Delia who were lying on the ground.

“Green Wind!”

The meaning of his words was obvious. White Eagle flew away from In-gong’s left arm and spread out the white metal wings to increase the defense range. In that state, it flew towards Carack, Karma and Daphne and stayed above their heads.

Then In-gong ran. He held Felicia and Delia in one hand each and ran toward the hole leading to Thunderdoom Fortress. He threw the two people as hard as he could when he reached the end.

Felicia and Delia rolled like broken marionettes and disappeared into the hole. The height of the hole wasn’t too high, so In-gong turned around straight away. Stones had already started to drop all over the place.

‘Master!’

Green Wind shouted. A huge rock was shaking on top of White Eagle. If it fell off White Eagle, it would crush everyone at once.

‘Dragon Blood!’

In-gong activated the power hurriedly. As the distance compressed, the force at which he pushed off almost crushed the floor.

Concentration.

The change in the flow of time was relative. In-gong saw another falling rock and made another leap. He urgently gathered aura on his fist and made it explode!

Kwang!

The rock on top of White Eagle shattered completely. However, it wasn’t over. The rock broke into pieces and scattered randomly due to the explosion. Some of them fell toward Carack’s and Karma’s head, but White Eagle moved and blocked them properly.

As soon as he landed on the ground, In-gong reached out again. The entrance was already blocked by rocks. The shaking of the ceiling was increasing.

In-gong grabbed Karma and Daphne. He left Carack behind as he sped toward the hole.

‘Master!’

Green Wind called out to In-gong. There wasn’t time for another return trip.

In-gong didn’t stop. Rather than going back to save Carack, he threw Karma and Daphne into the hole and shouted while raising his left arm.

“Green Wind!”

It was a command to return. Green Wind was shocked as she flew above Carack but couldn’t resist. She shot across the rocks and returned to In-gong.

‘Master!’

In-gong ignored her call that was filled with disappointment and anger and turned toward the hole. Then he cried out once again,

“Carack!”

The King’s Knights- Call!

Carack jumped across the space. He appeared in the air in front of In-gong and fell to the ground. The height of the hole was higher than he thought, but the shock wasn’t great because he had Carack as a cushion.

In-gong rolled again and raised his body. Then there was a huge roar like it had been waiting.

Kwakakakakakang!

He knew just by the sound. It wasn’t a simple collapse. It was intense enough to completely collapse the connection between the mine and Thunderdoom Fortress.

In-gong breathed out roughly. The hole he just passed through was completely blocked. If he had been even a few seconds late, both In-gong and Carack would have lost their lives.

‘Master, are you okay?’

‘I’m sorry. I thought badly of you.’

In-gong nodded a few times before raising his left arm to White Eagle. He avoided the collapse but the poison still remained. He had to hurry and use first aid.

In-gong gathered the lighting devices of his party members to make the surroundings brighter. Carack was the heaviest and the most difficult one to move.

‘I have to treat Felicia first.’

Felicia knew detoxification magic, so it was the most reasonable choice. In-gong used Cure Poison and removed Felicia’s mask. The air inside the fortress was murky but there were no problems with toxic gases.

“Once again, Cure Poison.”

The level of Cure Poison was low, so he had to use it more than once. In-gong used Cure Potion three times before pulling out potions from his inventory. They were all received as rewards for his merit level.

In-gong opened Felicia’s mouth and poured a stamina recovery potion inside. He didn’t wait for an effect and opened an awakening potion.

As the name suggested, it was a potion that restored the consciousness. It was best to wake up naturally, but he had no time to wait. In-gong apologized to Felicia before pouring the awakening potion in.

“Keook!”

Felicia’s eyes flashed open as she sat forward. It was so painful that she frowned and tried to hold back the nausea.

In-gong patted Felicia’s back and asked,

“Noona, are you okay? Do you feel strange?”

“Sh-utra?”

Felicia gazed at In-gong with half-hooded eyes. Due to the stimulus effect of the awakening potion, her mind wasn’t completely back.

However, In-gong couldn’t afford to let Felicia recover naturally. He quickly told Felicia who was still catching her breath.

“Everybody is poisoned. We have to hurry and treat them.”

Felicia looked at the people next to her and understood the situation. She stretched out and laughed.

“You are relentless.”

“Sorry.”

Felicia cast a magic spell on Carack who was closest, while In-gong headed toward Karma who was lying at the very end.

It was really a struggle. After using the detoxification magic and making their drink potions, In-gong confirmed that everyone was okay and collapsed on the ground where Felicia was already sitting.

Felicia lay down and watched Carack.

“Carack has a lot of injuries. There isn’t anything serious but… his abdomen isn’t good.”

In-gong looked at Carack. His body was scratched from the rocks and there was something on his abdomen that looked like a footprint.

In-gong was reminded of the moment he landed on top of Carack and nodded.

“Yes.”

‘Master?’

Green Wind asked with censure in her voice but In-gong once again didn’t reply.

Felicia raised her upper body forcefully and asked In-gong,

“What happened?”

She had no memories after falling due to the toxic gas. In-gong explained as briefly as possible.

Six monsters appeared after the group collapsed.

A massive cave-in had occurred when one of them screamed.

Felicia touched her forehead like it was sore.

In-gong lied that the reason for his resistance to the toxic gas was White Repair, but she ignored it because now wasn’t the time to consider it.

There was something else more important to Felicia.

“They are all dead?”

“Unfortunately.”

In-gong hadn’t killed them because there was no time and he also wanted to interrogate them.

Yet they had died due to the cave-in. He didn’t know if the scream had caused the collapse or if it was just a signal to cause the collapse, but they were dead.

The last man had thrown away his life to kill In-gong’s party.

“Those guys killed General Kashubal?”

“It is most likely.

An intermediate general of the Demon King’s Palace wasn’t invincible. He was resistant to poison thanks to the strong body of a draconian but that only lasted to a certain extent.

‘Moreover… It might not have been the same as us.’

Frankly speaking, the black unidentified people that appeared had been too weak. It was possible that other people had appeared to take care of General Kashubal.

This time, In-gong was the one who asked a question.

“Do you have any guesses on who they are?”

“There is no basis, so I can’t guess.”

The identities of those people. Why did they attack people from the Demon King’s Palace twice?

In-gong was reminded of Balkarova who he encountered on Enger Plains. Just like the six men, Balkarova was a monster that didn’t appear in Knight Saga.

What was going on? Was there a third power that hadn’t appeared in Knight Saga?

If they did exist, what benefits would they get from this? Interfering with attempts to excavate Thunderdoom Fortress? Or some other purpose?

Felicia sighed for a long time. She spoke to In-gong while her eyes remained closed.

“Shutra, you are in charge of this mission. I will follow your decision. We now have three paths.”

The road back was blocked and the group was now in the fortress. In-gong also came up with three ways.

“First of all, we just wait here.”

That wasn’t good. The outside didn’t know about the circumstances of In-gong’s party. Right now, there was a possibility of giving up due to the cave-in. Even if they pierced through, it would require some time.

“Secondly, go to the entrance of Thunderdoom Fortress.”

This was also dismissed.

The entrance to Thunderdoom Fortress had collapsed completely. Machines were required to get rid of the huge stacks of rocks in front of the entrance.

In Knight Saga, they had started digging at the entrance and entered Thunderdoom Fortress using it. However, In-gong’s party entered through this passage connected to the mine, so of course the entrance remained tightly sealed.

“Thirdly, pierce into the very centre of Thunderdoom Fortress and gain control of it.”

It was a dwarf fortress, so it was likely that a transfer formation existed. It was like the portal they had found in the dwarf cave in the Jishuka Mountains as well as the dungeon where the Thunder Light Anvil had been, which Felicia had discovered after the battle with the Red Lightning tribe was over.

‘Yes, definitely.’

Moreover, there would be more than one way to get out if they reached the center.

Although the method and timing was different, Thunderdoom Fortress was still Thunderdoom Fortress. In-gong said with a lively smile,

“As always, isn’t the third option the best?”

“Perhaps.”

There would be third parties, dungeon guardians and various traps inside the fortress, but even so, they couldn’t just sit here and wait for help to come.

“Then let’s prepare to move.”

If a crowd of people came to investigate the noise, they would most likely run to this place.

In-gong stood up and reached out to Felicia, who laughed and grabbed In-gong’s hand.

It was different from planned, but it was time to break into Thunderdoom Fortress.

&

“My stomach hurts.”

Many things were necessary to break into a dungeon.

There needed to be a sufficient amount of food, water, weapons, trap detection and the combat power to defeat the dungeon guardians and monsters.

Additionally, there was one thing that was easy to overlook, even though it was very important.

Securing the right lighting.

The dungeons were dark. Most dungeons were underground and of course, they didn’t even have windows for sunlight to come through. Many dungeons had lighting devices or torches installed, but there were large gaps between the installed devices.

Thunderdoom Fortress was dark. It had been hundreds of years since the dwarves lived in the fortress, so having magic lights pour from the ceiling… that was already in the past.

As a specialist in ruins exploration, Felicia had prepared quite a few lighting fixtures. There were shining rods that could be called small flashlights while Delia at the front and Carack at the end were given glowing fist-sized stones. It emitted a very strong light that was able to stretch out 10 meters in every direction.

Currently, the only thing missing for the party was a sufficient amount of food and water. They hadn’t brought a lot of food because they were going to come back after getting a glimpse of the fortress.

“My stomach hurts.”

Carack caressed his belly as he sat down. In-gong was paying attention to Green Wind and replied vaguely,

“Aren’t you just hungry?”

“Uhh, I am also hungry.”

It had been three hours since they broke into Thunderdoom Fortress. They had been walking around for two hours despite being exhausted by the awakening potion.

Thunderdoom Fortress was big. It was a fortified city, not a mere fortress like the place where the Thunder Light Anvil was hidden, so the scale was really great.

‘But it is a range that can be explored in a day.’

Thunderdoom Fortress was a place built by digging into the mountains. There were various traps, monsters and dungeon guardians, but they should be able to explore from beginning to end in a few hours.

For the past two hours, In-gong’s party had encountered two trap rooms and two groups of dungeon monsters. If there was one attribute about it being a fortified city, it was the fact that the traps were less meaningful.

After all, this was a place where people lived. The more traps that were laid, the harder it was to live.

‘Fortunately, we haven’t met anyone else.’

He wondered about the questionable people in the fortress.

In-gong checked the minimized mini-map once again. In-gong’s group was currently located at the back of the Thunderdoom Fortress.

He hadn’t memorized all the dungeon maps that appeared in Knight Saga.

However, if he remembered the important points, the story would be different.

‘If I go straight, there will be a turning point.’

Indeed, there were two paths leading to the control room of Thunderdoom Fortress. One way was short but was a literal trap field, while the other path took a long time because it passed through the settlements but had few traps.

“Your Highness, do you really not need to draw a map?”

Daphne asked carefully from a corner where she was drinking a mana potion. She had no experience in dungeon exploration, but she was well aware of the important of cartography when exploring a dungeon.

However, nobody was making a map despite the fact that they were exploring a strange dungeon. She was forced to feel uneasy.

However, unlike Daphne, everyone else had relaxed expressions. In-gong nodded and said,

“Yes, don’t worry because everything is in my head.”

She became more uneasy after hearing him speak so confidently.

Felicia said with a smile,

“It might seem ridiculous, but it is the truth. I don’t know about other things, but you can trust him regarding maps.”

“You don’t know about other things?”

Felicia shrugged and giggled at In-gong’s incredulous question.

“Anyway, it is a waste. I wanted to investigate properly.”

Right now, the party was just advancing unconditionally. They walked passed the everyday products of dwarf life as well as the art and architectural style. Felicia was interested in ruins, so it was very regrettable for her.

“Well, you can come back later.”

“Even so. I didn’t think that it would be like this.”

She had expected some difficulties, but she had never imagined that they would be attacked and trapped inside the fortress.

Carack nodded.

“Well, that’s right. Things turned out like this. Prince always ends up getting caught up in something unexpected.”

“Yes.”

It really seemed like it.

The swamp mammoths had shown up unexpectedly with the Red Lightning tribe while monsters with purple aura had appeared in the casios subjugation. It was also true for their reconnaissance of the northern part of the Enger Plains. They had been surrounded by monsters unexpectedly and had been almost killed.

It wasn’t just the missions that were unexpected. Both of his court gatherings weren’t common.

In-gong recalled everything that had happened in the past. The translucent Green Wind appeared above White Eagle and asked,

‘Master, is it really like that?’

In-gong laughed bitterly instead of answering. Even though it was true, he didn’t like it being brought up like this.

‘Are these things due to Protagonist Correction?’

In-gong unwittingly opened the skill window to check.

“But… we were able to handle the unexpected events thanks to Your Highness. I would already be dead if it wasn’t for Your Highness.”

In-gong wasn’t just the cause. They were able to resolve the unexpected situations thanks to In-gong.

Delia said so with a smile and Felicia nodded in agreement, with Daphne and Karma following suit.

In-gong looked at Delia with a touched expression before turning his gaze towards Carack and Green Wind.

“My stomach hurts.”

‘I am always on Master’s side.’

In-gong couldn’t help laughing at the both of them. It was at that moment…

The darkness vanished in an instant. Bright light poured from the ceiling, not only the room where In-gong’s party was but all over the fortress. This was followed by sharp sirens.

Carack, Daphne and Kama sprang up at the sudden change. In-gong, Felicia and Delia were also astonished but the three people thought of something else.

Lights turned on and emergency sirens started ringing. It was a situation that would happen in a fortress or a city, not a small dungeon. Additionally, this situation didn’t happen very often.

It occurred when the most important facility in the ruin was attacked or when a guardian, with a rank that could affect the entire ruin, was attacked.

In-gong and Felicia looked at each other. It was obvious that they both had the same thoughts.

Someone was attacking the dungeon.

They had just arrived at the most important facility or had started a battle with the highest ranked dungeon guardian.

It must be the people who attacked In-gong’s party.

‘The purpose of those guys was to capture Thunderdoom Fortress?’

Did they ambush General Kashubal and In-gong’s party so that their fortress attack wouldn’t be hindered?

It was plausible, although he wasn’t certain.

General Kashubal had died a fortnight ago. If so, they had at least a fortnight to attack Thunderdoom Fortress.

Then why did they wait until now?

It wouldn’t have taken so long unless they were looking in every room and exploring the fortress like Felicia wanted to do.

There was something more. It was clear there was something that In-gong didn’t know about.

‘And that is their purpose.’

What if their goal wasn’t to capture the fortress but to find something? Perhaps they were after the dragon slayer series of weapons, like In-gong?

‘Ascalon.’

It was the most powerful dragon slayer weapon sleeping in Thunderdoom Fortress. In-gong absolutely had to get his hands on it in this mission.

In-gong finished organizing his thoughts. He couldn’t sit still while those people were acting.

“Shutra.”

Felicia looked at In-gong. Once again, it was clear that she was thinking the same thing as In-gong.

“Breaking through with force.”

Felicia nodded at In-gong’s words. Delia was also prepared to fight as she put away all the lighting devices.

In-gong glanced around the party and quickly commanded,

“Carack, raise your shield and lead the way. Just keep running forward. Karma will bring Daphne. Felicia noona and Delia will defend the sides.”

Until now, they had dismantled the traps one by one, but it would be different now.

Breaking through the traps. They had to do this despite the risks to their bodies.

Carack couldn’t help but laugh as he grasped his shield tightly with both hands. Delia and Felicia stood right behind Carack, followed by Karma who was holding Daphne.

“Green Wind.”

In-gong raised his left arm and White Eagle flew to it. It would fly around the party and bridge all the gaps in their defense.

“I will try it.”

Felicia grinned and called her wind spirit. She gave up on all her other magic and only focused on the wind spirit. The wind spirit became a powerful gust of air as it responded to Felicia.

Carack’s side was defending the front. Felicia’s wind was defending the sides. White Eagle flew above their heads and filled in for any gaps.

Daphne added various support magic, while In-gong was armed with the dwarf dagger in order to trigger Below the King’s Flag.

“This is the first time I am targeting a dungeon in this way.”

It was an ignorant and reckless manner, but Felicia couldn’t help smiling at the new challenge.

“Go.”

In-gong cried out and Carack breathed in deeply. He released a long breath and moved.

“Run!”

“Kuraha!”

Carack rushed forward. Like a train, the party followed suit. In-gong kept an eye on the mini-map and directed Carack.

Kakakang!

Not long after, arrows poured in from the front. Carack didn’t stop moving and the arrows rained down on his shield.

“Karaha!”

There were also arrows from the side, but the wind spirit didn’t allow this. Almost all the arrows were swept away by the wind while the ones still headed towards the party were blocked by White Eagle.

Carack went down the short path with a lot of traps. At that moment, flames poured down from the ceiling.

“Don’t stop!”

In-gong shouted as a green light came from White Eagle…

The shield that guarded the heads of the party. The range that wasn’t covered by White Eagle was once again protected by the wind spirit. The strong winds twisted the course of the flames and even redirected the path of acids pouring down.

Carack ran as hard as he could. He was slightly of breath but In-gong had no thoughts about stopping him.

“Full Charge!”

Daphne cast a strong stamina regeneration spell from Karma’s back. Rather than restoring wounds, it was a stamina recovery magic that stabilized Carack’s breathing and gave new power to his legs.

“Hoeeeh!”

Carack moaned as he looked in front of his shield. This time, flames were pouring from the front.

Carack cursed and gave a battle cry at the same time. He tackled the wave of flames head on and opened the path.

“Oatatata!”

“Full Charge!”

Arrows, fire, javelins and so on poured towards the party. Daphne used the spell Full Charge whenever they were exhausted.

They couldn’t become tired while rushing through the traps.

Not just Carack, but everyone in the party had the same determination. However, in the midst of this, In-gong thought of something else.

‘The traps are still active!’

This meant the 3rd party didn’t take this path.

“Run! Carack! Run!”

“Ohhh!”

“Full Charge!”

Daphne used her fifth Full Charge. The magic shield from the Demon King’s Palace was a mess. Daphne was becoming exhausted despite being on Karma’s back and Felicia was strained as she kept operating the wind spirit. Regardless, the party was able to maintain the momentum of a runaway train. They weren’t far from their goal.

The advantage of the traps was that there weren’t many dungeon monsters. The monsters that they did see didn’t think about rushing into the traps to fight them.

In fact, this was the nice thing about rushing recklessly. However, it would be the end if there was a trap on the ground. Fortunately, In-gong knew that there were no ground traps on this path and Felicia also disregarded it. It was because ground traps weren’t common for dwarves.

Some time passed.

As Daphne used her final Full Charge and fainted from the lack of magic power, the party reached a big door.

“Kuha, heo… ker.”

Carack gave a bizarre moan and removed his shield. Thanks to Full Charge, his breathing was stable, but his heart felt like it was going to burst due to the psychological problems.

Karma was barely able to stand on her two legs while Felicia’s arms were trembling. Delia looked back at In-gong.

“Your Highness.”

“Yes, it is probably here.”

He was sure of it. He had seen the entrance to the control room a few times in Knight Saga.

‘Did the dungeon guardian go to support the battle?’

There was supposed to be a gargoyle protecting the entrance to the control room. In-gong gritted his teeth. He guessed where the gargoyle had gone.

‘Indeed, Ascalon.’

In Thunderdoom Fortress, Ascalon was embedded in the chest of the black dragon Partizan.

Partizan’s body was located in the central plaza. The highest ranked guardian was also there.

‘Master, it is too hard.’

In-gong gentle touched White Eagle on his left arm in order to soothe the whining Green Wind and opened the door to the control room.

He felt dizzy in the very large room. The last day of Thunderdoom Fortress had been very confusing, so everything was a mess.

In the centre of the room was a large sphere on a desk along with a dwarf helmet on top of some bones. It was Sarabal, the last captain of Thunderdoom Fortress.

Sarabal was seriously injured in the battle with the dragons, so he remained in the control room while the other dwarves escaped. It was clear that he had controlled Thunderdoom Fortress until his very last breath.

After a short moment of silence, Felicia withdrew the control key from Sarabal’s hand. It was the first time she had been to Thunderdoom Fortress, but she had explored dwarf ruins several times and knew what to do.

The small metal rod shaped controlled was inserted into a hole beneath the large sphere and she inserted magic power. A large blue light emerged from the sphere and spread out in front of the party.

“There is a fight.”

The window of light showed the dungeon guardians of Thunderdoom Fortress confronting the people that he saw in the tunnel. Beyond that was the body of a giant black dragon.

The number of people fighting was roughly 100.

Felicia gazed at In-gong and he nodded.

It was a chance they could take advantage of.

Thunderdoom Fortress hadn’t been the last fortress of the Dwarf Kingdom. Thus, the record of how Thunderdoom Fortress was destroyed and by whom was passed on to later generations.

Black Dragon Partizan.

He had been huge, greedy and wicked and had been the most active dragon in the war against the Dwarf Kingdom.

His strategy had been simple.

Knock against the fortress until it collapsed.

Partizan had gathered an enormous number of monsters and attacked Thunderdoom Fortress. According to the records of the Dwarf Kingdom, the number was close to 100,000- although there were a few who doubted the authenticity of this due to the distinctive dwarf bravado. Actually, it was commonly accepted among scholars that the number was closer to 20,000-30,000.

The Dwarf Kingdom’s strongest Fortress, Thunderdoom Fortress, blocked the first attack well.

However, there was a problem from then on.

The black dragon, Partizan, was a powerful warrior and magician. He was an outstanding necromancer and revived all the dead monsters for a second attempt.

To his surprise, Thunderdoom Fortress managed to endure this second attack as well. The undead swarming Thunderdoom Fortress were destroyed and couldn’t be resurrected again.

The dwarves had achieved two great victories but couldn’t rejoice. This was because Partizan’s third attack began, like everything before it had just been nonsense.

Partizan and his previous attacks had been enough to weaken Thunderdoom Fortress.

The outer wall of Thunderdoom Fortress collapsed. Partizan and his monsters penetrated the fortress where the dwarves had been ready for him. All the dwarves of Thunderdoom Fortress, both young and old, had been gathered in the central plaza with their weapons.

From the vanguard, Partizan, a dragon of the greatest species, slaughtered many dwarves like they were insects.

Then Partizan was killed. Maybe it was because his eyes were covered by excessive pride.

He’d had a showdown with Tiny Spark, one of the most powerful warriors in Thunderdoom Fortress and the strongest weapon pierced Partizan’s chest.

The dragon spear, Ascalon.

Among the Dwarf Kingdom’s series of dragon slayer weapons, it was the name of the one that led to Partizan’s death. Although the brave Tiny Spark was shattered by the magic Partizan used before his death, he had just burst into joyous laughter instead of pained screams.

Partizan died and his troops started an insane rampage after losing their master.

The dwarves were forced to abandon Thunderdoom Fortress. The small number of survivors left for other cities through the dwarf portal and Thunderdoom Fortress became a huge graveyard with the corpses of numerous dwarves and Partizan buried there.

“So, in the end, the spear piercing Partizan’s chest is called Ascalon?”

“Perhaps.”

In-gong nodded slowly as he gazed at Partizan’s body on the screen. According to his estimates, the body was roughly 30 meters long. Although it wasn’t equivalent for an elder dragon that was several hundred metres long, he could be called a true ‘monster.’

There was something white and long stuck in the chest of the dead body. It was clearly the dragon spear, Ascalon, a masterpiece of the dragon slayer series.

Felicia narrowed her eyes and said,

“If they are fighting like that, their purpose might be Ascalon.”

He wasn’t sure. From the outset, there were many uncertain points about this attack. Just like In-gong, Felicia was unable to fight an answer as to why this attack had begun.

However, it was a possibility. Felicia spoke decisively.

“We obviously can’t give Ascalon to unidentified people. Not only did they kill general and soldiers of the Demon King’s Palace, they also aimed for our lives. We can’t let them achieve their purpose.”

Their number exceeded 100 people but In-gong didn’t care. From the beginning, it hadn’t been necessary to engage in an all-out war with them.

In-gong gazed at the dungeon guardians on the screen and asked,

“Noona, can you get control of the dungeon guardians?”

He couldn’t try it in Knight Saga but reality was different.

However, Felicia shook her head.

“It is hard. This situation is different from the Thunder Light Anvil. Currently, the highest ranked dungeon guardian… is the big dwarf golem over there. It seems like all the people who have authority over it are dead.”

Everyone’s gazes headed toward the huge golem that was in the centre of the screen. It was six times the height of an ordinary dwarf and was made of a silver metal. It was leading the fight with a hammer in one hand and a shield in the other.

As Felicia said, if all those with the authority over it had died, then she wouldn’t be able to control the guardian even if she used the control room.

Daphne had already fainted, so there was no reaction from her, but Karma’s expression darkened.

Felicia smiled at Karma before looking back at In-gong.

“There is an idea we can consider. It would be good to jump in at the appropriate moment.”

The best case was if the dungeon guardians and the third party were destroyed at the end of the battle. It was the best scenario if they could get rid of the survivors and acquire the remains of Thunderdoom Fortress, including Ascalon.

The dungeon guardians wouldn’t stop fighting until the people were destroyed.

However, it seemed like those people were likely to win when looking at the immediately situation.

“Shutra, what do you think?”

At Felicia’s question, In-gong looked back at the highest ranked guardian on the screen. It was the last boss of Thunderdoom Fortress in Knight Saga, but this time, he didn’t have to fight it.

“I’ll get some insurance first.”

“Insurance?”

“Insurance.”

In-gong lifted his left arm that was equipped with White Eagle.

&

The battle between the guardians and the third party was really intense.

The dungeon guardians were intense and fearless despite the past, in which the dragons had left them with one tenth of their original number.

The highest ranked guardian wielded a hammer that shot out thunderbolts while the gargoyle guardians fired a powerful energy mass.

The third party wasn’t just standing there helplessly. Unlike the ones who had attacked In-gong, these people had real power. There were some big ogre-like people and some who used magic.

The surprising thing was that they had some dungeon monsters native to Thunderdoom Fortress under their control. Those people obviously had certain artifacts that could control powerful monsters.

It was a splendid and spectacular fight. The battlefield had been ruined by hundreds of years of fighting and the remains of the dwarves added a solemn and desolate air to it.

However, In-gong’s party focused on something other than the fight.

In-gong was currently hiding in a corner of the central plaza. Delia remained in the control room with Daphne while Felicia, Carack and Karma had come with In-gong.

In-gong took deep breaths before looking at his companions. Felicia sighed like it couldn’t be helped and knocked against In-gong’s shoulder lightly.

“It is really reckless. This might be obvious but be careful.”

“Don’t worry.”

In-gong replied with a laugh then looked at Karma when she spoke.

“I wish Your Highness luck.”

“Come back safely.”

Carack was as blunt as always, but that bluntness made In-gong feel comfortable this time.

“I’ll be right back.”

In-gong responded lightly before using Protection of the Wind. Right now, what he needed weren’t explosive movements but agile and quiet ones.

In-gong looked at the mini-map and divided the battlefield in two.

One was the battleground where the dungeon guardians and the third party were together.

The other was where the dungeon guardians were behind the black dragon, Partizan.

In-gong’s destination was the body of Partizan.

‘I have to take Ascalon.’

The most important purpose of attacking Thunderdoom Fortress was to secure Ascalon.

If he could secure Arkaroola, he could take advantage of the flow of the battlefield.

If the dungeon guardians won, he wouldn’t have to fight. If the third party won, he would wipe out the remnants. If the third party won by a narrow margin, he would fight. However, if that didn’t happen, he could just withdraw. At the very least, he could make them seem like dogs chasing after chickens.

In-gong moved his body quickly. The sound of the highest ranked guardian’s thunderbolts covered any sound In-gong made.

In-gong zigzagged and took cover as he advanced until he eventually reached Partizan’s body. Involuntarily, he swallowed his saliva.

Not only was he enormous, the colour of Partizan’s body was so vivid that it didn’t seem like he died hundreds of years ago. He seemed like he was alive and moving.

Obviously, he couldn’t be compared to an elder dragon who had the grandeur of a mountain. However, he discovered why the word ‘dragon’ could cause fear.

In-gong calmed his heart and climbed aboard Partizan’s body. As he arrived at the chest area, he found the top of Ascalon.

Ascalon wasn’t a simple spear. Rather, the end was closer to a ballista arrow or a giant lance.

In-gong grabbed the handle of Ascalon without thinking.

Simple muscle strength was needed. Instead of invoking Dragon Blood which could potentially stimulate Ascalon, In-gong gritted his teeth and concentrated his aura on both arms. He also invested some additional points into strength.

There was the sound of thunder. The screams of the third party shook the central plaza. Among all the noise, In-gong swallowed a groan. At least, the spear was lifted and Ascalon started to show its appearance.

A white spear. Despite being embedded in the body of a dragon for a long time, it had maintained its pristine beauty.

There were complex golden patterns carved on it. It was a spell to attack a dragon, the core of the dragon slayer series.

In-gong grabbed the spear length instead of the handle and pulled using the last of his strength. He liberated Ascalon from the body of Partizan.

Felicia and Karma exclaimed breathlessly while Carack looked at the battlefield with nervous eyes.

[Ascalon] [A masterpiece of the Dragon Slayer series] [A huge spear that destroyed the heart of the black dragon Partizan. It contains all the grudges and anger of the dwarves of Thunderdoom Fortress.

Instead of looking at the options, In-gong hurriedly moved from Partizan’s chest. It was because he sensed an abnormality when Ascalon was pulled out.

‘Master!’

In-gong remained silent as Green Wind shouted loudly. Instead of answering, In-gong placed Ascalon in the inventory. He would worry about making excuses to Felicia later. The important thing was acquiring Ascalon safely.

Kwakakaka!

The sound wasn’t due to the highest ranked guardian’s thunder. It was coming from the black dragon, Partizan. Partizan’s body, which had been preserved for hundreds of years, was finally liberated. The flesh faded and the bones weakened like it suddenly experienced hundreds of years. Partizan’s body crumpled with a roar and the gaze of everyone on the battlefield turned toward In-gong.

The highest ranked dungeon guardian panicked. No, it fell into confusion. Partizan’s body had collapsed and Ascalon disappeared. So, what should it do now?

The answer was fixed. The highest ranked dungeon guardian thought simply instead of making it too complicated. It started hammering at any intruders in front of it, but its target was more the third party who were nearby than In-gong.

The reaction of the third party was somewhat different.

Some of them shouted frantically while others pierced through the gaps in the defences, caused by the highest ranked guardian going crazy. Those who escaped the battlefield rushed toward In-gong.

In-gong decided quickly. He didn’t know that Partizan’s body would collapse in that way. If he had known, he would have planned something else.

Anyhow, the water had already been spilled and it wasn’t a bad situation. Ascalon was secured and the dungeon guardians’ priority were the third party. Moreover, some of the people were lured over, so he didn’t need to head over to the main battlefield which involved the dungeon guardians and 3rd party.

“Greenie! Continue the operation!” (TL: In-gong actually calls out the first syllable of both parts of her name, aka Gre Wi, so I just made up a nickname for it,)

‘That nickname is too much! My name is Green Wind!’

Green Wind protested but followed In-gong’s orders faithfully. White Eagle spread out its metal plates like wings and flew near In-gong’s feet. In-gong climbed aboard White Eagle and felt like he was riding a skateboard.

“Fly!”

‘Heavy! Master!’

Green Wind whined again but she still followed the commands faithfully. White Eagle flew toward the ceiling while carrying In-gong.

The enemies arrived too late and threw arrows or weapons at him, but it was useless. White Eagle moved effortlessly when it encountered a barrier or avoided any attacks.

Felicia and Karma were bewildered by the unexpected sight while Carack shouted. It was a warning, not in admiration.

“Prince! Watch out! Those guys are doing something!”

In-gong looked back. Not all of the enemies were chasing In-gong.

A few of them were standing in the wreckage of Partizan. They stabbed the chests of the dead, causing blood to flow toward a large gem that they were standing around.

In-gong felt something ominous, but their behaviour was faster. Those guys stabbed themselves in the heart with the end of the gem. At that moment, a blue aura exploded and covered Partizan’s entire body.

Kiaaaaaaah!

The roar shook all of them. The highest rated guardian stopped fighting while the third party felt a mix of horror and joy.

Partizan’s body stood up. The dragon was resurrected. He had lost all his supreme intelligence and magic powers, but he was still a mighty monster.

Zombie dragon.

The blue energy covering Partizan’s body turned purple.

It was a familiar colour.

A cog wheel turned in In-gong’s head as he saw the purple evil influence. Many things came into his mind at this time.

The monsters from the north that had appeared on Enger Plains.

The group of people who killed General Kashubal and devised some type of ploy regarding Thunderdoom Fortress.

They were connected. The thing they had in common was the purple energy.

Were they also from the north? Or maybe they had contact with the north.

At the same time, one more thing came up. There was no evidence, but it didn’t disappear from his head.

The Red Lightning tribe.

How did they control Enkidu’s swamp mammoths? Someone must have given them the method. And what was the reason for telling them?

The small temple.

It was the place where Green Wind had stayed and contained the magic that maintained the green plains.

How did the monsters of the north discover the secret of the small temple that even the centaurs, who had lived on Enger Plains for thousands of years, didn’t know?

Both of these had one thing in common:

An elder dragon.

The chimera belonging to Enkidu…

Green Wind that had come from the magic of a fragment of Ainkel…

He got this far, but there was still something essential missing.

It was added here. He needed to put everything together!

‘Master! Look ahead!’

Green Wind’s cry interrupted In-gong’s thoughts. A roaring zombie dragon had appeared and a purple light could be seen from the holes where its eyes should be. It was like facing Balkarova at the Northern Limit Line.

He was hostile toward In-gong. The shadow puppets, the 3rd party which had committed suicide, had long been swallowed.

Black Dragon Partizan, a wicked dragon who had died from the spear, Ascalon, just before tasting the sweet fruit of victory.

Due to the grudge, the purple evil influence around the dragon was truly enormous. It was enough to make him dizzy.

With a roar that shook the whole fortress, the zombie dragon Partizan launched into movements. The rotten bones dragged against the ground while the corrupted wings spread out and covered the ceiling of the central plaza.

Felicia made a sound. As White Eagle flew hastily toward Felicia, In-gong saw something moving when everyone else was stunned.

Kwang kwang kwang kwang!

The highest ranked guardian was running.

The last remaining of the five top ranked guardians in Thunderdoom Fortress hadn’t forgotten its enemy. The zombie dragon’s defeat was much more important than the shadow puppets.

The other dungeon guardians also responded to the zombie dragon. They abandoned the shadow puppets they had been fighting so far and rushed behind the highest ranked guardian. The main location of the battlefield changed in an instant.

Felicia focused. Turning her gaze toward In-gong, she saw the shadow puppets. They had gained a new power, the zombie dragon, and didn’t cling to the dungeon guardians. Some of them started running in the direction of In-gong’s party.

“Fire!”

Felicia created a fire barrier to block their path. At that moment, the roar of the zombie dragon and the sound of thunder shook the fortress. The zombie dragon and highest ranked guardian were colliding.

“Karaha!”

Carack shouted, shaking his axe. The purple energy around the zombie dragon spread to the bodies of the shadow puppets. Just like the casios, they forgot about the horrors of death and jumped through the fire barrier. Despite their burning bodies, they kept running toward Felicia. Some wanted to use the fire on their bodies as a means of attack.

Carack and Karma protected Felicia, who then increased the power of the fire barrier as In-gong crossed it on White Eagle.

He crashed into the back of a shadow puppet trying to reach Carack and exchanged glances with Felicia. They didn’t talk, but the two people instinctively sensed that they were thinking the same thing.

They had to take down the zombie dragon. If the dungeon guardians were defeated, he would go after In-gong’s party next.

‘He isn’t secure yet. I can feel it. The more time passes, the more disadvantageous it will be for us. You should hurry.’

Green Wind said. Felicia made a similar remark just as he finished listening to Green Wind’s words.

“The dragon is still shaky. The ceremony was done in a rush. I can feel an uneasy flow of mana. If we happen to destroy the core of the magic power…”

It was up to there. Not only Felicia but In-gong, Carack and Karma all looked at the same place. Felicia lowered the top of the fire barrier in order to see.

The colossal power was being concentrated. Even Carack and Karma. who were ignorant about mana. couldn’t help feeling it.

In-gong sensed it intuitively.

This was the power of a dragon.

Even though it had lost its reason and become a monster, it still had its strength. That was the only evidence that the presence in front of him was a dragon.

Dragon breath.

A purple pillar emerged from his mouth. Balkarova’s dragon breath was of no comparison as this pillar not only swallowed the left shoulder of the highest ranked guardian but also stretched on for hundreds of meters. The shadow puppets in its path were literally obliterated.

A huge hole was drilled. A new hole was drilled in the front passage of the central plaza, causing the area to start collapsing. A huge shaking affected the whole fortress.

Time stopped at the spectacular sight. At least, everyone who gathered in the central plaza thought so.

Carack could barely breathe. At the same time, the sight was so absurd that they couldn’t help laughing.

“This is when it is still not secure?”

This? That monster?!

‘It isn’t secure! His breath weapon is limited!’

Green Wind’s shout was like a thunderbolt. In-gong agreed. Even normal dragons were limited in the number of breath weapons they could use in a day. A resurrected zombie dragon should only be able to use it two or three times.

The highest ranked guardian knew this as well. Therefore, it grabbed a giant hammer with its one remaining arm and rushed forward. It trampled on the shadow puppets and tried to hit the zombie dragon.

In-gong couldn’t just watch the guardian fight. He took Ascalon out of the inventory. Ascalon emitted a golden aura as if it sensed the existence of the zombie dragon and changed its form to a more militant shape.

It was now in the form of a lance suitable for a human. Ascalon, a weapon created by a dwarf magic engineer, knew the most appropriate form for its new master. The handle disappeared and a part designed to be gripped by fists was created instead. The part of the guard originally designed to protect the hand was raised further and several jets sprang up between the cracks. The length, which had been two meters long, was shortened to 1.5 meters.

It was a stabbing type weapon. Lightning poured from the lance and charged the air.

In-gong held Ascalon with Earth Quaker. It seemed the combination was uncomfortable as Earth Quaker gave a low growl, but now wasn’t the time for that.

In-gong climbed aboard White Eagle again. Felicia once against raised the fire barrier and the highest ranked guardian’s hammer launched thunderbolts.

Kwakang!

White Eagle took off. As a thunderbolt struck the zombie dragon’s chest, he screamed and raised two of his legs. Even as the thunderbolt dug into his chest, he pushed the highest ranked guardian to the ground.

The sound of the screaming and the earth collapsing caused terrible confusion. In-gong concentrated aura on his right fist as White Eagle moved closer. The zombie dragon’s purple aura reached out to capture In-gong.

It was like a tsunami.

The zombie dragon’s evil will covered In-gong. Thanks to the Tears of a Dark Elf, his mind wasn’t disturbed, but his body was momentarily affected.

The zombie dragon didn’t miss this opening. He grabbed the highest ranked guardian and rotated, causing the tail that was approximately 10 meters long to flash through the air. In-gong felt like he was rushing into a wall.

Both In-gong and Green Wind couldn’t respond quickly enough to the surprise attack as the tail was moving at a terrifying pace.

“Shutra!”

Felicia shrieked. In-gong’s body was exposed to a brutal force and fell to the ground.

‘Master! Master!’

Green Wind’s cries poured out from White Eagle next to him, but In-gong couldn’t reply. He couldn’t breathe properly. His body felt such tremendous pain that it reached the point where the pain was forgotten.

Carack sped toward In-gong. Felicia opened the fire barrier that was blocking the shadow puppets and Karma escorted her over.

Once again, there was the sound of thunder.

“Shutra! Shutra!”

Felicia fell next to In-gong and hurriedly cast recovery magic. She didn’t stop there and ordered Karma to feed In-gong recovery potions.

“Blessing! Can’t you use the gandharva’s blessing?”

Carack shouted while wielding his axe at the shadow puppets.

His stamina recovered as an effect of leveling up.

However, that couldn’t happen. The number of defeated enemies was too small after he caught Balkarova to level up.

Felicia continued casting recovery magic. After In-gong roared from the use of an awakening potion, Karma poured a new potion into his mouth.

“Cough!”

In-gong’s breath was unclogged. At that moment, the second breath weapon that Green Wind was concerned about crossed the central plaza once again. He didn’t know what was going on, but there was a great roar in the distance and a crashing sound.

In-gong looked at the mini-map. The shadow puppets were overwhelming the dungeon guardians. It was clear that the zombie dragon was smashing the highest ranked guardian.

There was no time. He had to end the zombie dragon while the highest ranked guardian was still standing.

‘Master.’

In-gong raised his upper body slowly. He wanted to collapse and fall asleep but he persisted. He took out various recovery potions from his inventory and drank them like they were water.

“Please draw its attention.”

In-gong said and Felicia smiled with a worried face.

“Shouldn’t this be the time when we start running away?”

“Sorry.”

“I understand. It is also unlike a dark elf to run away. Instead, I can’t do it twice.”

In-gong nodded. After the awakening potion, he was somehow able to forget the pain.

“Once will be enough.”

It was pointless to exchange blows with a huge monster. He had to stop its breath with one blow like Tiny Spark had done in the past.

‘Master.’

Green Wind’s magic wound around In-gong. It was the magic that she had used previously on Enger Plains. It seemed like he could feel Green Wind.

In-gong watched the front instead of flying. He collected aura like he was going to use Gigantic Piston.

“Let’s begin.”

Felicia declared as thunder rang out once again.

Karma, with Felicia on her back, climbed up some wreckage quickly. A terrible sight caught the eyes of the both of them.

The highest ranked guardian was on the verge of being destroyed. The thunder hammer crashed to the ground while the shield was crushed like the left arm.

The zombie dragon, that was roaring from above the highest ranked guardian, discovered Felicia and Karma.

He wasn’t in a normal state either. The wounds on the dragon’s chest were wide open and one wing was broken.

“Run!”

Karma ran forward. Felicia made a wall of fire on all sides, attracting the gazes of the zombie dragon and shadow puppets.

The dungeon guardians rushed to the zombie dragon while the shadow puppets flocked to Felicia and arrows and spears covered the air above her.

Felicia hurriedly called the wind spirit but it wasn’t enough. She couldn’t push all the arrows and spears away. Karma closed her eyes while Felicia stared at the spears. A white object blocked the area in front of Felicia!

Kakakang!

White Eagle blocked the arrows and spears while Green Wind protected Felicia and cried out to In-gong,

‘Master!’

“Kuraha!”

It was very similar to when they had been in the trap zone. Carack set up the magic shield in front of him and passed through the fire barriers set up by Felicia with In-gong following him. The two men reached the side of the zombie dragon.

Numerous eyes gazed upon them. The shadow puppets rushed toward In-gong, but they were still quite a distance away. The dungeon guardians saw Ascalon and interfered desperately with the shadow puppets.

Carack lowered his posture and revealed his back. In-gong jumped off Carack’s back and shoulders, then used the explosive force of Divine Beast Authority and jumped almost a dozen meters.

Unable to launch a third breath weapon, the zombie dragon tried to aim his tail at In-gong again.

However, the highest ranked guardian didn’t allow it. It used its one arm left to grab the zombie dragon. The resistance only lasted a few seconds but that was enough.

The zombie dragon was off-balance. The tail couldn’t harm In-gong as he stabbed in the air with Ascalon.

At that moment, an enormous amount of power emerged from the nozzles on Ascalon. It was like a lance thrusting through the air.

Green Wind and Felicia watched breathlessly. However, the zombie dragon didn’t stay still. He hurriedly emitted a purple aura instead of the breath. The purple energy became an intangible wall that tried to stop Ascalon.

It seemed to work. In fact, Ascalon’s rush was blocked for a moment like it was being held by a gigantic glue.

However, In-gong didn’t stop.

He had one thing that the brave dwarf warrior Tiny Spark didn’t have when using Ascalon…

‘Dragon Blood!’

The dragon power woke up and Earth Quaker showed its true power. Ascalon rebelled and In-gong suffered terrible pain, but he endured it and used the power of Conquest to dominate Ascalon. He had to take advantage of this to hit the enemy. He added the strength of Gigantic Piston to Ascalon’s power!

Kwakakakakakang!

The Ascalon Strike regained its momentum and was like a lightning bolt. The golden flash broke through the purple wall and struck the chest of the zombie dragon. He tore into the chest that was already weak from hundreds of years passing. In-gong didn’t stop there but used more strength to dig it in deeper. Magic power was what kept the zombie dragon alive and In-gong was now destroying the dragon heart that was the very source of power that allowed the zombie dragon to move. In-gong penetrated through it!

The zombie dragon shrieked. As purple energy leaked from every hole, including its eyes and mouth, the highest ranked guardian moved using the last of its strength. Its fist struck the already shattered chest.

A violent explosion took place. The purple aura exploded, the zombie dragon collapsed and the aura around the shadow puppets disappeared, just like when Balkarova had died.

In-gong rolled across the floor. He lifted Ascalon and swallowed a moan. A pure white light wound around In-gong.

[Your level has risen.] [Your level has risen.] [Your level has risen.]

[Boss: Zombie Dragon Partizan has been defeated.] [Title: Dragon Slayer (Beginner) has been acquired.]

The pain in his body subsided rapidly. In-gong sprang up. His legs trembled despite the recovery effect of gaining three levels. It was the result of using aura to the extreme, ignoring Ascalon as it tried to repel the dragon blood and using Conquest to dominate it.

‘Master!’

White Eagle flew to In-gong. The translucent Green Wing was sitting on top of the white shield. He could see how worried she was by the expression on her face.

In-gong grinned and White Eagle returned to his left arm. He placed Ascalon in his inventory and looked in front of him.

The highest ranked guardian didn’t move as it lay in the wreckage of the zombie dragon. The shadow puppets, who had lost the purple aura, went crazy and scattered. Meanwhile, the shadow puppets in black robes, who had been directing them, sat down on the ground like they had received a big shock.

Felicia and Karma ran to In-gong while the dungeon guardians surrounded them. It was because the highest ranked guardian transferred all its authority to In-gong before dying. The highest ranked guardian hadn’t forgotten about Ascalon.

“Shall we continue?”

They had knocked down the zombie dragon but the battle hadn’t ended yet. After Felicia’s words, In-gong responded by moving the dungeon guardians. The dungeon guardians rushed towards the shadow puppets who were confused by the effect of losing the purple aura.

“My shoulder is too sore.”

Carack, who had been In-gong’s footstool, stretched out and complained. Rather than Felicia using recovery magic, she handed over a potion. She wasn’t in a state where she could use magic right now.

The party watched the dungeon guardians fight. Fatigue couldn’t be restored by various recovery potions, so they just watched the fight from the background.

How much time had passed?

In-gong was sitting down silently with his eyes closed.

This mission was almost over. Once the battle with the shadow puppets finished, they could relax and enjoy the items. Despite the black dragon Partizan’s body being destroyed, it could still be useful.

However, he wondered why…

Despite it being 10 minutes since the zombie dragon had been destroyed, he couldn’t release his tension. Rather than feeling the sense of accomplishment that he had felt when he killed Mustafa and Balkarova, he felt tension and anxiety.

What was it?

Was it because all the pieces hadn’t aligned yet? Or because the shadow puppets weren’t all dead?

No, it was different.

An ominous feeling.

Due to Protagonist Correction, it was slowly irritating his senses.

In-gong raised his head and at that moment, a new collapse shook the central plaza.

Kwaaaaaang!

The zombie dragon’s breath weapon had broken the foundation twice and rubble now fell once again. However, the direction of the force was different. It came from the outside, not inside. After the third collapse, light poured into the central plaza that had been underground for hundreds of years.

Felicia, who had been sitting and relaxing on the floor, got up. The dungeon guardians stopped fighting momentarily while the shadow puppets were overcome with joy.

In-gong realized the reason for his ominous feeling.

A man emerged from the new hole. Instead of a purple aura, he wore blue armour and a helmet that resembled the head of a dragon. Holding a spear, he stood on a pile of rubble and looked at the shattered zombie dragon.

“I’m too late.”

He muttered in a low voice. The central plaza was silent, but his voice was coming from too far away.

However, In-gong could hear it clearly. He didn’t know why, but the man’s voice was clear as he took light steps forward.

“It was a mistake since the 2nd Prince didn’t come here.”

‘2nd Prince.’

‘Mistake.’

‘Didn’t come here.’

In-gong felt like he had been struck by lightning.

General Kashubal had failed the mission.

Everyone ha thought the mission would be given to Zephyr.

The purpose of these people wasn’t Ascalon or Partizan.

Their real purpose was to lure Zephyr here. They had killed General Kashubal to call Zephyr.

Although they had waited for Zephyr to arrive, In-gong and Felicia had been the ones who showed up instead.

So, the plan had been changed. The priority had been given to securing Partizan and Ascalon instead.

This story seemed correct. The cogs, that had stopped, started to rotate again in his head.

However, a question still remained:

Why Zephyr?

What purpose did they have for luring Zephyr here?

‘Resist!’

A voice woke In-gong up. It wasn’t Green Wind. It was the voice of the golden-crowned white woman.

In-gong hurriedly produced the power of Conquest. The man’s gaze shifted from the zombie dragon to In-gong.

The purple aura…

Its source was the blue aura.

That man wasn’t the source of that power. It was just a small part of him. However, even that was overwhelming. The power of death struck In-gong’s soul.

The forces of conquest and death collided in the air. They canceled each other out and disappeared.

In-gong activated his white aura while the man frowned with confusion. Instead of continuing the invisible battle with In-gong, he raised the blue aura like flames. He swung his long spear and said lightly,

“I will clean up whatever is left.”

He took a step. At that moment, In-gong knew. That man was more powerful than the zombie dragon.

In-gong squeezed out every last bit of his aura. He hadn’t completely recovered in the aftermath of his fight with the zombie dragon, but he couldn’t give up.

“Prince, I’ve enjoyed knowing you so far.”

Carack said while lifting his axe like he was going to throw it. Karma also grabbed a weapon instead of throwing up in fear, while Felicia smiled bitterly and raised both arms.

“I don’t know what he is but don’t give up.”

“Don’t give up.”

In-gong formed a fist. Earth Quaker gave the familiar growling response.

The man took a step forward. The dungeon guardians gathered by In-gong’s side and Green Wind soared up from White Eagle, declaring,

‘Master was a good owner. I don’t regret following Master from Enger Plains.’

“Good, let’s stick our death flags in this place.”

In-gong made a joke that only he could understand and then focused on the man.

The man took his third step and a blue light emitted from the spear in his hand.

Then at that moment,

Just as a new battle was about to begin…

“Let’s do it.”

A new voice interrupted.

It wasn’t a simple voice that spread in the heavy silence.

Everyone’s gazes, that had been aimed at the man holding the spear, shifted to a different place. Even the man with the spear was forced to look.

“I went to see Prince at the Demon King’s Palace only to find that he had already left. Then once I arrived at the fortress, I heard Prince and Princess were in an emergency, so I wandered after you.”

The owner of the new voice stood in the opening where the man with the spear had appeared. His hair and beard was half grey and half white, while his clothes were snow-white. A dull sword hung at his waist.

It was the first time In-gong had seen him. However, In-gong knew who the man was the moment he saw him. Felicia, who had been determined about facing death, shouted with joy.

Sword Duke Ishgard.

The strongest swordsman of the previous era who had raised the demon king Mitra!

He didn’t say anything else and just pulled his sword out with a grin.