Chapter 112 – Hero (5)

The prince’s party running along the ridge for a while was startled by the tremendous sound heard suddenly from behind.

From the valley they left, a huge sound and tremendous dust and smoke soared into the sky.

“What happened? Are they all okay?”

“Going back now would be too late. We must trust them and do our duty instead!”

At Alda’s words, the prince answered with a firm expression. Since the prince’s words weren’t wrong either, Alda looked back worriedly before continuing to run following the party.

Whether thanks to the flames Alda created or the tremendous explosion that erupted before, no guardians could be seen rushing at them.

Following the mage’s instructions, the party running quickly soon stopped before a high cliff.

“Why are we stopping here? Have we arrived?”

Alda tilted her head looking at the cliff. No matter how she looked, it was just an ordinary cliff face.

“Ah, I suppose you wouldn’t know, Alda.”

The mage explained approaching the cliff.

“The dragon lair entrance is hidden by the dragon’s powerful illusion magic. It’s a powerful magic where you can’t even see or hear to enter.”

The mage leaned his staff against the cliff continuing his words.

“If hidden by such magic, foolish humans would come find the dragons and bother them.”

Mage Graham finished explaining then began constructing magic while leaning his staff against the cliff.

Breaking through the illusion magic taught to humans by a dragon wasn’t easy even for a Grand Mage like him.

But making a small gap for a brief time was definitely possible.

Shortly after, as the mage’s staff began to glow, the area where the staff touched the cliff began appearing to ripple.

“Hurry! I created a gap in the illusion magic. Run in quickly. Can’t hold it long!”

At the urgent mage’s words, the party was startled and ran toward the rippling cliff.

They trusted the mage’s words and crashed their bodies against the cliff, soon passing through the rippling cliff disappearing inside.

Finally the mage also leaped inside and as the mage disappeared, the cliff returned to its original appearance.

“Truly, Sir Graham’s words were correct.”

Alda’s surprised voice echoed through the cave.

Alda and the party who passed through the cliff had entered an enormous open cave.

The cave was tens of meters across, truly tremendous in size. And behind where they entered was a large hole matching the cave’s size opening outside.

The fact that there was a murky barrier hanging on the hole leading outside suggested that barrier was the magic that made the cliff appear before.

“I need to rest a bit.”

Graham who entered last opened his mouth with a tired voice. Looks like he nearly consumed all his mana breaking the illusion magic just before.

“Thank you for your hard work. We’ll handle what comes next.”

The prince raised his sword stepping forward confidently.

The ancient empire sword he obtained from the dungeon received the prince’s mana glowing brightly illuminating the cave. Simultaneously, clamorous sounds began to be heard from deeper inside the cave.

Sounds of defense monsters guarding the lair coming.

“Please provide support.”

The prince without any fear raised his sword and ran forward, and toward the prince, the Holy Maiden gave her blessing.

“May God’s blessing be granted!”

As her words ended, subtle light circled the prince’s body then disappeared and the prince’s running speed became faster.

And behind, spirit mage Alda began summoning many fire spirits around her preparing to spray fire.

Next moment. The prince and the golems standing at the front collided.

Kwaaaakwang!

The golems exploded and scattered flying everywhere.

***

Kwaaaakwang!

A tremendous explosion echoed through the dark and quiet underground stairs. Into the long underground passage made of stairs with no light, soil heaps fell down and following after, a red light came down illuminating the passage dimly.

It was light flowing from Sun-woo’s sword who just jumped down from the ceiling hole created.

After a long time, his sword was being used instead of a torch.

“Wow, is this the secret passage that those dragon incarnations use?”

Yeonhwa descended from Sun-woo’s back looking around with curious expression.

The valley cliff weakened by Alda’s flames collapsed by Sun-woo’s sorcery. At that time, Sun-woo and Yeonhwa who escaped underground avoided the valley pursuing the hero party.

Eventually the two people arrived near a different cliff some distance from the cliff where the hero party disappeared.

The surrounding area was all cliffs and no traces of the heroes were visible. But Sun-woo wasn’t worried at all. Because he already had experience entering the dragon lair before.

He carried Yeonhwa on his back digging into the ground continuing to enter inside the cliff.

As expected of Sun-woo’s prediction, as they dug underneath the cliff going inside, they could feel a large cave some distance away.

A passage definitely where dragons enter and exit.

Regrettably, even magic didn’t block this deep underground.

Sun-woo ignored the cave he felt and continued digging inside. The heroes definitely entered through that cave and monsters guarding the passage and traps were certain to be swarming.

No need to take an obviously difficult path.

Of course, even moving by digging earth like this, no matter how powerful Sun-woo’s sorcery is, couldn’t do it for long.

Sun-woo also had no plans to dig all the way to where the dragon is.

He was searching for a different passage. The passage he moved through before when he found the lair, the passage that Isabel the dragon incarnation now sleeping showed him.

Fortunately, Sun-woo could find the passage before his sorcery ran out.

The passage entrance and exit were protected by magic, but couldn’t keep watch on the entire passage.

Thanks to that, Sun-woo and Yeonhwa could enter safely inside the passage.

Going together with Yeonhwa was quite bothersome for Sun-woo, but Yeonhwa also seemed to have her own reasons. Whether a separate mission was issued or the Holy Maiden’s intuition, he didn’t know…

Thanks to that, Sun-woo walked through the stairs and passages with much more tension, but Yeonhwa moved following Sun-woo’s back as usual.

Kung! Kung!

While the two people walked through the passage, vibrations were felt from far away and sounds were faintly heard. Probably sounds of the prince’s party fighting.

Seemed like there was some distance. The prince’s party’s progress speed seemed faster than expected.

Confirming the passage surroundings just in case, no magical surveillance or traps were visible as expected.

Sun-woo immediately used lightweight body technique carrying Yeonhwa running forward.

After running for a long while, Sun-woo succeeded in catching up to the prince’s party’s sounds at the point where the passage ended.

Sun-woo stopped before a wall putting Yeonhwa down on the ground.

“Blocked. Do we dig another tunnel?”

At Yeonhwa’s question, Sun-woo shook his head.

“Mana is abundant around here. Not only is this entrance under surveillance magic, it seems the entire surroundings are under the dragon’s watch.”

Though a half-baked mage, Sun-woo could tell at least that much seeing the surrounding mana.

“Ah, I see.”

Yeonhwa nodded as if understanding, and Sun-woo let out a bitter laugh at her appearance. She showed no signs of worry at all.

Sun-woo confirmed the wall before his eyes. Fortunately, just like before, magic symbols were drawn on the wall.

A magic lock requiring specific mana and magic to open, with the danger that this passage collapses immediately if wrong. Moreover, since it was made by a dragon, it was an item even a Grand Mage couldn’t hack.

But no matter how high-performance a lock is, if you know the password it’s useless. Sun-woo who could read the past of objects placed his hand on the magic symbol beginning to unleash his ability.

Sun-woo briefly closed his eyes placing his hand on the symbol converting the internal energy he was channeling to mana.

And carefully moved the mana activating the magic symbol.

Just experiencing operating the symbol wouldn’t make it possible to discover another’s magic.

But having experienced the entire process of creating this passage and engraving the symbol, Sun-woo could discover everything about the magic symbol.

Though impossible to create the same symbol, he could definitely create a key to disable it.

After concentrating hard moving mana for a while, Sun-woo eventually managed to pass through the symbol.

The symbol glowed and shortly after, the wall began to rise upward on its own.

And simultaneously, Sun-woo’s pocket vibrated.

There shouldn’t be calls here and no messages should arrive. Moreover, as a contaminated region the Summoner couldn’t contact, checking the phone just in case, the skill window had changed.

<Earth Spirit. Grade 7> Grade Rise: 400p

<Illusion Arts. Grade 5> Grade Rise: 200p

<Wheel-Turning Divine Demon Arts. 8 Stars> Grade Rise: 1,000p

<Wheel-Turning Swordsmanship. 9 Stars> Grade Rise: 800p

<Wheel-Turning Divine Law. 8 Stars> Grade Rise: 800p

<Body Enhancement. 3 Stars> Grade Rise: 100p

<Water Magic. 4 Circles> Grade Rise: 200p

<Fire Magic. 2 Circles> Grade Rise: 200p

<Elapsed Time. Grade 6> Grade Rise: 1,000p

<Boundary Magic. 1 Circle> Grade Rise: 200p

Before, when experiencing martial arts from the past, martial arts-related skills rose one grade, but this time all magic-related skills rose one grade and newly a boundary magic was added.

It was natural perhaps, but seems like abilities obtained through one’s own efforts besides purchased abilities were also added.

For Sun-woo who until now hadn’t obtained skills through his own ability, it was a new feeling.

“Looks like we need to head out soon?”

Looks like he got absorbed in admiration for too long. The wall was already wide open and instead of the explosions heard until now, the prince’s shout was heard from inside the opened wall.

Sun-woo with renewed tension carefully entered inside the opened wall with Yeonhwa into the underground plaza.

The dragon’s inner sanctum, the dragon’s nest had a slightly different appearance from the lair Sun-woo saw before.

That place was a barren underground plaza appearance, but now this place was like an underground greenhouse.

The cave ceiling had a glowing ball seemingly made by magic illuminating the cave interior and beneath it various vegetation grew.

Of course, large trees were only planted on the plaza’s outer edge, most of the plaza had low grass and plants planted appearing like a park with the underground water flowing through the plaza’s center.

And on one side of the park, a massive dragon with glowing green eyes was watching the opposite side.

“Evil Green Dragon! I, Adolf, have come to defeat you!”

On the opposite side, the prince covered entirely in dust and ash and his party were taking stance watching the dragon.

Looks like there were many fierce battles while coming here. Their clothes and bodies were a mess. Especially seeing their appearance as if rolling in flames and Alda’s unscathed appearance, her efforts could be well known.

Though all were a mess, seeing the prince raising his glowing sword and shouting toward the dragon, it seemed like seeing the legendary hero party figures passed down as legend.

“Because of the sins you spread, countless people lost their lives…”

The prince continued shouting at the dragon at the top of his lungs and the dragon wordlessly glared at the prince.

“Why is he doing that? Don’t we need to help?”

Yeonhwa whispering small from behind a tree near the passage asked Sun-woo.

Sun-woo looked alternately at the dragon and the prince’s party.

Though couldn’t accurately know how strong the dragon was, could sufficiently tell the prince’s party was strong. Moreover, the contamination seemed not to need worry thanks to the Holy Maiden.

After pondering several things, Sun-woo made a conclusion shortly after.

“Let’s watch a bit more. Doesn’t seem like it’s our time to step forward yet.”

At Sun-woo’s words, Yeonhwa nodded.

“Is this what that poporn angle thing is?”

Sun-woo let out a sigh at Yeonhwa’s words. Thanks to staying in Sun-woo’s world, Yeonhwa’s speech seemed to have evolved.