Chapter 59: Dragon’s Hidden Trial

Fwoosh.

Joo Ji-chan lit a fire.

Even for S-ranks, there was a limit to enduring subzero temperatures. The others at least had outerwear, but Baek Eun-hoo had given his jacket to Seong Ju-an, so he must have been colder.

Watching Ji-chan deliberately start a fire near him, Eun-hoo grinned.

“I’m fine. As an electric-type, my base body temperature is high.”

“Your lips are literally blue. Stop showing off.”

At that, Gong Se-yoon, who had his face buried between his knees, shook his shoulders and snickered.

It was strange. They all knew this wasn’t the time for jokes, yet not a single one of them grew serious. Deep down, they all knew there was a chance they might not get out, but no one said it aloud.

Mo Jun-young pulled out a life potion and downed it in one gulp.

“Why are you suddenly drinking that?”

“I’m just thirsty. Potions also help with hydration and restore some energy, so it’s better to take one in advance, isn’t it?”

Joo Ji-chan nodded.

“Good point. We’ve got plenty, so at least we won’t starve to death in here.”

That made everyone laugh again, and Se-yoon lifted his head.

“I’m just glad Hyung got out first. He must’ve been freezing. As long as he’s okay, I’m okay.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. Just then, Mo Jun-young’s phone rang. He put it on speaker, and everyone held their breath.

Seong Ju-an’s voice came through.

“Is everyone alright?”

His slightly excited tone made them all smile as they answered that they were fine.

“That’s a relief. I think I found a way.”

“What? You found a way? How?”

Joo Ji-chan asked, clearly unconvinced.

“Why do you always underestimate me? You told me to go out and find a way. Wasn’t it because you trusted me?”

Ji-chan looked momentarily stunned, as if he’d been hit. Eun-hoo just chuckled, and Se-yoon leaned closer to the phone like it was Ju-an himself. Mo Jun-young responded calmly.

“That’s right. We sent you out because we trusted your abilities as a buffer. So, what’s the plan?”

“You all saw me stumble when we first got here, right? It felt strange, so I checked the area near the entrance again. The ground felt different. No matter how powerful the Constellations are, they can’t erase a dungeon completely, so it seems they crudely sealed it off.

Eun-hoo, who had been quietly listening, cut in.

“Sealed it? If the ground feels hollow, does that mean it’s hidden underground?”

“Exactly. They filled it with water to hide that fact. So Joo Ji-chan, use your Vermilion Bird successor skill to evaporate the water as you go deeper. You’ll definitely find an entrance leading underground.”

“And then?”

“After that, it’ll be easier than eating cold porridge. Stage 1 is down there, so just clear it and come out. Even if you get hurt, you’ve got a buffer with healing skills waiting, what’s there to worry about?”

“Wow… Hyung, you’re amazing. Smart, cool, seriously the best.”

Even Ji-chan, who had been listening quietly, smiled.

“Then I’ll be waiting. Make sure you all come out safely. After that, we’ll plan properly and get our revenge on the Constellations. And…”

Ju-an trailed off, followed by a small cough.

“Thank you. For staying safe.”

Click. The call ended.

For a moment, the four stared at each other blankly, then stood up.

The most excited among them was Joo Ji-chan, who had just received direct instructions.

He immediately activated his skill. His anger toward the Constellations who caused all this had already reached its peak.

In an instant, his body was engulfed in massive flames. A pillar of fire shot upward, and fiery wings sprouted from his shoulders as he soared forward at terrifying speed.

Se-yoon shouted after him.

“I’ll handle melting the ice, just focus on evaporation!”

“Got it!”

“I’ll break the ice!”

Crack- shatter!

Baek Eun-hoo swung his whip, sparks flying as the ice split apart. At the same time, Se-yoon rose into the air and began spinning. The shattered ice melted instantly into water, but with Ji-chan using the Vermilion Bird’s power, the water evaporated before it could even flow.

Thunder roared, water surged, and flames raged.

Just like when they forced Jooan to swallow the portal stone, their teamwork was flawless. Water and ice vanished in an instant. Even though more water began to form and freeze again, it didn’t matter.

This was enough.

Mo Jun-young carefully examined every corner of the dungeon, following the path they cleared.

And when they reached the deepest part…

“There!”

A staircase leading underground.

Mo Jun-young, who would use a shout-type skill, took the lead, followed by the others. When they reached the lowest floor, the sight before them was absurd.

“For a Stage 1 dungeon…”

“Yeah… this is way too strange.”

“There’s nothing to even do.”

“Idiots.”

All the monsters were already collapsed on the ground. It seemed they had gone berserk, unable to withstand the overwhelming energy from the S-rank skills above.

They were about to turn back, the dungeon cleared in such an anticlimactic way, when Mo Jun-young stopped them.

“Wait. We haven’t confirmed the boss’s body yet.”

Eun-hoo scanned the area and nodded. All they saw were minor mobs, creatures with boar bodies and bird heads. No boss.

Then Se-yoon pointed to the opposite wall.

“There’s a door over there.”

Sensing something, Mo Jun-young motioned everyone back and smashed the door open. Inside, a massive dragon lay stretched out.

A dragon… in Stage 1? Impossible.

They tensed instantly.

But…

The dragon, lounging lazily as if everything in the world bored it, merely turned its head slightly. It was almost embarrassing that they had barged in so aggressively.

“What the hell is this?”

At Ji-chan’s question, the dragon opened its massive jaws and yawned. Then, unbelievably, it spoke.

“You’ve arrived.”

“…W-what? Did I hear that right?”

Ji-chan recoiled in shock. Mo Jun-young stepped forward.

“I’ve heard legends of monsters that can speak, but I thought they were just that, legends. This is my first time seeing one.”

Unlike Jun-young, who observed with curiosity, Eun-hoo’s eyes narrowed sharply. The dragon’s size and overwhelming presence made it clear, it was no low-level being. Thankfully, it showed no hostility, but if it changed its mind, none of them would survive.

The dragon’s eye, as large as a human face, turned toward Eun-hoo.

“Do not worry. I’m not bored enough to fight children.”

Was it the auspicious light surrounding it? The dragon felt like a mythical being that had lived for tens of thousands of years.

Eun-hoo straightened and spoke respectfully.

“Who are you? You don’t seem to be the boss of Stage 1.”

“Indeed. I am no mere monster.”

The dragon shifted slightly, yet even that small movement shook the surroundings. Settling atop a stone platform in the center of the chamber, it looked over the four of them and opened its mouth wide.

Big enough to swallow a person whole.

They froze.

Thud.

A red orb fell from its mouth and rolled toward them.

As they hesitated, Joo Ji-chan, almost as if compelled, picked it up.

The dragon spoke again.

“You possess strong fire energy. It is fitting that you take it. Though this mess is partly my doing… it’s too troublesome to handle. I never expected those humans, once they became Constellations, to build a Tower of Babel and challenge the heavens.”

So it was talking about the Constellations.

Then… was this being their creator?

Eun-hoo’s blue eyes gleamed coldly.

“The Stage 1 dungeon is cleared. You need not kill me, so there’s no need for hostility.”

The tension eased from their shoulders.

The dragon chuckled softly.

“I don’t wish to leave the Constellations as they are… but it’s such a bother.”

Eun-hoo asked the crucial question.

“Do the Constellations know of your existence?”

“Likely not. You are the only ones who know of me.”

“And the reason you called us here… is because of them?”

The dragon slowly nodded.

An all-powerful being, perhaps something cast into this chaotic world after the dungeon breaks to restore balance.

If that were the case, it should have revealed itself earlier.

As Eunhoo thought this, the dragon clicked its tongue.

“I know what you’re thinking. But gods do not interfere in human affairs. All choices belong to humans. It was only because I meddled unnecessarily that you awakened, and that Constellations came to exist.”

Mo Jun-young, who had been quietly observing, interjected.

“If you hadn’t helped, humanity would have perished.”

The dragon laughed dryly.

“If humanity perishes, something else would simply take its place…”

Despite its words, it had still intervened in the end.

Ji-chan clenched the orb tightly, barely holding back his anger. Se-yoon looked uninterested, thinking only of Ju-an. Jun-young stared at the dragon in disbelief.

Eun-hoo asked one final question.

“So you have no intention of giving us more hints. Then that orb…”

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