"Oh my! You guys, stop fighting!"
Ryu looked down from his high vantage point, gazing at the chaotic battlefield in the distance with a look of utter anxiety on his face. "What terrible timing. These Elves are just too unlucky. Why did they have to run into the Lord of the Dungeon? Sigh!"
"..."
"..."
everyone remained silent, revealing peculiar expressions. Even Laios looked at Ryu's back, appearing as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself.
They were currently situated on a piece of high ground with lush vegetation. They had used Gnome magic to modify the local terrain and added tree cover, making it very difficult to detect from the outside that a group of people was hiding here.
Ryu's original plan was very simple: force the Lord of the Dungeon out and then snipe him from a distance.
Judging from the performance in the "original work," most mages were glass cannons. There were extremely rare exceptions who cultivated physical arts like Captain Canary, but their physical defense was still average.
It was truly touching—he turned out to be a traditional-type mage!
For the mages of this world, a 15mm anti-materiel sniper rifle bullet coming from a thousand meters away, traveling at a speed exceeding eight hundred meters per second and capable of penetrating several layers of armor, was simply something outside their cognitive scope.
They couldn't imagine a form of attack like this, so naturally, they had no corresponding defensive measures... In the end, their neural reactions weren't that fast either!
So as long as the Mad Mage dared to show his head, Ryu could insta-kill him with one shot. There would absolutely be no second outcome!
It was just that the [Canaries] happened to land, which slowed down his actions.
Even without looking through the scope, the "eyepatch" allowed him to see the situation on the battlefield clearly. Ryu seriously observed the battle between the [Canaries] and the Lord of the Dungeon, and soon reached a conclusion:
The Mad Mage would lose!
There was no suspense. The mage himself wasn't powerful; he was self-taught. Although he had lived for many years, his volume of knowledge and techniques were likely inferior to Marcille's. He relied on the Golden Grimoire, which could communicate with the Demon, to possess infinite mana within the depths of the Dungeon.
But now he had left the Dungeon and come to the surface, where there were almost no buffs, and he had lost his reason, looking like he would fight to the death—leaving aside why he had lost his reason for the moment.
The army of monsters looked intimidating, but they were not an irresistible force to the elite [Canaries]. As for the mage himself... his combat power was being crushed by the Captain!
It looks like I won't need to act, Ryu thought with a lack of interest.
Suddenly, a piercing golden light flashed in his field of vision. Ryu was immediately and tightly attracted by it, his gaze focusing on the object in Thistle's hand.
That was the Grimoire connected to the Demon "Winged Lion." Thistle relied on this to control the Dungeon and create monsters. Its mana was powerful enough to bind the souls of an entire nation's people, keeping them in the Golden Kingdom forever, achieving a twisted form of immortality.
The reason adventurers could resurrect inside the Dungeon was also due to the indirect influence of the magic cast by Thistle.
In other words, this book possessed the powerful strength to reverse life and death!
As long as one held it, even a novice like Ryu could cast resurrection magic in the outside world, not just confined to the Dungeon environment.
Unfortunately, that was also the Demon's container in reality. The holder's mind would be eroded unknowingly, gradually turning into a puppet controlled by desires, and finally reduced to a feast for the Demon...
Ryu's pupils reflected that wisp of golden light, and he suddenly remembered something:
The [Canaries] were a unit specialized in suppressing Dungeons. After taking out the Lord of the Dungeon, they would inevitably recover the Grimoire... but this time seemed slightly different.
Because in the original work, Thistle didn't trust the "Winged Lion," so he had split the Grimoire into two halves very early on. The Winged Lion's main body remained in the private residence at the deepest level of the Dungeon, and only a small half was carried on his person as proof of controlling the Dungeon.
In other words, two Grimoires currently existed simultaneously, and the [Canaries] did not know this!
A marvelous idea took root and sprouted in Ryu's mind...
No!
Don't think about it!
Do not hesitate!
The current situation was the best development!
With the Lord of the Dungeon taken out, the Captain of the [Canaries] almost only cared about revenge. Leaving the matter of the "Winged Lion" to him would be fine. The fates of Laios and the others would be completely different from the original work from this point on.
He should take what he could get and not complicate matters!
After a moment of silence, Ryu took a deep breath, firmed his resolve, and extended his finger into the trigger guard to hook the trigger—
Just then, the situation on the distant battlefield took a sharp turn for the worse!
Thistle realized that on the surface, he was no match for the [Canaries] at all. He had nearly been successfully ambushed by the Captain more than once. After suffering continuous setbacks, he finally regained thirty percent of his clarity and attempted to retreat back to the Dungeon.
To this end, he summoned Walking Mushrooms that were fifteen meters tall!
This type of monster was a common trash mob on the First Floor; novice adventurers with a little training could deal with them, and they posed almost no threat. But just like fungi in reality, the difference between individuals of this monster species was immense. If there was enough mana and nutrients, they could turn into terrifying existences at the sub-dragon level.
Standing atop the head of such a colossal monster, Thistle slammed his palm down—
Pfft!!!
A massive amount of spores formed a thick fog that sprayed out from under the cap, poised to drown the entire battlefield!
The Elves, fearing being parasitized by the spores, held their breath one after another (if it stuck to the skin it could be washed off, but direct inhalation would be trouble). They gathered together to open a barrier to resist the thick fog, and even Captain Mithrun was pulled back by someone.
Thistle gained a moment of respite and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief—
Bang!
The left half of his body went numb instantly, and he felt his body lose balance. Thistle opened his eyes wide to look, only to see that his left hand was reduced to a bloody half-section of a forearm, with shredded flesh and sinews hanging from the ghastly white bone.
And the other half had flown out along with the Grimoire!
I was attacked? When?
Thistle's face was ferocious. In that flash of lightning, he realized he had fallen into the most dangerous predicament. Before the Grimoire completely left his vicinity, a final thought flashed through his mind:
"Oooohhh!!!"
All the Walking Mushrooms, regardless of size, began to spray spores frantically, and the army of monsters went berserk as if they were on drugs!
I missed?
The scope's field of view was obscured by the thick fog. Ryu raised his head in surprise, a trace of confusion flashing in his eyes.
But seeing both Thistle and the Grimoire vanish into the thick fog, his heart suddenly grew anxious.
"We can't let the Dungeon Lord run away! It's too dangerous; you guys don't come out yet!"
Before the others could respond, Ryu had already thrown down the heavy sniper rifle amidst their stunned gazes. unarmed, he jumped down from the high ground, leaning his body to reduce speed, kicking up a burst of dust.
The combined enhancement of physical fitness from [Gourmet of Solitude] and [Demon Back] allowed him to display bodily functions far exceeding ordinary humans. After a nimble jump and roll, he had already departed from everyone's field of vision.
He faintly heard the anxious calls of his companions, but Ryu merely furrowed his brow, his steps not pausing in the slightest.
I must keep Thistle here!
Once he returns to the depths of the Dungeon and has his guard up, he won't be easy to deal with!
If it drags on too long and I have to return to the Main World, wouldn't the cooked duck have flown away?
Today is the day I solve all problems!
Not knowing if the gas mask would work, Ryu pulled one out from his "bosom" and buckled it over his face, rushing into the mist without thinking twice.
His sensitive skin could feel being washed over by countless tiny particles; he didn't know how many spores had stuck to him just by walking a few steps. Fortunately, the Cyber-tech gas mask protected his mouth and nose well. Aside from needing to use more force when breathing, there were no abnormalities.
The thermal detection of the eyepatch was turned on. Large and small heat sources were swept over by the system. Ryu quickly filtered out the Elves gathered together and aimed for the hazy group of monsters—the dark-skinned Elf was inside there!
In this environment, he discovered the enemy even before the monsters with their keen senses. Giant scorpions, Giant Bats, Basilisks—often just as they saw a black shadow, they were mercilessly pierced by the scorching blade.
The knowledge passed down by [Monster Hunter] was utilized to its fullest extent at this moment. Ryu almost never attacked a second time; dodging past them, he dealt a fatal blow in one strike and immediately disengaged!
The thermal blade would neither chip nor dull. Even hard bones could not cause the slightest obstruction. In a short thirty seconds, Ryu charged through a straight distance of two hundred meters and left behind twenty-seven corpses of various monsters.
He was too fast. Many monsters didn't even have time to let out a wail. He flickered like a phantom amidst the thick fog, and no one could lock onto his position.
Suddenly, the eyepatch captured a heat source similar in body shape to Thistle. Ryu exerted force under his feet, rushing over like a bullet leaving the chamber. The red light of the thermal blade flashed as it slashed across the slender neck—
Thwack!
The head flew off, and the body collapsed listlessly. Ryu stopped and looked back, narrowing his eyes in slight disappointment.
That wasn't the Dungeon Lord Thistle; it was just a relatively tall Goblin.
But just as he intended to continue searching for the target, the familiar golden color entered his view once again:
That headless Goblin corpse was tightly hugging a gold-covered Grimoire, and hanging on it was the half-section of a certain Elf's arm...
"!"
Ryu's steps paused. He half-squatted, seemingly intending to lean in a bit closer to observe clearly.
...Correct, it was indeed that Grimoire!
Perhaps Thistle had ordered the monster to retrieve it for him...
Unknowingly, the surroundings quieted down. The roars of the monsters had long since faded away, only faintly audible. Ryu stared seriously at the golden book on the monster's corpse, his gaze wavering with uncertainty.
This thing was too dangerous; he didn't want to touch it at all!
But thinking carefully, a hothead with unstable mental fortitude like Thistle could suppress the Winged Lion for a thousand years. In the original work, if not for Laios's squad, the Winged Lion wouldn't have been able to resist Thistle either.
Ryu believed his willpower wouldn't be weaker than Thistle's. Moreover, he knew long ago that the Winged Lion was no good thing, so he certainly wouldn't give the Demon an opportunity to exploit!
If he left the half of the Grimoire at the bottom of the Dungeon to the [Canaries], then he could pocket this half without anyone knowing. No one would be able to detect the items in his private space.
And as long as he had this book, Ryu's harvest in Delicious in Dungeon wouldn't be just those few Destiny Coins!
Resurrection, teleportation, familiar creation... The difficulty of casting these magics would skyrocket if he left the Dungeon, let alone returned to the Main World!
At that time, Ryu feared he would only be able to use the mana within his own body, unable to borrow the power of the Great Source at all; he'd be panting just releasing a Fireball spell!
But what if he had the Grimoire's help?
Never mind conventional magic, perhaps even the Resurrection spell could be successfully cast under certain conditions...
He needed this power!
He was still too weak!
Although he seemed to be doing well in the Main World, the shadow of the future always lingered in his heart. A Sukuna Demon weakened countless times over could make him pathetic and wretched. Compared to those natural disasters, warlord-level monsters, and aliens, what could he do?
Did he have to count on Nishikida Kagetatsu to save the day every time, or on Ultraman?
Shouldn't his own destiny be grasped by his own hands?!
With conviction firming in his eyes, Ryu reached out his hand toward the Golden Grimoire engraved with the Winged Lion pattern—
Squelch!
The scorching blade pierced through his palm, sinking deeply into the mud, pinning the entire hand to the ground along with it!
"——!!!"
Right hand holding the thermal blade piercing the left palm—the young man froze for a second before feeling the intense pain sweep over him!
His face flushed red, and he clenched his teeth tightly, but in the end, he couldn't hold back a hoarse groan... Yet gradually, that voice of pain took on a trace of delight and mockery, and soon he began to laugh loudly.
Whoosh~
Massive wings vibrated the air. A feather slowly drifted down with the flowing wind before Ryu's eyes, causing his laughter to gradually cease.
He pulled out the thermal blade. His left hand was still twitching slightly, but not a drop of blood flowed from the scorched wound.
Ryu knelt on one knee, his gaze cast upon the Grimoire. He slowly raised his head, and a lion with smooth, golden fur, concealing its body with broad wings and emitting a holy aura all over, entered his field of vision.
"First time meeting you."
"..."
"No, I should say 'finally met you'."
The Winged Lion, with clear and gentle eyes, looked down at the human youth, seemingly showing a trace of pity when looking at his wound.
"The moment you arrived in this world, I noticed your existence. I have always wanted to meet you... but I didn't expect it would be in this form.
I won't say things like I don't have any malice, because I know you are full of wariness toward me, which is why you rejected my invitation.
It seems you are very clear about the nature of Demons, but there is no need to be so extreme.
I do not have the ability to force others to do something. The so-called 'Demon' is merely a title people have bestowed with a curse. We are just tools that help living beings realize their wishes; all prices are clearly marked from the very beginning.
Without a user, we can do nothing. So you do not need to be afraid of me, young human."
"..."
That gentle and amiable voice continuously flowed into his ears, but Ryu just quietly watched the other party without saying a word.
Suddenly, a trickle of noseblood flowed down...
The Winged Lion noticed this and asked curiously, "What did you do to yourself? Ryu."
"Suggestion."
Ryu pulled at the corner of his mouth, revealing a slightly reckless arc. He extended his index finger and pressed it against his temple, using force as if he wanted to dig in.
"After detecting for the first time that [Arrogance] might go out of control and become a weakness of the mind, I decided to use an 'Evil Spirit' to counter the 'Demon'—
[No matter the situation, as long as I reach out to the 'Book of the Winged Lion', chop it down]
—I placed such a suggestion!"
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