Chapter 347: Black Dragon (2)

Chapter 347: Black Dragon (2)

Kaaaaang!

The fiercely swung axe was deflected.

Bunny had effortlessly crushed ordinary steel and even the heads of
monsters until now, but a simple axe attack was ineffective against
the disaster-like monster of the 32nd floor.

Balkan caught the deflected axe and smiled wryly.

‘So, it’s not going to be easy.’

Beyond the simple feeling of hardness, he fully realized that the
being before him was one of the monsters residing in the deepest part
of the labyrinth.

He felt a pressure that was on a completely different level from the
monsters he had faced so far.

Ever since the Black Dragon tore through the portal, the Mana and
demonic energy emitted by that overwhelming lifeform had changed the
very air of the 10th floor.

Krrr… krrr…

It’s over, it’s all over… it’s all over…!

The injured, barely maintaining their sanity, despaired at the
immense fear the labyrinth instilled and the Black Dragon’s rough
cries.

One by one, they foamed at the mouth, rolled their eyes back, and
fainted.

Ellie Rubia, who had barely managed to open the portal magic, was
working with Jubel to throw people into the portal, but even that
took time.

Balkan reminded himself of what he had to do.

‘Buy time.’

The Black Dragon’s neck wasn’t the immediate priority.

The most important thing right now was protecting Ellie, the client
entrusted to him by the royal family, and rescuing the people.

‘If I fight properly here, everyone will get caught up in the battle
and die.’

If he engaged in a proper battle with the Black Dragon in this place
full of injured people, he couldn’t even begin to imagine how many
casualties there would be.

To achieve his top priority, he had to draw the Black Dragon’s
attention and move the stage first.

Behind the Black Dragon, where it had been summoned, were the
ascending and descending portals leading to the 9th and 11th floors.

The problem was how to make that huge Black Dragon move.

But there was no need to worry about that.

Fortunately, or perhaps not, because he was wearing armor made from
the Black Dragon’s claws, the Black Dragon was only staring at
Balkan.

It’s armor made from your claws, is it cool?

————!!!!!”

The creature seemed to understand his words, letting out a furious
cry.

The deeper the monster was in the labyrinth, the stronger and smarter
it was, so the Black Dragon of the 32nd floor must have understood
the taunt and become enraged.

Kuuung!

The Black Dragon began to move its massive body, so large that it
seemed to crush the ceiling of the labyrinth.

Balkan taunted the Black Dragon as it moved its heavy body, kicking
off the ground and running behind it.

Whoooong—

The Black Dragon moved its massive forepaw as if to grab Balkan,
casting an even darker shadow over the already dark labyrinth.

‘…Crazy.’

The dark elf mage Nuer was preparing a binding spell, swallowing
hard.

He had only stretched out his hand into the air, but a shadow fell
over dozens of heads like a cloud obscuring the sun.

‘If that hand were to reach out and land on the unconscious injured
people?’

That massive monster could crush dozens of people to death simply by
extending its hand.

Kuuung!

The Black Dragon’s hand slammed down on the spot where Balkan had
been just moments before, but only a massive crater remained, with no
trace of people being crushed and torn apart.

Balkan, using Mana at full power, had evaded the Black Dragon’s
attack.

You slow bastard. You’ve been neglecting your people-catching
practice just because you were in the sparsely populated 32nd floor?

He knew the overwhelming difference in physique between the giant
dragon and the human.

Nuer couldn’t help but admire the crazy man who was constantly
provoking the Black Dragon to draw its attention and leading it
towards the 9th floor portal.

The injured evacuation operation was being carried out on a large
scale, and the pre-transition period meant that the number of
adventurers heading to the labyrinth had temporarily decreased.

As a result, there were almost no people on the 9th floor.

And the cave-like 9th floor had narrower passages than the 10th
floor.

In other words, going to the 9th floor would further restrict the
Black Dragon’s movements, which were already cumbersome on the 10th
floor.

‘He thought of all that in that short amount of time?’

Nuer couldn’t help but marvel at the man who had once been lower in
rank than himself.

Now, he was an existence that anyone could see had reached the level
of a high-ranking adventurer.

Whooong—

At that moment, Nuer’s staff emitted light.

Ttyuaa!

Perhaps because he was flustered.

Gibberish came out of his mouth.

Balkan could somehow understand that it meant the binding spell was
ready.

Stock up as much as you can! Use it when I signal you!!

Alright, Ttyuaaa!

Nuer began chanting again at the words of the man who had grown into
a proper party leader.

If a level 50 mage unleashed a spell that had been accumulated
multiple times in one go, even the Black Dragon would be temporarily
restrained.

Kwaaang!

————!!!

The Black Dragon, having missed Balkan again, let out a furious roar.

And then, as if to settle things here and now, it stopped in its
tracks.

Ssssseeeeeeeeeeeep—

As the Black Dragon inhaled, the surrounding air and Mana began to be
sucked into its maw.

At the same time, its lower abdomen rippled with a dark red glow, and
Mana began to swirl fiercely inside the Black Dragon’s belly.

Seeing that movement alone, Balkan immediately realized what the
Black Dragon was about to do.

Breath.

The symbol of dragons, an attack that spewed flames comparable to a
wide-area, mass-destruction magic.

[Evade it again, Balkan.]

…I can’t dodge that.

[What are you talking about? That’s dozens of times more dangerous
than a simple hand gesture. Evade it!]

Balkan shook his head at Bunny’s advice and stopped.

If I dodge the breath all over this narrow cave, who’s going to
get hit by it?

His party members, who had lower stamina and defense than him?

Or the ordinary people trembling in fear of the labyrinth?

They wouldn’t be able to withstand it.

They would probably be burned to ashes the moment they were even
briefly touched by the breath.

So.

Kwaang!

Balkan slammed his axe into the ground, raising his cold Mana.

I have to take it.

He, who had the best defense among them, was the only one who could
withstand the Black Dragon’s breath.

And above all.

…Because I made a promise.

If the opportunity arose, he had decided to save people in danger.

Just like his younger sister, who had fallen into this world first
and saved people.

Balkan covered the Black Dragon’s armor, made by Zirnier, with a Mana
armor to further increase its defense.

He raised his cold Mana throughout his body and began preparing to
take the Black Dragon’s attack head-on.

[Damn it. You stupid fool. You pathetic little creature!]

Bunny clicked his tongue as he watched Balkan trying to take the
Black Dragon’s breath alone.

[……Burning my insides with fire is not my cup of tea.]

Soon, the axe blade transformed into the shape of teeth.

The moment the instinct to devour something greedily dwelled in the
axe.

Whoooooooooooooo—

An enormous Mana gathered in the Black Dragon’s belly, accompanied by
a vast and eerie energy.

Dark red Mana, like magma, traveled from the Black Dragon’s lower
abdomen up its esophagus and gradually towards its maw.

Finally, the moment the Black Dragon’s cheeks were filled with
ominous Mana.

Jjeoooooeok—

The Black Dragon opened its mouth.

What was spewed out immediately after was a dark red, undulating
breath of fire.

The Black Dragon’s furious breath poured towards the insignificant
creature blocking its path.

Balkan smiled wryly at the dark red flames that instantly filled his
vision and raised his axe.

Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa—!

The oversized axe, with its gaping maw, began to suck in the
surroundings, just like when the Black Dragon had gathered its
breath.

Riding that flow, the dozens of streams of breath were sucked into
the axe.

Glug. Glug! Glug!!

Bunny continued to swallow the breath.

The axe trembled, perhaps displeased that its belly was filled with
fire.

[Kuk, I can’t eat anymore!]

Soon, Bunny reached his limit, but the Black Dragon’s breath still
didn’t stop.

Balkan smiled wryly as he looked at the dark red breath still pouring
towards him and the Black Dragon’s belly, which had significantly
less Mana.

At that level, he could endure it enough.

Kuuuung!

Balkan rolled on the ground, raising his cold Mana.

What instantly filled his vision was a massive wall of ice.

‘Remember what Diana showed you.’

How did she, who had the same Mana as him, handle cold Mana?

Violently, as if to freeze everything around her.

Calmly and serenely, as if always welcoming winter.

Chiiiiiiiiiiiiik!

The ice wall, touched by the breath of immense heat, melted instantly
and emitted steam.

The ice wall was repaired as quickly as it melted.

But this was not enough.

‘Freeze it.’

Freeze the fire.

Don’t just be satisfied with creating an ice wall.

Freeze that giant breath of fire whole and freeze even the Black
Dragon’s maw!

[◆Blessing of the Banner of
Victory]

—Creates a domain within a 200m radius.

—All stats of ‘allies’ within the domain +3

—All stats of ‘enemies’ within the domain -3. If the maximum
conditions are met, it will be permanently applied even when leaving
the domain.

[◆Blessing of the Time of
Judgment]

–You have the Time of Judgment once a day.

–If an unrecognized life-threatening danger approaches, it will be
unconsciously manifested.

–Wisdom +3, +10 if maximum conditions are met

Condition: Enter the Time of Judgment.

An overwhelming sense of omnipotence was felt in the domain where the
giant flag-spear was planted, and the world slowed down in an instant
within the Time of Judgment.

Balkan felt the sense that his Wisdom stat had reached a new high
point in the slow world.

And, he looked at the Black Dragon’s flames touching the ice wall.

Jjeojeok—

The breath of fire, which had been spewing out with fierce momentum,
gradually froze from the end.

And the moment the world returned to its original speed.

Jjeojeojeojeojeojeok!!!

The cold Mana went against the dark red breath, moving forward as if
to freeze the Black Dragon.