Chapter 48
Chapter 48: Monster Wave (5)
The mana Martin had spread out, along with the spatial vibrations, continuously fed him information about the King of the Basilisks.
As he processed it all, he clicked his tongue.
‘This thing could rival a true dragon.’
While its overall size was smaller than a real dragon, its body length seemed almost comparable.
The overwhelming bloodlust and aura emanating from it were equally imposing.
The source of its power was obvious.
A pitch-black orb embedded in its forehead was endlessly supplying it with mana.
But Martin didn’t have time to observe any longer.
The King of the Basilisks, having swallowed a knight whole, opened its mouth wide again.
At the same time, a massive amount of mana began to swirl, gathering inside its maw like a storm.
“Dodge!”
Mateus and Oliver shouted urgently.
But the warning wasn’t necessary.
Everyone had already sensed the danger and scattered in all directions.
Kwaaaah!
A moment later, a jet of dark blue liquid spewed out like lightning, crashing into the dungeon floor.
The ground trembled under the thunderous explosion, and the area where the breath landed began to melt away.
However, the King of the Basilisks was not satisfied with the destruction it had caused.
It quickly turned its head.
The direction of the breath shifted with its movement, and two members of the Blue Dragon Knights were caught in its path.
The two knights left no trace as they were completely obliterated.
“How dare a mere monster!”
Bastian Friedrich, the captain of the Blue Dragon Knights, roared in fury as he swung his sword.
The blade was coated in a light blue aura, flickering like flames, reflecting his anger.
Slash!
The attack from a 7th-circle warrior pierced through the thick scales and into the flesh.
“Hissss!”
Enraged by the pain, the King of the Basilisks slammed its long tail down.
Bastian quickly leaped away, dodging the attack, but the impact of the tail left a small crater where it landed.
Watching this, Martin raised his voice.
“Anyone who can’t wield an aura blade, don’t engage the King! Focus on stopping the basilisks!”
Even without using his special abilities, Bastian’s strike as a 7th-circle warrior had barely left a scratch.
Anyone who could only manipulate aura would be committing suicide by fighting the creature.
Whoosh!
Having given the order, Martin shot into the air.
But someone passed him—Mateus.
‘He’s furious.’
The turbulent mana swirling around Mateus revealed his emotions.
And it was understandable.
An 8th-circle powerhouse, one of the most renowned on the Cracian Continent, had been humiliated by a monster.
His pride had taken a serious blow.
So, Martin sharpened his senses further.
He intended to observe Mateus’ fight as closely as possible.
“Hisss!”
The King of the Basilisks noticed Mateus’ approach and turned its head.
It immediately opened its mouth and spat out massive blobs of venom.
Each blob was the size of a cannonball.
But Mateus showed no hesitation as he raised his left hand above his head.
Flash!
A red barrier spread out, forming a shield of space.
This was his unique ability, Spatial Barrier, which could block any attack by manipulating space.
But that wasn’t all.
The moment the venom hit the barrier, something extraordinary happened.
The entire attack was reflected back at the King of the Basilisks.
Once the Spatial Barrier reached a certain level, it could not only block attacks but also return them. This demonstrated just how powerful Mateus was.
‘To reflect an attack of that magnitude… As expected of an 8th-circle mage.’
Mateus’ strength was certainly impressive.
But the King of the Basilisks’ reaction was equally fearsome.
Flash!
Its eyes glowed, releasing a red beam of light.
The venom blobs that were reflected back instantly turned to stone and shattered upon hitting the ground.
“It can petrify targets even without direct eye contact! Avoid those beams at all costs!”
Mateus used his Spatial Barrier once more to deflect the beams coming toward him.
Each one hit the King of the Basilisks directly.
The problem was that the creature seemed completely unaffected by its own attacks.
It immediately swung its massive tail down again, attempting to crush Mateus with sheer force.
Despite seeing the attack coming, Mateus didn’t make any further moves.
Boom!
A gigantic sword made of rocks blocked the tail.
It was Elder Oriana’s attack.
While she distracted the basilisk, Lucas and the other knight captains moved into position.
They combined their unique abilities with aura blades and launched a coordinated strike, all of which hit the King of the Basilisks.
Boom!
Its thick scales burst open, and its flesh and muscles were torn apart.
From the deep wounds, green blood poured out.
‘This is our chance!’
Martin’s eyes flashed.
Wiiiiing!
A powerful gust of wind began to swirl around him.
Feeling the strong current, Martin swiftly swung his sword, Kaizen, following the precise path of the Adalbert family’s swordsmanship.
Kwaa-kwang!
The resulting whirlwind, imbued with the power of the aura blade, was enormous—almost as large as the King of the Basilisks itself.
“Hissss!”
Sensing the danger, the basilisk hurriedly spewed more venomous breath.
It also fired its petrifying beams.
Martin’s whirlwind clashed directly with the two attacks.
The collision caused a tremendous shockwave that swept through the area.
“Ugh!”
Even though he tried to hold on, Martin couldn’t suppress a groan.
The King of the Basilisks had already overwhelmed an 8th-circle powerhouse.
Now, all its power was focused on him, making it hard to withstand.
He managed to deflect some of the force with his wind, but it was still a struggle.
Amidst the chaos, someone appeared in his senses.
A bitter smile appeared on Martin’s lips.
‘That sneaky bastard.’
Oliver had climbed onto the King of the Basilisks’ body.
While others struggled to maintain their footing, Oliver was an exception.
Using his Phantom Body, he moved freely.
He continued his ascent without any difficulty, heading straight for the core embedded in the creature’s forehead.
But the King of the Basilisks was not an easy target.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
It thrashed violently, trying to shake Oliver off.
Naturally, the people nearby were caught in the chaos as well.
“Tch!”
In the end, Oliver had to retreat.
Although he could remain unharmed while using his Phantom Body, he realized that the moment he returned to his physical form, he could be killed instantly.
Martin also withdrew his attack.
It was clear that such straightforward power struggles wouldn’t be enough to bring the creature down.
The battle raged on.
However, none of the group managed to land a critical hit on the King of the Basilisks.
At best, they inflicted minor injuries.
The only silver lining was that the basilisk couldn’t push them to the brink either, but the situation still favored the monster.
It had an unlimited supply of mana thanks to the core, whereas the group had limited stamina.
The situation with the other basilisks wasn’t much better.
Their numbers were seemingly endless.
With the 7th-circle powerhouses focused on the King of the Basilisks, gaps appeared in their formation, causing Sien, Adel, and the knights to be pushed back.
“Huff… Huff… What on earth is that thing? Even if it absorbed the core, how can something born on the 35th floor be that strong?”
“Hah… That’s why this dungeon is so dangerous. Even after 1,000 years of human exploration, it’s still a mystery.”
“You say that, but you don’t seem too worried, heir.”
“Do I?”
“Your eyes don’t look as troubled as you’re making them out to be. Even Mateus seems concerned.”
“You’re sharp, Elder Oriana.”
“That’s nothing. But if you have a hidden trump card, now would be the time to reveal it. Unless you want to see more casualties.”
“Don’t worry. It’s already here.”
As Elder Oriana pressed him, Martin smiled as he responded.
Her surprise was short-lived, as the mystery was soon cleared up.
A group of people was quickly approaching.
“There are a lot of monsters here! Let’s kill them all and take the magic stones!”
“Now’s our chance to make a fortune while the commission fee is waived!”
“Making money is great, but don’t forget to keep your eyes shut! One mistake and we’re done for!”
Their casual, greedy banter revealed they weren’t your typical knights.
“W-Why are adventurers here? They were supposed to be holding the defense line… Wait.”
Elder Oriana’s expression shifted as realization dawned.
The newcomers were all skilled, but one stood out with an overwhelming presence.
Not just her, but all the 7th-circle powerhouses turned to face him.
And when he spoke, they couldn’t hide their shock.
“Your loyal servant, Christian Havertz, has arrived, heir!”
“The Fire Dragon Sword?!”
“Heir’s servant? That can’t be! He always said he would never serve anyone but a lord!”
The exclamations of disbelief spread like wildfire.
Christian Havertz was currently the most famous adventurer in the Altaria Empire.
Everyone knew of his skills and his background.
The fact that someone like him had become Martin’s vassal was nothing short of an enormous event.
“Don’t tell me you promised him the old territory of the Rustal family, heir?”
Elder Oriana’s tone turned icy.
Although her eyes were closed, her face was emotionless.
Martin felt her displeasure but remained calm.
“There is only
one person who can claim the old Rustal territory—the one who destroys the core. Unless the Fire Dragon Sword breaks the core, he won’t be the lord of anything.”
“Then why is he here, calling himself your servant? And what’s this about a wager?”
“There was a bet, and I won.”
“A bet…?”
“We’ll discuss the details later. Now’s not the time.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Martin used the Spatial Movement and appeared right next to Christian.
“You’re late. I told you to stay within an hour’s distance.”
“Is that how you greet someone who fought through monsters to get here? And you didn’t even leave a proper mark.”
“Well, I left one, didn’t I? You found it.”
“Tch. Does the Adalbert family teach their descendants how to nag their subordinates?”
“Leadership is basic, after all.”
Martin chuckled.
Before descending into the dungeon, he had given Christian special instructions—to gather strong adventurers and follow at a distance of one hour behind him.
Christian was Martin’s hidden trump card, to be used at the most critical moment.
“Enough bragging. Let’s see how amazing your new servant is.”
Christian was confident.
He took great pride in his ability to handle large groups of monsters.
“Just clear a path. I’ll destroy the core.”
“I won’t let that happen! I’ll break the core myself!”
Christian’s voice rang out as he shouted with all his might.
The blue flames surrounding him swelled, taking the form of a massive dragon.
“Roaaaar!”
The fire dragon roared.
It flapped its wings and charged forward, with Christian standing proudly atop its head.
Martin watched the scene with satisfaction.
“I’ve just revealed my final card.”
Grip.
He tightened his hold on Kaizen’s hilt.
Now was the time to end everything.
And to claim everything he desired.
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