Volume 3 Chapter 1
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Three silhouettes ran through the gaps of decayed, ruined buildings, keeping their footsteps completely silent.
The slightly small figure leading the pack was wrapped entirely in black attire.
A single ponytail of black hair, tied at the back of the neck, swayed from side to side.
Slicing through the wind at incredible speed, the leading figure ran all the way to the edge of a tall building and carefully peered down at the path ahead.
After a moment, having confirmed that the way forward was clear of danger, the leader waved a hand sign to the two in the rear.
The trio turned right at the intersection just past the building.
Ceasing their run at that point, the three closed ranks and began to move forward, keeping their bodies bent low.
The path they actively crawled along was what had once been a national highway.
Numerous cars sat abandoned across the four-lane road.
All of them were completely battered, showing absolutely no sign of ever moving again.
It took very little imagination to realize that some catastrophic disaster had once struck this place, forcing people to abandon their vehicles in a frantic hurry.
And yet, the trio was not the only presence moving along this highway.
With heavy, thudding steps that shook the ground, a colossal elephant whose body length easily exceeded ten meters marched forward.
Though it resembled an elephant, its bloodshot eyes and sickening, poisonous skin tone made it blindingly obvious that this was no ordinary animal-it was a Monster.
Suddenly, a massive bird came weaving through the gaps of the skyscrapers, its talons and beak snapping down hard on the muscular trunk that the elephant Monster was thrashing wildly through the air.
TRRRRRRAAAAUM!
The bird’s biting attack was incredibly sharp, but it wasn’t enough to tear the elephant’s trunk completely off.
With a powerful snap of its trunk, the elephant flung the giant bird through the air, sending it crashing backward.
Just like that, a clash of titans erupted.
Flying at speeds almost invisible to the naked eye, the giant bird circled the sky, unleashing massive fireballs down toward the elephant.
The elephant easily evaded the falling spheres of flame, countering by launching high-speed water bullets from the tip of its long trunk like a sniper rifle.
Inevitably, the cars littered across the highway were blasted into scrap metal one after another, and the skyscrapers lining the road began to crumble into dust.
Holding their breath in absolute silence, the trio slipped right past the flank of the two Monsters engaged in this ferocious battle.
They managed to safely pass the beasts, advancing about one hundred meters away.
Believing they were finally out of the woods, the black-haired ponytail let out a sharp gasp just as they were about to exhale in relief.
”……We’ve been spotted!”
At that sudden shout, the three sprang up simultaneously and broke into a full-blown sprint.
Instantly, a barrage of fireballs and water bullets came raining down on them from behind.
Under normal circumstances, these supersonic projectiles would be impossible to dodge, but the trio sprinted forward with everything they had, evading the lethal rounds by a hair’s breadth.
Bit by bit, the three were being driven into a corner… when suddenly, the attacks from behind stopped completely.
”……Are we saved? But if they stopped, that means everything past this point is the Phase Six territory¹. Once we step foot in there, there’s no turning back… Are you guys absolutely sure about this?”
”Yeah. If we want to turn the tables now, this is the only way left…”
”Agreed…”
They whispered in hushed tones, careful not to draw the attention of the high-level Monsters lurking in the surrounding area.
What awaited them ahead were Phase Six Monsters.
The giant bird and the colossal elephant that had just been hunting them were far stronger than the trio, but the entities residing beyond this boundary were in an entirely different league altogether.
Having stepped foot into such a perilous land of death, the trio was immediately met with a relentless onslaught of deadly threats.
Faced with Monsters possessing overwhelming, catastrophic power, the three found themselves on the brink of death time and time again.
But they refused to give up.
Pushing their bodies to the absolute limit to escape, utilizing their skills to break through blockades, chugging potions to force their wounds to heal, and burning through incredibly expensive magic items as disposable tools-even while staring death in the face, they kept running forward.
They had a definitive reason for pushing themselves this far.
They wanted to reclaim it.
Together, the three of them—along with all the comrades they had lost—longed to win back that free world they had once enjoyed to the absolute fullest.
To achieve that, they needed power far greater than what they currently possessed.
It was solely to attain that power that they had ventured into the depths of this treacherous hellhole.
And finally, their desperate wish was within reach.
”…There it is.”
”Yeah.”
”Ah.”
Looming before them was a massive, pitch-black dragon, its body width easily exceeding fifty meters.
It was a high-ranking Black Dragon, an apex predator that was supposed to reside exclusively in the deepest, most sealed sectors of a Phase Six Dungeon.
This was the exact Monster that had manifested on the surface during that fateful day of cataclysm—the Phase Six Dungeon Stampede²—inflicting near-apocalyptic destruction upon human civilization.
A vast majority of the trio’s cherished friends and allies had been mercilessly slaughtered by this very beast.
Staring intently at the Monster that could easily be called their ultimate nemesis was the member of the trio with the light brown, short-cropped hair.
”…It’s okay. I can see it perfectly! It looks doable!”
”Thank goodness… Alright, let’s stick to the plan.”
”Yeah.”
Leaving the short-haired companion behind to position themselves, the remaining two charged out, throwing themselves directly in front of the Black Dragon’s field of vision.
Predictably…
ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAARRR!!!
Unleashing a deafening, earth-shattering roar, the Black Dragon lunged forward to annihilate the two intruders.
Faced with the ultimate calamity—a Monster that stood at the absolute pinnacle of strength, vastly outclassing everything they had encountered on their journey so far—the two desperately threw themselves into a frantic dance of evasion.
A single hit meant instantaneous, certain death.
Yet, even in the face of such overwhelming terror, the two unflinchingly exposed themselves as targets, drawing the beast’s full wrath.
They fully believed, from the bottom of their hearts, that as long as they could successfully keep the dragon distracted and stay alive, their remaining companion would handle the rest.
At long last, the moment arrived where their desperate hope and frantic defensive struggle bore fruit.
Unnoticed by the beast, the final member of their squad had successfully maneuvered directly underneath the Black Dragon’s jaw, kicked off the ground, and soared into the air.
”…Right hereEEEE!!!!”
With light brown short hair fluttering in the slipstream, the character’s fingertips pressed forcefully against a highly specific spot right under the Black Dragon’s jaw──and at that exact split second…
The Black Dragon’s massive body was completely enveloped in a blinding, brilliant radiance.
Seeing the light, all three of them instantly let their tension melt away, their bodies going limp with relief.
The light meant one thing: they had successfully accomplished the hazardous objective that had driven them to this incredibly deadly place.
Having fulfilled their monumental role, the short-haired figure watched as the two companions who had acted as decoys ran over, having successfully survived drawing the Black Dragon’s relentless fury.
Throwing their arms around each other’s shoulders in a tight, emotional huddle, genuine smiles finally broke across their faces.
”With this, we should finally be able to take it back… that fun world of ours.”
”That’s right!”
”I’m looking forward to it…”
Walking with their heads held high—a stark contrast to their stealthy, desperate entrance—the three proudly strode out of the Phase Six area.
Without looking back, the trio began their journey home, traveling back toward the Low Dungeon Energy region³ where the remnants of humanity scraped by, surviving within the ruins of the apocalyptic world.
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Summary:
Moving stealthily through a ruined post-apocalyptic cityscape, a trio of unnamed survivors sneaks past battling mega-monsters to enter a forbidden danger zone. They manage to approach a giant Black Dragon responsible for wiping out civilization and their past companions. Exploiting a hidden anatomical weakness right beneath the dragon’s chin triggers a brilliant burst of light that secures their objective
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Trivia:
- The highway mentioned was specifically a national highway with two lanes on each side.
- The party expended highly expensive magic items completely as disposable equipment during their trek
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Character Insight:
The trio demonstrates implicit tactical trust, willing to act as lethal bait against an apex nemesis because they harbor absolute confidence in their companion’s strike precision.
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Glossary:
Notes:
• Dungeon – An artificially‑created, androgynous‑beautied woman, once an S‑Class Dungeon Explorer, now serves as the Guild Master of the Dungeon Explorer Guild. She administers a hyper‑advanced dungeon, leading and guiding its members, and is known as the Dungeon Master, wielding authority that shifts with each dungeon phase, her beaming smile a constant hallmark.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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