Ren ran for his life.
Fiona, still slung across his back, remained in a deep coma. Her labored breathing showed no signs of stabilizing; if anything, it was getting worse.
He had tried to force a potion into her mouth earlier, but there had been no improvement. He desperately wanted to stop and check her condition properly, but the encroaching flames and lava wouldn't allow it. The fire seemed to be hunting them, specifically targeting Ren and the girl he carried.
It reminded him vividly of the fire pillars back at the suspension bridge.
Still, he forced his legs to move, whipping his exhausted body forward to avoid being swallowed by the heat.
"Dammit... huff... wheeze...!"
At times, his vision blurred and his balance wavered. He gritted his teeth and pushed through the dizziness for over ten minutes.
Soon, he reached a dead end. With the surrounding area consumed by fire and molten rock, there were practically no routes left to escape.
(There’s nowhere left but... there...!)
Ren hesitated. Even in this crisis, he wondered if it was really a good idea.
"There" was a hidden map within the Baldur Mountains. However, it was a one-way path. If things went south, they could easily be trapped and burned alive from both ends. He had planned to visit it eventually, but not under these circumstances.
(No—I have to do it!)
He didn't have the luxury of second-guessing. With the relentless magma closing in, there was no other sanctuary.
Fortunately, the entrance wasn't far. Ren mustered his final dregs of strength, navigating the unrecognizable, scorched landscape to find the hidden trail. He poured everything into his legs, gasping for air.
"Nn... Mr... Adventurer..."
Fiona’s voice was a faint rasp. Despite his own ragged breathing, Ren tried to sound encouraging. "Hold on. We’ll be off the mountain soon."
"...I’m... sorry..."
Fiona repeated her apologies like a feverish mantra until she lost consciousness once more.
I will save you, Ren vowed. He tightened his grip on the Iron Magic Sword and sprinted.
But as if to mock his resolve, a disaster struck.
『————』
A violent headache spiked through his skull, and a voice—or something like a voice—echoed directly into his brain. Simultaneously, the Necklace of Warding around Fiona’s neck shattered into dust.
"That voice... what was that!?"
He couldn't tell if it was male or female, and the words were incomprehensible.
Ren stumbled, clutching his head while trying not to drop Fiona. He forced himself to keep moving despite the agony.
『————, ————』
The voice spoke again, and this time the headache was so intense that Ren’s legs gave out. He collapsed into the snow, his eyes squeezed shut against the pain.
In that moment of vulnerability, a red wind swept over them. Fiona was ripped from his back, her body floating into the air. Enveloped in a shroud of crawling flames, she was carried away into the darkness ahead.
"Dammit! Give her back!"
Ren reached out, his face contorted in pain and frustration, but his fingers caught only air. As Fiona vanished into the distance, the headache began to recede. He forced himself upright, ignoring his protesting muscles.
The lava flow was inches from his boots. He started running again, chasing the red wind that had stolen Fiona.
(This path is...)
Was it a coincidence? This was the exact route Ren had been searching for.
He followed the trail until he reached a spot where a massive boulder should have blocked the way. The rock had been pulverized, exposing the entrance to the hidden map.
In the game, a system message would have appeared here: There seems to be something further back. Destroy it? Yes/No. Ren remembered laughing at the abruptness of the prompt while being thrilled by the discovery.
Now, there were no prompts—only stone stairs that looked like ancient ruins. There were no torches, but a faint, shimmering light drifted up from below.
Ren didn't hesitate. He stepped into the darkness.
The idea of abandoning Fiona to save himself never crossed his mind. Besides, there was nowhere else to go.
He hurried down the stone steps until the narrow passage opened into a vast, ethereal cavern. Ren stopped, his breath catching in his throat.
Thump.
As his foot touched the floor, the sound echoed through the silence. In response to the vibration, the minerals embedded in the walls began to pulse with light like ripples in a pond. Glowing particles occasionally drifted through the air like miniature comets.
It was a subterranean world of blue, purple, and deep crimson. This was the Star Agate Underpass.
As the name suggested, the cave was filled with striped chalcedony and agate. The ceiling was a canopy of glittering gems that mimicked a star-filled sky.
(If this weren't a game-world scenario, I could have made a fortune just by mining this place,) Ren thought briefly.
Star Agate wasn't magically powerful, but its extreme beauty made it one of the rarest materials in existence. Scholars spent lifetimes studying its formation, yet here it was, covering every inch of the cave.
Ren didn't linger to admire the scenery. He sprinted through the crystalline tunnels until he reached a precipice.
Beyond the tunnels lay a colossal underground void. It was large enough to swallow his entire home village. From the ledge where Ren stood to the bottom floor, the drop was twice as deep as the Great Fissure in the Eastern Forest.
The entire void was coated in Star Agate. It was so vast that it felt like standing on the edge of outer space.
(————What is that?)
In the center of the lowest floor stood something that defied logic. A massive cluster of crystals, several times taller than Ren, sat like a throne.
Fiona was inside it.
She was still unconscious, but she seemed unharmed. The red wind and flames hadn't scorched her skin or burned her clothes. Instead, the crimson light from the Star Agate floor was being siphoned into the crystal cluster, saturating it.
Ren was certain now—something legendary was at work here. He suppressed his fear and invoked Nature Magic, using summoned vines to descend rapidly to the floor of the cavern.
He landed and turned toward the cluster, but a sound nearby stopped him.
『...Kuruuu.』
A weak cry came from the ground. It was a Steel-Eating Gargoyle—the monster that was scripted to appear here. This one was smaller and younger than the pair Ren had fought before.
The creature was in a terrible state. Its metallic skin was melted and charred, as if it had been caught in a blast furnace. It lay on the ground, watching Ren with fading, wary eyes.
It was dying. Fiona had been protected, but this creature had been ravaged by the volcanic eruption.
『Kuru... ruu...!』
The gargoyle tried to threaten him with its dying breath, and Ren felt a pang of sympathy. Its cries were faint, and its life fluid was staining the crystalline floor.
Ren pointed his Iron Magic Sword at the creature. The gargoyle let out one final, sharp squawk, but then it simply closed its eyes and lowered its head. Its breath came in ragged, white puffs. It seemed to be accepting its fate—or perhaps it was simply begging for the pain to end.
"...I'm sorry," Ren whispered.
He couldn't save it. He had no healing magic, and he couldn't stand to watch it suffer.
He drove the Iron Magic Sword through the gargoyle's chest. The creature’s breathing stopped instantly. In its final moments, the look in its eyes wasn't one of malice, but of relief and gratitude.
Ren Ashton [Job] Ashton Family Eldest Son [Skill] - Magic Sword Summoning (Level 1: 0/0) - Magic Sword Summoning Arts (Level 3: 1899/2000) Level 1: Can summon [one] Magic Sword. Level 2: Obtain the effect [Physical Ability Boost (Small)] while a Magic Sword is summoned. Level 3: Can summon [two] Magic Swords. Level 4: Obtain the effect [Physical Ability Boost (Medium)] while a Magic Sword is summoned. Level 5: ＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊.
[Acquired Magic Swords] - Wooden Magic Sword (Level 2: 1000/1000) - Iron Magic Sword (Level 2: 1652/2500) - Thief's Magic Sword (Level 1: 0/3) - Shield Magic Sword (Level 2: 0/2) Deploys a Mana Barrier. Power and range increase with level.
As the gargoyle's proficiency flowed into his bracelet, the Shield Magic Sword reached level 2.
Ren felt no joy. He looked at the crystal cluster containing Fiona and forced his heavy legs forward. But before he could take a second step—
『————I have waited.』
A voice boomed from the crystal cluster. The gems pulsed with an angry red light in sync with the words.
An overwhelming pressure flooded the cavern, pinning Ren to the spot. His body began to shake uncontrollably, and cold sweat drenched his clothes. Every instinct in his body screamed one thing: Death is here.
『...I called to this black-clad girl, the one who awakened my power, many times. I bid her come to me.』
Ren already knew who the voice belonged to. Between the fire at the bridge and the way Kai and Maydas had been vaporized, the identity was obvious. He stood paralyzed, his heart hammering against his ribs.
『...I remember nothing else. Why I am here... who I am... all of it is lost.』
Ren had never seen this boss in the game, but he could put the pieces together. That giant cluster wasn't just crystal—it was a Mana Stone.
He deduced that Marquis Ignat must have discovered this Star Agate Underpass and realized it was part of a dormant volcano. He must have moved the Mana Stone here to hide it or study it.
(It all fits.)
The disturbance in the mountain's mana had started at the bridge. That mana had triggered the volcano’s awakening, and the catalyst for all of it was Fiona. Her illness wasn't a disease; it was the side effect of her resonance with this creature.
Maydas and Kai’s plans had been rendered irrelevant the moment this ancient power woke up. Fiona possessed a Unique Skill—one powerful enough to influence a legendary dragon.
Ren swallowed his fear. If he wanted to get her out of here alive, he had to speak.
"————You are the Red Dragon, Asval. The proud King of Flames."
His voice trembled, but he forced the words out.
『...Yes. I am Asval... the proud leader of the Fire Dragons. The one who hungers for battle.』
The dragon's voice vibrated through the air, making it hard for Ren to catch his breath.
『That is right... I must fight... I must slay the wicked Demon King and await a worthy challenger...』
The tone of the voice shifted, becoming more volatile. The cavern began to rumble. The crystal cluster glowed with a blinding light and began to hover off the ground.
"Wait! The Demon King is dead! Hero Lauren defeated him long ago! He defeated you, too!"
『Lies! Silence your tongue! I am not dead! My presence here is proof enough!』
The dragon wouldn't listen. Perhaps because it was an undead manifestation, its reasoning was fractured.
(If I don't stop this now————!)
Red light began to bleed from the Mana Stone as it prepared to manifest a physical form. Driven by a desperate need to shatter the stone before the resurrection was complete, Ren tore his feet from the floor and leaped, bolstered by his enhanced physical abilities.
He was swatted aside.
A gale of red wind and light slammed into him, hurling him across the cavern and into the stone wall. Ren coughed, using his Iron Magic Sword as a crutch to stand back up.
(Everything is going wrong...)
Since arriving at the Baldur Mountains, he had faced assassins and cultists, all trying to exploit Fiona or destroy the Clausel family. But none of them had accounted for the sheer scale of the irregular power Fiona held.
『I must go. I must slay the Demon King.』
The silhouette forming within the light was massive. It was undeniable reality.
『————Weakling. If you intend to stand in my way, you would do well to remember one thing.』
A four-legged beast took shape, its long neck and tail whipping through the air. It opened its maw, and a stream of primordial fire erupted, instantly melting the Star Agate walls and floor.
The already massive space doubled in size as the dragon carved out a theater of war. The floor became a lake of molten glass and lava.
When the blinding light finally faded, the Red Dragon’s eyes locked onto Ren.
『I am the King of Flames. Know that this body cannot be scorched by any fire that does not surpass my own.』
Asval stood more majestic than any lion, framed by the lava he had created. His body was covered in deep red scales, but many were peeling away to reveal rotting flesh. One of his eyes was clouded and blind. His tail was severed halfway, and his massive wings were torn and tattered.
He was an undead, brought back to the world using Fiona as his catalyst.
(She's still there.)
Ren could see her. She was suspended within a translucent gem in the center of the dragon’s chest, her body curled into a defensive ball.
"Listen to me!" Ren shouted. He wasn't pleading anymore. He had accepted what was coming. "I am Ren Ashton! I am the son of a knight! Please, listen to what I have to say!"
He didn't expect the dragon to comply, but Asval suddenly froze. His tattered wings stopped mid-beat.
『————Ashton?』
The dragon’s voice was filled with sudden, haunting confusion.
『Why... that name... it carries a nostalgic ring.』
"You... you know my family name?"
『I remember nothing... and yet...』
Suddenly, Asval was consumed by a blinding rage. Though his memories were gone, his instincts flared with a violent, inexplicable hatred.
He arched his long neck, and the single intact horn on his head began to glow with a terrifying red intensity.
『I do not like it! I will not permit a weakling like you to speak that name!』
The dragon twisted his neck and unleashed a breath of pure annihilation. In the searing heat of the volcano, a flame that transcended all human understanding swept across the cavern, racing toward Ren like the end of the world.