Kranol studied the hatchling more closely.
A Status Window that had not been visible before appeared beside it.
[Name: None]
[Species: Gold Emperor Dragon]
[Potential: SSS]
[Exclusive Skills: White Flame Breath (Lv. 2), Invisibility (Lv. 7), Subspace Storage (Lv. 1)]
[Traits: Darkvision (Rare), Golden Scales (Legendary), Dragon Heart (Legendary)]
[Stats: Strength (Lv. 3), Agility (Lv. 1), Magic Power (Lv. 5), Luck (Lv. 3)]
[Feelings toward you: Dad!]
‘Oh.’
It was an extraordinarily impressive Status Window.
The hatchling possessed several remarkable Exclusive Skills, as well as two Legendary traits.
Its SSS-grade potential was clearly well deserved.
‘Well, it is the offspring of Act One’s final boss. It should at least be this powerful.’
Kranol carefully examined the Exclusive Skills section.
Every skill listed there was tempting at a glance.
[You can copy the calamity’s Exclusive Skills.]
[The original skill level will not be retained.]
[The target’s current stage and bond with you are low.]
[You can currently copy ‘1’ skill.]
‘So I can only copy one skill for now.’
Furthermore, the original skill level would not carry over.
That meant any skill he copied would invariably begin at Level 1.
However, that did not matter.
‘The more I nurture a calamity with my own hands, the more power I’ll be able to copy from it.’
That was what made the Hidden Trait, ‘Catastrophe Affinity,’ so terrifying.
The stronger a calamity became under Kranol’s care, the stronger he became as well.
He would eventually even gain the ability to combine the skills he had copied.
‘Of course, that will only be possible once our bond becomes much deeper.’
In any case, it gave him plenty to look forward to.
There was another way for him to become stronger, entirely separate from this.
If one disregarded the risks involved, Kranol’s madness was also an outrageously powerful ability.
It granted him enough magical power to eliminate most enemies in a single blow.
However, he had no desire to rely upon it.
‘My sense of self will eventually be consumed, and the entire world will be placed in danger.’
Kranol had already awakened the absurdly powerful Hidden Trait known as Catastrophe Affinity.
If he lost his mind in his current state, he would quickly become a calamity capable of threatening all humanity.
His objective had always been to cure his accursed madness completely.
‘If I rush forward impatiently, I’ll only stumble. I must not lose sight of my true objective.’
Naturally, becoming stronger would help him secure a peaceful life.
However, that was merely an incidental benefit.
Becoming stronger would not suddenly cure his madness.
‘In any case, I can copy one skill for now.’
The hatchling possessed three skills in total.
White Flame Breath, Invisibility, and Subspace Storage.
Invisibility was exactly what its name suggested, while Subspace Storage could essentially be considered an inventory.
‘White Flame Breath wouldn’t be a poor choice for offensive purposes.’
The type of breath a dragon exhaled differed according to its species.
Some dragons breathed blue flames, while others unleashed lightning.
This creature, however, belonged to the exceedingly rare Gold Emperor Dragon species.
It had learned White Flame Breath, said to be the rarest form of dragon breath.
‘Its destructive power is immense, and its flames even contain divine power. It is a Holy Flame that only a select few saints could ever hope to imitate.’
It was more powerful than ordinary fire and possessed profound symbolic significance.
After deliberating, Kranol finally selected a skill.
[You have copied ‘Invisibility (Lv. 1)’!]
The skill he chose after careful consideration was Invisibility.
There was no particularly profound reason behind the decision.
‘I can simply have the hatchling use White Flame Breath or Subspace Storage.’
Invisibility, however, was different.
Its versatility was overwhelming.
There were countless situations outside combat in which it could prove useful.
‘It’s the perfect skill for everything from crime and backstabbing to infiltration and disruption.’
Its low skill level meant its duration was extremely short, but acquiring magic of this caliber in an instant was still an enormous gain.
Even among mages, Invisibility was considered advanced magic that was exceedingly difficult to learn.
Without entering a Magic Tower, it was not easy to find a qualified teacher or obtain the necessary magical texts.
‘Had I tried to learn Invisibility from the ground up, the entire process would have taken at least four years.’
Yet he had bypassed all those steps and acquired Invisibility in an instant.
Its level might have been low, but he only needed to use it consistently and allow it to develop.
More importantly, this was merely the beginning.
The hatchling was still small and young.
Its true growth had not even begun.
‘Above all, it doesn’t appear to have evolved even once.’
Evolution.
Young demonic beasts evolved after accumulating sufficient experience.
Their bodies grew larger in an instant, and they acquired new Exclusive Skills.
The number of times they could evolve and the extent of the resulting changes varied greatly between individuals.
“Hatchling. Have you ever evolved? I mean an occasion when your body suddenly grew larger or you became stronger.”
“SKREE!”
The hatchling shook its head from side to side.
Kranol could only stare in disbelief.
As expected, it was a young demonic beast that had never evolved even once.
Yet it already possessed absurdly powerful magic and multiple Legendary traits.
It was as though he had acquired a legendary starter set.
‘Of course, that means I’ll have to raise it properly from now on.’
Kranol was confident.
Under his guidance, the hatchling would grow into something even greater than the final boss of Act One.
Only then would the benefits he eventually received be maximized.
“Ah, but there is one thing.”
While calculating his future plans, Kranol suddenly spoke.
One particular detail had been bothering him for some time.
It was the message written on the bottom line of the Status Window.
“You’re not my child. Why are you calling me Dad?”
“SKRREEE!”
The hatchling vigorously shook its head and clung tightly to him.
It appeared to have assigned some peculiar meaning to their relationship.
Perhaps this was another problem caused by its young age.
***
Eleven days passed as the two continued walking.
The grass gradually thinned out, and the wasteland began to spread before them.
The cracked earth had dried from the lack of rain, and the air was thick and dusty.
Tumbleweeds rolled across the wasteland in the desolate wind.
At last, Kranol reached his intended destination.
“SKRREEE!”
The hatchling pointed into the distance with one forepaw, fascinated.
Whirlwinds were raging across an enormous expanse of land.
Such a tremendous amount of dust filled the air that it was difficult even to keep one’s eyes open.
‘The Vortex Cavern Dungeon.’
The dungeon did not permit easy entry.
Anyone who approached without adequate preparation would instead be caught in a whirlwind and killed.
“SKREEE.”
The worried hatchling bit firmly onto Kranol’s collar, as though urging him to leave immediately.
Then it suddenly recoiled in alarm.
“SKREEEEE?!”
The whirlwinds began to writhe, and their trajectories abruptly shifted.
They then rushed toward Kranol and the hatchling at tremendous speed.
Despite the hatchling’s concern, Kranol did not move a single step.
“Hatchling. Breathe your flames at those whirlwinds.”
The hatchling looked bewildered.
Assuming that he must have a reason, however, it immediately opened its maw.
FWOOOOSH!
A blast of fire erupted with power that seemed impossible for such a small hatchling.
The stream of white flames struck the sandstorm sweeping across the wasteland.
Then something astonishing happened.
The instant the hatchling’s fiery breath touched it, one of the enormous whirlwinds vanished.
“SKREEE?”
The startled hatchling stared in confusion.
Kranol, however, had already begun walking.
“Let’s go.”
Each time the hatchling unleashed its breath, another whirlwind disappeared.
Thanks to it, the two were able to advance safely without encountering any obstruction.
‘The sandstorms raging endlessly around the cavern are not naturally occurring disasters.’
They had been created by an undead creature dwelling deep within the dungeon.
Unlike ordinary natural disasters, they were therefore vulnerable to the divine power contained within the white flames.
However, the whirlwinds had only vanished temporarily and would soon return.
Kranol continued walking without pause until he reached his destination.
“Let’s go inside.”
The two entered the dungeon.
***
The demonic beast hunter Birg ran a hand through his coarse hair.
Things had gone disastrously wrong.
‘Damn it. How did we end up in this state?’
The Vortex Cavern Dungeon.
The reason it had been given that name was simple.
Whirlwind disasters raged throughout the surrounding region, and the dungeon itself had been formed in the shape of a cavern.
Most adventurers were therefore overwhelmed before they even reached its entrance.
Merely breaking through the enormous whirlwinds was already a formidable challenge.
“This is driving me mad. If we simply try to walk through, we’ll be swept away by a whirlwind in no time.”
“Wait, where did our team’s scout go?”
“H-He was just sucked into a whirlwind and blown away without a trace!”
It was a mistake to assume that observing from a distance would keep them safe.
The whirlwinds constantly changed direction and moved in irregular patterns.
At times, they even charged forward at astonishing speed. Anyone who let their guard down could be hurled into the distance.
The unfortunate victims swept away by them were often found dead at unimaginable distances.
Countless people had ultimately become a satisfying meal for the wasteland vultures.
Despite these difficulties, there were still those who challenged the dungeon.
They were people who had prepared their own methods for breaking through the whirlwinds.
“What is this, Mr. Birg?”
“It is an Enlargement Scroll I purchased at great expense. Its magic will increase the size of your body by a factor of 1.7.”
“Take the Petrification Potion I made as well, just in case. It will double your weight.”
Scrolls and certain magical potions were luxuries that novice adventurers could scarcely dream of obtaining.
They had willingly spent a fortune to pass through the whirlwind zone without suffering any casualties.
Naturally, their investment had been immense, but the reward they sought was equally substantial.
“You said an ‘Egg of Calamity’ is lying dormant deep within this dungeon, correct?”
“Yes. The information came from ancient records of the wasteland, so it should be reliable.”
“Then we must reach it and destroy it. There is no telling what horrifying monster might emerge if that egg hatches.”
The group attempting to conquer the dungeon consisted of demonic beast hunters.
Their profession was dedicated to exterminating the world’s demonic beasts and protecting humanity.
They specialized in hunting rampaging demonic beasts in the wild rather than exploring dungeons, but they were brimming with confidence.
They had prepared that thoroughly.
“Hahaha! These whirlwinds have no effect on us at all!”
“Don’t let your guard down. Make certain the scrolls we brought are securely fastened so they aren’t blown away. Each one is worth two full years of an ordinary farmer’s wages.”
Others had fallen while attempting to cross the whirlwind zone.
The hunters, however, made it across safely thanks to their increased weight.
The problem arose when they confidently took their first steps into the cavern that served as the dungeon’s entrance.
“AAAAARGH!”
“Huh? Wh-What?!”
Increasing their weight to cross the whirlwind zone proved to be their undoing.
The moment they stepped onto the cavern floor, their heavier bodies plunged straight through it.
The ground had been constructed to be that fragile.
“Archer! Archer! Are you all right?!”
“I-I’m fine.... Ugh, my back!”
“AAAAH! Hokan’s neck is twisted!”
The heavier a person was, the more severe the impact of a fall became.
Before they could even fight inside the dungeon, every member of the party suffered serious injuries.
They had fallen the equivalent of three underground floors at once.
The heaviest member of the group had been particularly unfortunate. His neck snapped, killing him instantly.
“Damn it. What kind of disaster is this?”
“I told you we should check for traps first!”
“We already tore open and used the Trap Detection Scroll! Who could have known the ground would be that weak?”
“Damn it. It looked completely solid from the outside....”
Their extravagant preparations had instead become the cause of their misfortune.
They had prioritized convenient magic over basic reconnaissance.
Although they began arguing among themselves, the demonic beast hunters ultimately decided to assess their situation first.
They had fallen into some kind of sealed chamber.
For a moment, they wondered whether it might be a ‘Reward Chamber’ that appeared after defeating a boss, but that was not the case.
There was not even a treasure chest.
The chamber was completely empty.
Its only exit was a door made entirely of steel.
“What is this? There isn’t even a handle.”
“It appears the door can only be opened from the other side!”
They combined their strength and attempted to open it.
However, no matter what they tried, the steel door did not move in the slightest.
It was extraordinarily thick and appeared to have been mixed with a special metal.
They did not possess enough strength to force it open.
“Damn it. Of all times to fall into a room like this, it had to be after Hokan, the only one who knew Corrosion Magic, died.”
“Bunet, you know how to pick locks. Is there no way you can open the door?”
“How could I? There isn’t even a keyhole, so I can’t use a lockpick.”
Two weeks passed with them trapped inside the chamber.
Eventually, all the food and water they had brought ran out.
They were parched, starving, and slowly dying.
Just as everyone began losing the will to live, a faint and unbelievable voice came from beyond the steel door.
“I’ve been thinking. Chubby would be a good name for you, since you’re so plump.”
“SKREEEEE!!”
A ridiculous conversation could be faintly heard from the other side.
It had to be another party attempting to conquer the dungeon.
Startled, the trapped hunters gathered their remaining strength and pounded desperately against the door.
“P-Please save us!”
“There are people in here!”
However, no response came from beyond the door.
Despair appeared in everyone’s eyes.
Was it hopeless after all?
Those willing to show kindness inside a dungeon were exceedingly rare.
Most parties regarded everyone else as competitors.
Then—
“Wh-What? AAAAAH!”
Everyone recoiled in alarm.
An immense wave of heat had suddenly begun radiating from the door.
The thick steel rapidly turned red.
Then it slowly began to melt.
“Huh?”
“Th-The door is melting!”
The half-melted door softened before collapsing on its own.
At last, they were able to escape the wretched chamber.
However, an unimaginable scene awaited them beyond it.
“Huh?”
The corpses of dungeon-dwelling demonic beasts lay utterly annihilated at their feet.
White flames blazed across the far end of the scorched ground.
Amid them stood a lone man with ash-gray hair and an indifferent expression.
“Wh-Who in the world are you?”
The man did not answer the question.
Instead, he calmly extended an open hand.
“Hand it over. Payment for your lives.”
“...What?”
“I just saved you, didn’t I? So pay me. Give me the most valuable thing you have.”
The demonic beast hunters exchanged startled glances.
The man’s gaze, however, was fixed upon their scrolls.
Kranol Wizar did not perform acts of kindness for strangers without compensation.