"It's an Earth Dragon," Asa whispered.
'I know that, dumbass!' I screeched internally, glancing at the hulking thing several times.
However, my surprise at the existence of the dragon was soon replaced by a deep sense of disgust… and distress.
"T-this is…" My eyes widened as I took in the sight of carnage.
This was the second time I would be seeing such gore since I came to this world. However, this one was far more sickening compared to the last experience.
Blood was strewn all over the vast ninth floor, and I could see the innards of people, as well as half-eaten chunks of human meat littering the floor.
It was enough to drive me to the edge of fright.
'I'm scared…'
Blood. Corpses. Death. Monster.
This was a critical moment for me, but my body wouldn't move. My limbs were frozen in shock.
'A Dragon… death… monsters… blood.'
Maybe I had a thing against senseless slaughter, or maybe I just wasn't used to this level of carnage.
I could have watched it behind the screen of a television when I was back home, but this was different.
I was seeing everything directly!
There was only so much a person could take.
"Sam… what should we do?" A voice beside me finally jerked me out of my panicked state.
I ceased hyperventilating and stared in her direction.
'Did she see me panic?' I asked myself.
From her expression, it seemed she didn't. A look of absolute trust was displayed on her face, and her brown eyes glowed with expectation.
'Haaa… I see now…'
I had no idea why, but anytime I stared at Sarah during times like this, I calmed down. It made no sense, considering she was relying on me, but my fear suddenly vanished.
"Isn't it obvious?" I smiled at her, then returned my gaze to the beast beneath.
Every second wasted was another moment that the monster had the opportunity to feast on more people.
"I'm going to save everyone!"
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
[A rogue Earth Dragon had made its way into this Labyrinth and has been causing the death of Adventurers for some time now. Defeat it and prove your mettle.]
Success: Cause the Earth Dragon to flee/Kill the Earth Dragon
Failure: Your allies are eliminated and the Earth Dragon succeeds.
—Reward: 50 Stat Points. 1 Skill (Active/Passive). 500 Karmic Value
—Failure: Death
~Do You Accept This Quest?~
[Yes] [No]
"The System never makes this easy, does it?" I smiled, rising to my feet.
I could feel everyone's gaze on me, but I didn't care at this point.
I couldn't refuse this Quest anyway. It was one of those Forced Quest Scenarios that I was always trying to avoid.
"Well, now that we've come to this point, let's see it through to the end."
'Let's go!'
****************************************
Liebert panted as his saggy body was at the brink of collapse.
Even though his body was barely flesh clinging to bones, he usually had quite a bit of strength to spare. However, now?
"I… I can't…" Liebert found his vitality failing him.
His allies; Desir, Gu, and five other Adventurers had been easily defeated by the Earth Dragon, and while he and his recent acquaintances were still alive, Liebert couldn't say the same for the Adventurers that they had formed a Party with.
"Four of them are already dead… shit!'
Liebert looked around him and met the dejected looks and terrified expressions of his comrades.
He had heard of how dangerous a Labyrinth could be, but he never expected things to be this dire.
If he had known, would he have become one out of desperation?
Even though he had found a way to escape death by starvation, it seemed yet another kind of demise loomed over him.
'I'll die here…?' Liebert groaned as he smiled painfully.
He had a special constitution that allowed his body to naturally heal at a heightened pace.
As a result, he even required more nourishment than an average person. As a result of his body constitution and insufficient nutrition, he was constantly deprived of nutrients.
He had lived a painful existence, but he still did his best to live. Yet, after all that, it was quite underwhelming to Liebert that he would meet his end here.
"No… no way…" He rose to his feet, protruded out bones from his palms as he grimaced in pain.
He didn't have enough energy or nutrients to create any more bone structures, but he was desperate.
As a result, the process was extremely painful.
"… I won't die here!" Liebert prepared his bone daggers and glared at the monster that slowly approached him.
He didn't let the beast's easygoing movements deceive him. The Earth Dragon in front of him was far faster than anything he had ever seen—an impossible monster to defeat!
"HAAAAAAAAA!!!" His screaming voice echoed across the vast hall as he readied himself for the growling beast's strike.
And then—
>BOOOOOMMMM!!!
[The Level Difference Is Too Wide. It Is Impossible To Win In A Confrontation]
[END OF INFORMATION]
The System was right.
Even I could tell at this point, that the Dragon was far superior to anyone I had seen thus far.
In fact, it far outranked the limits of the human race, as a Dragon's basic stats were always higher than a regular person's.
A Level 1 Dragon would still be able to easily defeat low ranking humans… not to talk of this Level 70 monstrosity in front of me.
'It's impossible…' I nearly laughed at myself for trying something so absurd.
Was this truly the end?
"Sarah, go heal up the victims. Save the ones you can. Byron, assist her. Asa, you know what to do, right?" I commanded my Party Members, as though whatever resistance we could create counted for something.
"Understood!" Their voices all overlapped as they went about their various missions.
For Asa, she was meant to distract the Earth Dragon for some time while I worked my Magic.
'There's no time to set up a rune, so I'll have to do this the old-fashioned way…' I smiled nervously, gripping my sword as I prepared myself.
There was only one chance at success, and if I failed, it was all over.
'… I'll just have to follow in your footsteps again, Damien!'
With an expression of grim resolve, I gave the order.
"GO!" Everyone scattered, leaving me in the center of the Dragon's range.
"GROOOOOAAAHHHHH!!!" It roared and approached at a terrifying pace.
'It's fast!'
Even with [Five Seconds Rule] and [Insight], I was barely able to make out its insanely quick movements.
But, thanks to my new Skill, I was in no serious trouble.
""
It was an Overpowered Skill in a sense, since it allowed me 20% of my prey's Stats as a bonus.
That was the only reason why I even stood a chance!