Chapter 37: Facing the Black Wyvern

Loki Familia – Twilight Manor "Loki, what's the matter?" Finn turned toward Loki, who had suddenly paused in the middle of lounging, her expression uncharacteristically serious. "Finn... someone just released divinity inside the Dungeon. Judging by the tremors, he's probably on the twelfth floor—same as when Ais encountered that situation before." After years of working side by side, Finn immediately understood the unspoken urgency in Loki's words. Without hesitation, he issued commands and gathered a select group of elite members to descend into the Dungeon, their goal clear. Deal with the threat and subdue the chaos caused by the unnatural eruption of divine power. — — — Astraea Familia – Stardust Garden In the tranquil hall, Astraea opened her eyes. Her calm but firm voice echoed throughout the chamber, instantly silencing the conversations of her followers. "Alise. A god has released their divinity on the twelfth floor. Akira is likely still inside—possibly caught in the aftermath. I need the four of you to descend immediately." She gestured to her most dependable warriors and said, "The others will continue patrolling Orario to ensure there are no further surprise attacks from Evilus. I trust you understand the weight of this." "Yes, Astraea-sama!" Alise, Kaguya, Ryuu and Lyra replied in unison, their voices ringing with determination and discipline. — — — Amidst the chaos, Akira made a decision. Given the current situation, there was no point in hesitation. He needed to eliminate Thanatos first—then he could handle the mutated dragon-like beast. However, Thanatos—always an astute observer—seemed to read his mind. A sly smile spread across his face. "Are you sure you want to waste your precious time with me, boy?" He asked with mocking amusement. "You should know better than anyone—those other adventurers don't have your strength. One misstep and they'll be slaughtered by that thing." As if to further taunt him, Thanatos pulled out a shimmering silver-white orb, likely a magic tool, and turned to walk deeper into the caverns. Two silent followers flanked him—well-trained and familiar with Thanatos' methods. "Come, oh heroes of justice." Thanatos said with an exaggerated bow, his voice oozing with sarcastic grandeur. Akira clicked his tongue in annoyance. In the next moment, he changed to Swift Master. A sharp wind blade streaked through the air, slashing toward the retreating god as Akira rocketed after the wyvern with deadly intent. Thanatos flinched as the blade grazed his arm, drawing blood. Watching Akira's figure fade into the distance, he cradled his wounded arm and let out a faint sigh. "What a petty child..." "RROOOOOAAAARRR!!!" A deafening, bestial roar reverberated across the twelfth floor like a massive gong. The few adventurers still huddled near the entrance instinctively cowered at the monstrous presence that approached. A creature emerged from the mist—a draconic behemoth nearly six meters long. Its pale red skin was barely visible beneath hardened dark scales that shimmered with an unnatural luster. Its sheer aura exuded a sense of overwhelming oppression. A mutated enhanced species. One that had clearly been corrupted by divine influence. It hovered in mid-air, its eyes glowing blood-red as they scanned the area, locking onto traces of residual divine power. Its mouth opened wide, revealing rows of jagged teeth, and within, a fiery core began to glow. It was preparing to launch a devastating fireball toward the location where Thanatos had just been. But in that instant, a spinning tornado slammed into its skull from above. Akira, who had teleported to the ceiling to conceal his presence, had launched the attack before the Black wyvern even noticed. The tornado violently knocked the beast to the ground, creating a massive crater as it crashed. As the Black Wyvern thrashed and attempted to rise, two slicing wind blades cleaved its back, eliciting pained screeches from its twisted throat. Snarling in fury, the Black Wyvern anchored itself to the ground with it's clawed feet, then unleashed a torrent of searing flame from its gaping maw. Akira hovered in mid-air, his entire form wrapped in howling wind. Drawing deeply upon his magical reserves, he summoned wind magic into his palms—refined, compressed, and explosive. The winds erupted forward, a surging storm that met the Black Wyvern's inferno head-on. For a moment, it was a struggle of pure elemental force—fire against storm. The Black Wyvern's neck bulged, straining to unleash its entire fiery arsenal. But Akira's magic was relentless. Little by little, the roaring storm pushed back the flames. The Black Wyvern's expression contorted in desperation as its fire faltered, and finally—was smothered. The wind storm swept through the monster's body. Its scales were peeled away by the magic's fury, exposing its wounded, blood-red hide beneath. Half its face was destroyed, revealing the bone and flesh inside. Its wings hung limp, shredded and broken. In one final motion, Akira darted forward and drove a storm-infused punch into its chest. The concentrated gale penetrated deep, tearing open its torso and revealing the shimmering magic stone inside. Simultaneously, Akira's palms absorbed the remnants of its blood—an effect he did not yet fully understand. He exhaled heavily, taking a moment to rest. "I should be able to finish that thing in a few minutes." He muttered to himself. "No one should have seen me..." Stuffing the magic stone into his [Backpack], he turned toward the exit with quiet haste. And in his heart, he made a solemn vow. "Tomorrow... I'm staying at the base the whole day. Nobody's stopping me." With a thunderous boom, the exit to the upper floors burst open. Akira, now wearing his hood, blended into the crowd of adventurers preparing to leave. But he hadn't escaped unnoticed. Standing at the forefront were Alise and her team—joined by members of the Loki Familia. They were already busy calming frightened adventurers. Spotting him, Alise's eyes lit up, and she waved enthusiastically. Akira, ever silent, quietly moved to stand beside Ryuu. Finn, standing before a group of survivors, addressed them with calm authority, "So all of you saw an adventurer, his body engulfed in wind, defeat the monster. Is there anything else you can tell me?" "I'm sorry, Captain Finn... they were fighting far away, and the white fog made it impossible to see clearly." One adventurer replied apologetically. Finn gave a brief nod and said, "Understood. Please return to the surface. You've done well." Returning to his companions, Finn let out a sigh and shrugged. "Well... looks like someone beat us to it. And here I was hoping to deal with it swiftly. I even brought Riveria and Gareth along. Guess we were just extras this time." Riveria narrowed her eyes, scanning the battlefield with her staff in hand. She said, "It's good there were no casualties. Did we find out anything else?" "Only that a wind-shrouded figure did all the work." Finn said. The trio turned their gaze toward Ais—who had slowly drifted toward Akira, a dreamy expression on her face. Riveria sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. She said, "It's not Ais. She was with me all day. Probably just someone who uses similar magic." Soon after, Alise approached with her team and greeted Finn, "Finn, is everything under control?" Finn nodded and glanced at the young half-elf boy standing beside Ryuu. "This is the new recruit of the Astraea Familia, right? Reached the twelfth floor already... impressive." He had already spotted Akira earlier and, recalling Raul's previous reports, made the connection. Akira stepped forward and extended a hand. "Hello, Captain Finn. I've heard a lot about you. I'm Akira." "Finn Deimne." Finn said, shaking his hand firmly. "Goddess Astraea hasn't taken in new blood for a long time. Earning her trust means you've got a strong sense of justice." Akira smiled modestly and said, "I'm very thankful she accepted me." "Alright, that's enough introductions." Riveria interrupted, waving her staff. "This is still the Dungeon. Not the place for a meet-and-greet." Kaguya and Gareth nodded in agreement. Alise, energetic as ever, thrust her hand into the air. "Don't worry! As a girl of justice, I'll protect you as long as you want to chat!" "Huh? What are you even saying?" Riveria glared at her. "Ahaha, sorry, Riveria!" Alise laughed sheepishly, not even bothering to hide her cheerfulness. Kaguya smacked her on the head, while Lyra slapped her butt. "Apologies. Our captain gets a little too enthusiastic sometimes." Lyra said. "We'll keep her in line." (End of Chapter) New Book: I've Already Become An Admiral And Now The System Shows Up? [You join Marine School, but are laughed at by your classmates because of your slow training and poor grades.] [Become famous in Marine School and get rewarded with upgraded traits!] "Join Marine School?" Kenji, who had just become a Marine admiral, became speechless when he saw the system text flashing in his field of vision. "This broken system has been loading for fifty years!" When he completed the system tasks, he found that Haki, physique, swordsmanship...all abilities could get stronger and even trigger evolution. [Observation Haki (Gold) has triggered derivative evolution... New trait generated! Future Vision!] [Physique (Gold) triggers derivative evolution... New trait generated! Superspeed Regeneration!]