A black dragon—a Western-style “Black Dragon”?

After defeating it, I found myself collapsing to the ground, my legs giving way from the intense relief of the battle.

“Hah… serves you right… ugh! Guh… graahh!”

Suddenly, something other than magic surged into my chest. I recognized it—though I had never experienced anything this intense before.

It was overwhelming, and I found myself writhing on the ground, clutching my chest as my body struggled to adapt to the change.

“Graaahh… haah! Wait… stop… ughhh… it’s still coming… oh… slow it down… a little at a time, please!”

As an endless wave of experience points poured into me, I knew it was futile, but I could only beg for it to enter more slowly.

I must’ve looked like a security guard trying to hold back a stampede of veteran warriors at the entrance of a comic convention.

It was a futile effort.

I endured what felt like an eternity of agony, though in reality, it only lasted about five minutes.

“Haa… haa… Well, I guess that makes sense… lowly F-rank trash pulling off a giant-killer move… of course, this would happen… haa… This is the first time I’ve felt so flooded with experience—or rather, monster souls? Let’s just stick with calling it experience points to keep it simple. How many levels did I even gain? I’m almost afraid to check… I hope Im not cursed, ‘Appraisal.’”

I remembered a novel where a character was cursed after defeating a black dragon (Rising of the shield hero), and with that thought lingering in my mind, I cautiously checked my status.

Hikaru Akutsu

Race: Human

Health/Stamina: S-

Magic Power: S+

Strength: S-

Agility: S-

Dexterity: S+

Unique Skills Acquired: [Demon Vanquisher], [Barrier],

Skills: [Appraisal I], [Detection I], [Night Vision I], [Body Enhancement I], [Small Heal I], [Alchemy I], [Synthesis I], [Wind Blade I], [Harden I], [Flame Lance I], [Ice Spear I], [Medium Heal I], [Glacial Shift I], [Crush I], [Terrain Manipulation I]

“Whoa! That’s way too much of a jump! Am I suddenly the strongest in the world? Just how strong was that dragon?!”

I recalled that even elite soldiers had an average status of A-, but my stats had blown past that, going well beyond what I had expected— around B rank.

“Is this for real? Well, being strong is a good thing, I suppose… especially since there are a few people I’d like to get some revenge on. With these stats, I could take on six C-ranks at once… huh? The skill restriction is gone! I can actually use those skillsj now!”

Excited by the realization that I could now use previously restricted skills, I felt a strange sense in my status.

“Huh? Demon Vanquisher? Where did my ‘Mana Drain’ and ‘Magic Transfer’ go? No way… let’s try this… Absorb… woah! Amazing! I can do both at once! So, the two skills evolved or merged?”

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My unique skill list showed that “Mana Drain” and “Magic Transfer” had disappeared, replaced by “Demon Vanquisher.”

Curious, I pulled a magic stone from my spatial storage bracelet and tried absorbing it.

This time, it happened more naturally compared to before, the two functions now working together as one.

I didn’t know whether it was because I’d used the skills frequently or because my stats had increased, but I could tell that they had either evolved into a higher-tier skill or fused into something new.

In any case, being able to absorb and transfer mana simultaneously was a big win.

Now, if I practiced absorbing on a larger scale, it would be perfect.

“I’m tired, though… that dragon was seriously insane… just how strong was it? I bet I’ll be shocked, but I need to know its abilities for future reference… I can still check it, right? ‘Synthesis’”

I hadn’t identified the dragon before or during the battle, fearing that its sheer stats might crush my will. Now, though, I could use its abilities as a benchmark if I ever encountered another dragon of its caliber.

Vritra

Species: Dragon

Health/Stamina: SS+

Magic Power: SSS-

Strength: SS-

Agility: SS-

Dexterity: SSS-

Race Magic: Dragon Magic (****)

Notes: ****

“Of course! It had a name! It wasn’t just a dragon, it was the King of Dragons!”

Looking at the absurd stats, I had no words.

I was grateful I hadn’t seen this before the fight; else I would have surrendered on the spot.

“Good thing I didn’t check before the fight! If I had, I probably would have just stripped down, sprinkle spices on myself, and offered myself up. This thing was terrifying!”

Even now, after seeing its stats, I instinctively wanted to run, despite it being dead.

What stood out wasn’t just its overwhelming stats but that it was a “named” monster.

I knew enough to understand that a named monster was leagues above the rest.

The furthest humanity has reached in advanced dungeons was floor 30.

Even a large, high-ranking raid team consisting A or B rank explorers only managed to reach that level after two years.

And guarding that level’s boss was also the infamous “named” monster.

And this dragon was one of them—a named dragon.

There are likely more ordinary dragons on the floors above this one.

Still, I managed to defeat something so overwhelming.

If I could get the first strike, my new skill would give me an advantage.

The larger and more mana-dependent my enemy, the better the synergy with my “Demon Vanquisher” skill.

For now, I should be able to rely on the exit magic circle that typically appears after beating the boss.

There’s no stairway down… I’ll just pretend that’s not even a possibility.

Cautiously, I touched Vritra’s shredded remains and thought, ‘Storage’.

If the scent of the corpse attracted other monsters, I’d be in deep trouble.

To my surprise, the 40-meter giant vanished instantly.

I had expected it to fit, but to actually see it happen was still shocking.

“Amazing… this bracelet is awesome. I feel bad for saying I didn’t need it earlier. Now I need it more than anything!”

With that, I headed toward the treasure room, feeling oddly apologetic to the bracelet. But when I arrived…

“Hey! I defeated the boss! Where’s my exit circle? There should be one!”

I was genuinely upset; I had been counting on that exit as standard practice, and now I had to fight my way back to the surface.

“Thinking about strategies for fighting dragons really ended up being a death flag, didn’t it…? I saw online that when you beat a boss, there’s supposed to be a staircase leading to a lower level, but nothing appeared, so this must be the final floor… Which means, without even realizing it, I actually completed the dungeon?

Usually, when you clear a dungeon, there’s a magic circle that teleports you out, isn’t there?

This dungeon is way too hardcore… But man, this is bad…

So I have to climb stairs all the way back to the surface from here? In a dungeon this ridiculously vast, I’m supposed to find stairs to get out? How many floors do advanced dungeons even have? I’m already losing motivation.”

I complained to myself while stashing the weapons, gold, and jewels in the treasury into my storage bracelet. Well, I guess they’re all mine now.

But seriously, this is rough.

From what I remember, in an advanced dungeon with no map, it takes a full two to three days to get through just one level, right?

And that’s the upper floors.

I’m down on the last floor, with even stronger monsters to deal with on the way up.

How long is it going to take to get to the surface?

Months?

Could I even manage a ten-against-one fight?

I’m starting to think going solo here is just impossible.

I managed to take down a named dragon, but that’s only because I spent so much time beforehand absorbing its mana.

Judging by Vritra’s stats, this dragon heavily relied on mana.

It probably had breath attacks and other magical offense and defense abilities.

In light novels, dragons often have magical barriers, so I wouldn’t be surprised if this one did too.

The only reason I survived was that I could seal off all of that skills.

If I’m going to head out of this room and make my way back to the surface, I’ll have to max out my [Detection] skills, proceed with extreme caution, and always get the jump on any monsters that show up; otherwise, I’ll be toast if I face multiple opponents.

So, maybe it’s better to stay put here for now.

I don’t know how long it’ll take for the dungeon boss to respawn, but if it’s just one Vritra, I could manage here in the treasury.

If another pack of unknown dragons shows up, though, that’s when I’m in trouble.

I’ll use this place as a base and work on practicing [Detection] and [Appraisal] skills. If possible, I also want to train my [Demon Vanquisher] skill to expand its range and improve my other abilities.

“But today… I’m done. There’s got to be a tent or something in my magic bag, right? I’m just exhausted. I need a break…”

Too much had happened in one day, and I was completely worn out.

Deciding to worry about escaping the dungeon tomorrow, I started rummaging through my bag to set up camp for the night.