"Alright… I should tell the rest of the tale." Wilbur nodded and stepped forward, leading the first of his team.
He glanced at the ancient paintings carved into the wall for a while and lowered his voice, speaking more seriously.
"This cave is a cage… it's imprisoning that dragon."
As soon as Wilbur's words left his mouth, all of them widened their eyes in astonishment.
"So… Do you mean… the final boss we're about to face is an ancient dragon?" Paisley asked.
The others turned their eyes to Wilbur, curious. But Wilbur only shook his head lightly and let out a deep sigh.
"I don't know. But… I do have a clue for us."
For some reason, Carl suddenly felt a bit uneasy. It was as if he already knew what Wilbur was going to say.
Wilbur paused for a moment before moving again, as if trying to build up some mystery for what he was about to say next.
"The dragon created this dungeon… and it's the hidden boss here. I suppose you all understand what I'm saying… we need a key."
''This place has a hidden boss, and many treasures are waiting for us.''
…
"What? Hidden boss? A key? …Forget it, it's too late for something like that." Paisley sighed weakly and limped forward. What he wanted now was to get out of here, not a new journey.
He was still exhausted from the earlier fight, and now they were nearly at the final boss.
Just defeat this boss and get out of here.
Carl grimaced.
"Well… that damn lizard is trying to hint that I'm the one who took the key?"
"Forget it! I'll never admit I have it anyway." Carl grinned at Wilbur's words.
Wilbur barely showed any emotion. He just nodded, smiled faintly, and walked leisurely ahead with the rest of the group, stopping here and there to continue telling his story.
Ten minutes later—
They finally arrived at the end of the cave. Inside, it was surprisingly vast, with light gleaming from crystal stones embedded in the ceiling and walls. Not only that, but tall trees covered in green, dangerous-looking vines surrounded pools scattered here and there. The trees pulsed with waves of mana, radiating a deadly aura.
"Well, I'm not stupid enough to go in there." Carl clicked his tongue, taking in the terrifying landscape, as if those trees were welcoming them straight into hell.
His eyes shifted to the most striking part of the cave—a throne.
"A Lich?"
On the throne sat a skeleton, its fist resting on the dusty armrest, tangled with crimson vines.
"Attack!" Paisley shouted, gathering the last of his strength as he charged forward with his swords.
The remaining frail guys followed Paisley's reckless lead. Haizz… It seemed they couldn't wait for their chance to escape.
What a pity—they would never get out of here if they acted like that.
"Because the Lich's dead. Their [dragon sense] skill got too weak because of the lizard's poison."
Carl had figured it out half a day ago when their symptoms had started to worsen badly. At first, he doubted himself, but once the symptoms began showing on their skin, he was sure—even without being a doctor.
He suspected the source of the poison right away and immediately thought of the meal—cooked by Wilbur's toxic hands.
After all, all of them had half-dragon bodies. If Wilbur wanted to poison them without leaving a trace, this was the only way to do it.
He had feasted them with a deadly meal.
"Bastard! Just think about how he kept trying to invite me to eat that crap over and over. Lucky me—I didn't touch a single bite."
Carl grit his teeth, a hint of discomfort flashing across his face, then shot Wilbur a look before turning to where the three foolish guys were standing.
Clang!
The pitiful fools went on a frenzy, smashing the Lich to pieces with their nonstop attacks—but it was useless. They shouted with joy and looked around, expecting something special to appear.
But, some minutes later, desperation was written all over their faces… the face of the dying man.
"NO! WHY DIDN'T IT WORK?" Paisley screamed, tears spilling down his face onto pale skin.
In a storm of dread and anger, he shouted toward Wilbur, who was still standing at a far distance and just kept smiling politely like always.
"DAMN YOU! What the fuck ARE YOU SMILING?"
"D-Damn it…" As if spitting out his last bit of strength, he slowly collapsed—yet the anger still lingered on his face.
"What… what's happening to my body?" He looked over his arms, covered in bloodstains, some spots where his skin had started to tear away.
And his comrades… they were in even worse shape. Most of them were already at death's door, lying on the icy floor, just waiting for the god of death to come take them.
Carl let out a long breath and gave those unlucky guys a calm, assessing look. They weren't dead yet, but it was just a matter of time if he didn't act.
He still had a few healing potions, but wasting them here felt pointless. Their lives could be put to better use—like becoming his nourishment.
[Soul-Devouring Flame activated!]
Without hesitation, Carl launched a huge fireball toward them. The blue flames tore through the air at sonic speed, engulfing them like helpless prey.
"What the hell are you doing? They're our comrades!" Wilbur shouted at Carl, still wearing that gentle mask of his, though the action he did was completely upside down.
He should've chased ahead and snuffed out Carl's flames instead of spouting chivalrous nonsense.
[System]: Target offered no resistance.
[System]: Soul Devoured: 20%
…
[System]: Soul Devoured: 50%
…
[System]: Soul Devoured: 80%
[System]: Soul Devoured: 100%
Carl let out a short burst of flame between his dragon teeth and shook his head. He glanced at the system screen, completely ignoring Wilbur's presence.
[Soul Rank]: ★ Dragon (Progress: 76.5% → 81%)
He curled his lips into a faint grin.
"Do I look like a fool? Why don't you take off that fake polite mask? That's a polite request. I can't stand it anymore."
Wilbur froze for a moment—then suddenly burst into loud laughter.
His body slowly shifted into a half-dragon form as he asked, amused,
"Whenever did you figure it out?"