My eyes flipped at the words "black mage," and I bolted straight for the dungeon...
But the moment I saw the massive stone door made of hulking rocks, a sliver of reason returned. Of course, that didn't change my conclusion.
I had a rough idea of what a dungeon was... If the monsters inside were on the level of the orcs I'd faced during the previous dungeon overflow, it shouldn't be too dangerous.
I steeled myself and opened my mouth.
"Philip."
"Yes, Young Lord... No, Your Grace the Grand Duke."
"From now on, we'll have to navigate by your memory... Do you remember the path clearly?"
"Of course. My role was originally as a scout, so I've marked the route perfectly."
"Good work. ...And Karen, Karen."
"Has your reason finally returned, young master... No, Patriarch?"
"Yeah. For now, I want to hear about any dungeon precautions while we move. Anything to say right away?"
"A dungeon is a space overflowing with the power leaking from the corpse of the God of Tragedy and the monsters drawn to it. There are plenty of things to watch out for... but right now, there's just one key point."
"Tell me."
"Everything in the dungeon tends toward tragedy. You must avoid giving it any opening."
"In other words, ditch any complacent thoughts like 'this should be fine'?"
"Pretty much."
"Good thing I've never had those."
If I'd lived carelessly, I'd have died long ago in some back alley of Calypso.
I stared at the stone door, simple yet as massive as the gates of House Zahav's citadel. It wasn't fully sealed; it was slightly ajar, but given its size, even that gap was as wide as a boulevard.
Apparently, it used to be tightly shut, but no matter how hard they sealed it, it couldn't hold back the overflowing monsters.
So instead, they left it cracked open like this, allowing people to enter and deal with threats in advance.
After a short deep breath, I stepped inside the stone gate.
With every step, the surroundings grew darker. But I pressed on without stopping, until darkness enveloped everything and I could see nothing.
Yet I took one more step.
Whoosh!
The darkness parted halfway, revealing a long tunnel, crude wooden barricades, and knights and soldiers guarding the area.
As I peered at them intently, Hilda approached and whispered softly.
"They're the ones repairing the frontline that collapsed during the last dungeon overflow, Patriarch."
"I see."
Calton and Philip went ahead to explain, and as always, the soldiers parted to either side, bowing in respect.
...I hadn't noticed earlier with my head so hot, but this is kinda embarrassing.
Still, I kept my face straight and prepared to head deeper into the dungeon when Philip took a heavy pouch from one of the knights and hurried to lead the way.
"What's that?"
"Uh... Potions and bandages. In case our comrades are still alive."
"They will be. As long as you guide us properly on time."
"...Yes!"
Philip, now fired up, began probing the path ahead swiftly.
At first, I thought we needed a guide because there was only one main road... but the paths started growing more complex.
Corridors covered in stone and moss, lit minimally by torches or the glow of unknown insects.
Thanks to Philip confidently taking the path we'd come from at every fork, we navigated the maze-like routes without issue.
But it was a dungeon, after all. At yet another fork—I'd lost count—an ominous presence stirred from beyond the corner.
It hid in the dim shadows, holding its breath to suppress its aura... but it couldn't mask the beastly, musky stench unique to its kind.
I shoved past Philip and lunged toward the corner.
Woooong—
Heat started from around my heart and flowed into my clenched fist.
It wasn't just brute force or instinctively channeling mana anymore.
I was properly channeling refined aura—albeit faintly—into my arm at will.
The difference was subtle but clear.
Complex patterns started from my chest and extended to my fist, lines resembling circuits glowing red with distinct heat.
The crimson light pierced the shadows, revealing the monster's face.
"A lycanthrope?! Why is a monster like that right at the entrance...!"
Calton's shocked voice came from behind. He sounded genuinely startled, and I heard him rushing to assist.
It was stronger than an orc, sure, but not by that much...
I tilted my head inwardly and fully extended my arm. My glowing red fist smashed into the lycanthrope's elongated snout.
Boom!
"...Huh?"
The lycanthrope's torso exploded, even though I'd clearly hit its head.
More precisely, the shock from shattering its skull had obliterated its upper body entirely.
In that split second, its presence was undeniably far beyond a regular orc—though not an orc warlord.
Compared to mid-tier orc warriors wielding adventurer weapons, it was just a bit stronger.
Even that made it a monster born with immense natural power. That must be why Calton was shocked.
But my punch hadn't just taken its head—it vaporized more than half its body, leaving no chunks behind.
All that remained were its feet stuck to the floor and faint bloodstains.
"What the...?"
Even with aura making my strength more efficient, this level of difference was impossible.
Sure, this was my first real combat since learning aura, but I'd trained alone daily and checked my condition countless times.
So I could say for sure: Aura had made me tougher and stronger, but not to this extent.
Puzzled, I checked my status right there in front of the lycanthrope's remains.
I swung my fist in the air, jumped lightly in place, moved around simply.
"What is this."
My condition was abnormally good. No—my entire physical prowess felt a step stronger.
Up until the succession ceremony began, it had been normal...
A buff so natural I'd failed to notice it until now. As I pondered the cause, a stunned Calton asked.
"A-Are you alright, Your Grace the Grand Duke?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. First time fighting with aura, so I couldn't control my strength properly."
"Just a little...?"
Calton looked incredulous, glancing at the lycanthrope's lonely feet, then at his daughter Hilda with eyes that screamed, What the hell did you teach him? Hilda shook her head innocently.
As the father-daughter duo bonded in bewilderment, a sudden hunch hit me.
Dungeons reeked of the God of Tragedy's lingering energy. Monsters absorbed it and grew rapidly.
Not because monsters had special powers, but because the God of Tragedy allowed them to take its strength.
That was why dungeon monsters were stronger than their outside kin, even of the same species, and rare ones appeared frequently...
"Ha."
Just entering the dungeon had made me stronger? I should've suspected this first.
My body might harbor monster factors.
Whether from the black mage's experiments or Mother's peculiar tastes, I didn't know.
...Actually, there's an easy, quick way to find out.
Kill the black mage first. Then we'll see.
Classic "kill the black mage" thinking. But unavoidable.
Even after the dungeon overflow purged the upper levels and soldiers and adventurers cleared out remnants under the guise of investigation, a strong monster like a lycanthrope popped up?
And black mages lurking nearby?
Only one answer. Somehow, the black mages had summoned more monsters.
Using monsters as barriers was a common tactic among Calypso's black mages.
I slapped the gaping Philip's back.
"What're you doing? Stop spacing out and keep guiding from here. Which way?"
"Th-This way."
Snapping to with thoughts of his comrades' lives, Philip picked up speed.
Following him deeper, monsters appeared more frequently, as expected.
Lycanthropes, precarious but large trolls, even a bipedal fish monster I'd never seen before. ...Surprisingly, that one was the strongest.
Creatures I'd never encounter outside. And their power was no joke.
Probably because the overflow had swept away the weaker upper-level monsters with the orc horde.
If it were my usual self, breakthrough wouldn't be impossible, but it'd leave me exhausted.
That's why I'd brought Hilda, Calton, and Karen...
But maybe I didn't need them now.
Despite the effort, power still surged through my body.
Thud!
The minotaur collapsed, horn ripped out and its heart pierced by it.
Most monsters couldn't withstand three of my punches. Tougher ones two, most gone in one.
Even the famously sturdy minotaur was no exception.
I released the horn from its chest and roughly wiped the blood from my face with my sleeve.
"Still more? We've gone pretty deep."
"Y-Yes...? Oh, we're almost there now. That torch-lit path ahead leads to their lair."
Philip, staring at me like he was entranced, shook it off and hurried over.
He picked up a torch hanging on what looked like a plain wall, past the fallen minotaur.
"What're you planning to do with that torch?"
"Use it to dispel the dungeon's unnatural darkness. That's the anomaly we found, and the black mages are hiding their base with it."
With that, he hurled the torch at a dead-end corner untouched by torchlight or glowing bugs—utterly shadowed.
The moment it illuminated that neglected blind spot, darker than the rest of the dim dungeon...
Roar!
The darkness—mere absence of light—ignited like a curtain.
As the flames burned it away, what emerged wasn't a wall, but a narrow corridor.
Clang! Clash!
Sounds of clashing swords echoed distantly, thick with blood and a familiar stench of magic.
My dulled senses, numb from effortlessly sweeping monsters, sharpened.
"Good job, Philip. Follow slowly with the rest."
"...Huh?"
The black mage was inside. Time to wipe them out. Muttering that inwardly, I kicked off the ground.
Bang!
My accelerating body blurred the surroundings as I dashed down the narrow corridor.
I heard the flustered party chasing desperately behind, but no need to match paces now—I poured more power into my legs.
After several sprints, I arrived in a massive room like a laboratory.
Several soldiers huddled together, barely holding against the black mages' attacks.
Or rather, the black mages were toying with them. Chatting about ways to make them die more painfully, testing new spells, and so on.
Perfect. Decision made.
Among the black mages, the chattiest one—the most eager with curses—dies first.
"Hup!"
Not raw muscle—I slammed aura into my legs. Unfamiliar, uncontrollable speed.
But I never needed control.
My body shot like a javelin, striking the target black mage.
Boom!
A thunderous crash as he slammed into the opposite wall. A deep purple barrier—always cloaking his body?—blocked my body slam.
But not fully; two of five shields shattered, leaving three.
"Grh, graaah! What the hell are you?!"
"Who I am doesn't matter."
With that, I stomped down on the fallen black mage with my full weight.
Boom!
His leg, etched with strange runes, pulverized one barrier to dust.
At the same time, a chill from behind. The other black mages, grasping the situation, were firing spells at me.
So I grabbed the shielded black mage and used him as a shield.
Roar... Crack!
Black flames and bone spears of decay shattered the last barrier.
"Y-You lunatics! Who're you aiming at?! Not me—shoot him!"
The near-death mage bellowed, but his fellow black mages froze upon seeing my face.
Only one, too panicked to look properly, yelled out.
I deliberately dropped the struggling one and spoke.
"What matters is that you're black mages."
The freed one flailed away and barely raised his staff.
Our eyes met. Eyes full of malice and murder, utterly convinced he was always the hunter.
But meeting mine, his gaze wavered.
As he backed away pathetically, I closed in and reached for his final shield.
Crack!
My fingers pierced the translucent barrier. Patterns from my heart extended to both arms, spewing heat to burn and disperse the black magic.
"And that seeing a black mage makes me want to kill you all on sight."
"N-No! Why here?! Why is this lunatic here?!"
The terrified black mage unleashed curses... but I'd survived human experiments blending black magic and alchemy.
Weak curses like these couldn't pierce my skin.
They fizzled out. I smirked, clenched my half-submerged hand.
Craaack... Shatter!
The shield split and broke. Through the gap, I seized his head with one hand.
Leaning to his ear, I whispered.
"You need to learn fear. People run wild without it, heedless of the heavens."
"Y-You're supposed to be in Calypso, why..."
No answer—I crushed his head in my grip.
Splurt!
His skull burst under the pressure.
I kicked the limp corpse aside onto another black mage's body and eyed the frozen ones.
"Looks like you know exactly who I am."
"..."
"..."
I grinned at the black mages silently raising their staves.
"Right. I'm your death."
So fear me properly.