The massive werewolf with silver-red fur came to a halt, stopping only a few meters away from us.

"So, the Wolf King has finally shown himself."

I spat out his name once more.

"Lunared."

"Ash."

Chewing over my name, Lunared smirked, showing a hint of his fangs.

"Did you really think you could venture this deep into the dungeon, knowing I’d be here?"

"Weren’t you hunting our party?"

The werewolf was so tall that I had to tilt my head up significantly to meet his gaze.

Both of us exchanged glares, as if in a staring contest.

"Either way, we were bound to face off. You wouldn’t just be hiding out of fear, would you?"

I always anticipated that we’d encounter a monster of his rank in this dungeon.

Thus, I wasn’t taken aback.

"I heard you were quite the clever one, but it seems I was mistaken. You’re willingly cutting your lifeline."

With that, the werewolf raised his massive hand, cracking his knuckles.

"This Lake Kingdom is my hunting ground. Unlike the outside world, here I can use my full power. A few minutes is all I need to slaughter all of you."

"Aren’t you aware? Two of your fellow commanders, just as cocky as you, were killed by us."

As I responded, Lucas and Evangeline stepped forward, raising their sword and shield, respectively.

Even in the face of the menacing aura from this legendary beast, both knights stood firm, unshaken.

Probably due to their previous encounters with a commander of the Nightmare Legion.

Damien also calmly aimed his magic gun, and Verdandi, having clashed with him before, didn’t waver as she drew her dagger.

"Uh... urgh..."

But Kuilan...

And members of the Penal Squad were frozen in place, unable to move.

I tried to lighten the atmosphere with a joke.

"What’s the matter, Kuilan? Scared?"

"No. Of course, I was tense, but there’s another reason..."

Kuilan placed his trembling hand over his chest.

"What’s this sensation...? Looking at that monster... why does my heart..."

As he said this, Lunared’s red eyes gleamed, looking towards Kuilan and the Penal Squad.

"Ho, I wondered why there was a familiar scent... You all are my descendants."

"...?"

Kuilan and the Penal Squad members were taken aback by this unexpected revelation.

Not just them, I too widened my eyes, trying to comprehend what I had just heard.

What did he say?

"What nonsense are you spouting, you freak?!"

As Kuilan snapped, Lunared laughed heartily.

"In the distant past, after consuming the blood of a foreign god, casting away humanity, and merging with beasts, the first Werebeast came into existence."

He pointed to himself with his hand covered in silver-red fur.

"One of your distant ancestors, the Werefolk, is none other than me."

The first among the Werebeasts, the first Werewolf.

Claiming to be a distant ancestor of the Werefolk, including Kuilan.

"Stop your lies, monster!"

Kuilan, now visibly angered, readied himself in a combat stance.

Red energy flared around the fists of the Mountain Bandit King.

The undulating red aura looked almost like swirling autumn leaves.

"I can’t believe the likes of you flows through my veins...!"

"Although you say that, isn’t your body feeling it on its own?"

With a cruel smirk playing on his lips, Lunared slowly extended both his hands forward.

"We are kin. I am the source of your lineage."

Shick!

Wolf-like sharp claws sprouted from the werewolf, and a blood-red aura swirled around them.

"I will prove it by taking all your lives."

Hiss!

It was a shade of red different from Kuilan’s fiery hue, more of a blood red. But even to my untrained eyes, they seemed strikingly similar.

Above all, their stances.

Lunared assumed a combat position that mirrored Kuilan’s perfectly.

"This can’t be..."A fleeting look of despair crossed Kuilan’s face.

"This martial art... It’s been passed down through our clan for generations..."

"I established the martial techniques, defined the forms, refined the breathing. I am the grandmaster of everything you’ve learned."

Not only the bloodline, but everything Kuilan had learned originated from him. The monster cruelly boasted.

Reflecting the light of the surrounding torches, Lunared’s silvery mane shimmered momentarily, very much like flames.

Its hue was eerily similar to Kuilan’s red hair.

"..."

I swallowed hard, deep in thought.

Whether the monster’s words were true or just a ploy to distract our allies, I didn’t know.

The monsters of the Lake Kingdom were beings resurrected by the demon king.

In other words, beings that died hundreds, if not thousands, of years ago were brought back to life.

It was entirely possible that one of them could be a ’forefather’ to someone from the present.

Gritting his teeth, Kuilan charged forward, launching himself at the monster.

"Shut up, you beastly brat! I..."

"Kuilan! No!"

Before I could stop him, Kuilan dashed forward at a speed I’d never seen from him before.

His fists and feet, enveloped in his red aura, barraged the monster.

His swift strikes released dozens of attacks in the blink of an eye.

However.

"You’re inexperienced, descendant!"

With a single swing of his fist,

Wham!

Lunared delivered a counter to Kuilan’s midsection.

Kuilan spat out blood without even a scream, getting thrown in the exact opposite direction of his charge.

"Shallow, so shallow! Your punches, your intent, everything is lukewarm!"

As the muscular werewolf drew back his bulging arm, he roared.

"Our clan’s combat style is purely for combat! We don’t hold back, we transcend human limitations, it’s a method to slaughter enemies like a beast would!"

I rushed to Kuilan, who was throwing up blood, and quickly supported him.

Lunared continued his tirade.

"I abandoned my humanity and became a beast to perfect that art. But what about you, descendant? Are you still trapped within the confines of humanity? What a waste of my legacy!"

"Hey, quit berating the descendants you’re so proud of, Martial Arts Wolf."

As I spoke, Lunared’s gaze shifted from Kuilan to me. I continued.

“So, if you perfected such a formidable fighting technique, shouldn’t you have been satisfied and attained peace in the afterlife? Why did you resurrect and cause this chaos?”

“Perfected? Satisfied? What inane drivel are you spouting, human?”

Lunared bellowed with a derisive laugh.

“Is there an end to strife? A limit to martial prowess? I regretted not being able to fight till my last breath. Given another chance, of course I would seize it!”

"Huh..."

“If I can battle someone stronger than me, and taste their blood by tearing out their throat! If I can prove I am the mightiest! I’d gladly sell my soul to a demon for it!”

"Seems like it. Looks like you’ve already sold it."

I wondered if his persona was influenced by martial arts novels, but this werewolf seemed serious.

Lunared began to approach me with a growl.

“Well, now that you’ve had your fun with my descendant, let’s return to our conversation.”

“Actually, I’d rather not...”

“If you managed to defeat Orlop and Celendion, surely you can provide a real challenge for me?”

Facing the expectant eyes of the werewolf, I replied crisply.

“No.”

“Huh?”

“I won’t fight.”

I swiftly pulled out a magical scroll from my robe.

It was a [Dungeon Escape Teleport Scroll].

After the vampire lord, Celendion, ambushed us in the past, Aider granted me access to two system features.

One was a radar to detect boss monsters. And the other:

[Emergency Exit Bomb!] ;Free Exploration Exclusive

- Inflicts a compulsory stun on surrounding monsters and increases the party’s movement speed by 100%.

- Consumes 1 ‘Dungeon Escape Teleport Scroll’ upon use.

This was it.

It’s an emergency feature for when you encounter an unbeatable enemy in a dungeon. Worth a whopping 45,000 achievement points.‘Finally going to use this!’

I never intended to fight the Nightmare Legion Commander in this dungeon.

Why would we? Why engage in a battle that puts us at a disadvantage, especially on their home turf?

Why explore Zone 6 in such a perilous situation, where commander-level monsters might find and pursue me in the dungeon?

‘Because I have a way to escape!’magic

Without hesitation, I tore the scroll and activated the [Emergency Exit Bomb!] feature.

Flash-!

“What the—?!”

Lunared staggered back from the sudden brilliance, and I helped Kuilan up, shouting to my party members.

“Run to the teleport gate! We’re retreating!”

“Yes!”

The party members immediately ran toward the safe point inside the inner city checkpoint.

Dragging the wobbly Kuilan, I followed, assisted by Lucas and Evangeline.

Once the stun wore off, Lunared roared.

“Ash! Are you running away now?! Fleeing with an enemy in front of you? Have you no warrior’s pride?!”

I cheerfully nodded.

“Absolutely!”

“Wha...?”

Talking about pride? Does pride feed you?

Life matters more to me than such nonsense. No reason to accept a losing fight.

“Mark my words! We may be retreating for strategic reasons now, but I’ll repay this grudge!”

He spat out lines akin to a third-rate villain and reached the teleport gate, shoving his party members in, one by one.

Lunared, who had sprinted just outside the safety point in a blink, gritted his teeth.

With a mocking smile, I glared at the werewolf.

“Sending your subordinates stealthily, ambushing in your home ground, stop such tactics! If you truly love combat, let’s have an honest match.”

’...’

“Come to my fortress. Whether your centuries-old skin is saggy or just rot, I’ll tear it apart with my crossfire.”

Lunared chuckled.

’In combat, there’s no unfair or cowardly tactics. This world adheres to survival of the fittest. The one left standing is the strongest.’

I agreed with that sentiment.

So I, too, will deal with you with all the cunning I possess.

On a battlefield that favors me, in a way that advantages me.

To survive in this hell.

“Let’s do our best to kill each other, werewolf.”

I flipped him off and threw myself into the teleport gate.

Kuilan, who had been glaring at Lunared till the very end, and Lucas, who was supporting Kuilan, followed me into the gate.

The werewolf’s red eyes continued to fixate on us.

Like marking his prey, it was a persistent and greedy gaze.

Flash!

***

[Free Exploration Complete!]

[Character Level Up]

Main Party:

- Ash(EX) Lv.47 (↑1)

Sub Party 1:

- Kuilan(SR) Lv.47 (↑1)

- Tuesday(R) Lv.41 (↑1)

- Wednesday(R) Lv.40 (↑1)

- Becky(R) Lv.39 (↑2)

- OnTheRock(R) Lv.37 (↑2)

[Injured and Deceased Characters]

- Kuilan(SR): Minor injuries

[Equipment Acquired]

- Fragment of the Great Commander’s Flag: 1 piece

[Items Acquired]

- Dark Crystal: 3 pieces

- Demon Legion Magic Stone: 63 pieces

- Demon’s Rune Magic Core(R): 1 piece

- Superior Stamina Potion: 1 piece

- Superior Magic Power Potion: 1 piece

--TL Notes--

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at patreon.com/MattReading