Raon reduced his presence even further and turned his breath as thin as a thread. Once his presence became as small as a pebble, he examined the shadows one after the other.
Can you tell them apart even though they are hiding their faces?
Wrath clicked his tongue, asking how he was even examining them.
'I can tell through their shapes and auras.'
Even though they were clad completely in black, there was still a difference in shape, such as height and the width of the shoulders. The auras were also unique to each individual, which made it relatively easy to tell them apart.
Hmph, the King of Essence doesn't even need to tell them apart because they wouldn't even last a second against him.
'I guess so.'
When Raon met Wrath's main body in his mental world, he was both beautiful and powerful at the same time. The demon king was entitled to say such a thing, but the way he kept losing his mind for food was a shame.
'It's because I'm weak that I need to gather information first and think about how to proceed.'
Huh? Why are you recognizing your own weakness now? What's wrong with you?
'Because I don't want to lose anymore.'
After he was kidnapped by Merlin, he kept thinking about that incident. It was true that it was a difficult predicament, but he could've been wiser and prevented the kidnapping altogether.
Hmm…
Wrath licked his lips while looking at Raon.
'Did he grow up?'
There were two kinds of people. Ones who learn from failure, and ones who comforted themselves by claiming that they were just unlucky. It was obvious which one could reach higher and further.
Raon was bound to reach higher than anyone, both because of his martial arts and his mentality.
'However…'
There was one aspect that made Wrath angry.
You gained so much from that incident, you bastard!
Wrath scowled while looking at Raon.
Are you really saying that now after you took away all of the King of Essence's stat points?! Do you have a conscience at all?
'No.'
Raon shook his hand.
'I was just lucky.'
The kidnapping made him stronger, and he managed to learn the true meaning of a house, but he didn't want his life to depend on the enemy's decision ever again. That was why it was necessary to achieve perfect control of the situation by gathering information and predicting everything.
'And information is even more important this time.'
Since he didn't know anything about the dungeon at all, it was necessary to learn about the situation through their movements and conversation.
"How long is it going to take to reach the end?"
Martio turned his head towards the magician as he asked his question.
"Hmm… About one week at this rate, I think."
The magician took off her mask and answered. A young girl's face was revealed, her pink hair wet from the seawater.
'Kosini Sion…'
The magician was the shadow magician squad's vice squad leader, Kosini Sion. He could easily recognize her because her face was the exact same as twenty years ago.
'She's speaking informally to him.'
Martio's rank should've been higher, even if Kosini was promoted to squad leader. That was why Raon found it strange that she wasn't addressing him more formally.
"Can't you make it faster?"
Martio looked at the ocean and shook his hand.
"I can, but it's most likely going to collapse. The foundation is too weak because that place wasn't originally made as a dungeon. If we mess with the wrong spot…"
Kosini raised her finger, and the sand collapsed beneath them.
"That is going to happen. You can do it if you want to be buried alive."
Raon licked his lips while listening to Kosini.
'It wasn't originally made as a dungeon, she said?'
She must've been implying that it was modified as a dungeon after a certain incident.
"Haa…"
Martio took off his mask and sighed. He seemed very frustrated.
"If it takes one week, we will have to come back two more times in the future."
"Well, yes."
Kosini nodded and looked upwards.
"Why are you in such a hurry when you haven't even fully recovered from your injuries? I already told you that you will definitely find a high-grade monster at the very least once you reach the area below."
Raon clenched his fist slightly upon hearing her words.
'This is an extremely important piece of information.'
The fact that Martio was still recovering was the most precious piece of information so far. The chance of killing him inside the dungeon became a lot higher thanks to that.
"I just want to bring the good news to him as fast as possible."
Martio sighed while looking in the direction of the Robert mansion.
"Is it because of the incident that happened on the farm? I'm also his follower, but I could never catch up to you. I guess that is why he trusts you so much even though you aren't as good as others in terms of skill."
"Shut up."
"How long is the rest?"
"One day, obviously."
"Haa, that's too short."
Kosini sighed and started walking towards House Robert.
"Come out."
Instead of following her, Martio waved his hand towards the sandy beach.
Whap!
The four shadows, who'd been hiding on the beach and between the trees, dashed in front of him and prostrated themselves.
"Two residents visited four days ago, and …"
They reported who approached the place or passed by. Obviously, Raon's name wasn't mentioned.
"Keep guarding this place."
"Yes."
The shadows responded and returned to their original locations to hide themselves.
"Let's go."
Martio gave the order and the shadows that came out from the ocean followed him.
Are you going to enter right away?
'No.'
Raon shook his head.
'It's not my only objective.'
He could destroy the dungeon right away, but his real goal was to kill Martio and obtain the dungeon's treasure.
For that, he needed to wait until Martio returned to the dungeon.
'There must be shadows inside the dungeon as well.'
That was another reason that he couldn't enter immediately—it was obvious that Martio would've deployed some shadows inside the dungeon, considering his personality.
'But I managed to obtain some nice information.'
Raon smiled faintly. He had managed to find out how long they were going to rest, when they were going to start exploring the dungeon, and even the number of enemies and their strength, which was enough to devise a plan.
Let's go eat something then. You didn't eat anything for two days straight.
'Ah, you are right.'
Raon nodded and carefully stood up and withdrew. Once he reached far enough to barely feel the shadows' presence anymore, he took a Nadine bread from his subspace pocket.
Aaaaaaaaah!
'Please bear with it.'
But you don't have anything to do for the day! Why won't you go somewhere and eat something better?!
'Because considering Martio's personality, he's definitely going to come back before then.'
Martio was as distrustful as Derus, and he didn't entrust everything to his subordinates. He could return at any moment to give him more information, and that was why he was planning on waiting there.
Raon smiled and ate the Nadine bread. It felt like he was chewing rubber, and the unpleasant taste of bitterness filled his mouth. It really was a suffocating taste.
Bleeegh!
Wrath widened his mouth, pretending to throw up.
I-it's so disgusting. The King of Essence will tear off the limbs of whoever created this if he finds them!
He clenched his cheeks, saying that it was killing him.
'Is it that bad?'
Raon tilted his head while watching him.
'It's bearable for me though.'
It was true that the taste wasn't too great, but the fact that a single loaf could fill his stomach for an entire day was extremely convenient.
Y-you've always been insane, but your tongue is the most insane part about you! You must have a tongue of steel!
'Perhaps.'
Raon filled his stomach before diving into the ocean and used the Dolin breathing technique that he'd learned in his previous life.
'It's been a while.'
The Dolin breathing technique allowed one to breathe underwater like a fish, and it was perfect for assassination because it didn't create any bubbles on the surface or show any presence.
He lowered his presence as he slowly exhaled with the breathing technique before diving toward the dungeon's location. He advanced for a while alongside the horizon, and he managed to find a crack similar to one made from an earthquake.
'I found it.'
A trapezoidal crack was located under a magnificent valley surrounded by two cliffs that crossed each other. There was a powerful flow of mana emerging from inside.
'It must've been a lot of work to open this.'
Let alone the entrance, the entire valley was originally inaccessible. Derus managed to pave the way while avoiding a collapse, and that showed just how obsessed he was with the dungeon.
'Hmm…'
Raon narrowed his eyes while descending along the other side of the cliff.
'They are here, as expected. He hasn't changed at all.'
Shadows were waiting inside the crack, just like he had anticipated. Raon managed to figure out that there was a place where they could breathe inside the crack by examining them.
'Let's get started.'
He unleashed Glacier's energy and made it flow inside the dungeon. It went past the two shadows guarding right behind the entrance and examined underneath.
'They dug so deep.'
Just like Kosini had said, the passage seemed to lead deep down.
He noticed the presence of dead monsters and the corpses of shadows from time to time. Raon slowly analyzed the dungeon while remembering the paths and the traps along the way.
W-wait! You aren't planning to stay here the whole time, are you?
Wrath's chin was trembling violently with an expression of disbelief.
'Correct. I'm not going to move for four days, at least.'
What the hell?! Are you planning to starve again?
'There's this diet technique that became popular recently. Do you know about it?'
A-a diet technique?
'Yes. It's called intermittent fasting, and it involves skipping meals for a while.'
Raon smiled and kept analyzing the dungeon.
You are insane…
Wrath ground his teeth while unleashing his wrath.
No one is crazy enough to do intermittent fasting for four days straight!
"I wonder if Raon is alright. He didn't seem to be planning to go to the Sephia Company right away."
Sheryl licked her lips while putting down her teacup.
"Now that I think about it, I should've accompanied him."
She sighed in regret.
"I agree. He has the ring, but you never know what might happen…"
Roenn nodded while pouring tea into Sheryl's teacup.
"It would be a waste."
Glenn shook his head, sitting on the opposite side of Sheryl.
"He's the vice squad leader of the Light Wind squad. He's a warrior with the duty to protect others, not a child who requires protection."
Glenn smiled coldly while raising his teacup.
"Hmm…"
"Well, that's true, but…"
Roenn and Sheryl narrowed their eyes and stared at him because of his unexpected statement.
"Hmph."
Glenn smiled faintly while sipping his tea. His lips were slightly trembling, but they were hidden behind the teacup.
'H-he will be fine, right?'
He was worried about Raon more than anyone else, but he was aware that a child couldn't grow if they were protected too much.
It was necessary to believe in him in some cases, so he'd decided to believe in the distinction he'd shown during the Six Kings tournament and wait for his return.
"Haa…"
He sighed faintly to try to calm himself down, but the door suddenly burst open.
"Are you kidding me?!"
Rimmer stamped his feet as he entered his room with a scowl on his face.
"He's the biggest genius and treasure of our house, but you sent him off without any guards! Are you out of your mind or what?!"
He pointed at Sheryl and continued.
"You obviously should've sent that idiot with nothing but strength going for her to follow him!"
"T-treasure?"
"I-idiot?"
Roenn and Sheryl's jaws dropped while they looked at Rimmer.
"He's proven his might by defeating Borini Kitten, Garona, and Cadis during the Six Kings tournament, and even saved the spectators from the Fallen's attack—earning so much popularity and honor! You should be treating our venerable Raon, the White Sword Dragon, more preciously than that!"
Rimmer violently shook his head, saying that he couldn't believe what happened. A dozen glittering necklaces were also shaking at the same time.
"You could've sent the entire Heavenly Blade division on top of Sheryl, and that wouldn't even have been excessive. But you sent him off on his own, and I really don't understand what you were thinking."
He frowned while opening his hands equipped with all kinds of jeweled rings.
"…Venerable Raon? What's wrong with him?"
Glenn frowned while looking at Rimmer, who seemed to be out of his mind.
"I think he managed to use that gambling ticket that got burnt."
Sheryl clicked her tongue while looking at the jewels surrounding Rimmer's hands and neck.
"Judging from the situation, the young master Raon must've helped him recover his money."
Roenn laughed generously. He seemed to find it interesting.
"Ugh, you are so sharp."
Rimmer walked up to them with a frown. They realized that he was even wearing a platinum pin in his hair.
"A-anyway, I'm not saying that you should take better care of Raon because of the money. Definitely not."
"What else is it?"
"It's true that Raon is my god of wealth, hope, light, and salt, but his genius is his real quality! He could be falling prey to any faction right now because he displayed a might and growth outstanding enough to defeat all of the mid-rank Twelve Stars of the Continent! We need to immediately send guards for him! We need to protect our treasure!"
He raised his hands and shouted that they should've been investing more in Raon.
"Why would you even guard a vice squad leader? I'm not interested."
"What are you even saying now? I know that you immediately used the dimensional door to return to the house after Raon left because you couldn't travel with him anymore."
"Ugh…"
Glenn's hands trembled violently because Rimmer had nailed it.
"You should express your love for Raon, just like me! Smiling while no one is around makes you a useless old man…"
"Seize him."
Glenn ordered, and Sheryl and Roenn proceeded to grab his arms in an instant.
"Uuh…"
Rimmer finally returned to his senses and his lips started to tremble.
"Ahaha, I was just worried about my lord's beloved and cherished Raon…"
"You'd better worry about yourself now."
Glenn pointed at him, a huge bolt of lightning squirming on top of Rimmer's head.
"Die."
"You can't kill me for th—Kuaaaah!"
* * *
"This should be the last time."
Kosini was standing at the beach with her hands on her waist and a faint smile on her face.
"Did you make sure to thoroughly prepare to prevent any issues?"
Martio frowned as she asked as much.
"There won't be any issues as long as you do your job."
"You were injured even though you only had the simple job of being a referee. I guess you can still talk after that."
"And you won't stop running your mouth."
"That's what a mouth is for."
Kosini shook her hand to make fun of Martio and went into the ocean.
"Haa…"
Martio sighed deeply and nodded his chin. The shadows behind him quietly dove into the ocean and followed Kosini. Martio examined the surrounding area before walking into the water after everyone left.
About an hour passed after all of them disappeared, and Raon finally appeared from below a tree behind the beach.
'It's finally getting started.'
Sniff…
Wrath turned to look back at Raon with teary eyes.
You are a psychopath…
'What?'
How can you even stay underwater for three whole days before staying underground for two days after that?! Are you even human at this point? You must believe that you are a mole or a tuna!
Raon had indeed stayed underwater for three days straight to examine the dungeon with his aura perception and determine the enemies' movement.
After that, he returned to the shore and obtained another piece of information from the conversation between his enemies. Wrath was going nuts because Raon had been eating nothing but Nadine bread for five days straight and stayed either underwater or underground.
Raon shrugged his shoulders while looking at Wrath.
'Isn't this normal?'
It's way better than before.
He had even stayed over a week inside a pond or underground in the past in order to assassinate his target.
Five days wasn't even a big deal for him, and he even had some food to eat.
…The King of Essence was mistaken. You are the perfect madman for that madwoman.
'You shouldn't say something like that even as a joke.'
Raon quickly shook his head. What Wrath just said was even scarier than his insults.
J-joke? Do you think this is a joke? The King of Essence is serious! A monster should hang out with another monster!
'Anyway.'
Raon pushed Wrath away and slowly stood up. He quietly moved without making any footsteps and went under the tree. He jumped upwards from there and pierced the heart of the shadow heart who'd been hiding above the tree.
Mmm…
Raon neutralized him while covering his mouth to avoid making any sound at all before moving sideways to pierce the neck of the shadow hiding under the sand.
Psh.
The shadow's life faded away, along with the fluttering sound of the sand.
Raon took care of all four shadows who'd been hiding by moving around the beach without leaving any trace.
'First step complete.'
Since he'd been analyzing what they'd been doing for the past five days, it wasn't really difficult to assassinate them.
He erased all traces of himself and the shadows before walking up to the ocean.
You didn't need to kill them, did you? It would've been better to leave them there if you were planning to destroy the dungeon.
'That would seem more natural, but…'
Raon's lips rolled into a smile as he looked up at the Robert mansion.
'I can make him even angrier this time.'
Derus was bound to get angrier if an unknown person stole his treasure from him instead of the dungeon's natural collapse.
Hmm, I see…
Wrath closed his eyes in contemplation.
'...'
Raon stared at Wrath for a moment before he entered the ocean.
He slowly swam while riding the current and went towards the dungeon. Once he arrived at the dungeon's entrance, which he had only watched from outside three days prior, he jumped inside.
Whoosh!
The water disappeared once he entered the dungeon, and Raon immediately thrust Heavenly Drive into the air twice.
Pssh!
The two shadows who'd been using the concealment technique collapsed, blood gushing from their hearts. Raon managed to pierce their vitals without the smallest mistake because his aura perception had perfectly located them.
"Haa."
Raon climbed inside the dungeon and sighed. Just like he'd previously noticed, it was possible to breathe inside the dungeon.
'How peculiar.'
There were many strange cracks inside the dungeon that looked like a child's doodles. It didn't look like it was Martio or Kosini's doing because they seemed to be rather old.
'I should try going down for now… Hmm?'
Raon was about to follow the road that Martio had paved while remembering the traces, but he suddenly stopped.
'What's happening?'
The moment he saw the crack next to the stairs that Martio had created, the Ring of Fire and the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation activated at the same time.
Whir!
The two cultivation techniques pulsed at the same time to draw an image in his head. The scene had a blond swordsman wielding a flame sword to fight someone inside the dungeon.
'Does this mean that he'd been all the way here?'
Raon swallowed nervously.
'It wasn't a simple crack. It was a sword trace.'
He placed his hand on the sword trace that showed him the image a moment ago and unleashed the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation.
Whap!
The crimson flame that was purified by the Ring of Fire seeped into the countless traces inside the dungeon, and the walls smoothly subsided to reveal a new path.
Huh?
"Ah!"
Raon smiled while looking at the gray passage that no one had gone through before.
'Is he even showing me the way now?'