Erend stood there, gazing at the gorilla with an admiring look. It was like he was observing a specimen of an incredibly fascinating creature.
However, the gorilla didn't share his sentiments. It glared at him with a vengeful gaze, likely because Erend had killed its army of monkeys, and Erend knew it.
"So, you're another challenger in this place?" the gorilla asked. Its voice sounded like a baritone man's but lower and even louder.
Erend hadn't expected it to speak. "Are you the Boss?" he inquired.
The gorilla shrugged its massive shoulders. "You can think of it that way."
"I've already killed your army," Erend stated. "I think you might be angry with me."
"Well, initially, I was quite furious. But after some time, I stopped caring," the gorilla said.
Erend furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"
"I made a deal to be in this Dungeon with my family. In return, I have to allow your kind to come and defeat us to become stronger."
The gorilla's words further puzzled Erend. But then he remembered that Haril had said something similar. He had chosen to be here for a reason, just like this gorilla.
So, this gorilla was also a being from the outside world who had opted to become a Dungeon Boss.
"Who are you really?" Erend asked.
The gorilla scratched its head with a hand. "I kinda don't want to answer that."
Erend thought it couldn't be helped and shrugged. "Well, now, you know the deal, right?"
"Yes, of course." The gorilla stretched out one hand, and a hammer materialized from nothingness in its grasp. "Let me tell you something. I'm not an easy opponent."
"I know," said Erend.
To fight Haril's bat form, he had to transform into a full Dragon and even tap into another Dragon's power. So Erend could imagine that the level of difficulty he would face against this gorilla was at least twice that of that encounter.
But Erend noticed something else when he looked at the gorilla's face. It seemed as though the gorilla was bored, as if it had been doing this repeatedly for a long time.
"Come on," the gorilla said, waving its hand toward Erend.
Erend wasted no time and immediately activated [Fire Dragon Transformation]. A golden light radiated, dazzling the gorilla. However, just like before, the gorilla didn't seem impressed or shocked; it remained bored.
But then, the gorilla smiled. There was an expression of acceptance on its face. "Let's just do this. Who knows, you might give me a decent fight?"
The gorilla patiently waited for Erend to complete his transformation. When the light finally dissipated, Erend had turned into his Dragon form and immediately attacked the gorilla by shooting a fireball from his mouth.
The gorilla, seeing the attack coming, swung its hammer and deflected the fireball to the side, easily avoiding it.
Dragon-Erend, who had anticipated this, flapped his wings to propel himself closer to the gorilla just behind his fireball.
*CLASH!*
Dragon-Erend's claw met the gorilla's hammer, and they exchanged blows in the midst of the forest, toppling several large trees in the process.
~~~
Sylvan Haven is actually a cemetery for the Elves. They are not immortal beings who never die. They can live for an extended period, surpassing many of the creatures on Eternal Earth, but they can still die.
The Fountain of Eternity can heal many wounds and ailments and extend their lifespan. However, there are some things that can kill the Elves if they are afflicted by them.
One of these is a curse. A curse bestowed by a shaman or mage who has harnessed the power of darkness can be a fatal attack for an Elf.
Of course, the curse's level must be very high and powerful to override the effects of the Fountain of Eternity. That's what happened to their mother.
She, Thandis, was a loving woman who always put the interests of her people first. With her help, their father, Gulben, was able to lead the Elf Palace to prosperity and peace.
Everything was going well until the time of the disaster arrived. A dark mage employed by the Daemons managed to infiltrate the palace to cast a curse on Gulben. However, Thandis arrived in time to stop him, becoming the victim of the dark mage instead.
King Gulben immediately captured the dark mage, torturing him for several months before finally allowing him the luxury of death.
Afterward, King Gulben mourned for what felt like an endless period. He continued to cry and remained in a gloomy state for days, refusing to fulfill his duties as a king. Gulben went into seclusion with his wife's body in Sylvan Haven.
As a result, Aerchon was given the authority to lead, and chaos began to ensue.
"There's no threat ahead, Your Majesty," one of the scouts Aerchon had sent to check the conditions ahead returned with good news.
"Good. Now, we can continue our journey," Aerchon said. He then ordered all of his warriors to pack up the camp and proceed.
Aurdis felt a bit uneasy about meeting her father after such a long time. She had almost forgotten what her father's affection felt like after being away for so long. In her mind, her father was an irresponsible king for leaving his kingdom.
Aerchon, realizing his sister's expression, said, "(You don't have to meet him if you don't want to. I'll talk to him.)"
"No. I'll go with you to meet him," Aurdis replied firmly.
Aerchon sighed. "(I know he can't be a good king, but please understand, our father is deeply saddened by the loss of our mother.)"
"Do you think I wasn't sad when we lost mother?" Aurdis said. Then, feeling that this conversation was futile, she turned her face forward. "(There's no point in discussing this. There are more important things we need to do.)"
Aerchon nodded. He knew his sister only wanted to meet their father for the purpose of facing The Great Calamity, not for any other reason.
With everything settled, Aerchon ordered them to resume their journey.
~~~
Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om