Broken darted backward, swiftly avoiding the crashing waves of molten lava as they slammed into the cave floor.
He couldn’t afford to take damage. If he did, his invisibility would cancel—and that was the last thing he wanted right now.
The lava rippled violently for a few moments before settling again, though the entire cavern still trembled.
Chunks of rock broke loose, tumbling into the magma below, causing another series of tremors to shake through the chamber.
Carefully, Broken unsummoned Polly, leaving only himself and Pawpaw, still maintaining their invisible state.
Then, he hesitated.
Would external interference trigger the creature inside to emerge?
He was certain that something was lurking beneath that lava, but he couldn’t afford to recklessly bait it out when he wasn’t even prepared for what might appear.
After a brief moment of thought—
[Nature’s Herald (Active Skill) Lv. 2 activated]
A summoning circle flickered to life, and moments later, a massive beast emerged beside him.
A dragon—a fusion of nature and shadow—materialized, its form twisting through the air.
The Elder Abyss Dragon Tree.
Broken remained hidden, watching as his summon soared toward the lava pool, circling above the molten surface.
He took a few steps further back, carefully adjusting his position.
The Abyss Dragon suddenly let out a powerful roar, then unleashed a barrage of magical blasts, striking the surface of the lava.
The reaction was immediate. The lava convulsed, surging violently.
And then—
Another explosion. A massive burst of magma shot into the air—
As if something beneath was rebelling against the disturbance.
As the next surge of magma erupted, something massive began to rise from the depths. It was fast—almost too fast—its entire form still engulfed in molten lava.
At first, the shape was unclear—just a towering mass of searing heat and molten rock.
But then—
A hand emerged. A massive, armored hand—formed from hardened lava, jagged and clawed, its molten veins glowing like cracks in volcanic stone.
Broken’s eyes widened.
That wasn’t just a beast. That was something else.
[Legendary-grade Fragment of the Abyssal Demon: Marquis Sabnock Lv. 280]
Broken’s eyes widened as sheer awe washed over him.
A Legendary-grade monster. And its level—280.
Damn.
His entire body tensed at the sight. This was an insane discovery.
But more than that—
Fragment of the Abyssal Demon: Marquis Sabnock?
Wait.
That title.
It followed the same pattern as Named Demons—bearing a noble rank, like "Marquis."
Did that mean… this was only a part of a greater demon?
Was this just its hand?
Or…
Was there an entire body still hidden beneath the lava pool?
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The massive hand suddenly lunged upward, moving so fast that the entire lava pool erupted violently, sending waves of molten rock crashing outward.
Before Broken could even blink, the hand shot forward—gripping the Elder Dragon.
A deafening roar echoed through the chamber—
And then—
The demon’s grip tightened.
In an instant, the Elder Abyss Dragon was completely crushed, vanishing without a trace.
Broken swallowed hard. This thing was beyond powerful. Fighting it would be hell. Even without directly attacking, the lava pool alone was already a massive hazard—
Just being near it could burn through their health.
And actually killing this thing? Damn near impossible.
The demonic hand moved again—
This time, slamming its palm against the lava pool’s surface.
The impact sent another massive surge of magma sky-high, an enormous wave of molten destruction rushing outward.
Broken’s instincts screamed at him to move..
Without hesitation, he summoned Polly and leaped onto the spirit beast’s back.
The moment Polly took off, Broken could see the tunnel entrance below—
Now completely flooded with lava.
If he had been even a second slower… He would’ve been swallowed whole.
Broken hovered in place, still seated on Polly, watching as the waves of molten lava slowly receded back into the lava pool.
Even after settling, the entire chamber was still burning hot—
The scorched ground left behind would deal continuous damage to anyone foolish enough to step on it.
And this was just from the monster existing. It hadn’t even fought seriously yet. Just how terrifying would it be in actual combat? Read new chapters at Freewebnovel
He exhaled sharply.
"Gaia…" he murmured.
At his call, Gaia’s form materialized, floating near Polly, her radiant energy swirling gently in the air. But as always, she said nothing—simply appearing, watching with her calm, unreadable expression.
Broken turned to her.
"What do you think… if we fought that thing?"
A brief silence.
Then, Gaia finally spoke, her tone as flat and monotone as ever.
"It would surely be… a pain in the ass."
Broken blinked. "Good word choice, Gaia."
Gaia remained unbothered, floating effortlessly.
"I do not believe our current strength is sufficient, Master. Even if you were to use the Golden Paragon."
Broken sighed, reluctantly agreeing with her assessment.
"Yeah… I figured as much."
But still. This thing was Legendary-grade and level 280.
If they could kill it…
The loot would be insane.
He’d need a solid strategy—probably an entire raid team if he wanted a chance at victory.
For now, though—
He needed to regroup.
With one last glance at the lava pool, Broken turned Polly around, soaring back toward the cave entrance—
Where SexyGrill and Vallrick were still waiting.
***
"A Legendary-grade monster, level 280?!"
SexyGrill’s reaction was explosive as Broken finished recounting what he had seen.
She immediately turned toward Vallrick, who was grinning smugly, clearly satisfied that he had finally proven he wasn’t lying.
"So… turns out you’re not as crazy as I thought." She crossed her arms. "I really thought you were just making things up."
Vallrick let out an awkward laugh.
"Hehe… yeah, well, thanks to Broken and SexyGrill, now I’ve finally confirmed where the monster actually is… hehe."
His eyes gleamed with excitement. "And I was wondering if you two might be interested in—"
Before he could finish, SexyGrill was already back to focusing on Broken.
"Any plan?" she asked. "Because from what you described, that thing isn’t something we can take down just the two of us."
"Wait! Why only two?" Vallrick interjected. "I could help with—"
But neither of them were listening.
Broken nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it’d be a waste of time to fight it now."
That was all it took. Without another word, they turned and started walking away from the cave entrance, completely ignoring Vallrick.
"Wait, wait!" Vallrick quickly scrambled after them. "You’re really just gonna leave?! You’re not even gonna try killing it?!"
SexyGrill suddenly paused and glanced back at him.
"Vallrick, tell me—what kind of quest would require you to kill a monster like that?"
Vallrick stiffened. "That…"
"Not willing to share?" she tilted her head. "Okay."
She turned back around and kept walking.
"No, no, it’s not that I don’t want to tell you—" Vallrick hurried after them, flustered. "But if I do… does that mean you’ll help kill it?"
Broken finally spoke, his tone completely indifferent.
"Go take a look for yourself."
Vallrick’s steps faltered.
"If you think you can fight it, that’s great." Broken shrugged. "Go ahead."
Broken and SexyGrill kept walking, not even looking back.
Without breaking his stride, Broken spoke. "We’re moving on. You can stay or go back."
"Wait!" Vallrick hurried after them. "Didn’t you already say I could come with you? I’ll follow you guys anywhere!"
"You’re still not trustworthy enough."
"I can prove myself! I’ll give you my real-life address, my actual identity—whatever it takes!"
No response.
"I also want to join the Vensalor Guild."
That—
Made Broken stop.
For a second, he turned his head slightly, as if acknowledging the words.
Then, without saying anything—
He simply turned back around, and kept walking.
SexyGrill snickered at the reaction.
Vallrick, undeterred, kept pushing.
"Let me join the Vensalor Guild, please! Please—"