Chad entered the basement, his skin emitting a faint golden light, illuminating the darkness. The dragon woman behind him, looking around, "Be careful. The path ahead isn't safe." She said.
"As long as we don't alert everyone before reaching the king, nothing is dangerous," Chad replied, approaching the wall.
"Monsters used to living with dragons are stronger than any other types," The woman replied with a worried tone.
"Is that a problem?" Chad looked at her, his eyes flaring with golden light.
"Ah, no." She replied, unable to find any suitable answer. The man ahead of her was different. Unlike the dragons who sound arrogant when underestimating something, he sounds like facts.
Chad touched the wall, taking a deep breath. "A false wall, I see." He smiled, slowly increasing the force applied to the wall by his palm.
The wall creaked, moving backward to reveal the entrance to the secret exit. The woman approached Chad and peeked into the darkness.
"This will lead us through the undercover and directly behind the king's mountain. We can then sneak into the lair from there." The woman explained.
"How did you know about this?" Chad looked at her.
"You get to know a lot of secrets when you're regularly cleaning." She said with a smile.
Chad proceeded to take the front, and the woman stayed behind him, watching his back.
"Your name is Chad, is that right?" She asked after they spent a while walking.
"Why ask a question that you know the answer to?" Chad looked back at her for a moment.
The woman flinched, her eyes quivering, "You can call me Aster Sutara. Nice to meet you." She put on a smile.
Chad looked forward, "Monsters ahead." Clenching his fist as his divine magic started seeping like a wave of golden heat.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtAster took a step back, releasing her claws and staring into the darkness, "Dark crawlers, don't let them touch you." She said, "They can sap strength,"
As she said that, a gooey, black puddle of claws and mud emerged from the darkness, taking a vaguely humanoid shape. "It's them, don't..." Aster was about to speak, but Chad disappeared. BAM! She only heard the delayed sound of his jump. His fist smacked the monster in the face, splattering it on the whole cave.
"HAAA!" Chad exhaled, his fist burning with divine magic, "Burn!" As he said that, the golden, divine magic covering his body burned the monster like the dragons.
Chad silently walked forward, letting Aster glare at him with a puzzled face. Did she see a human one-shot, a dark crawler? That wasn't all of it. He seemed unaffected by the strength sap.
After traversing the cave and killing all the monsters on their way, Chad and Aster found themselves standing before a large wall.
Chad rested his hand on the wall attempting to push it, but Aster caught his wrist. "Pull, don't push." Pointing toward the handle at the side, "You don't want to make any noise."
Chad grabbed the handle and slowly pulled the door open. They found themselves in another dusty basement. "As expected. Who lives here?" Chad asked.
"It should be an abandoned house, but be careful." She replied, approaching the door and pushing it open. ZIIIIIII! It cried like a hundred claws on a chalkboard.
As the door opened, Chad and Aster found a dragon glaring directly at them, his jaw slowly opening. He was about to roar.
Chad was about to rush at him, but Aster stood in his way.
CRACK! Aster swung her leg, kicking the dragon under the ear. As he flew to the side, She shoved her fist on his jaw, pulling his tongue out.
Chad rushed in and finished the dragon with a fist to the chest.
"AHH!" Aster took a deep breath, feeling her heart beat faster than a drum.
"I didn't expect you to act." Chad looked at her.
"I'm already with you. the others would kill me if they found us." She said, cracking her ankle. "I never fought before, but I'm no stranger to martial arts."
"What can you do?" Chad asked. If she had any skills, he wouldn't mind learning them.
"Dance of the hunt. A kick-based martial art from a tribe of redhead hunters that lived in a faraway land. I don't remember their name, but fa-something." She smiled, tapping the ground with her foot. "But I'm an ancient dragon. Keep that in mind."
"Don't worry. I don't expect you to fight. If you want to stick around, stay away or behind me so I can charge." Chad replied, walking into the hallway and looking out the window.
"A forest surrounds this house. What was that dragon doing here?" Chad mumbled.
"I can't be coincident. We should move." Aster said, approaching the door and looking back at Chad standing beside the window.
"After you." She pointed at the door, and Chad approached, "Woun't you at least say something like ladies first?"
"Ladies first only in ladders," Chad replied, opening the door. "Stay back where you're safe."
Aster started thinking about how ladders come to play. It was then that Evelyn emerged from Chad's back, looking at her.
"Please don't think about it. The longer you do, the weirder it gets." She smacked Chad on the head, "Can you stop joking?"
Chad looked back at her, "Since when was I joking?" He looked at her, "What do you think?"
"It depends on the situation. In this fight, you are hard, so you should take the front." Evelyn replied, quickly realizing what she had said.
Chad looked at Aster, "That's what she said. You should stay in the back while it's dangerous."
Chad walked outside, quickly hiding in a bush, and Aster followed him as Evelyn disappeared. He looked toward the mountain. After the trees, there was a small village that he needed to cross to reach the king's lair.
"How should we go about it?" Aster asked, looking at the bustling village. "You know the place more than me. Can't you think of something?" Chad replied, glaring at her.
"We can't even sneak inside a carriage as the villagers aren't allowed close to the mountain. Add that the king can sense anyone close to his layer." She replied, glaring back at Chad.
"So you're saying we can't surprise him?"
"Yes. The king made it impossible to sneak to him inside his lair." Aster replied, and Chad stood.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"Then this the furthest we two go together. Head back or hide." He said, his aura slowly increasing.
"Sit down!" She tried to pull Chad down but couldn't, "What do you intend to do?"
"Kick the front door open," Chad replied. BAM! With a single leap, Chad blasted like a golden meteor, smacking into the mountainside.
"This idiot!" Aster growled, rushing toward the village, attempting to find a way to help.
When Chad hit the mountain, all dragons felt his presence.
"Who's the fool invading the king's lair?" One of the villagers mumbled, sighting with a disappointed face.
The dragon king, emersed in his experiment, felt the place shake, and Chad's aura quickly reached him. He alone knew how big the problem that came knocking on his door was.
BAM! Chad kicked the massive stone door open and ran inside, trying to reach the king as fast as he could. The less time he gives him to prepare, the easier the fight will be.
In just a moment, Chad saw the old man standing on top of a mountain of gold and gems. "Hoho, what are you?" The dragon king growled.
A minute later, the village awaited to hear the king's rage. The lair door exploded again as a humanoid flew, crashing into the middle of the marketplace.
The village chief approached to take a look at the invading fool. Aster stared from the corner, trying to find a way to save Chad. But they, the two froze.
The humanoid looked old and had a beard. They know him well. It was the king.
"Your Majesty?" The village chief gasped, his voice cracking as terror filled his veins.
BA-BAM! Chad's divine aura fell on the village like an iron wall. The air started to rumble as the villages looked up, seeing Chad standing at the lair's gate, glaring down at them. The silhouette of his body blackened as his eyes flashed goldenly.
"He! HAHAHAHA!" The king burst laughing, standing up with a sigh, "It has been hundreds of years since someone forced me out of my lair." He scrapped the dust off his brown cape.
"How did you come here, human!" The king opened his palm, extending his claws, and the village ran away in terror.
"I'm here to kill you," Chad replied, opening his arms as his divine power expanded. Ariel and Evelyn stood behind him, fully armored and ready to fight.
GLIN! The sword Moradin made for Chad emerged in his palm, bursting with golden light.
The dragon king smiled, "I heard tales of the hero with the holy sword. Are you him?"
Chad shook his head, "Humans don't need a hero."