Danmachi: A Despicable Stranger

Chapter 47: So-called Adventure

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Rushing swiftly through the long, dark tunnel, Izzy and Ryuu soon saw the growing brightness at its end, the light symbolizing the exit becoming more intense with every step. Then, in an instant, their vision cleared as they emerged from the tunnel.

"Help—help—! Help—————!!!"

The first thing that greeted them was a cacophony of chaotic sounds—shouts for help, deafening roars, and the explosive crashes of destruction.

The massive cave chamber, carved from gray-white rock, was filled with the oppressive stench of scorching fire.

Through the billowing smoke, several small, dark silhouettes darted frantically in different directions, pursued relentlessly by a massive, dark red monstrosity.

One adventurer attempted a desperate counterattack, brandishing a blade. However, the attack was futile—the weapon shattered on impact without leaving so much as a scratch on the beast's impervious scales.

The adventurer who dared strike was swatted aside like a rag doll, his body crashing into a pile of rubble. He lay there, motionless, severely injured and unconscious.

Suddenly, one of the fleeing figures ran straight toward Izzy and Ryuu. The scarred man, his body covered in burn marks, appeared from the smoky haze, looking like a beggar dragged through hell. His ragged breathing and frantic eyes spoke volumes of his desperation.

As captain, he had separated from his teammates to increase his chances of survival. But now, upon seeing two new adventurers in the distance, a fleeting hope lit up his face—only to be extinguished the moment he realized they were alone.

His fleeting joy turned to despair, as if doused by icy water.

"Run away—"

He barely managed to raise his arm to warn them to flee when an explosion of flames erupted behind him.

The shockwave sent the scarred man flying in a perfect arc, landing heavily in front of Izzy.

"This uncle is unexpectedly a good person?" Izzy raised an eyebrow.

Watching him sprinting toward them, Izzy had initially assumed he was one of those adventurers from Orario who sought to "reap a free monster" for personal gain. After all, such behavior wasn't uncommon in the city.

Yet, to his surprise, the first thing the man did was urge them to escape. No ulterior motives—just an earnest warning.

"Mr. Izzy, are you really planning to face that Pterosaur alone?" Ryuu asked softly, her gaze fixed on the monstrous, dark red Pterosaur hovering above the cavern. "If I may say so, this Pterosaur is on an entirely different level than the Minotaur you fought earlier. Even if dozens of Minotaurs were to attack together, they wouldn't stand a chance against it."

She paused, noting the beast's advantage in the air. "If it stays airborne, those Minotaurs would have no outcome but being incinerated in its flames. Do you… have any means of countering it in the sky?"

"Don't worry, Ryuu," Izzy replied calmly, a faint but confident smile playing on his lips. "Would you believe me if I said it's a coincidence? I just happen to have two very powerful control spells. That Pterosaur won't be flying for long. When I start to falter, I'll leave it to you to finish the job."

Hearing the conviction in Izzy's voice, Ryuu hesitated for a few seconds before finally nodding. "Please… be careful."

"I will."

Izzy raised his head, locking his gaze on the Pterosaur as it prowled the air above. Its aura of overwhelming power filled the cavern, and Izzy could feel his hands and feet trembling—whether from fear or anticipation, he wasn't entirely sure.

Yet, despite his body's instinctive reaction, a surge of excitement welled up in his heart.

To face a powerful enemy that struck fear into his soul… To forge a path with courage, using every preparation and ounce of effort to overcome it…

This was it—adventure.

He took off the backpack that was in the way and threw it to Ryuu, asking her to hold it for a while.

Izzy took out a panacea from his backpack, an expensive item that cost five hundred thousand Valis.

Izzy, who was preparing to upgrade his "Great Deeds," had pestered Aimid for a long time and finally made her give in, buying three of them for 1.2 million faris.

He opened the bottle cap and sprinkled the panacea on the scarred man in front of him.

"Five hundred thousand Vali's, and I'll ask him to reimburse me later..."

For a high-level adventurer, 500,000 Vali's can be scraped together by living frugally for a week or two.

The income of the middle class is completely different from that of the upper class. A middle class's personal income starts at tens of thousands of Vali's, or even more.

Izzy was not afraid that he would dare to default on his debt, not only because of his own strength but also because the title of "Loki Familia" was no joke.

Is there anyone who dares to owe money to the members of the [Loki Familia] and not pay it back?

The price is very heavy...

Holding the spear upside down, Izzy walked toward the center of the cave.

"——Roaroooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!"

A scream seemed to shake the entire cave, and the sound waves dispersed the smoke produced by the burning flames, completely clearing the center of the cave.

After expelling and defeating the invaders who disturbed it, the dark red pterosaur was now venting its emotions wantonly, as if showing off its strength.

Even if there were no people or monsters around who would pay attention to this place.

The dark red pterosaur flapped its wings in an unscientific posture and hovered in mid-air, high above the cave, scanning the area below with its scarlet eyes.

It was a look like that of a lone king, taking in everything in the cave.

In the center of the gray-white ground, it discovered a small black dot that was gradually approaching the center.

A human with a weapon?

Suddenly feeling offended, the pterosaur opened its mouth full of countless fangs up and down.

There was a blazing flame deep in the mouth, a conspicuous red light appeared in the throat, and then—

"——————————!!"

A breath of flame spurted out.

The flame cluster gushed straight toward where Izzy was.

The walking movement at the beginning gradually accelerated, and now, Izzy was holding a silver-gray spear and approaching the center at a rapid speed.

Facing the turbid stream of fire that was spewing out at the same speed as his movement, there was no trace of fear on Izzy's face. He didn't even seem to be prepared to dodge and continued to accelerate.

The next moment, he softly recited his own chant.

"[Draw the Curtain (Orionids)]!!!"

In an instant, a curtain of starlight flickered around Izzy.

But it's only a moment, and you'll miss it in the blink of an eye.

The star curtain dissipated, and a faint blue aura enveloped his entire body, with bits of starlight lingering and flowing on the surface of his body.

A circle of silver halo appeared in the clear blue pupils, and the eyes were shining.

At the moment before the flames were about to fall on Izzy, he disappeared suddenly.

The ferocious scarlet flames directly hit the ground below, stirring up sand and gravel, and making the ground emit a shrill scream called a loud bang.

The aftermath lifted up the solid rock, spreading waves of fire on the ground, scorching and burning everything around.

Seeing that after his attack, the human running toward this side was left with nothing, the pterosaur's red eyes showed satisfaction in a humanistic way.

But just as it was about to roar once more to show its power, a streak of faint blue light shot out from behind it, from the hill made of huge rocks.

The massive rocks at the top were shattered instantly, followed by a sharp, piercing sound as the wind was displaced.

In mere moments, the faint blue light and the dark red pterosaur crossed paths.

The high-speed assault and collision sent shockwaves through the cave. The sound of scales tearing echoed sharply as the pterosaur plummeted to the ground with tremendous force, kicking up a dense cloud of dust.

On the other side, the attack had not landed with full force; the spear's tip was partially deflected by the dragon's resilient scales, causing much of its power to dissipate. As a result, Izzy was thrown off balance and sent tumbling through the air. He rolled across the ground for some distance before managing to stabilize and reposition himself.

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