Assault

"Mist Moon, Rest Day. I found it, that dragon. The legends are true."

Li Wen walked at the end, using the shifting light that flickered between bright and dim to carefully read the journal.

"...Just at dusk today, not only I, but everyone accompanying me saw it. That dragon flew right over our heads. Its scales were so dark they blended with the night, each one as massive as a boulder. Truly an incredible creation...

"Mist Moon, Morning Rise Day. Five days have passed since then, and we still haven't found any relevant clues. It's as if it appeared out of nowhere and vanished just as suddenly... But that couldn't have been an illusion, absolutely not. There must be a dwelling for it on this land, otherwise, why would this place be called Black Dragon Territory?

"Abundant Harvest Moon... A month has passed, and we've still found nothing...

"Frost Fall Moon, today is Worship Day, but I've lost the mood for worship. Noren said he has an idea, as expected of a genius Mage... According to his research, the Aether in this land has been in a state of chaos. We don't know the reason, but the chaos of Aether undoubtedly affects Magic Power and elemental composition, even causing scenes from other places to appear in inappropriate locations at specific times... The native inhabitants here often see massive complexes or ruins in the wilderness, which is directly related to the chaos of Aether...

"Frost Fall Moon, Cleansing Bath Day. We have reason to believe there's a vast network of caverns beneath Black Dragon Territory... Noren proposed using Alchemy to create a machine that could continuously dig downwards, excavating thousands of meters of earth. But we refused. It would be too slow, too slow. We couldn't wait, and Solonicaia couldn't wait even longer... Directional Teleportation, that's the only solution.

"...Frost Fall Moon. Today is the day for action. Unfortunately, Noren didn't accept the proposal. He thought it was too dangerous and preferred to return to Solonicaia to find other methods... Doesn't he know? We have no other path left... Either success, or death.

"How long has it been since I last wrote in this journal? Never mind, it doesn't matter... We succeeded. To be precise, I succeeded. Although they all died, I'm fortunate enough to have found that black dragon and obtained what I needed from it... With this, my research is bound to be a great success. Now, I need a quiet place to slowly..."

The rest of the journal was smudged and illegible.

However, even the readable parts provided a wealth of information.

The journal's owner was likely that Alchemy Master, and at least two hundred years old, as both Mist Moon and Frost Fall Moon were terms from an ancient calendar no longer in use for two centuries.

For some unknown reason, that Alchemy Master had come to Black Dragon Territory, seeking the legendary black dragon, and he had indeed succeeded.

Afterward, he must have established an underground laboratory in the Black Forest, conducting unknown research on what he obtained from the black dragon...

But this still didn't explain why there was a dungeon here. Unless the Alchemist needed prisoners for human experimentation, but could that even be considered Alchemy anymore?

Putting away the journal, they had emerged from the secret passage and arrived at a place that finally resembled an Alchemy laboratory.

It was only "somewhat" like a laboratory because it was in utter disarray. It looked as if it had suffered some natural disaster or man-made destruction: shattered vessels, torn papers, unknown liquids, and various mixed-up scraps of flesh and limbs.

Almost nothing on the ground was intact.

"The bodies are still fresh, the blood has coagulated. This must have happened not too long ago."

Moria glanced at the gruesome scene on the ground before shifting his gaze to Zotes.

"It's other adventurers," Li Wen noticed scattered weapons and shields on the ground, items that shouldn't be here. "They must have come here before us and were torn to shreds by some unknown force... possibly a Demonic Beast."

The Gnome continuously scratched his neck and body. "I, I really don't know anything!"

"Zotes, is this a place you've been to before?"

The Gnome nodded repeatedly.

"But it didn't look like this! They, they..."

"Alright, I understand," Moria said, his tone and expression barely changing. "There might be other dangers here. Be careful and don't stray too far from me."

Li Wen didn't take his words to heart. She searched everywhere but couldn't find anything resembling the Alchemist's research subjects. The liquids on the ground, besides bodily fluids, were mostly mixed Magic Potions, but these potions had lost their efficacy from prolonged exposure to the air.

The cut surfaces of the corpses were ragged, consistent with Li Wen's theory of being "torn apart by a Demonic Beast." Furthermore, there were clear claw marks on the floor. These marks weren't very large, which reminded Li Wen of the dungeon they had seen earlier; the claw marks on the cell walls were almost identical to these on the floor...

Li Wen frowned. Before she could connect these thoughts, she suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. A clear, malicious attention focused on her.

Almost instinctively, Li Wen rolled to the side.

A massive force shoved her away, and the sound of debris scattering and the floor tearing apart reached her ears.

But faster still were sharp claws, mere inches from her face.

It was clearly a human hand, but it had sharp, curved nails, and its skin was covered in scales that were somewhere between bone and rock.

Li Wen remained unusually calm and immediately thrust the Bone-Gnawing Short Sword she had been holding towards the claw. The short sword, imbued with its deadly poison, easily pierced the palm.

Accompanied by a pained roar, Li Wen cleanly severed the attacker's claw.

"Watch out above!"

Only then did she have the presence of mind to warn the others.

Meanwhile, her gaze remained fixed on the attacker, wary of its every move.

The attacker might have been an Elf or a Gnome, but it was impossible to tell. Its body was covered in tumors, as if afflicted with some skin disease. Only its height, noticeably taller than a human, and its pointed ears offered any clue.

Its pupils were a ghastly white, clearly having lost all reason. There was no possibility of communication. So, Li Wen decisively cast Spell-less Arc Light, imbuing the Bone-Gnawing Short Sword with a faint glow, and then swung, releasing the light as a blade.

The arc-shaped blade instantly struck the attacker, who was still reeling from the pain of losing a hand, and easily severed its head.

Seeing this, Moria finally removed his hand from his sword hilt.