Part XXV Victory

The dungeon was in complete disarray. Davina, who tried to attack, ended up losing an arm. Seeing this, Lazuro slashed at the Killer Crab, but the creature lunged at him instead. Lazuro's body collided with the Killer Crab's head and was thrown hard against the wall. Lazuro vomited fresh blood. The boy tried to stand but ended up staggering and leaning against the wall.

"Green-haired girl, please... please help me. If this continues, they'll both die." Lazuro shouted in his heart.

"Did you call me the Son of Adam?"

The green-haired girl flew in front of Lazuro, smiled, and touched his cheek.

"Please help me. "Lazuro looked at the green-haired girl with a desperate expression.

"You don't need to hesitate to use me, the Son of Adam. My name is Foilgradair; I am a leaf that can cut the world. My ability is photosynthesis. You don't need to worry about injuries or running out of energy. I can heal and supply you with energy. But... when you're injured, I will focus more on healing you, and if your energy runs out, we will automatically separate. Do you understand?"

Lazuro nodded and felt power flow through him.

“From now on, the true contract has been formed, and you must defeat the other six to attain your full form. O son of Adam, stand and cut them all with me.”

Lazuro took a breath and delivered a powerful slash towards Killer Crabtis. Although the slash didn't cause any damage, it was enough to draw Killer Crabtis's attention.

“From now on, don't disturb anyone!”

After shouting, Lazuro created an energy sword with his left hand and advanced towards Killer Crabtis.

“Arghh… sword style, Foilgradair of Ruthless.”

Killer Crabtis floated to the ceiling and charged towards Lazuro. Lazuro didn't stop but instead ran even faster towards Killer Crabtis. The two collided, sending the ground into a shambles.

“Lazuro!” Trion shouted.

As the dust cleared, Killer Crabtis's claws clashed with Lazuro's two swords. Lazuro screamed, pushing Crabtis away, and launched a series of slashes at him. Killer Crabtis did the same. The creature slammed its sharp crab claws into Lazuro's body. Lazuro's blood splashed onto Killer Crabtis's claws. Despite this, Lazuro didn't stop slashing.

"Die... die... die, you monster."

Lazuro and Killer Crabtis exchanged blows repeatedly until the front of Crabtis's body cracked. Lazuro smiled, his and Davina's attacks finally paying off. Seeing its shell broken, Killer Crabtis attempted to escape. However, Lazuro had already grabbed Killer Crab's thin arm.

"Thank you, Aicelia; your fighting inspired me. Now accept this, you bastard."

Lazuro thrust his leaf sword straight into Killer Crabtis's chest, which was no longer protected by its shell. Killer Crabtis made a strange sound. Trying to defend himself, Killer Crabtis attempted to grab Lazuro's shoulder. However, Lazuro didn't give Killer Crab the chance. Lazuro quickly swung his leaf sword and tore off Killer Crabtis's upper half, knocking off the claws gripping his shoulder.

"No, this isn't over yet. This creature can regenerate, so..."

Lazuro stepped back, holding the leaf sword with both hands, and then jumped at Killer Crabtis's head. He delivered a spinning slash to Killer Crab, decapitating the creature. Lazuro's breathing was labored, and his entire body was covered in green fluid and blood. Despite this, Lazuro tried to maintain his composure. The boy shook his head repeatedly and began walking toward Davina. Trion was confused as to why an injured Lazuro was bothering to drag himself toward Davina.

"Do... do you still want to kill me?" Lazuro pointed the tip of his sword at Davina.

"That... not for now. We have to get out of this dungeon. Besides, I've lost my left arm, and my right arm is also immobile."

After hearing Davina's words, Lazuro finally lost consciousness.

***

Lazuro opened his eyes and removed the blanket covering his body. After looking around, Lazuro realized he was in a tent. His mind tried to remember everything that had happened. Davina's attempted murder, Killer Crabtis, and the battle in the dungeon had awakened Lazuro.

"Necklace..." Lazuro held the necklace around his neck. "What happened after that? My head is spinning. What about the hunt?" Lazuro held his head.

Lazuro finally emerged from the tent and found everyone gathered around the campfire. He walked over and was greeted by Tristan's shout.

"Look at this, someone amazing. On his first day, he killed a Burning T-Rex with one slash. Now, he's defeated Killer Crabtis and conquered a dungeon—it's incredible." Tristan staggered to his feet and embraced Lazuro.

"Tristan, have you been drinking?" Lazuro asked.

Aicelia pulled Tristan back, causing him to fall to the ground.

"You're amazing, Lazuro. Not only did you kill Killer Crabtis and conquer the dungeon, but you also took first place in the hunt." Aicelia smiled sweetly.

"That's right, leaf boy. I really lost this time." Fiore stroked Lazuro's head.

“W-what exactly happened?” Lazuro's face turned red.

All the senior students, or those in the same year, surrounded Lazuro and congratulated him.

“Isn't it obvious? You defeated Killer Crabtis. That definitely makes you the highest-ranked student this time,” Aicelia said.

“That's right. How about we celebrate with a few drinks?” Fiore handed Lazuro a bottle of liquor.

“Aren't we old enough to drink?” Lazuro asked.

“What do you mean not old enough?” Tristan grabbed Lazuro by the collar. “The legal drinking age is fifteen. Don't you know that? You're such an idiot, Lazu. I want to kiss you.”

Tristan pouted and leaned in closer to Lazuro.

“What did you do, Trish? You smell… You smell so bad!”

Fiore and Aicelia hit Tristan's head, knocking him unconscious.

“Come on, you should sit down. We'll tell you everything that happened while you were unconscious,” Fiore said.

Lazuro finally sat down to hear Fiore's story.

“So what happened, Prin—I mean, Fiore?” Lazuro asked.

"All the teachers were surprised by Trion's arrival, covered in wounds. He said that the three of you entered the dungeon and encountered Killer Crabtis. All the teachers and some senior students went in to evacuate you. Then, after administering first aid, the teachers returned to retrieve the dungeon's loot. You immediately earned the highest marks. Davina and Trion said you were the most instrumental in defeating Killer Crabtis. They also convinced the teachers to reward you for conquering the dungeon," Fiore explained.

"Ah, so this necklace... it's no wonder I've seen it before." Lazuro fingered the necklace around his neck. "So what about Davina and Trion?"

"They're fine. You've done a great job." Fiore smiled.

"What the hell? You're truly lucky to have caught the princess's attention," one of the young men said.

"But she deserves it. She even defeated Killer Crabtis," another young man chimed in.

Lazuro continued to receive praise and eventually became absorbed in the party. Even though he only drank water and enjoyed the grilled beast meat, all the compliments he received filled Lazuro with warmth. Lazuro's bright smile never ceased throughout the party. For several hours, everyone seemed helpless from drinking too much. Lazuro stood up, leaving everyone to head to the tent where Davina was being treated.

"Excuse me, Senior Davina, is she still awake?" Lazuro asked from outside the tent.

"I'm still awake; come in!" Davina shouted.

Lazuro entered the tent and found Davina sitting. Her left hand appeared to be missing, and she had numerous scratches on her face and hands. This time, Lazuro could see Davina's face because she was no longer wearing a mask. Davina had small, red lips, just like her small but sharp nose.

"Why are you standing there? Come here, I have something to talk to you about." Davina waved.

Lazuro finally entered and took a seat next to Davina.

"I just wanted to see how you were. Your hand…" Lazuro's eyes welled up as he stared at Davina's left hand.

"You don't need to worry. I can still kill with just one hand," Davina said.

Hearing that, Lazuro's body shuddered. Lazuro remembered how terrifying Davina had been when she tried to kill him.

“Don’t make that scared face. I’m not chasing you anymore. All this time, the Mavin family taught me to kill only. The elders always said that by killing, we can protect humanity by eliminating unimportant people or traitorous intruders. My victims always cried, begging to be saved. But… I never thought I’d be the one saved yesterday. Thank you, Junior.” Davina lowered her head.

“It doesn’t matter, that…” Lazuro cleared his throat. “By the way, who wants to kill me? Or maybe it’s true that you killed me because I’m weak.”

“No, someone is indeed targeting you. Be careful, because your mythbreaker is no ordinary mythbreaker. I’ve never found or heard of a single mythbreaker who could create a mythbreaker from plants,” Davina said.

“A plant-type mythbreaker, huh? Thank you for the information, Senior Davina. Then I’ll be going first.” Lazuro stood up and left the tent.

In the dark, star-filled night, Lazuro walked toward his tent. He stared at the dark sky and considered Davina's words. Memories of his time in Japan came flooding back. Miso soup, mochi, takoyaki, and the people he loved made Lazuro want to just go into the forest. However, he lacked the courage. Even Djuana explained that the journey to the world tree was arduous and impossible for him to undertake if he couldn't defeat her.

"I think after this hunt, I'll train some more," Lazuro said determinedly.