"Cough, cough, cough…"
Taking advantage of the moment when the White Dragon went off to chase Kazuma, Joseph struggled to pull out a Potion from his pouch and started gulping it down.
That was the third time he'd been swatted away mid-air by the White Dragon.
He had no idea how it kept attacking him so precisely while airborne…
And every time he was struck, he got sent flying dozens of meters…
The White Dragon's attacks carried immense psychological pressure—especially when Joseph got stunned by one of its strikes and couldn't immediately get up from the ground. The monster would just fix its gaze on him, step by step closing in with its icy blades in hand.
That feeling of wanting to fight back, but having no strength in your limbs—it was unbearable.
If it hadn't been for Naofumi Iwatani and Kazuma constantly supporting him, desperately drawing the White Dragon's attention away, Joseph couldn't even begin to guess how many times he would've already carted.
It probably also had to do with him being the only Hunter focused on close-quarters combat…
"At this rate, you'll be the first to die." Misurun had also decided not to teleport Joseph directly above the White Dragon anymore. The tactic wasn't yielding results and was too dangerous.
Misurun could feel the difficulty mounting.
If the White Dragon had been just another ordinary monster, he might have been able to use Teleportation to aim at a vital spot and eliminate it.
But the White Dragon… almost as if it was aware of his methods, never gave him the opening to make such a teleportation kill. In fact, the one time that looked promising, Misurun realized that had he actually launched the attack, he would've risked endangering the adventurers nearby who were in the middle of a resurrection ritual. He was forced to redirect the spell to block the White Dragon's advance instead.
In the end, they couldn't slay the White Dragon. After sustaining injuries, it retreated on its own. But before leaving, it kept turning back again and again to look at them from afar, as if to say...
As if it might suddenly return at any moment from the darkness—its bloodstained jaws ready to devour their flesh and souls.
"What the hell kind of monster is that?! I'm gonna have trauma from this, damn it!!!!"
Kazuma shrieked in a corner, swearing with tears in his eyes.
"The power of a dungeon master… it's incredible," Naofumi Iwatani said with a sigh of awe. "To create such powerful monsters from nothing… and it looks like this one's intelligent, too…"
"..."
After a long silence, Misurun spoke directly to the Shield Hero: "After becoming a dungeon master, the demon will do everything in its power to fulfill your desires. But the fulfillment of those desires… doesn't always reflect your true wishes."
"You all said… that if you become the dungeon master, the demon will develop weaknesses. Is that true?" Misurun stared straight at Naofumi Iwatani.
Even though these people had given him miraculous medicine that restored some of his lost desires and emotions, Misurun still had doubts about whether they could truly defeat the demon.
"It's true," Naofumi replied. "You don't have a better plan, and we don't have any reason to lie to you…"
"Captain!"
At that moment, the elves—having finished resurrecting their comrades—rushed over. But as soon as they got within several meters of Misurun and the three Hunters, they froze, not daring to get any closer.
Patadril still remembered that these Hunters had kidnapped Misurun. And now they were back—with him…
And weren't these the very same people who were companions of the lunatic trying to become the dungeon master?
"Captain! These people are dangerous!" Patadril said. "We have to get them out of the dungeon immediately!!"
"…No."
What Patadril didn't expect was that Misurun outright refused: "I'm going to act with them."
"?!"
Patadril's pupils widened. "W-What… why?!"
"Their goal is the demon. If I stay with them, I can reach mine." Misurun rejected the elves' suggestion without hesitation. "You should focus on protecting yourselves."
Turning around, Misurun walked directly to the Hunters' side, clearly showing his intent to go with them.
"Captain?!" Patadril's eyes widened further, her heart sinking into helplessness. But there was nothing she could do.
"You all… what exactly are you planning?!" Patadril demanded of the Hunters.
She had expected them to mock her or throw insults. What she didn't expect was that they answered her… seriously.
"Obviously, I'm gonna summon a bunch of beautiful succubus big sisters after becoming dungeon master!" Kazuma declared, pumped. "I swear—I have nothing to do with any beastfolk harems, okay?!?!"
"Revenge, obviously. I want to make that b*tch of a princess pay," Naofumi Iwatani said bluntly, stating his true goal without reservation.
"Nothing in particular I wanna do. First, I'll become the dungeon master—then I'll figure it out!" Joseph scratched his head. "Seems like it could be fun…"
"Succubi… revenge… fun?!"
The elves' faces twisted with fury.
These people… with something that could affect the fate of the entire world… were treating it like this?
What a joke!
"Captain!! You heard them! What they're planning—this is a disaster waiting to happen!!" Patadril tried once more to convince Misurun. "We can't let these people become the dungeon master—it'll be the end of us!!"
"No."
At that moment, Misurun placed his hand firmly on the Hunters' shoulders. "I'm going… to take them directly to the current dungeon master. Let them become the next one."
"Only then will…"
Before he could finish the sentence, Teleportation activated—and Misurun vanished along with the Hunters, the rest of his sentence left behind in silence.
Patadril stared, stunned.
Why?
Wasn't Captain Misurun someone who had lost all desires except for revenge?
Why would he choose to help them?
Was he being controlled?
"We need to… contact the Queen right now…" Patadril was completely at a loss. She had to report what had happened here to the Elven Queen.
But at that moment, Kabru arrived carrying Thistle on his back.
"What the hell… what's with these 'we just fought an impossible battle' expressions?"
Kabru looked around in confusion at the traces of the battle and the weary faces of the people.
But the elves had already turned their attention toward him.
"Wait! You're… the tall human the Vice-Captain raised!"
Someone from the Canary Squad recognized Kabru. "Wait a sec—who's that on your back…?"
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