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125. The Awakening Abyss

—Deep in the lower layers of the Farthest Ends of the Blue dungeon.

The atmosphere changed dramatically past the thirty-fifth floor. The closer we drew to the bottom, the more the dungeon diverged from what it had been on my last descent. In fact, it might be more accurate to say that everything beyond the thirty-fifth floor had become a different dungeon altogether.

「According to Bellmann’s predictions, the egg of the king is close to hatching… and it looks like he was right.」

We were currently on the thirty-ninth floor. Jade-colored pools stretched out across the area, and vivid yellow pillars rose here and there, decorating the space like strange blossoms.

But their beauty was a deadly one. The gas rising from the pools was heavy and toxic—just a single breath would mean death. In S-rank dungeons, death did not merely lurk; it came actively seeking you, as though it had a will of its own.

「[Universal Palm], activate. Expanding the effect range to include Koe-san for my full set of anti-toxin skills.」

I nullified the approaching toxic air and pressed onward. When one of the bubbling pools threatened to splash onto Koe-san behind me, I swept it away with a strike from [Asura’s Six Arms]. The immediate surroundings quieted for a moment.

「Koe-san.」

「Yes. This floor’s structure is entirely different from when you previously conquered it, Master. Back then, the thirty-sixth floor was a forest of predation where beasts hunted each other.」

During my last expedition into this dungeon, a crisis had been looming over the village. Time was of the essence, so I had used the snail ‘General’ to pierce through the floor boundaries directly.

The ‘King’ I’d faced after that had been a massive frog. Looking over the dungeon at the time, there were countless lakes and swamps teeming with life—clear signs of the King’s overwhelming influence.

The thirty-ninth floor back then had been a forest dominated by giant plants.

The dense trees and overgrowth alone were a formidable obstacle. But worse still, the roots themselves writhed like animals, attacking intruders in twisted waves. Once caught, there was no escape—your body would be absorbed into the tree trunk, and within days, every last drop of you would be drained, leaving behind only a humanoid bark husk. A forest of horror.

Now, however, it had changed so drastically that it was almost unrecognizable.

「If you look closely… dead trees have sunk to the bottom of these acidic pools.」

「If the ‘King’ hatches and the dungeon fully reactivates, monsters will likely begin spawning again—probably ones tied to poison.」

「Yeah. Just like Abyss Where Evil Comes From.」

That dungeon had been the last I ever conquered as an adventurer and member of the Divine Silver Sword.

It had been a veritable labyrinth of toxins. The ‘King’ of that dungeon—the undying dragon Vritra—had laid its egg at its deepest depths. Now, the Farthest Ends of the Blue was unmistakably drawing closer to that same nature.

The thirty-ninth floor, near the final forty-second layer, was already this corrupted.

「The boundary of the change seems to be the thirty-fifth floor. That means the first floor, which we use for irrigation, should still be safe. If it ever gets like this… it would be a real disaster.」

「Indeed, Master. If it reached that point, all the fish Angelina-san has been raising in the canals would become pickled in vinegar. Worse still, if the rice soaks in vinegar as well, we might end up recreating that food I read about—rice mixed with vinegar, pressed together with similarly vinegar-preserved fish. I believe it was called ‘su—’」

「Yeah, let’s not go there.」

「Shocking.」

「Koe-san, you don’t need to force the mood to lighten, you know.」

「Understood.」

She was likely trying to be considerate after seeing the tension in my face, but with Koe-san, it’s often hard to tell where seriousness ends and jest begins.

Incidentally, the fish Angelina was raising in the canals had been increasing in variety. Lately, there were even massive fish called ‘koi’ swimming about—each one nearly the size of a man’s arms wrapped around. According to her, they were omnivores from distant lands, and if they ever escaped into the wild, it would spell disaster. Apparently, they tasted good, though.

That might sound like an absurd creature, but whether it’s worrying about them or savoring them, all of it only matters if the water stays clean.

「Still, if we hadn’t planted that egg, this dungeon would’ve collapsed ages ago. And without the dungeon, the village could never have been rebuilt. In that sense, you made the right decision, Master.」

「…Thanks.」

We walked further and arrived at the forty-second floor. This was the lowest level of Farthest Ends of the Blue.

At least, for now.

「The dungeon is pulsing…」

Thump… thump…

A rhythmic pulse, like a heartbeat. The black rock walls trembled with force. The source was unmistakable—the massive Vritra’s egg placed deep within the dungeon.

As I approached, the egg that had previously given off a quiet, powerful pulse suddenly shifted. The dungeon let out a tremendous rumble and trembled violently in response.

「Master, something’s happening with the egg!」

「No way… does it recognize me?」

To this egg, I was the enemy. I had driven its parent into the sea of stars—a place it could not return from for two thousand years. Whether it understood that or not, the egg’s pulse intensified, and then—

「It cracked…!」

The shell began to split. From the tiny gap, a pair of small black eyes peeked out.

I had Koe-san step back while I waited. A pure white ‘King’ emerged from the egg. Though it was smaller than a human, it radiated unmistakable majesty—the aura of an undying dragon. The white serpent flicked its red tongue in and out, staring intently at me. Was it affection? Hostility? Fear?

Eventually, the little snake slithered off into the deepest shadows of the floor. As if it instinctively knew that was where it belonged.

「Master, is it really alright to let it go like that?」

「It’s an undying dragon. It won’t die even if we leave it alone, and trying to interfere would probably only cause problems. Still… that kind of intelligence right after birth is terrifying.」

「Intelligence?」

「If it were acting on pure instinct, it would’ve attacked me or fled. But instead, it observed me, sensed that I meant no harm, and calmly left. That’s no ordinary hatchling.」

Its parent had been a mighty dragon. Not only did it possess overwhelming life force, it was cunning—filling the dungeon with poison, hiding itself, and ambushing its prey from the dark, even if that prey was a lone human.

That fusion of ferocity and wisdom, savagery and caution—those contradictory qualities embodied the true strength of a Vritra.

「That little one will grow up strong. Whether it’ll be an ally or an enemy, I can’t say. But…」

「Yes, Master. I felt the same thing.」

There was a small, unmistakable certainty. Maybe it was intuition—something gained from looking it in the eye at such close range.

That dragon understood. It knew I was the one who had defeated its parent.

Yet it bore no hatred. No malice.

What it held was something purer—neither hostility nor fondness, but a quiet emotion resembling awe or respect directed at a powerful being.

There may be no precedent for humans and dragons coexisting, but this much was certain:

「It’s not a monster we can never understand. Just knowing that is enough.」

「Yes, Master. If we take our time and build trust, I’m sure a path forward will open.」

The dungeon’s pulse had grown calm. The violent wave of change that came with hatching had settled. Slowly, the place was shifting into a gentler, more stable state. With luck, the upper floors wouldn’t be affected for quite some time.

We turned back and began the journey to the surface. Perhaps we were showing conceit—but that was fine for now. Few people dare to face what seems utterly impossible. The mere fact that I now believed this challenge might be worth attempting… that was a reward in itself.

「By the way, Master. If something truly seemed impossible to understand… don’t you think Angelina would somehow manage it anyway?」

「…You might be right. Alchemists make a habit of turning the impossible into reality. And honestly, I find that reassuring.」

The dungeon’s heartbeat continued—slow and steady.