Is It Wrong To Devour Monsters In The Dungeon - Chapter 12.2 (Patreon)

A roar shook the air, rippling and resounding across the vast space.

She paused at the top of the stairs she just reached the top of, a familiar deep white fog enshrouding her view.

'An Infant Dragon?' her head cocked to the side.

She could recognise the roars of a dragon anywhere. A roar so similar, yet vastly louder more terrifying plagued her dreams quite often after all.

That and on the eleventh floor, Infant Dragon's were the only beast that could spawn that was capable of unleashing such a roar.

Wyvern's did not start appearing until the next floor. Unless it was one that chased someone up to the eleventh floor.

Though, with how big they got, it would be hard pressed to fit, so most likely, it was an Infant Dragon.

Unbidden, her feet took her towards the sound of the roar in a dash of speed most wouldn't even be capable of seeing.

It was usually frowned upon for an adventurer to interfere in the fight of another against a monster, it went against the general unwritten rules of adventurers.

But an Infant Dragon was capable of slaughtering a party of Level 1's quite handily most often.

So, she was checking just in case.

She arrived at her target mere moments later and ground to a halt, and stared.

She was correct.

It was an Infant Dragon.

….Or rather, was an Infant Dragon.

"That's it?" a boy, her age huffed, maybe a bit younger going by his face, but tall and well built, near Bete in height but broader in the shoulders looked down at the Infant Dragon, its head currently pinned beneath his foot clad in a shiny blue armoured boot.

And dead.

Her eyes flickered to his hands, crossed almost contemptuously across his chest, clad in gauntlets of the same make as the armoured boots he was wearing, reminding her of the shiny gleaming crystal armour of a Crystal Mantis, though the fingers on the gauntlets were razor sharp at the end, like beastial claws.

From the clawed gauntlets, blood dripped steadily, and she noted across the Infant Dragon's throat, was a multitude of large claw shaped gouges, as if some giant beast had torn its throat out.

…Or a boy with claw shaped gauntlets.

She frowned. Was he not a level one then? He didn't look any worse for wear, in fact, beyond the gauntlets and boots, he was clad in casual clothing and not a weapon in sight.

He had to be at least level two if he came down to this point so lightly armoured.

No…even a level two might not be enough, was he a level three? But she did not recognise him and he was pretty young. Someone that young at that level would be pretty famous, right?

There was less than five hundred Level Three's in all of Orario, she did not claim to know all of them, but her familia kept an eye out for anyone rising up the ranks quickly just in case.

The boy sighed, shaking his head, his short and spiky black and blonde hair bouncing with the motion, "Guess I really will have to go deeper if I want a good fight," he clicked his tongue, "So much for being a dragon, what a let down. I thought you guys were supposed to be stronger than even Minotaur's, what are you doing getting one shot by a level one? In your next life, try and be reborn as at least a Green Dragon." with those words, said, he uncrossed his arms, reared one back and thrust forward, plunging it deep into the chest of the dead dragon monster and tore out its magic stone, the corpse of the monster dispersing into black smoke and disappearing as he did, while in its place, a large piece of red scaly hide was left behind.

The boy shrugged, grabbed it as well and walked away.

Ais stared.

Her eyes ever so slightly widened in shock at his words, '…Level….one?' she blinked.

That was…impossible.

Right?

A level one couldn't so casually crush an Infant Dragon. That just wasn't right. They were called the Monster Rex of the early floors because their strength was so much greater than the monsters within the area and surpassed even many on the middle floors.

In fact, alone, an Infant Dragon was the strongest monster one could encounter right up until the Great Wall Of Sorrow where the Goliath was born.

Perhaps she was not one to talk, for when she was a level one, she had killed a black enhanced species of Wyvern which was stronger than an Infant Dragon by a small margin, but she almost died in the process and that was with both Ariel and her skill, Avenger.

…This boy on the other hand, looked bored and seemed to have casually done the beast in.

Once again unbidden, her feet carried her towards the direction where the boy went.

…How was he so strong as a level one? Was it some kind of powerful skill? Was he some masterful strategist like Finn?

Did he have some secret method for gaining strength? Was it possible for her to replicate it?

She had to know.

It did not take her long before she found him again, her footfalls silent as she observed him.

She stared once more, confused.

He was walking towards a tree where what looked like a Killer Ant was stuck to it, by what appeared to be the same material his gauntlets and boots were made of?

Though, something was off. It looked…bigger. And its body was wrong in colour. Usually a Killer Ant had a body of a deep burnt rustic red, almost blood-like in colour.

This one…was black.

'An enhanced species?' she wondered.

It struggled and thrashed against its bonding, but could not break free. It was fine for the moment, but…why was it here?

"Looks like you really are my only hope for a good and proper fight right now," the boy casually spoke to the monster as he approached it, idly tossing the magic stone of the infant Dragon in his hand up and down through the air, "Otherwise, I'm gonna need to go pick a fight with the Goliath and gonna be honest, not liking my odds with that thing buddy."

'He's looking for a challenge.' Ais realised. Then…did he make the enhanced species? Did he drag this Killer Ant down here and feed it the magic stones of other monsters he killed.

Her eyes flickered to the base of the tree, where she could see a rather large pile of monster drops sitting. Killer Ant mandibles, orc hides, silverback fur and more.

Considering the amount there and the rate at which items dropped, he must have killed well over fifty monsters.

She saw no magic stones in sight.

If he fed all of them to that Killer Ant…and going by its appearance, she was sure he had, it had to already have gained strength comparable to a level two monster from the middle floors like a minotaur if not become stronger.

Yet, despite how it thrashed against its bonds, it could not break free.

"Calm down mate, I've got your dinner right here," The boy snorted and before her eyes, cut the Killer Ant off mid-screech at him as he thrust the magic stone in his hand into its mouth and forced it down its throat, "There, how's that, tasty huh?" he laughed again.

He was…kind of cocky. Like Bete, but without the same anger behind it? Actually, if anything, it was kind of the opposite of Bete's cockiness.

He seemed joyful, happy in a way. Like…Tiona? Tiona mixed with Bete?

Very odd.

Her attention was drawn to the Killer Ant as its thrashing and screeching settled down and it went completely still and silent.

And then her eyes widened as it let loose a horrible piercing shriek and its body creaked audible, then snapped.

"Oh!" the boy let out a noise of…glee?

While the Killer Ant seemed to grow and mutate, its body snapping and morphing.

'Just how many magic stones has he fed it?' she wondered. Mutations that monsters went through upon becoming enhanced species, tended to be limited to becoming a bit smarter, larger, more powerful and differing in colour.

Full body changes, usually only came about if they ate a great many of magic stones and morphed beyond their natural bodies, full on mutating into something…more.

It was usually a very rare occurrence and not something that she could ever remember happening this early into the dungeon.

The blue metallic substance keeping it pinned to the tree shattered and exploded outwards in a reign of debris, the boy casually tilting his head to avoid any that would have impacted him.

And the tree shattered into splatters as the beast in its new form stepped forward. It was still recognisable as…an ant, kind of?

But the differences between it and a normal Killer Ant was as different as night and day. Its carapace was a pitch black and now…it stood on two of its legs taking a bipedal form, humanoid. Four of its six legs had changed, one set become long, razor sharp arms, while the other two curled around its waist like a set of sharp mandibles for stabbing into anything within close range, while two fly like wings had burst from its back.

And the size increase was incredible.

It had to stand at least eight feet tall, more maybe. Bigger even than a minotaur by her estimates and positively towered over the boy.

"Woah, now that's what I'm talking about!" the boy whooped.

For a moment, nothing happened, the mutated Killer Ant just stood there, arms hanging limp and staring at the boy, head tilted to the side, examining him.

'The rapid mutation has caused it to increase in intelligence as well.' she thought. How much, she did not know. What she did know, was that it was most likely confused by its new intelligence and it was clashing with its instincts.

In the deep floors, there were some capable of outright creating traps and luring adventurers into them, But, monsters like that, were usually far older than this monster would be.

No monster from the weaker level floors would last long, they were not nearly large enough for it to hide anywhere.

The boy grinned at the enhanced Killer Ant and spread his arms wide and welcoming, "Come on now lad, come give daddy a big hug." he taunted it.

It probably did not understand his words, but the meaning he was conveying was obvious.

Its crimson red eyes, similar to the boys own shone with rage and the wings on the mutated monsters back began to rapidly flicker, the speed and force behind them making a loud buzzing noise that echoed across the floor.

With a piercing shriek of fury it shot towards the boy and despite herself, her eyes widened at the sheer speed of it.

It was nothing compared to her own….but it moved in a blur that was approaching that of a level three!

"Woah!" the boy juked to the side, allowing the beast to blur right past him. It was a straight forward and predictable charge.

But the fact he dodged it at all spoke of his sheer ability that was beyond that of a level one.

The enhanced Killer Ant skidded to a halt and whirled around to face him, sharp mandibles clicking angrily.

It spread its arms wide, tilted its head up and let loose another screech.

Though…this one was different.

She felt something, almost like magic ripple across her skin as the sound spread across the area almost like a wave.

And she stared as the ground burst open in multiples places, monsters rising from the dungeon floor in the dozens.

Imps, Orcs and Silverbacks rose up while Bad Bats descended from the ceiling high above. Even two Infant Dragon's rose up behind the Killer Ant!

In just a few moments, at least thirty monsters had spawned at the Killer Ants…call? Command?

"You keep getting better and better! I can go all out here!" in reply, the boy only laughed, baring his teeth excitedly and raising one fist, "Blaze!" he chanted and fire exploded into existence around his body.