Chapter 8
“Dungeon’s Farthest Depth – Floor 70 Boss”
Today again, I’m running away from home!
I escaped because I hate studying to become king.
And, as usual, I sneaked into the heavily guarded treasure vault.
There, I equipped a jet-black full-plate armor
and slung a buster sword on my back.
Now I kind of look like one of those famous Saint◯Seiya guys.
Whenever I step into the treasure vault,
this armor just automatically attaches itself to me.
H-hey, does this thing have a will of its own?
…Well, whatever.
For some reason, I can feel like the armor’s actually happy.
Time to use a teleport stone and explore Japan again!
Last time, I got sidetracked saving a girl from thugs,
so I never really got to explore properly.
I went back home with unfinished business.
Now that things have cooled off—
the Black Knight makes his return!
THUD!
The ground shook as I landed in the dungeon.
Should I go deeper underground… or head to the surface?
Hmm… maybe underground.
Going topside alone sounds like too much of a hassle!
And so, I—aka the Black Knight—descend deeper.
Deep Levels: Floors 31–40 – cleared without issue.
Abyss: Floors 41–50 – cleared without issue.
Purgatory: Floors 51–60 – cleared without issue.
Farthest Depths: Floors 61–70
At last, the 70th-floor boss room.
…This is boring.
What’s with this dungeon? The monsters are way too weak.
Even that “terrifying demon” from before
wasn’t really any different from these weaklings.
No challenge at all—it’s like a casual training walk.
Huh?
There, in the 70th-floor boss room,
a gigantic dragon was sitting in silence.
We locked eyes.
The jet-black dragon slowly rose to its feet.
Kinda cool, actually!
“GyaooOOOOOOOO!!”
It roared and lunged at me.
Alright, let’s see how strong you are.
You’re not going to hold back just because I’m a prince, right?
C’mon, show me what you’ve got!
The dragon swung its razor-sharp claws at me—
CLANG!
A sharp metallic sound rang out.
“GYAAOOOoOoOoOoOOO!!!”
Its claws had shattered.
“Huh? Molting season or something?”
I stood there unfazed, arms crossed.
The dragon stepped back and took a deep breath.
Ah, here comes the breath attack.
GOOAAAAAAAH!!
A torrent of blue fire—deeper and brighter
than the demon’s hellish flames—erupted toward me.
“I’ll take it head-on this time,” I muttered.
The breath struck me squarely.
The walls around us melted into sludge.
And yet—
within the roaring blue inferno,
I just stood there.
“…Eh? That’s it?”
The dragon froze in confusion.
For countless years, it had guarded this divine dungeon.
But what was this creature before it?
It had never seen anything like me.
Clank… Clank… Clank… Clank…
My heavy footsteps echoed closer.
I raised my buster sword,
and with two casual swings,
sent out black slashes that tore through the air.
Both of the dragon’s wings were severed clean off.
Its scream rumbled through the dungeon like an earthquake.
“GYAAAAAAHHHH!!”
“Wait, this is really a dungeon?
Feels more like a children’s animal park
or an amusement-park attraction.
Ah—sorry, sorry, I overdid it a bit!
Didn’t mean to chop your wings off! Forgive me, please!”
Blood poured from the dragon’s wounds.
Its body slumped, consciousness fading.
“Aw, maybe I went too far…
It’s less a monster and more like a really cool pet.”
Sighing, I reached into thin air
and pulled out another Elixir, splashing it over the dragon.
“Kyuo?”
The dragon blinked, raising its head.
“Oh, hey, you okay?
I mean, I am the one who hurt you,
so it’s kinda awkward to ask…”
The dragon quietly exhaled,
rolled onto its back,
and showed me its belly—
like it was surrendering to me.
