Published: March 21, 2026
Over 3,000 bookmarks, and total ratings over 8,000.
Thank you!!
The shadow magic had completely destroyed the dragon’s insides. It raked through its brain and returned all the way to the blade. The dragon’s strength drained away, and when it finally went completely still, its massive body suddenly began to emit light. Ordinary monsters—dead or alive—don’t glow. In the dim boss room, the dragon’s light felt as bright as the sun.
I drew out “Night Blade God” and jumped down from the dragon. Amelia, who had been watching from a distance, ran over. Since she hadn’t been hit, it seemed the spot where she stood had indeed been out of the range for the dragon’s long-range attacks.
“Akira, are you hurt?”
“I’m fine. Just some scratches from the dragon’s scales.”
“But your right leg wound’s worse.”
I glanced at my right thigh and, as Amelia said, it had gotten worse.
“That’s because adrenaline’s masking it right now. It’s okay.”
“Adre…naline?”
“I’ll explain later.”
More importantly, I looked where the dragon had been. The light was fading, the dragon’s huge body disappearing and, in its place, a large black cat-like monster was lying there—though nowhere near the size of the dragon.
“…Was this what the dragon used to be?”
“Probably. Its status has an Extra Skill called Transformation. Isn’t that it?”
“A skill that lets you transform into something you’ve seen. If it’s an Extra Skill, even just a glance could let it mimic most things, even status. But to copy the strength you’d need to confirm it by attacking.”
“So it wasn’t stupid enough to attack the dragon, huh. Lucky for us.”
I approached the monster, whose name apparently was Black Cat. The name was literal. If a god named it, they could’ve picked something better.
Amelia followed close behind.
The creature with black fur and golden eyes opened them slightly and looked at us. It seemed to still be breathing.
“You humans are the first to reach this floor.”
A thin sound slipped from its slightly open mouth. The voice was deep and resonant—hard to believe it came from the dying monster in front of us. Amelia and I exchanged looks and scanned the area.
“Over here, you fools. …Sigh, how regrettable that the one who beat me is such an idiot.”
“Who’s the idiot, stupid cat.”
“Calling someone an idiot makes you the idiot.”
Not missing a beat, I shot back. Black Cat narrowed its eyes a little, as if amused. It actually sounded like a laugh. Still got some spirit left.
“By your logic, that would make that man the idiot. But fine. I have a message from the Demon Lord for you. Want to hear it?”
Black Cat looked straight at me. I tilted my head. The Demon Lord—I'd only ever heard the name. I was more surprised it knew of me.
“The Demon Lord? What could he want with me?”
“No idea. I don’t know his mind either.”
“Akira, will you listen?”
Amelia looked up at me with worry. I ruffled her head.
“It’s fine. As long as Amelia’s with me, we’ll be fine, right?”
“…Yeah.”
“Ahem!”
Feeling awkward perhaps, Black Cat cleared its throat with that deep voice. There was a flash of resentment in its eyes. Apparently, wherever you go, watching a couple be lovey-dovey stirs up anger in some.
“The Demon Lord waits at his castle further in, on the Demon Clan continent, Volcano.”
“That’s it?”
“Yes. That’s the entire message I received.”
“This raises a lot of questions, but how did you receive that message?”
Black Cat shook its head.
“We are creations of the Demon Lord. We are his eyes and ears, his hands and feet. Even if he doesn’t deliver a message directly, we can know it.”
“I’d heard monsters were created by a god.”
“In that case that story is wrong. I remember being created by the Demon Lord’s hand as if it were yesterday.”
I fell silent at Black Cat’s proud words. It didn’t look like it was lying. But I also couldn’t believe Commander Saran had lied to me. Which of those stories was true?