Chapter 181: The Giant Earth Beast
The Giant Beast Behemoth.
It was the unique boss of this S-rank dungeon.
In the past thousand years, there had been zero confirmed records of its defeat.
The few adventurers who had ever faced it were no longer alive—either slain by the Behemoth itself, or long since dead of old age.
In the very center of the vast desert, it stood alone.
True to the “beast” in its name, its entire body was covered in pitch-black fur, its form resembling that of a massive male lion. One could describe it as a colossal black lion, perfectly adapted to the harsh desert environment.
“I can tell how huge it is even from here,” someone murmured.
“If we get closer, it’ll probably look even bigger,” Estelle added.
“It looks like a giant desert kitty… but its body is probably four or five times larger than Homura’s,” Stingray said, offering her experienced perspective as a former adventurer.
“Honestly, that doesn’t fit into S-rank at all. I’d say it’s definitely SS-rank.”
“Indeed. To be frank, it’s stronger than Homura,” Ryoma agreed.
“Gya…”
(“N-no way…”)
Even Lily and the others quickly decided to join the fight.
“Hmm… yeah, we’ll definitely need to support this one!”
“…SS-rank changes things quite a bit,” Louise muttered.
“I’d rather not fight that, to be honest. I’ve never seen anything like that even in my active days.”
If those words came from a former A-rank adventurer, then there was no doubt about it.
Even the three heroes hesitated slightly.
“The last recorded boss battle was hundreds of years ago… so the Behemoth must’ve continued to grow and eventually reached SS-rank,” one said.
“So this dungeon we thought was S-rank has quietly become SS-rank without anyone realizing? That’s honestly the worst,” another added with a grimace.
“Well, things already felt off starting from that Storm Bee hive. I guess anything goes when there’s a dungeon master involved,” the third muttered.
Ryu casually placed a hand on Takeshi’s shoulder.
“Alright then. The Dragon Road will cheer from here, so you guys go take it down.”
“W-Wait, you’re not helping?!”
“Unfortunately… even Ryoma and I can’t handle that. Right, Ryoma?”
“It pains me to admit it, but I cannot cut that thing… damn it!” Ryoma said, clenching his fist.
“Yeah right, you two are definitely lying.”
Of course, they were.
“I’ll lend you Homura as a special exception. That should be enough, right?”
“With aerial support from a fire dragon, we might actually manage it… but still…”
“Why are you hesitating? You’re heroes, aren’t you? You’re supposed to defeat the Demon King someday.”
“…!”
—And so.
“With support, the hero party will take responsibility for defeating the Behemoth.”
“Yeah, let’s go!!” “We’ve got this!!”
Lily leaned in and whispered quietly.
“Hey, Ryu-kun… if things get really bad, you’ll help us, right?”
“Yeah. I know.”
“Alright then—let’s go all out!!”
“Captain Lily, we’re supposed to support.”
The heroes and their escorts rushed toward the battlefield, their earlier hesitation replaced by fierce determination.
“Ryu-sama, I…”
“Ryu-sensei, we want to fight too.”
Stingray and Alice both stepped forward, eager to join.
A battle against the Behemoth would undoubtedly strengthen them. It was an opportunity beyond measure.
However—
“No. Right now, a single light hit from that thing would kill you instantly. I get that your sense of danger is skewed because you’ve been around heroes and special forces, but you two aren’t at that level yet. It’s good to have motivation, but don’t get overconfident. If you die once, even Estelle won’t be able to bring you back.”
Estelle nodded firmly in agreement.
In this world, life was frighteningly fragile.
One death—and it was over. Nothing remained.
Even Estelle, for all her brilliance, could not resurrect the dead.
“Y-Yes…”
“I’m sorry…”
The two stepped back dejectedly.
Ryoma, meanwhile, smiled warmly.
(It’s important to have an adult who properly stops them when needed.)
“Still… dragging you all around like this is partly my fault too. Sorry about that.”
“N-No, not at all!”
“You’ve done nothing wrong, Ryu-sama!”
◇◇◇
—The battle began abruptly.
The Giant Beast sensed the intruders in its territory and immediately charged.
Fast… wasn’t even the right word.
(Ah… yeah, this is bad.)
Only Lily managed to react.
She darted to the Behemoth’s side and delivered a powerful kick to its flank. The charge veered off course, sparing the heroes from instant death.
“…………”
Everyone swallowed hard.
The desert where the Behemoth had passed was gouged open like a massive riverbed.
“If Captain Lily hadn’t been there… we would’ve been…”
“Listen up,” Lily said, her tone sharp. “That thing is essentially SS-rank—the highest level in the Adventurers’ Guild. You don’t get the luxury of blinking during this fight. Stay focused, and fight like your lives depend on it—because they do! Worst case, Estelle can heal your injuries!”
Everyone nodded.
(Damn it! I didn’t even have time to activate my foresight magic…!)
The battle that followed was brutal.
With a single roar, the Behemoth carved massive craters into the desert. With a single strike of its paw, countless stone blades erupted from the sand.
It wasn’t just the beast itself—the entire desert had become its weapon.
At first, Lily led the offense alone, but gradually, the heroes began to join in.
“That’s it! Keep it up!” she encouraged.
Even so, Takeshi’s blade couldn’t pierce its fur. Amane’s buffs barely made a difference. Kaito’s arrows were easily dodged—and even when they landed, they did little to no damage.
(Small attacks are useless… Even if we aim for the eyes, they’ll just regenerate. Then… it has to be a powerful strike to the heart or the brain.)
“You’re thinking along the right lines, Takeshi!” Lily called out.
“Please stop reading my thoughts—gah!!”
Takeshi was blown away again and again.
But thanks to Amane’s full support, he managed to stay conscious.
…The Behemoth was irritated.
These humans—buzzing around like flies, even though they stood no chance of defeating it.
One of them, especially—the woman faster than itself.
She disrupted its focus.
Pathetic creatures that weren’t even worth eating.
And now, there was even a fire-breathing dragon in the sky.
“GRAAAAAAA!!!”
—Do not underestimate the king of the desert.
“Now! There! Do it! Of course it dodged!” Estelle shouted excitedly.
“W-Wow… this is incredible, Oni-sama,” Lena whispered.
“SS-rank really is on a different level…”
(Maybe I should report this dungeon as SS-rank when we get back…)
“Honestly… I’m glad I didn’t join that fight,” Stingray muttered.
“At this point, the desert itself is the enemy,” Alice added.
They both let out quiet sighs of relief.
“It has grown even stronger compared to the time when no one could defeat it,” Ryoma said calmly. “It won’t go down easily—not even against humanity’s finest. Even so… simply watching this battle will help you grow. This is that kind of fight. Make sure you burn it into your eyes.”
“Yes!!”
“Do you feel it too?” Ryu asked.
“…”
Even Axel and Daifuku-kun, who were used to dragons, seemed to sense the overwhelming difference in existence.
Takeshi was growing desperate.
(No matter how many times I aim for its heart, I can’t see a future where I succeed…!)
“What’s wrong, Takeshi?! Your movements have been off!” one called out.
“Yeah, that’s not like you!”
“But…”
Takeshi remembered Ryu’s words.
“Foresight magic creates the future you imagine. The ability to see the future merely gives you the bare minimum of options. The real power comes after that.”
(That’s right… If there are no options, then I just need to dive into danger and create them myself. I—we, the heroes—will…)
“—Change the future!!!”
Lily smiled.
(I don’t know what Ryu told him, but… this is good. He’s at his best now.)
“We’ll support you with everything we’ve got! Carve your own path, Takeshi!!”
“Trust in my divine bow and push forward!!”
At that moment, Homura descended for the first time.
(Don’t forget about me!)
It slammed into the Behemoth’s head.
At the same time, Lily struck its jaw.
The impact shook its brain violently—
And created a single, fleeting opening.
“I can see it!!!”
Kaito’s arrows pierced both of its eyes. Amane poured every last buff into Takeshi.
And then—
The great blade pierced through its fur.
But it wasn’t enough to reach the heart.
So Takeshi braced the pommel with a short blade and drove his knee forward with all his strength—
The blade pushed deeper.
Just barely… it reached the heart.
“GRAA… aa…”
With a thunderous crash, the Behemoth collapsed, sand erupting into the air.
“We… we won… we actually won…!!”
Takeshi cried out in triumph.
◇◇◇
The Dragon Road immediately began tending to the wounded.
“Minor injuries can be healed by Amane. Serious ones—leave them to my potions,” Estelle instructed.
“Thank you, Estelle.”
Takeshi, who had taken the most damage, couldn’t move for a while.
“Alright, we’ll handle the butchering,” Ryu said.
“Thanks. I’m counting on you.”
“Hey, Estelle. While the heroes are down, let’s grab the good materials.”
“Hahaha! My item bag is about to get richer again!”
The two eagerly headed off to “collect” their spoils.
Lily sat on the ground, watching them with a smile.
“Ahaha… Ryu-kun and Estelle never change.”
Lena approached her.
“Lily, are you still in pain?”
“Yeah, just a bit. I think I cracked a few bones. I’ve taken a potion, but I should rest for a few more minutes. Thanks, Lena-chan.”
“Not at all! By the way—you were amazing out there!”
“Hehe! Well, I am the captain of the kingdom’s top special forces unit!”
“Man… I’ve got a lot to say about that, but…”
“Yeah… we were basically useless the whole time,” someone muttered.
Still, they had done their part.
◇◇◇
After fully recovering and storing the Behemoth in an item bag, the group headed toward a massive pyramid they had spotted in the distance.
They arrived quickly.
“So this is where the dungeon master is! Let’s go meet them!”
Lily stepped forward—but Ryu stopped her.
“…Wait.”
“Huh? Why?”
“I’ve got a bad feeling.”
“……”
Lily’s expression turned serious.
“Yeah… let’s head back. We’ve already done what we came for.”
But just as she turned—
“Too bad!! You’re already within my range!! Ahahaha!!”
A small black silhouette appeared out of nowhere—and instantly teleported everyone.
Bathed in white light, Ryu found himself alone in a maze.
“So that little brat was the dungeon master… but where am I?”
(I’ll be fine alone… but I’m worried about the others.)
Elsewhere, Ryoma stood in another maze.
“Hmm… looks like we’ve been completely played.”
(I’ll manage… but I’m worried about everyone except Ryu.)
Fortunately, their concerns were unfounded.
“Wait—Ryu-kun and Ryoma-kun are gone?!”
“That black thing must’ve done it.”
“M-My brother…!”
“I’m sure Ryu-sama is more worried about us than we are about him.”
Everyone except Ryu and Ryoma had been sent to the same maze.