Book 1 Chapter 682

682.

Ar narrowed the distance with Leo, a serious expression on his face.

Swish-!

In an instant, Ar's kick struck Leo's face.

Whoosh-!

Watching Leo dodge the attack by arching his back, Ar's eyes gleamed.

"An opening!"

He launched himself, attacking Leo again with the foot he had been using to support himself.

Thwack-!

Leo spread his palm and blocked Ar's attack.

Whoosh-!

Leo's body was instantly pushed back.

Thud-!

Landing on the ground, Leo looked straight ahead.

Before he knew it, Ar's fist was right in front of Leo's nose.

Swoosh-!

Ar's fist cut through the air.

Along with it, dust scattered in all directions.

Ar flinched.

Before he knew it, Leo's palm was right in front of his nose.

"I lost again!"

Ar lay flat on his back on the ground, as if frustrated.

Watching Ar, Leo said.

"This is the forty-seventh time already. We'll be up all night at this rate."

It was past midnight.

Ar had requested a martial arts sparring match with Leo.

It was a condition Ar had set: in return for undergoing training to develop flame resistance in Dweno, without complaint.

To spar in martial arts until Ar was satisfied, for the duration of their time in the dungeon.

Because of this, Leo was currently sparring with Ar, even though it was late in the early morning hours.

"I can still do more!"

"You have good stamina too."

"Let's do it one more time!"

Watching Ar sit up abruptly, Leo sighed.

"Please, let's get some sleep."

"Hmm?"

At his words, Ar, who had been looking up at Leo with his arms crossed, laughed.

"Well, if the Black Rabbit begs like that, I'll let it slide for today."

"I'm tearfully grateful."

Sighing, Leo took off his sweat-soaked upper garment.

Thanks to sweating like rain, his upper garment was drenched with moisture.

Squeezing it out, Leo muttered to himself.

'Is it because he's a child? He moved so intensely but he's still full of energy.'

As he thought that, Leo suddenly remembered something.

'Wait, my body is also that of a child.'

Sometimes he forgot.

'Is it a mental issue?'

Letting out a wry laugh, Leo shook his clothes off.

Ar looked at Leo, exclaiming in admiration, "Ooh-ooh-."

"What are you looking at?"

"No. Just seeing you like this, I realized the Black Rabbit has a really good physique."

Balanced muscles, neither excessive nor lacking.

Of course, compared to Azonia students, it might seem meager, but his pure raw strength was immense.

"What a feast for the eyes."

Ar crawled towards Leo, grinned widely, and poked his abs.

"Don't touch me so carelessly, you perverted cat."

"You call an innocent girl by such an outrageous title?! Don't treat me like I'm on the same level as Driana!"

"At least Driana doesn't ask me to take off my clothes with ulterior motives."

"Ugh!"

Ar clenched his fists, made a frustrated face, then lifted his upper garment to show his stomach and said.

"If you have a problem, you touch it too! Touch it! And apologize for calling me a perverted cat! Apologize for treating me like I'm on the same level as Driana!"

At his words, Leo twisted Ar's side.

"Aargh! I said touch it! I didn't say pinch it!"

"Don't you dare expose your stomach so brazenly. You perverted cat."

"Far from apologizing! You called me perverted again!"

Barely escaping Leo's grasp, Ar immediately pounced on Leo and bit his head.

"Arrrgh!"

Ignoring Ar, who was making animalistic sounds, Leo unfastened the bracelets and anklets on both his wrists and ankles and set them down.

And lightly rotated his wrists.

They were bracelets enchanted with weight magic.

Though they didn't feel heavy to others, to the wearer, they were training artifacts that definitely put a burden on the body, items he had frequently used since childhood.

Ar, who had been biting Leo's head while hanging on his back, came down and sat beside him.

And with a slightly sullen face, he glared at the artifacts.

He knew.

That if they were to spar without such restrictions, he would be no match for Leo.

Still, feeling frustrated was just that, frustrating.

Looking up at Leo, who stood up and began stretching his ankles, Ar said.

"I hope someday we can fight without any restrictions."

"Indeed. When will you catch up?"

"Ugh!"

At Leo's slightly provocative remark, Ar made an irritated expression.

Smiling faintly at Ar, Leo patted his head.

"You're getting strong fast enough. So don't be too impatient."

"Hmph! Well, among the Great Hero's successors, I'm second!"

"Second?"

"Yes. Black Rabbit, me, the thug elf, the perverted dwarf! That's the order!"

'I bet Lunia thinks the same thing.'

Watching Ar quickly puff up with pride, Leo burst out laughing.

"You missed one person."

"Huh?"

"The Dragon Lord."

"Ugh!"

Ar flinched.

No matter how energetic Ar was, if Melina was the comparison, it was a different story.

Because Dragon Lord Melina was already a hero who carried an era on her shoulders.

"I-I'll catch up quickly!"

"Really?"

"Of course! Black Rabbit! First I'll catch up to you! And then it's Lady Melina!"

Ar shouted valiantly.

Watching Ar, Leo chuckled faintly.

'The order is reversed.'

Of course, Ar had no way of knowing, so he decided to let it pass.

"What are you two doing at this late hour? Are you on a date or something?"

"Oh! Lord Dweno!"

Watching Dweno laugh heartily, Ar jumped to his feet.

Leo, who had already noticed Dweno approaching, glanced back and said.

"We were training."

"Well, you're certainly diligent. Aren't you already strong enough?"

Watching Dweno stroke his chin with a curious expression, Leo said.

"This much is far from enough. Dweno, you should know that best, shouldn't you?"

Watching Leo speak with a slightly insolent tone, Ar was startled.

"Th-that, Black Rabbit! Such an attitude towards Lord Dweno!"

"Don't worry, I don't mind."

Dweno chuckled and approached Leo.

"I saw right through this guy's lack of manners from the first time I met him."

Thump-! Thump-!

Dweno laughed happily and clapped Leo on the shoulder.

It seemed like a light tap, but to Leo, it felt like being struck with an iron club.

"Why is this old geezer hitting me and making a fuss?"

"Did a light tap feel like a hit? You. You look fine on the outside, but you're weaker than I thought."

Watching Dweno click his tongue, Leo grimaced and pushed Dweno's face with his foot.

"You perverted old geezer!"

"Perverted, huh? It's the first time I've been called that in my life! If it were Enniha, maybe, but why am *I* perverted?! Hahahaha!"

Dweno, who had been stroking his chin and tilting his head, laughed and swung a fist at Leo.

Leo dodged the dangerous fist and kicked, but Dweno quickly dodged that too.

"Uwaaaah."

Ar, who had just witnessed such immense disrespect right before his eyes, didn't know what to do.

But the two, who had been fighting fiercely, soon calmly sat facing each other and began to talk.

"So, the reconnaissance results say we're completely trapped?"

"That's right. Help from outside is difficult."

"Is it difficult to dispel with magic?"

"…It's a barrier made with Erebus's power. Breaking through it is impossible."

"Is that so?"

Dweno made a serious expression.

Watching him, Leo said.

"There must be a core forming the barrier in the area around the fortress. We just need to destroy it."

More precisely, it was an entrance to the core of the Legion's world.

After infiltrating the Legion's world through that place, one would find and destroy the Legion's records.

If that happens, this hero dungeon would collapse.

Lying to Dweno, Leo said.

"So, starting tomorrow, I plan to explore the area around the fortress."

"Do you need anything?"

"Hmm. I'd like to move with the trainees of Ivaldi's warriors."

"With those children?"

"Because we also need to divide our manpower."

Ar, Driana, and Iliana couldn't move due to training.

Kal also couldn't leave the alchemy furnace as he was in full production of potions needed for the battle against Tartaros.

In the end, Leo's current party was also short on manpower.

Ivaldi's warriors had to guard the ramparts, so they couldn't be asked for help.

"Even if they're just trainees, they've been doing reconnaissance missions and monster subjugation around the fortress, haven't they? They'll be a great help."

Their pure combat power was weaker than Leo's party.

However, the experience gained living through the Age of Calamity far surpassed that of the hero trainees.

As such, they would clearly be a great asset for reconnaissance missions.

Dweno, who had been pondering Leo's words, nodded.

"Understood. I'll inform the warrior trainees."

Dweno, who was nodding, looked at Ar and smiled.

"You certainly have a good friend as a companion."

"That's right."

When Ar grinned shyly, Dweno chuckled.

"His temper seems awful, but he looks like a friend with many things to learn from, so learn much from him."

"Why are you picking a fight again?"

As Leo grimaced, Ar jumped to his feet and shouted.

"Yes! I'll definitely become strong with the Black Rabbit! And become strong enough to subjugate Erebus! I swear on Lord Arion's honor!"

Watching Ar, whose eyes sparkling and fists clenched tightly, Dweno said.

"How trustworthy!"

"Ehehehe."

"You must defeat it. That hateful black flame."

"Of course! Even if it costs me my life, I will definitely subjugate Erebus…"

"No."

"Huh?"

"Absolutely do not die. Do not die, and subjugate him."

Dweno said firmly.

"Yes, sir!"

When Ar answered energetically, Dweno smiled and nodded.

"Then, wash up and go to bed early for tomorrow's exploration."

"Yes!"

Snap-!

Splash-!

As Leo snapped his fingers, a deluge of water fell upon Ar.

Ar, now looking like a drenched cat, glared fiercely, grabbed Leo by the collar, and shook him.

"What was that for!"

"I just gave you a bath."

"Bathe me gently, please! Gently!"

Yelling and loudly voicing his complaints, Ar shook his body vigorously, splashing water droplets onto Leo.

Then he snorted once and stomped off!

Smiling faintly at Ar's retreating back, Leo followed him and said.

"Then I'll be off too."

"Leo. There's something I want to ask."

"Why?"

"The core of the barrier you intend to destroy. If we destroy it, we will win, right?"

"Probably."

"What about us… the people of Ivaldi?"

"…"

For a moment, Leo was speechless.

'They disappear.'

Of course, he couldn't say that.

To him, this place was merely a fragment of the past, but to Dweno, it was the present.

"Shouldn't we escape this place and go to Guardslon? This place remains a dangerous area. If we strike a big blow to the Giant King's forces, a window of opportunity will surely open."

"…"

Dweno stared intently at Leo's face.

Leo kept eye contact with Dweno.

"In that case, we'll need to prepare thoroughly for a large-scale evacuation."

Smiling faintly, Dweno nodded.

"Yes. Prepare thoroughly."

Leo nodded and returned to his tent.

Ar, who had been waiting for Leo from afar, went back with him.

The two, who had started walking together, gradually moved further away.

Dweno, standing still, merely watched their retreating figures.