“…Huh? Aren’t we headed to the wrong place?”

Teresa, carrying me as we rode on the 【Floating Orb】, began heading north.
I thought for sure we were heading toward the main camp, but it seemed like the plan was to meet up with Alec and the others first.
Perhaps Luban’s magic earlier had alerted them to the oddity, and now they, too, were moving toward the main camp.
Are we going to blast them away again with the 【Wind Cloak】?

“Yes. They’ll likely abandon the main camp and relocate to an open area. Let’s inform Alec and the others and secure that spot first.”

So they’re going to abandon the camp they painstakingly built…

“Yeah… Teresa, do you know what that thing is?”

I only knew it was some kind of magical insect.
I couldn’t sense any magic or its strength, which made it all the more unsettling. From Luban’s reaction, it was clear this wasn’t just any creature.
By now, even I could guess it was the boss of this area—a demon lord species. Still, to warrant such extreme caution, how dangerous could it be?

“I’ve never confronted one directly, but like the Great Ape, it’s a creature that lives deep in the forest—a Giant Mantis.”

Well, that’s a straightforward name.
Still, mantises are strong creatures, and a magical version of one might be something to be wary of…

The mantis began moving further toward the main camp.
It had to have noticed our approach with Luban’s magic, yet it made no effort to intercept us. Was it going to fly?
No, if it could fly, it would have been shot down by now.

While I mulled this over, we drew closer to Alec and the others.
They were heading toward the main camp as well…

“Aleeeec!”

I waved and called out to him, and he noticed, stopping in his tracks.
Although there were no major injuries, the state of his armor—damaged in several places—suggested a fierce battle.

“Let’s land.”

“Okay.”

We’d need to resupply them and handle other tasks… things were about to get busy.

◇

Dragon Species.

They reign at the pinnacle of this world with their colossal, robust bodies and scales that nullify magic.
While legends depict them soaring through the skies, in reality, they aren’t quite that monstrous.
Even so, their sheer size, toughness, and weight make them formidable threats—akin to a “strong elephant” analogy.

Dragons don’t use magic like humans, but they can harness overwhelming magical energy to create similar phenomena.
This energy source lies in an organ called the dragon core.
Simply put, the presence or absence of a dragon core determines whether a creature is classified as a dragon species.

“…A Lesser Dragon?”

After reuniting with Alec and hastily retrieving potions and spare gear from the 【Hideout】, I was swapping equipment when Zighart and Fiora arrived from the main camp.
Although they had left their equipment behind, they had brought potions, and both Zighart and Fiora were healing themselves.

Meanwhile, the mantis, which had been moving toward the main camp, started slowly advancing in our direction, as if it had identified us as its target.
Curious about what exactly it was, I decided to ask.

A Lesser Dragon…
In games, creatures like wyverns—dragon-like but not true dragons—were often called by that term.
But this one was a mantis?
If it were a lizard or a bird, that would make more sense, but a mantis…?

“A mantis?”

“Appearance doesn’t matter. That exoskeleton… it’s nearly identical to the scales of a dragon species, repelling magic. Even without a dragon core, creatures with such scales are classified as Lesser Dragons. …I never expected one to appear in a dungeon.”

Fiora’s tone was bitter.

“…That’s a serious problem.”

So, that black creature is one of them… If it nullifies magic, our main firepower is essentially useless. This was bad news.

“Fiora and I can handle a Lesser Dragon as long as we have enough time to prepare.”

Zighart, who had been gulping down potions, joined the conversation.

“Oh, so you can handle it?”

“Outdoors, sure. But managing a Lesser Dragon while fending off other monsters at the same time… that’s a different story. …How do we take it down?”

“Ah, I see…”

Something like what we used against Cymodoki might work, but back then, we had about ten minutes of preparation, and everything was set up in advance.
Without such preparations, I had no idea how long it would take.
And in a dungeon teeming with monsters… it seemed almost impossible.

And then there was the mantis.
It had come within 200 meters, and now that it was closer, I could see its true size.
When it was clinging to the wall, it seemed large but not overwhelming. Now, standing at about three meters tall and as long as a large truck, its sheer presence was intimidating.
With its massive scythes poised and advancing steadily… the closer it got, the more menacing it became.

Protecting two people while dealing with that creature would leave one person to hold it off. That role would fall to Alec, but even for him… this was daunting.

“How should we fight it? Its speed doesn’t seem too high. Should we move back to the wall?”

Luban, who had been observing the mantis, spoke up.

We had abandoned the main camp and moved here because the camp, with its trenches and barricades, was ill-suited for a large-scale battle against such a foe.
We needed open space to maneuver, and the mantis’s slow speed might allow us to relocate to the western side of the wall.

“Good idea… Let’s aim for the southern wall. Sera, can you lead the way?”

We’d essentially be circling back to the entrance—a quarter-turn around the boss’s chamber.

“Sure, leave it to me!”

The southern area offered better visibility for reinforcements and easier management of incoming threats.

“There’s no rush. We’ve got its movements in sight.”

“Understood!”

For me, moving slowly was sometimes harder… but I’d make it work.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Sera: 【Hideout】 +1, 【Prayer】, 【Mira’s Blessing】, 【Wind’s Garb】, 【Floating Orb】 +1, 【Shadow Sword】, 【Scarlet Bee’s Needle】, 【Fairy’s Eye】, 【Dragon’s Lung】, 【Amber Sword】, 【Danrem’s Thread】, 【Serpent’s Tail】, 【Ankle Bracelet】, 【Amber Shield】, 【Purple Wings】 ・ 3 cards

Seriana: 【Area Identification】 ・ 【】 ・ 28 cards
Elena: 【】 ・ 【Green Fang】, 【Amber Sword】 ・ 3 cards
Alec: 【Strong Strike】 ・ 【Red Shield】, 【Fierce Horned Trumpet】 ・ 5 cards