Beast Gregory.

To Jhin, he was just "Kimmy," a gluttonous little pet squirrel.

But truthfully, his nature was far from ordinary.

Kimmy was a Beast that devours dungeons.

He scavenged dungeon residue, absorbed corpses, and occasionally gulped down entire items without hesitation.

Jhin mostly used Kimmy for dungeon exploration or sniffing out hidden treasures.

After all, pets with such rare abilities were practically unheard of.

Yet, that wasn't Kimmy's most terrifying trait.

Aside from his razor-sharp sense of smell and insatiable appetite, Kimmy had one unique skill that defined his being.

But… can it actually work?

A flicker of unease accompanied the thought.

Theoretically, the ability should work in this situation—but whether it would perform as intended was another matter entirely.

Because what made this possible… was a bug.

If it succeeds, this could flip everything like a divine intervention.

Kimmy poked his head out of Jhin's pocket, blinking up with worried eyes.

Didn't exactly inspire confidence.

Still, Jhin considered his options.

Nothing to lose anyway.

If he couldn't break this stalemate, then he—and countless other players—would die.

Swansea would fall.

Even if the odds were slim, as long as there was a chance to turn this around, then trying and dying wouldn't be in vain.

Let's do it.

He turned toward the Giant Horned Lizard, which now didn't even seem to acknowledge him.

Realizing that jhin's attacks didn't do a thing, the beast had stopped taking him seriously—treating him like an insect.

"You're not going to ignore me for long."

Decision made, he moved without hesitation.

['Kimmy' activates the skill 'Transform (S).']

[Available forms: 1 species.]

Black Dragon.

Kimmy possessed a unique ability: he could transform into any species he had successfully consumed.

It wasn't guaranteed—luck played a role—and he couldn't transform into just anything. But with full digestion, the transformation could succeed.

Originally a hulking monstrosity of a beast, Kimmy had transformed into a cute squirrel for aesthetic reasons and portability.

And even Arman, buggy as he was, when eaten, had flagged Kimmy as part of the dragon species.

Which meant—it was possible.

[Would you like to transform 'Kimmy' into 'Black Dragon'?]

[This transformation is irreversible. 'Squirrel' form cannot be restored.]

Transform him.

A black aura erupted from Kimmy's tiny body.

That ominous background music—the one that used to play whenever Arman appeared—echoed again.

Back then, it had been terrifying.

Now, it sounded like a victory march.

Shchrrrrrk.

Black scales began spreading over the squirrel's fur.

The tail stretched long, and leathery wings unfurled on both sides.

And just like that, expectation became reality.

"…Let's do this again, you overgrown lizard."

This strategy—would work.

"Huff… Huff…!"

Lutz charged forward, chest about to burst, weaving through crowds of panicked civilians.

Swansea.

He dashed past crumbling buildings and leaped over rubble. One path had already collapsed under a landslide.

Without hesitation, he grabbed the hand of the girl running beside him.

[Skill: 'Spatial Shift (C)' activated.]

Whenever the road became too treacherous, he used teleportation.

Power was nearly drained. By the time they reached Swansea's central plaza, he was on the brink of collapse.

"Huff… Karin!"

Practically falling over, he extended the hand he was holding—placing it into Karin's.

Also breathing heavily, Karin turned to the girl beside her, voice trembling.

"Eve… is it really you, Eve?"

KIAAAAAH!!

But before the reunion could begin, a deafening roar shattered the moment.

Every gaze turned toward the sound. Lutz followed suit.

Just beyond the plaza, the Giant Horned Lizard towered, staring them down with murderous eyes from the city gates.

"…Jhin."

He had promised to hold the beast at bay.

Had he failed?

If the monster had made it this far…

No. That man is Kyle.

The image of Jhin charging the monster alone remained etched in Lutz's mind.

He shook off the rising fear.

No time for despair.

There was still something only he could do.

"What's the chieftain's status?"

Karin led him to a corner where Atlas lay like a corpse.

Still alive—but barely. Emaciated and sunken. The HP bar hovering above him was so low, it looked like it could vanish with a single gust of wind.

Lutz sighed, barely powerging to speak.

"…This can't be real…"

Then he remembered what Jhin had told him:

"You must inform Chieftain Atlas that Eve is alive. Bring her to him. That's the key to turning this around."

"Only Atlas can defeat the Giant Horned Lizard."

That had been the plan.

But maybe… Jhin had been wrong.

Lutz stared down at Atlas , who didn't even twitch.

He felt despair closing in from all sides, crushing his shoulders.

How do you convey something to someone who's unconscious…?

KIAAAAAAH!!

Another earth-shaking roar.

Startled, Lutz whipped his head around—only to see a figure appear atop the monster's snout.

"…Jhin?!"

RUMMBLE!

It was surreal.

With a single slash of his sword, the Giant Horned Lizard recoiled.

What's going on?

Jhin slashed again—this time even harder.

The beast flinched, its head dropping slightly as if it had been struck by something invisible.

Fear? Frustration?

Even as it screamed in rage, it continued to back away, unable to break through Jhin's killing intent.

It still snapped at him, occasionally baring its fangs—but it was no longer advancing.

"…Right. This is no time to just watch."

Jhin had fulfilled his promise. He had chained down the beast.

Now it was their turn to fulfill theirs.

We have to save Atlas .

Shaking off the urge to give up and focusing on solutions made everything clear.

Atlas was on the verge of death—but not yet dead.

He doesn't need a Revival Potion.

"Please give me all the HP potions you have left."

"…Alright."

Lutz spoke immediately, and Karin complied without hesitation.

He uncorked each potion and began pouring them—right onto Atlas 's head and chest.

Startled, Karin instinctively moved to stop him.

"Wait, what are you doing—?!"

The normal way to use potions was to feed them directly for the most effective results. Sometimes they were poured onto wounds, but that only helped with external injuries—not internal trauma.

That's why Karin was shocked.

But Lutz had a plan.

Conventional treatment won't cut it. I need to get Atlas on his feet right now.

So, he chose a different route.

[Skill, 'Spatial Shift (C),' activated.]

Lutz's teleportation skill wasn't limited to moving just himself. He could relocate anything he was touching. And that included these potions.

If he wanted to, he could teleport them inside the body.

Never thought my human anatomy classes would come in handy like this.

Though he'd majored in visual design, he'd studied human anatomy to draw bodies better. He had drawn countless skeletons, muscles, and organs—he knew exactly where everything was.

That meant he could do it.

"Wake up."

The potion teleported into Atlas 's brain, stimulating his neural pathways.

Another entered his heart, igniting its pulse again. The potions began to seep through muscle fibers, blood vessels, and nerves—rejuvenating the entire body at once.

His cells began regenerating.

[!]

[You've discovered a new application of your skill.]

[Skill acquired: 'Special Potion Treatment (F).']

[!]

[You've successfully performed 'Special Potion Treatment' for the first time.]

[Title acquired: 'Special Potion Healer.']

[Skill effects boosted by 10%.]

With the new skill awakened, the potions absorbed throughout Atlas 's body began to take effect with explosive strength.

Lutz could feel it.

He'd done everything he possibly could.

Please…

The rest was up to Atlas .

RUMMBLE!

KRAKABOOM!

The Giant Horned Lizard, which had momentarily shrunk back, now began to stretch to its full terrifying height. Its eyes snapped open.

Jhin clicked his tongue.

The unexpected fear effect had worn off quicker than he'd hoped.

He dodged a fireball.

"…Couldn't you have stayed afraid just a little longer?"

['Kimmy' fires 'Black Flame' at the insolent lizard.]

The transformed Kimmy—now in his black dragon form—lashed his long tail and spat a tongue of searing black fire. Flame that, by nature, was not easily extinguished.

But the problem lay in the size.

Though Kimmy had become a black dragon, his size still fell far short of Arman—more of a "baby dragon" look.

He still resembled his former squirrel self.

Is this also because of the bug…?

SCREEEE!!

But the Giant Horned Lizard still reacted violently, wildly dodging even that puny streak of black flame. It was so harmless it couldn't even scorch him—yet the beast flailed as if it were deadly.

It made sense.

They're mortal enemies.

The Lizardman-type monsters had one fundamental racial weakness: they could not resist dragons.

It was an unchangeable truth built into their core stats.

Even a cutesy, mini black dragon like Kimmy triggers that fear.

He might look harmless, but by race alone, Kimmy was a "dragon." So the lizard had to fear him.

"Even if that fear's wearing off fast."

Now the Giant Horned Lizard was ignoring Kimmy altogether—its murderous gaze turned on Jhin.

As if realizing that killing Kimmy's master would make its fear vanish entirely.

"…Fine. I've bought enough time."

Jhin's Soft skills had long sensed a surge of magical power gathering in Swansea.

It was rising now.

BOOMMMM!

Suddenly, the battlefield shifted.

"…Hmph. So it's you."

A man stepped into view—his aura dense enough to shake the ground.

He calmly drove a spear into the Giant Horned Lizard's eye—the very eye Jhin couldn't even scratch.

SCREEEEAAAAAAA!!

The lizard shrieked in pure agony.

But the man didn't flinch.

"So you were the one who saved me."

"…"

"And you saved Eve, too."

"…Yeah, well…"

It was NPC Atlas .

If you were to name a "boss" NPC in this dungeon, it would be him.

And naturally, a monster like the Giant Horned Lizard couldn't match him.

Atlas , still gripping his spear, tore the eye free.

"I repay my debts."

SCREEEE!!

The beast howled and thrashed in a rage it had never known. But Atlas 's eyes didn't flicker in the slightest.

"Wait here."

And he leapt into the air.

The lizard, blood pouring from its ruined eye, saw its chance—its jaws widened, and the breath it had held back was finally unleashed.

But this was no ordinary breath attack.

A searing beam—not just acid, but condensed energy, brimming with destructive force—fired straight at Atlas .

A laser.

Its precision was surgical. Its speed terrifying.

And yet—

"You foul creature."

From above, Atlas 's gaze was arrogant, frigid.

No fear. No hesitation. Just certainty.

He lowered his spear.

A storm coalesced at its tip.

Wind compressed into a spearhead. The air cracked like thunder.

"So noisy."

And he threw it.

FWWWWOOOOOOOOSH!!

The spear tore through the laser like it was nothing.

And it didn't stop.

It struck the Giant Horned Lizard—

KRAAAAAA-BOOOOOOOM!

—with a single, devastating blow.