Charles had snapped Zagnat's deadly claw and flung it like a projectile into the beast's eye.

But before his eyes, the severed claw disintegrated into black ash, vanishing into the air. Then, in a puff of black smoke, the creature regenerated it—longer by nearly a third.

Charles remembered that Zagnats could devour monsters and gain their abilities, but this one had only just been born. Who knew how it had acquired such rapid regeneration?

Worse yet, the creature's bluish-purple armor—which Charles recalled was supposed to merely nullify magic—was now also mitigating physical damage, albeit slightly.

Zagnats' strength correlated to the floor they were born on. This one, born on the Middle Floors, should theoretically be weaker—even below the one Bell had fought in the original timeline. By all rights, its threat level should be around that of a Level 5.

Yet what Charles sensed from it now... was a danger greater than Ottar's.

In the Dungeon, anything could happen. No "constants" existed.

Perhaps the Dungeon had sensed the overwhelming power of Charles and Ottar as threats to its structure—responding by spawning a Zagnat that should only appear on the Deep Floors.

The Zagnat let out a piercing shriek before vanishing into a blur. Charles sneered, vanishing just as swiftly.

To onlookers, a pale shadow danced across the battlefield, pursued closely by a blazing meteor of fire.

The two figures moved and clashed through the air so fast that no adventurer present could follow their movements.

Tsubaki helped Ryuu sit up and asked, "You okay?"

Ryuu shook her head slowly, her voice uncertain. "Charles… he'll win, right?"

Tsubaki grinned. "Of course. You know who that is? That's the brightest star of our Familia!"

After one final collision, the two combatants revealed themselves.

Charles wiped away the blood from a claw slash on his chest, the itchy sting of healing creeping under his skin.

That damned "guaranteed-piercing" claw had managed to rip even through Dragon King's Form. But the Zagnat wasn't faring well either. Several parts of its magic-reflecting shield had been shattered under Charles's relentless fists, and its bony body was covered in fractures.

Both were regenerating—both poised to strike again.

More adventurers gathered.

"What the hell is that thing?!"

"Just looking at it makes me shake!"

"Is that… the Dragon Furnace?!"

"The Furnace'll take that thing down, right?!"

The Loki Familia arrived next. Because of their conflict with the Freya Familia, they'd taken a different route—only to be drawn here by the massive tremors from Charles and Ottar's clash. The Dungeon's wailing had hastened their arrival.

Just seeing the Zagnat made Finn's thumb throb uncontrollably. He grimaced. "Why did something like that suddenly show up?"

Gareth hefted his battle axe. "Looks like our boy Charles is in a tight spot. Should we help him?"

Finn's smile turned bitter. He shook his head. "This thumb says no. That thing's not ordinary. Unless we're ready to die, we're not touching it. And besides, Charles still hasn't gone all out. I say we trust him. He needs this fight."

Riveria looked around at the adventurers gathering nearby and understood what Finn meant.

Someone had leaked the news that the Hephaestus Familia was hiding a monster, casting suspicion over both the Familia and Charles.

Even the Loki Familia had been forced to take a stance and act.

But if things continued like that, Charles and the Hephaestus Familia would remain pariahs—ostracized for allegedly harboring a monster.

And then—almost too perfectly—his battle with Ottar triggered the Dungeon to birth a Zagnat.

If Charles defeated this terrifying creature in full view of everyone, the backlash over hiding a monster would vanish in an instant.

Just like in the original timeline—after Bell fought Asterius, the controversy over Wiene disappeared, and he became a rising hero once more.

And it was already working. As the fight unfolded, public opinion around Charles had begun to shift.

Charles himself couldn't care less.

But with his friends here, there was no way he'd let the Zagnat rampage freely.

The Zagnat's eyes glowed a deeper red. Its shell sprouted countless spikes, making its silhouette even more grotesque.

It was evolving. Right before their eyes.

Zagnats really were bizarre creatures—changing and adapting mid-battle.

Charles's lack of intel on them hurt him here. After all, they'd only appeared twice in the original storyline.

This one's body had already grown by nearly 50%, and its aura of danger had only deepened.

Charles's fighting spirit burned hotter. He summoned his Dragon Flame Battle Armor.

Clad in blazing dragonfire armor, Charles became his title—the Dragon Furnace incarnate. Even those at the outer edges of the battlefield could feel the suffocating heat.

Any normal being would've been roasted alive before the fight even started.

But not the Zagnat.

The moment the armor flared into being, the creature lunged with incredible speed—its claw swiping straight for Charles.

Its deadly strike—capable of tearing through first-tier armaments—was stopped cold.

No matter how absurd the "guaranteed-piercing" property of its claws, they couldn't break Charles's soul-manifested gear.

Especially now that Charles had gained the development ability [Warrior]—as long as his will held firm, his Unique Armament couldn't be broken.

Charles deflected the claw easily.

The Zagnat's strange jointed limbs gave it terrifying movement speed and the ability to chain leaps together. Its attack speed was purely based on its mobility.

But its actual strike speed wasn't anything impressive.

After blocking the first blow, Charles saw a massive opening.

He didn't chase it, though.

Instead, he raised one hand and caught the deadly tail that stabbed down at him from above.

With a roar, Charles grabbed the Zagnat by its tail and hurled it.

He followed up immediately, aiming to tear that cursed armor off its back—only for the Zagnat to flicker and vanish in midair.

But Charles had already sensed danger from behind.

"Fire Dragon's Claw!"

In an inverted flying kick, Charles smashed his foot into the Zagnat's claw mid-swipe. A surge of flame blasted the creature into the ground.

Fortunately, that shielding was still an active skill—Charles's attack had landed solid damage.

But down in the massive crater, the Zagnat's mutation continued.

It was a creature that brought despair. No magic stone. No weak spot. It could only be killed by total annihilation.

And this one was even more dangerous—it wasn't just regenerating, it was evolving to adapt to its opponent.

But that only made Charles more fired up.

The battle Ottar didn't get to finish—

He'd finish it here.

With Zagnat.

(End of Chapter)

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