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The scale of the space, whether naturally formed or an artificial cave, was so vast it made one's jaw drop.
"Wow... it really is a dragon's lair. It's huge."
"What do you mean?"
"I thought I was the first human to be invited to Uncle Insanis' lair."
"You are."
"So, isn't this Uncle's lair?"
"This? It's just the entrance."
Ignis chuckled and stood beside Davian.
"It's understandable that a human would be surprised."
The three walked for a long time along the high, wide, and long cave.
How long had they walked?
Light was visible at the opposite end.
"Are we going back outside?"
"What do you mean? We're still going down."
"So that's..."
Ha.
A hollow laugh escaped.
The light at the opposite end of the cave was not sunlight.
Beyond the long, long cave that Insanis called the entrance, a space more splendid than a royal palace appeared.
The high ceiling and walls were brighter than daylight, thanks to the number of mana stones embedded in them.
All sorts of elaborate patterns were engraved or painted on the walls and ceiling.
The space was so large that Davian would look like an ant if viewed from the ceiling.
On one side of the wall, treasures and weapons, shimmering in the light of the mana stones, were piled up haphazardly.
"Take whatever you like when you leave. I had to give a gift since you were invited to the dragon's lair."
Davian, who had been looking around the lair with a dazed expression, opened his mouth.
"Uncle Insanis' lair is really amazing. Then, Aunt Ignis'..."
He almost died.
"...Sister's lair, is it this big too? You said it's on the northern volcano of the Ocid continent, right?"
"Not quite this big, but quite large. It's a shame I can't invite humans to my lair."
"You can't invite humans?"
"Yeah. It's in the center of the lava below the volcano. I wonder if there's a human who can withstand that temperature and get to the lair. Ah! Maybe you could do it? Davian, would you like to visit my lair?"
The center of the lava below the volcano.
It seems she's talking about inside the magma.
"I'll pass."
Ignis, who was looking around Insanis' lair, asked.
"But why did you bring him here? Are you going to check his flame here? Insanis, is your lair okay with that?"
Insanis was startled and replied.
A dragon who doesn't usually get surprised by much.
It seems he imagined his lair, which he had shared for thousands of years, being burned down.
"What are you saying! Don't even dream of starting a flame here. I just wanted to show my friend the dragon's lair since he came all the way here."
"You really like this human, don't you, Insanis."
"Didn't I already say that?"
"I thought you were just saying it."
"Well, shall we move on now? I know a good place."
Whoosh.
Once again, white light enveloped the three.
This time, they had moved to somewhere deep in the Perum Mountains.
A wide, basin-shaped area.
The vast basin was surrounded by high mountain ranges.
"How is it? This place should be suitable for Ignis and Davian to compete, right?"
"Compete? Did you just say compete? Me? A Red Dragon competing with a human in flames?"
"It was a slip of the tongue. It would be suitable to check Davian's skills, right?"
Ignis' gaze turned cold.
"A dragon doesn't make slips of the tongue, Insanis."
"I was temporarily out of it, and I've been sealed for over 600 years. Please understand, Ignis."
"Say that one more time. I'll let you experience a battle not between a human and a Red Dragon, but between a Black Dragon and a Red Dragon."
Davian opened his mouth.
"Um... if you two are going to fight, can I go home now? I don't think a human could withstand the situation."
"You stay right there, Davian. I need to see what kind of flame Insanis is talking about today."
"Yeah. Don't be scared, Davian. Dragons don't fight that easily."
Davian shook his head.
There was only one way to escape from between those two crazy dragons.
Whoosh.
A small flame rose from Davian's hand.
Ignis looked at the palm of Davian's hand with interesting eyes.
Davian's flame was reflected in Ignis' bright red eyes.
"Hoo."
As if she had never argued with Insanis, Ignis plopped down on the floor and took her place.
Insanis also sat next to her.
"Black Dragon, you should step back a bit? As you said, if Davian's flame is really comparable to a Red Dragon's flame."
"I'll step back on my own if I can't stand it. I don't want to experience that feeling twice."
"Oh, right. Davian's flame burned your body, didn't it? I wonder if the Black Dragon's scales are weaker than rumored?"
"Do you really want to try fighting me?"
Davian shook his head.
The race of dragons.
It would have been better not to know them.
The more you know, the less you understand.
Where did all the wisdom accumulated over thousands of years and the results of their contemplation during sleep go?
But that doesn't mean they're a foolish race.
'Maybe they're just too unique for humans to understand.'
Not wanting to see the two dragons turn into their true forms and fight here, Davian whispered softly.
"Wave of Fire."
There's no need to slowly grow the flame like he did during the final exam.
The one watching Davian's flame is none other than a Red Dragon.
Whirr!
After throwing the flame in a suitable position, he poured in his mana.
Before long, it exceeded 9 stars of magic.
But Davian had only poured in 7 stars of magic.
It was the result of a 255% increase in power due to the Wave of Fire skill.
"Hmm, it's not bad for a human, as you said."
"You don't think my scales would have burned away in a flame like that, do you?"
"Who knows? I've never burned them."
Whirr.
Even as the two dragons bickered, the power of the flame grew stronger.
The flame, which had been maintaining its size, could not withstand the mana and began to grow larger and larger.
"Is he sure he can control that?"
"Maybe?"
"Didn't you say you experienced it?"
"That was deep underground."
Whirr.
The flame that exceeded 10 stars continued to increase its power.
"It is... impressive. A human creating such a flame."
"What did I tell you?"
Whirr.
Davian's flame crossed the wall of 11 stars.
"Oh."
"How is it? Ignis."
"Be quiet for a moment."
11 stars.
In fact, the term 11 stars itself does not exist.
Only one magician in the history of the Pax continent, the Great Magician Fabian Hendricks, barely crossed the wall of 10 stars.
It is natural that there is no such thing as 11 stars.
Becoming 11 stars from 10 stars is not just a matter of increasing one number.
As much as twice the magic compared to 10 stars.
Ignis jumped to her feet.
"Insanis, he probably can't answer even if you talk to him now, right?"
"I don't know. I don't know either."
[Davian.]
The draconic words of the Red Dragon Ignis flowed into Davian's mind.
Davian turned his head and looked at Ignis.
"Yes?"
It only stopped for a moment the size of the mana flowing into the flame growing.
The flame is still stable.
Ignis, who was embarrassed that she had even used draconic language, said again with her own voice.
"Can you do more?"
"Yes. I think I can do a little more."
"What... what exactly are you?"
Davian shrugged.
"As you know."
"...Okay, do more."
"Yes."
The rocks under the flame had already melted away, creating a large hole.
The bottom had disappeared, but the flame was still floating in its original place.
"Ignis, haven't you checked enough? At this rate, Mount Perum will melt away."
"......"
"Ignis."
"......"
"Ignis?"
"Huh? Uh. Just a little more."
Eventually, the flame that Davian poured all of his mana into was completed.
Insanis had already retreated far away.
Ignis approached Davian's flame while floating in the air.
"This is... what on earth..."
Ignis, looking back and forth between the flame and Davian, asked.
"Davian, is this all?"
"Yes. This is it for now."
"For now?"
"Yes."
"Then there's still room for you to get stronger?"
Of course.
It won't be as dramatic as when he absorbed the Great Magician's heart, but if he continues to allocate mana points to magic power, the flame will become stronger.
It may be a negligible difference, but if he distributes only the mana points he currently has, he can push in a little more magic power.
"Good job. Davian."
Davian cut off the magic power connected to the flame.
The energy of the flame, which was burning as if it would melt away all of Perom Mountain, began to subside.
Insanis, who was far away, approached again.
"How is it? Ignis."
"Hmm..."
Dragons are a race that does not lie.
It's not that the dragon is caught in something like a bond of truth, as written in human books.
The bond of truth doesn't exist in the first place.
It is just a virtual bond created by humans' imagination, using the dragons, who do not lie, as a basis.
If they wanted to lie, they could do it anytime, but they just don't feel the need to lie.
Perhaps dragons are much more noble beings than humans think.
Or maybe it's the opposite.
"I've never seen anything like this before. That a human can create such a flame."
"Didn't I tell you?"
"I guess so. At least I didn't make a wasted trip to this far continent."
"How is it? Is it comparable to your flame, Ignis?"
"Not yet."
A question arose in Davian's mind as he listened to the two dragons' conversation.
On the premise that dragons do not lie, Davian's flame has not yet reached the Red Dragon.
That's probably the truth.
However, judging from Ignis' reaction, he could predict that the gap was not large.
But then.
With that flame, which was almost reaching the Red Dragon, he was barely able to make Insanis come out of his state of wild dragonification.
In human terms, that's more than 11 stars of magic power.
Then.
How on earth was Fabian Hendricks able to seal Insanis a long time ago?
How were Fabian Hendricks and his army able to fight Insanis for 200 days?
No matter how strong the greatest magician in human history was, Fabian Hendricks is a magician.
If you take out the magic power, a magician has movements and defense that are no different from ordinary people.
How on earth did the royal army that Fabian led protect Fabian from Insanis' attacks?
He had asked Insanis once before, but at that time, he was completely in a state of wild dragonification, so he said he had no memory of it.
"You've shown me something great, so I should reciprocate. How about it, Davian? Would you like to see the Red Dragon's flame?"
Is she a dragon who also knows how to repay favors and is better than Insanis?
While thinking so.
Ignis disappeared.
Flap.
No.
She reappeared in the air.
In the shape of her true form.
Flap.
The two wings of the huge Red Dragon covered the sky.
"Seeing her do this far, it seems she was impressed by your flame, Davian."
"Oh, is that so?"
"Of course."
Flap.
Ignis, who had been turning her head from side to side for a while, opened her mouth towards the sky as if she couldn't find a suitable place.
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