Level 24 - that's my level after the battle with Hydra.

　My level was 12 right after I fought Goz and the others in Ishqa, so my level doubled in the past few days.

　Lars' level in The Sword of Hayabusa is 16, and Elgato, the adventurer guild master of Ishka, is 35, so my level is more than Lars and less than Elgato, but my level is fundamentally different from someone else's, as I've discussed before.

　In fact, they didn't even hold off the Belch sisters who are level 50 or above, let alone the 81 level Goz, so this isn't just my imagination.

　During the battle with Goz and his friends, I was intoxicated by the power of the illusory seed, and that didn't change even after the battle was over. I've been trying to keep my cool, but even so, I was still floating somewhere inside.

　-- that intoxication was erased in an instant.

　I felt like I had been sprayed with cold water from my head. The power of the Soul Eater (Soul Eater), which I had thought was even infinite, faded in comparison to the power that gushed out of the dragon hole.

　........Well, it's like comparing the power of a human with the power of the earth, though it's strange to make it an object of comparison in the first place.


'I see. So it's because they have this stuff in the center that a forest like Titis was born?


　This huge forest is as big as the size of a country. It is out of development's reach due to the many monsters and demons that roam here. A wide variety of medicinal herbs grow not only in the depths, but also in the outskirts, and even though many adventurers scrounge them up every day, there is no end in sight.

　But now that I think about it again, the Titis Forest is noticeably richer than the other forests. This was probably largely due to the existence of the Dragon Hole.

　The reason I was able to live in Ishqa for five years as a level 1 student is because of this dragon hole. I should probably throw in a gold coin or two as a token of my gratitude.


"But how come no one has noticed this - or simply no one has been able to get to this point?


　You'll have a hard time just brushing through the trees, which are so dense that there's no room to walk. And those trees are an added bonus of automatic regeneration. If I hadn't been following Hydra, it would have been difficult for me to reach this point.

　If you look up, a thick canopy made of plant branches and leaves blocks the view from the sky. I'm sure that even if the dragon knight of the capital flew above, he would not be able to notice the dragon hole. Of course, the same thing would be true if I were to ride on Klaus Solus.

　If it wasn't for this time today, I'm sure I wouldn't have been able to reach the dragon's hole.

　And with that in mind, I'd really like to make the most of this opportunity...


It's not something we can do with our powers, by any stretch of the imagination.


　That is my honest opinion. If you can take in the power of this dragon hole, you will be able to gain tremendous power. If you're not careful, you may be able to use your power tens or even hundreds of times more powerful than it is now.

　But that's about as impossible as drinking all the water in the ocean.

　In fact, my power is a 'soul eater', not a magic eater or an elemental eater. Even the soul eater's power isn't completely controlled, but I should have avoided reaching for a power that is not my specialty.

　Just then, the faint voice of Cryer came from behind me.


''..........Is this the demon gate?''

What?


　What does that mean, I thought, and turned back. As far as I know, there is no such huge hole on the island. In the first place, the demon gate is a structure placed in the center of the Hiiragito, literally a 'gate'.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to get the most out of it.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this. You'll be able to find out the best way to get the most out of your time.

　You'll be able to see that you're not alone. Her eyes were tightly closed and her brow was deeply creased.

　It seemed that her body could no longer withstand the large amount of magic that was unwillingly pouring into it.　

　Again, the magic power that filled this place itself was beneficial to humans. However, no matter how beneficial it is, if the amount of magic power is forcibly poured into the body beyond the amount needed, the body will not be able to endure it. It's like forcing food into a man's mouth when he's full and pouring water into it.

　I'm already having a hard time with it myself. If we don't leave this place as soon as possible, we're going to collapse like Cryer.

　I'm sure you'll be able to see that even now, new plants are growing around Claia, covering her limbs in a crawl.

　

　I quickly flicked my gaze around as I removed the plants from Cryer's body with my tongue and kicked away the plants that were teasing my legs while I was at it.

　I was able to confirm one of the 'conditions of the world' in which the dragon species is born. I'm not going to stay any longer, I just need to get rid of the body of the hydra that has escaped here and leave quickly.

　The next time you come back to investigate the dragon cave in detail, you can do so. I'll bring along Lunamaria, Miroslav, and anyone else who seems to know more about this kind of thing than me.


　Fortunately, or perhaps unsurprisingly, Hydra's whereabouts were quickly discovered. It's easy to find because there's a clear path, the fallen trees.

　He thought that it would be troublesome if they jumped into the dragon hole, but apparently that action was something that Hydra had to avoid as well. Probably, if he did that, even the dragon species would not be able to escape annihilation.

　On top of that, the remaining body was tougher than the state of the eight heads - it wasn't any tougher, and it was easily stopped with a blow from a soul eater (soul eater).

　Well, it was predictable that he didn't have any fighting power, as he was only pretending to be dead. This state of affairs must really have been Hydra's last resort for survival.

　Although it was bad for Hydra, it was even harder than the battle, but the time of soul influx after the battle was over was the hardest. The sensation of a large amount of souls entering and the sensation of the dragon hole's magical power invading his body coincided, and his consciousness almost jumped in a hurry.

　I didn't have time to rejoice in the fact that my level had risen even higher to "25," so I took Cryer in my arms and broke away from the dragon hole and even from the deepest part of Titis.

　On the way, I was horrified to see the path Hydra had created blocked off by plants. The power of life that is too much is more frightening than a bad monster.

　It's a good thing that we didn't collide with any of the monster beasts, but I'm sure they're definitely more vicious than the monsters in the depths and periphery.


　--Yes. That's exactly what it is, just like the demon beast.