The volcano’s guardian wasn’t at the peak but halfway up.

It wasn’t that surprising.

That would explain why the Magnosaurus came down.

It must have descended because of that Fire Rat.

But then, what was that thunderous noise coming from above?

“Kakakakak!”

The Fire Rat stared at me.

Even without knowing all the details, I could tell it needed to be defeated.

If left alone, it felt like it might use some kind of hypnosis or brainwashing ability.

Swoosh!

I quickly brought the hidden elixir from my tail to my mouth.

Gulp.

[You have temporarily acquired strong resistance to fire.]

With this, I could partially neutralize its fire attacks.

The plan may have shifted slightly, but the objective remains the same.

“Gagagek!”
“Kakakak!”

It looked just like an oversized rat.

But the aura emanating from it was no joke.

Whoosh!

Given the distance, it made the first move.

The rat spewed flames from its mouth.

Its firepower was incomparable to the Magnosaurus.

Though I had some resistance, it was still best to avoid getting hit.

Swish!

Using the subtlety of the *Soaring Dragon Ascension Step*, I launched myself off the ground.

“Kakakat!”

The creature anticipated this and stomped on the ground with force.

Whoosh!

Strong flames shot up from the cracks in the earth.

Swish!

I twisted my body, barely dodging its attack.

Swoosh!

The Fire Rat attacked relentlessly, not giving me a chance to strike back.

Flames rained down from the sky.

The volcano’s secret technique, *Ten Thousand Heaven Fire Rain*.

[Activating 「Inverse Scales lv5」.]

I countered the *Ten Thousand Heaven Fire Rain* with my own.

[Temporarily acquiring 「Ten Thousand Heaven Fire Rain」.]

My version of *Ten Thousand Heaven Fire Rain* was a crude imitation of the Dilophosaurus’ technique.

Instead of throwing actual projectiles, I launched random weapons wildly.

When I fought the Magnosaurus, its *Ten Thousand Heaven Fire Rain* was far superior to mine, so it goes without saying that the Fire Rat’s was even stronger.

But now things were different.

I had prepared in advance.

What I launched was a flurry of poisonous, frost-infused weapons.

They were crafted from the fur of the wolf pack.

Swoosh!

Boom!

The fire consumed the poison.

But to burn the poison, the flames inevitably weakened.

And what would happen if it collided with weapons imbued with Baekrang’s frost?

Crackle!

It meant I would have the upper hand.

“Kaaat!”

Finally, I closed the distance for close combat.

I immediately swung my *Dragon Claw Strike*.

Boom!

The Fire Rat dodged my attack with agile movements befitting a guardian.

It was indeed formidable.

Even with just a few exchanges, I could tell it had impressive reflexes.

It was larger than me but just as agile. With its fire-based attacks, it was a strong opponent.

“Kakakak!”

Dodging my attack, it lunged at me with sharp claws.

Swoosh!

I quickly jerked my head back, narrowly avoiding its strike.

Just as I was about to counterattack—

Whoosh!

Flames erupted along the path of its claw.

“Kakakakak!”

Each of its attacks ignited flames.

If I hadn’t consumed the ice elixir, the mere act of fighting would have slowly cooked me.

Swoosh!

Once again, its claws flew toward me.

I parried its attack by swinging both hands simultaneously.

Crack!

Clang!

Using the *Unified Counterattack*, I managed to deflect its fiery claws.

“Kikikik!”

But this technique had been exposed before.

I had used it against the Magnosaurus, so it was likely other creatures in the volcano had seen it.

There was a good chance that information had been passed on to the Fire Rat, the guardian of this place.

Seeing it unfazed when I blocked the *Ten Thousand Heaven Fire Rain* suggested it already knew my abilities.

Whoosh!

Its flames intensified.

As its flames grew stronger, so did its speed.

Having seen the *Unified Counterattack*, it had likely devised a strategy to counter it.

Swoosh!

Crack!

Our fight was evenly matched.

But with the Fire Rat’s speed increasing, I knew that I’d be at a disadvantage if this went on.

However, I wasn’t about to sit back and watch.

I had a weapon that it lacked.

Swoosh!

I swung my tail, covered in *Dragon Scales*.

Most of my body length was in this tail.

When wielded like a whip, it surpassed even my strongest *Dragon Claw Strike* in destructive power.

Boom!

“Kiiaek!”

It was a direct hit.

The strike landed squarely on its side.

Blood poured from the Fire Rat’s mouth, crimson red.

It must have broken a few ribs.

In an evenly matched fight, this injury shifted the tide in my favor.

Crack!

Boom!

I deflected its attacks with the *Unified Counterattack* and aimed a strike at its head with *Dragon Claw Strike*.

Boom!

A sudden explosion erupted.

I abandoned the attack and leaped backward.

Boom!

The impact was powerful enough to reshape the terrain.

“Kakakakak!”

Whoosh!

The Fire Rat grew even larger, and its flames intensified.

No, it was more than that.

Molten lava started flowing from various parts of its body.

It was common knowledge that magma held dominion over mere flames.

This must be its true power.

“Kaaaak!”

With a hideous scream, the Fire Rat charged at me.

Even I didn’t want to engage it up close in this state.

If we exchanged blows, I would take more damage.

The Fire Rat was larger and had more firepower than me.

Yes.

The Fire Rat was bigger than me.

And I was currently smaller than usual.

Spending time with the wolf pack had been preparation for this moment.

Collecting fur, infusing it with frost.

Hunting for elixir ingredients.

And now—

[Deactivating 「Miniaturization」 status.]

I had been operating at about 80% of my normal size.

Crack.

[Applying 「Gigantification」 with the effect of 「Miniaturization lv5」.]

“Grrrr…”

Finally, I could look down on it.

I had hoped to save this for later, but not using *Gigantification* now would lead to significant injuries.

Boom!

I rammed into it with my shoulder.

“Kaaaak!”

It flailed, trying to stab me with its claws.

But I wasn’t about to let it hit me.

Crunch!

I sank my teeth into its shoulder.

“Kiaaaak!”

It squirmed and writhed.

I didn’t expect this alone to win the fight.

But now that it was poisoned, it would grow even more frantic.

Whoosh!

The Fire Rat ignited flames again to shake me off.

Having achieved my goal, I let go without hesitation.

Tap!

“Kak! Kieeeek!”

The Fire Rat clutched its shoulder.

Yes, it must be panicking now that the poison was spreading through its body.

Boom!

…It blew up its own shoulder.

“Kiaaaak!”

Tougher than it looked.

Molten lava pooled around its torn shoulder.

No, it was more accurate to say that one of its arms had transformed into pure lava.

“Kakakakak!”

The Fire Rat glared at me.

Even with my fire resistance, that was dangerous.

Swoosh!

The Fire Rat vanished in an instant.

Whoosh!

It came at me from a new angle.

The flames and lava intensified as it spun rapidly.

It was like a living, fiery machine.

Its body itself had become a weapon.

Boom!

Physical force.

Whoosh!

And fire.

If its attack pierced my scales, I’d start cooking from the inside.

Crash!

Sizzle…

I swung my *Dragon Claw Strike* at its head, but the intense heat weakened the attack.

On the other hand, it could deal severe damage just by ramming me.

Sizzle!

As a lizard, I couldn’t regulate my body temperature.

Even with fire resistance, it was hard to prevent my internal temperature from rising.

“Kakakakak!”
“Grrr…”

In other words, its attack wasn’t just burning my exterior but also heating me from the inside.

Whoosh!

Taking advantage of my larger form, I pushed it away again.

Boom!

“Grk… Gugh…”

The heat was making me dizzy.

“Kakakak!”

But the Fire Rat didn’t seem in great condition either; it had overexerted itself.

Whoosh!

Yet it ignited itself once more.

It had become pure fire.

I prepared myself to counter its next attack.

Buzz.

I focused my energy at my fingertips.

A faint blue aura rose.

It was my sword energy.

Before it could react, I swung my front paw.

Boom!

But the target wasn’t the Fire Rat. It was my own chest.

To be precise, the scales over my heart.

My *Dragon Scales* were tough, but by using sword energy on myself, I could easily pierce them.

“Kaat?”

The Fire Rat seemed momentarily confused by my unexpected move.

It couldn’t understand why I would harm myself after going to the trouble of using sword energy.

Blood poured from my chest.

It seemed like a critical injury.

But it didn’t matter.

[Strong frost now flows through your blood.]

Crackle!

The frost subdued the fire within, and the blood that seeped out spread its cooling essence externally.

Shaa…

This not only cooled my body but also created a weapon capable of dealing critical damage to it.

“Kieeek!”

Realizing the situation, the Fire Rat charged toward me in a panic.

Fire beasts are often like fire itself.

Ferocious enough to burn everything but reckless to a fault.

Once ignited, they don’t extinguish easily.

This one was no different.

Now that I had revealed my hidden move, it chose to attack rather than defend.

[Activating 「Inverse Scales lv5」.]

How convenient.

[Temporarily acquiring 「Greatly Rising Qi」.]

Crack!

The powerful energy weighed down on its body.

For a creature of its level, it would only be a minor inconvenience, but it was enough.

Boom!

I pushed off the ground and charged.

“Kaaaak!”

The Fire Rat spewed a massive ball of fire at me.

To attack it, I’d have to take that head-on.

I could withstand it.

The chilling frost enveloped my body, and with my strong resistance to fire, I wouldn’t die immediately.

Instead of dodging, I increased my speed.

“Awooooo!”

At that moment, the howl of a wolf echoed, and a massive ice wolf clashed with the fireball.

…Baekrang hadn’t come here herself; the frost elixir must have activated this projection to protect me.

When I got back, I’d owe her a belly rub or two.

Swoosh!

Piercing through the steam, I reached it, and its burning claws lunged at me.

This must be its final blow.

“Kieeeeek!”

Once again, blue sword energy gathered in my hand.

Swoosh!

One of its molten arms was severed cleanly.

“Kaaaak!”

It thrashed, burning wildly in agony.

It was over.

Crunch!

I bit down on its neck.

[Activating 「Inverse Scales lv5」.]

[Temporarily acquiring 「Death Beam lv5」.]

Hooo…

Boom!

The frost-infused beam pierced its throat.

“Kik… Kieeek…”

Crack.

The terrain changed.

The Fire Rat became a frozen statue, its lava pool solidified into stone.

Which meant…

[Your level has increased.]

[Your level has increased.]

[Your level has increased.]

“Geggek!”

I had defeated the guardian.

[A mysterious energy envelops your body.]

Finally, I could evolve.

“Geggeggegek!”

I let out a triumphant roar.

At last, evolution was within reach.

I had waited so long for this moment.

…

…

But why did I feel uneasy?

“…Geggek.”

My danger sense and killing intent detection seemed to be alerting me.

I had defeated the Fire Rat, so why this feeling?

Wait.

Come to think of it, the rumbling from the peak had stopped at some point.

…Something was wrong.

It felt like the time I first encountered the Queen Snake.

When I awoke to find a giant basilisk watching me.

This might be even worse.

Someone was definitely watching me.