SCCP CH 05

Chapter 5 – The Swirling Cavern Dungeon

Kranol looked at the baby dragon more carefully.
Suddenly, a status window appeared next to it:

[Name: None]
[Species: Gold Emperor Dragon]
[Potential: SSS]
[Unique Skills: White Flame Breath (Lv2), Invisibility (Lv7), Subspace Storage (Lv1)]
[Traits: Night Vision (Rare), Golden Scales (Legendary), Dragon Heart (Legendary)]
[Stats: Strength (Lv3), Agility (Lv1), Magic (Lv5), Luck (Lv3)]
[Feeling toward you: Dad!]

‘Oh.’
An incredibly impressive status window.
All the unique skills were powerful, and it even had two legendary traits.
No wonder its potential was SSS-grade.

‘Well, it is the child of volume 1’s final boss. Makes sense.’

Kranol focused on the skill section.
Just looking at it made him hungry for power.

[You can copy a disaster’s exclusive skill.]
[The current skill level will not carry over.]
[Bond with the target is still low.]
[You can currently copy one skill.]

‘Only one skill for now, huh.’

Also, copied skills always started at level 1.

But that was fine.

‘The more I help this disaster grow, the stronger I become too.’

That’s what made the hidden trait Disaster affinity is so scary—
As Kranol developed the disaster, he also grew stronger.
Eventually, he’d even be able to combine copied skills.

‘Though that’ll take a much deeper bond than now.’

Even aside from copying, Kranol had his madness.
If you ignored the risks, his magical power was already enough to destroy enemies in one blow.

But he didn’t want to rely on that.

‘If I lose control, my self will vanish—and the world could end.’

Now that he had awakened Disaster Affinity, going mad could turn him into a real threat to humanity.

His real goal was simple: to cure his maddening condition.

‘If I rush things, I’ll fall apart. Don’t forget what really matters.’

Power was just a bonus.
Getting rid of the madness was the real mission.

‘Anyway, I can copy one skill now.’

The baby dragon had three:

• White Flame Breath: pure holy fire, rare and powerful
• Invisibility: makes you disappear
• Subspace Storage: like a personal inventory space

‘White Flame Breath is strong for combat.’

Each dragon had a different type of breath.
This one had holy white fire, something even saintesses couldn’t match.

But after some thought…

[You’ve copied “Invisibility (Lv1)”!]

Kranol chose invisibility.

Why?

‘The other two I can just ask the baby dragon to use for me.’

But invisibility was extremely useful:
Perfect for sneak attacks, fraud, and even escape.
A truly all-purpose skill.

The only drawback: its level was low, so it didn’t last long.

Still, gaining such a rare magic skill instantly was a huge win.
Normally, learning it would take years of training and rare books—
Or entry into a mage tower.

‘If I tried to learn this from scratch, it would’ve taken at least 4 years.’

Now he had it instantly.
Even if it were weak now, it would grow with use.

And more importantly—this wasn’t even the dragon’s final form.

‘It hasn’t even evolved once yet.’

In this world, young monsters could evolve once they gained enough experience—
Growing larger, learning new skills.

Each creature had different evolutionary types and stages.

“Hey, baby dragon. Have you ever evolved before? Like suddenly growing stronger?”

“Kyaaa!”
The dragon shook its head.

Kranol was stunned.
Not even one evolution… yet it already had such cheat-level skills and legendary traits?

It was like getting a legendary starter pack.

‘Though it means I’ll have to train it well.’

But Kranol was confident.

Under his care, the baby would grow stronger than even the volume 1 boss.

The stronger the dragon, the more power Kranol could gain in return.

“Oh, right.”
He suddenly remembered something.

There was one weird line at the bottom of its status window:

“You’re not my child. Why do you call me Dad?”

“Kyaaang!”
The baby dragon clung to him tightly.

Huh… Maybe it had some odd idea in its little head.
Or maybe it was just too young to understand.

***

Before they knew it, 11 days had passed.

The lush grass had vanished, and dry wastelands stretched out ahead.
Cracked earth, dusty air, and rolling tumbleweeds in the wind.

And finally, Kranol saw it: the dungeon they had been heading toward.

“Kyaaang!”

The baby dragon excitedly pointed with its paw.

Up ahead, huge whirlwinds spun across the land.
So much dust blew that it was hard to even keep your eyes open.

‘The Swirling Cavern Dungeon.’

Just getting close was dangerous.

Anyone careless would be swept away and killed.

“Kyaaang…”

The baby nervously bit Kranol’s collar, clearly wanting to leave.

But then—it gasped in shock.

“Kyaa?!”

The whirlwinds suddenly twisted and changed direction—
charging straight toward them.

Despite the danger, Kranol didn’t move.

“Baby dragon. Breathe your flame at that whirlwind.”

The dragon hesitated, confused, but trusted him and opened its mouth.

Fwoooosh!

A powerful white flame burst forth—surprisingly strong for a little dragon.

The breath hit the whirlwind… and it vanished instantly.

“Kyaaa?”
The dragon looked amazed.

Kranol, meanwhile, was already walking forward.

“Let’s go.”

Each time the dragon used its breath, another whirlwind disappeared.
Thanks to that, they passed through safely.

‘These storms aren’t natural. They’re caused by the undead inside the dungeon.’

That’s why they were weak to holy flames like the baby’s white breath.

Of course, the whirlwinds would eventually return.
But for now, they reached the entrance safely.

“Let’s go in.”
They entered the dungeon.

***

Meanwhile…

A monster hunter named Birg ran his hands through his messy hair.
Things had gone completely wrong.

‘Damn it. How did it come to this?’

The dungeon was called Swirling Cavern for a reason—
The outer area was full of whirlwinds, and the dungeon itself was a cave.

Most adventurers panicked before even reaching the entrance.
Just getting through the storms was a huge challenge.

“This is crazy. If we try to walk through, we’ll be swept away.”

“Wait—where’s our scout?”

“H-He just got sucked into a whirlwind and vanished!”

Watching from a distance didn’t guarantee safety either.

These whirlwinds constantly changed direction, and their patterns were unpredictable.
Sometimes, they would suddenly rush forward at terrifying speed—if you let your guard down, you’d be swept away in an instant.
The poor souls who got caught were later found as corpses, flung impossibly far away.
In rare cases, they ended up as meals for the predators of the wasteland.

But despite the danger, some still dared to challenge the dungeon.
They came prepared with plans to survive the storm zone.

“What’s this, Mr. Birg?”
“A Giantification Scroll. Cost me a fortune. It enlarges your body by 1.7 times.”
“Just in case, drink this petrification potion I made. It’ll double your weight.”

These kinds of scrolls and potions were luxury items—
things beginners couldn’t even dream of using.

The group had spared no expense in order to safely cross the whirlwinds.
Yes, it cost a lot, but the reward they were aiming for was even greater.

“They say the ‘Egg of Calamity’ sleeps deep in this dungeon, right?”
“Yes. It’s reliable info—taken from ancient texts about the wastelands.”
“Then we have to destroy it. Who knows what horrifying monster will hatch otherwise?”

They were beast hunters—people who hunted monsters to protect humanity.
Normally, they specialized in wild beasts, not dungeon crawling.
But they were confident because of how well they had prepared.

“Hahaha! These whirlwinds can’t touch us now!”
“Still, stay alert! Don’t let those expensive scrolls fly away. Each one costs as much as two years of a farmer’s work.”

Thanks to their heavier bodies, they crossed the storm zone safely.
But then, the moment they boldly stepped into the dungeon’s cave entrance—

“Aaargh!”
“H-Huh?!”

Disaster struck.

Their increased weight caused the ground to collapse the moment they stepped inside.
The surface had been designed to be weak on purpose.

“Archer! Are you okay?!”
“I-I’m fine… Ow, my back!”
“Kyaaa! Hokhan’s neck is broken!”

Heavier bodies meant harder falls.
They hadn’t even fought yet, and the entire party was seriously injured.
They had fallen the height of three underground floors at once.

The one who weighed the most… died instantly with a broken neck.

“Damn it! What kind of trap is this?!”
“I told you to check for traps first!”
“I already used the trap detection scroll! Who would’ve guessed the floor itself was the trap?!”
“It looked solid from the outside…”

Their fancy preparations had backfired.
They relied too much on convenient magic instead of basic caution.
Even though they argued, the beast hunters quickly focused on the situation.

They had landed in a strange room—
At first, they thought it might be a treasure room you reach after killing a boss.

But no… there were no chests, no loot. Just a barren, empty space.
The only exit was a single iron door.

“There’s no handle?”
“Looks like it only opens from the other side!”

They all tried pushing and pulling together, but the iron door didn’t budge.
It was thick, possibly made of a special metal they couldn’t break through.

“Of course this happens right after Hokhan, the guy with corrosion magic, dies.”
“Doesn’t Bunet know how to pick locks?”
“No use. There’s no keyhole, so I can’t even use a lockpick.”

And so… nearly two weeks passed.

They were still trapped.

All the water and food they brought had run out.
One by one, they were dying from thirst.

They had given up hope…

…when suddenly, they heard faint voices from the other side of the iron door.

“I was thinking… your name should be Chubbs. You’re so round and squishy.”
“Kyaaa!!”

Some silly conversation floated in.

Another party had entered the dungeon.

The beast hunters gasped and used the last of their strength to bang on the door.

“P-Please save us!”
“There are people in here!”

But there was no response.
Despair crept back in.

In dungeons, kindness was rare.
Adventurers often saw others as competitors, not allies.

Then—

“W-Whoa! Aaagh!”

Everyone jumped back.

The door suddenly radiated intense heat.

The thick iron began glowing red—
Then slowly melted away.

“What?”
“The door’s melting!”

The half-melted metal sagged and collapsed.

They were finally free from the wretched prison.

But what they saw on the other side left them speechless.

“Wha…?”

Scorched monster corpses lay at their feet.

At the far end of the flaming ground,
stood a man with ash-grey hair, completely calm.

“W-Who are you…?”

He didn’t answer.

Instead, he calmly held out his hand.

“Hand it over. Your life-saving fee.”

“…What?”

“I saved your lives. Pay up—give me the most valuable thing you’ve got.”

The beast hunters looked at each other in shock.

Kranol Wizard’s gaze was fixed on their scrolls.

Because Kranol… never did anyone a favor for free.