Zero blinked, struggling to comprehend what had just happened. His body trembled, a mix of shock and relief coursing through him as he stared at the creature, now writhing in pain. The acrid scent of burnt flesh filled the air.
The beast lay motionless as the red glow of the light slowly faded away. "Boom!" A voice echoed through the chaos, followed by another burst of iridescent light. This time the blast struck the creature squarely in the head, obliterating it in an instant.
The beast's skull disintegrated, leaving nothing but a smoking crater where its head used to be. The wall behind it was reduced to molten rubble. "Holy shit!" a man's voice called out as he ran toward Zero. He was tall, with dark red hair that stood out against the destruction around him. A cigarette hung from his lips.
Behind him, a bright red rifle floated effortlessly, perched in midair as if weightless. He plucked the cigarette from his mouth, grinning widely. "Holy shit, did you see that? I fucking melted its head off!" His voice was laced with excitement, almost childlike in its enthusiasm. He added, "I've never used magic like this before."
He marveled at the rifle now in his hands, turning it over as if trying to make sense of it. "Gotta admit, though, this is a funny-looking magic staff." Zero stared at him, his mind struggling to process what was happening. The adrenaline from the near-death encounter was still coursing through his veins, confusion and terror filling him.
The man noticed his expression and quickly sobered, extending a hand toward him. "Oh, I'm sorry—where are my manners?" he said with a chuckle. Zero flinched at first, wary, but the man's easygoing demeanor disarmed him. "Hey, it's alright. I don't bite or run on all fours," he joked, a smirk tugging at his lips. Zero hesitated for a moment, then reached out, grasping the man's hand. The stranger pulled him to his feet with surprising gentleness.
"You got a name?" the man asked, his tone genuinely curious. "Zero, it's—Zero," he replied, his voice still shaky. "Zero, huh? Nice to meet you, Zero," the man responded with a nod. "Name's Orion, but you can call me Ozai." He took a drag from his cigarette, the embers glowing softly before he exhaled. A wisp of smoke curled into the air, his eyes twinkling with a mixture of mischief and warmth that made it hard for Zero to decide whether to be relieved or more worried.
"What's a weakling like you doing inside a dungeon by yourself?" Ozai asked, his tone a mix of curiosity and disbelief. "Dungeon?" Zero echoed, confusion clouding his mind. Ozai nodded, gesturing behind him at the smoldering remains of the creature he had just obliterated. "Yeah, this is a dungeon, right? There are Ragnars everywhere."
He pointed at the melted corpse, as if that should explain everything. "It takes at least tier 2 magic to even put a dent in them. Considering how you're so weak that I can't even see your element when I use inspection on you, why are you in here? You got a death wish or something?" Zero's mind raced as he tried to make sense of what Ozai was saying. The idea of this being a so-called dungeon was completely foreign to him. The mention of Ragnars only added to his confusion. He opened his mouth to respond, but Ozai suddenly paused, his gaze shifting around the area.
"Now that I think about it," Ozai muttered, his brow furrowing, "there are buildings everywhere. I've seen dungeons that mimicked human civilization before, but to this extent… This is different. Odd." His voice trailed off as the realization dawned on him that something was seriously off.
"I don't know what's happening..." Zero murmured, his voice trembling with uncertainty. "I woke up this morning, and the whole city was in chaos. Those things were killing innocent people, eating them. I'm trying to find my girlfriend Maeve, but..." His words faltered as a dark realization began to settle in his mind.
"If everything's already destroyed like this, then she's probably..." "Hey, hey, it's alright," Ozai interjected, his tone softer now, almost comforting. "I'll help you find her, alright?" Zero glanced at Ozai, clinging to the reassurance, though doubt still gnawed at him. Ozai's expression shifted as he started piecing things together.
"I'm starting to understand," he said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I was sent to a small town because the locals were complaining about this weird smell coming from the nearby forest. People were saying it might be a rat king—a grotesque monster the size of a bear that reeks like a million bags of shit," he said. "I was tracking the smell in the forest. Maybe ten minutes in, I suddenly ended up here.
I thought I'd accidentally walked into a dungeon. So I tried to leave, but the portal I came through repelled my magical energy instead of attracting it. It's like this place is repulsed by my magic instead of accepting it. Weird, right? So I figured this was just a specialized dungeon. I could leave by beating the dungeon boss, and that's how I ended up finding you."
Ozai folded his arms, shaking his head in disbelief. "I thought you were another Constellation like me, but you're just human. That must be why my inspection doesn't work as well on you..." He trailed off, his eyes narrowing as he tried to puzzle it out. "But even humans have faint magical elements, so why can't I—" Suddenly, Ozai punched himself in the face. The sudden action startled Zero. "Are you okay?" Zero asked, his concern genuine. "Yeah, sorry. I'm just pissed I didn't understand sooner," Ozai muttered, frustration evident in his voice. "But I get it now. I didn't walk into a portal; it was a rift into your world."
He looked at Zero, the pieces finally clicking into place. "That's why introspection doesn't work—you don't have any magic. I doubt you even know what it is." Ozai took a long, deep drag from his cigarette, holding the smoke in his lungs before exhaling slowly through his nose. The smoke curled lazily into the air, a stark contrast to the chaos around them. "Thank the goddess I'm not sober right now," he muttered under his breath.
Then, turning his gaze back to Zero, he said, "C'mon, let's go find your girlfriend. But after that…" His eyes narrowed slightly, a seriousness settling in. "I want you to help me find a way out of this place." Zero hesitated for only a moment before nodding. "A-alright, I'll help you." With that, Ozai started walking, motioning for Zero to follow.
Despite lingering fear and confusion, Zero took a deep breath and followed after him. He guided him in the direction of Maeve's home, hoping that through the chaos and destruction, they would be able to find Maeve before it was too late. As the two walked through the quiet, devastated city, the sun slowly began to set, casting long shadows across the rubble-strewn streets. Both were lost in their own thoughts. Then Zero, his curiosity piqued, noticed the faint red weapon hovering behind Ozai. "What is that?" Zero asked, pointing at the weapon.
"Huh? Oh, this?" Ozai glanced back at the floating rifle, a small smile forming. "This is 4th-degree Armament magic. It's a rare type of magic that very few are born with. I can construct any weapon I see out of thin air just by seeing it once. But the stronger the weapon, the more mana it drains from me." Zero raised an eyebrow, confused. "I don't get it, so you're like a bootleg Green Lantern?" Ozai tilted his head, clearly confused. "Who's that?" "Don't worry about it," Zero said, rubbing the back of his head and laughing nervously. Ozai shrugged, swaying the rifle through the air until it hovered in front of him.
He reached out, grasping it with both hands. "I found this inside an empty house, and copying it took a large amount of mana," he explained. "That's a, uh, a rifle," Zero said, trying to keep his voice steady. "It shoots bullets made of metal, normally—not, uh, large laser beams." He gestured back to where the Ragnar had been obliterated earlier. Ozai's eyes lit up with interest as he inspected the weapon more closely. "Oh, so it uses metal magic. Interesting." "Uh, sure," Zero replied, not entirely sure how to explain firearms to someone who seemed to live in a world of pure magic. "But yeah," Ozai continued.
"My magic is to the 4th degree or 4th tier, meaning that my magic is exceptionally strong compared to lower tiers." His tone carried a note of pride. "Shooting lasers is just the tip of the iceberg with what I can do," Ozai bragged, his voice full of confidence. Suddenly, a sharp clicking noise cut through the air, and the two of them froze, scanning their surroundings. Tension built as a low, rumbling growl echoed from behind. Ozai turned to Zero.
A large smirk spread across his face. "Watch this," he said calmly. His rifle swiveled on its own to face the direction of the growl. In an instant, a large red shield materialized out of thin air, appearing behind them just as an enraged Ragnar lunged. The shield blocked the creature's attack, sending it crashing back with a snarl. "Holy shit!" Zero shouted, his eyes wide with shock. Ozai, still smirking, took the cigarette out of his mouth and casually tossed it to the ground, crushing it under his boot. With a push, the shield forced the creature back further, creating some distance between them before dissipating into dust.
"That's a nice knife you have there," he said, nodding toward the butcher knife in Zero's hand. "Want another?" Without waiting for an answer, Ozai constructed another butcher knife out of thin air. This one glowed red. He placed it into Zero's hand. Before Zero could react, more Ragnars emerged from the smoke—five in total—surrounding them.
"It's an ambush..." Zero said, his voice trembling as he took a step back, fear gripping him. Ozai stepped in front of Zero, his confidence unshaken. "Don't worry. You can fight the smaller one over there," he said, pointing to the right. A smaller, weaker Ragnar stood there, its appearance almost resembling a newborn. "I'll take on the other four," Ozai added. With a flourish, he constructed a great sword and shield, readying himself for battle, his rifle remaining trained on the other Ragnars. "Wait, but—" Zero began to protest, but Ozai cut him off with a shout of excitement.
"Too late! On your marks, get set, GO!" Ozai exclaimed as he charged forward with a wild grin. The Ragnars shrieked in response, preparing to clash with the two.