Chapter 269: First Encounter with the Labyrinth’s Strongest Guardian!

After months of battling through the moving labyrinth, Wood and his group finally reached its end.

Standing in their way was the final boss of the labyrinth: the strongest guardian, known as the Nine-Headed Dragon.

In the massive chamber ahead, a gigantic creature far larger than the Demon Wolf King stood tall, its nine heads towering over the room. Behind it floated a massive magic crystal.

Their goal was clear: defeat the Nine-Headed Dragon and destroy the crystal to escape this labyrinth.

The plan seemed straightforward, but the task itself was far from simple.

Until now, Wood had only heard rumors about the Nine-Headed Dragon from the Demon Wolf King, but seeing it in person, he realized just how dangerous it truly was.

To put it bluntly, this creature was the strongest being Wood had encountered since arriving in this world.

Even though the dragon hadn't moved, just standing there, it radiated an aura of invincibility.

Norn and Aisha, who had matured somewhat over the past few months and had grown accustomed to fighting monsters, couldn't help but tremble. Slowly, they moved behind their brother for protection.

The sheer presence of the creature overwhelmed them, and only their strongest protector, Wood, could give them the sense of safety they needed.

"This is the first time I've seen a monster like this..." Zenith muttered, her voice shaking as she gazed at the massive creature.

Even Zenith, who had once been a member of the S-ranked adventuring party Fang of the Black Wolf, couldn't hide her fear.

Throughout her years of adventuring, their party had slain many powerful monsters.

But this Nine-Headed Dragon was on a completely different level. Zenith was certain it was the most powerful creature she had ever encountered.

Even if the Fang of the Black Wolf had been at full strength—back when Ghislaine was still part of the group—they still might not have been able to defeat this monster.

"Wood, we need to rethink this plan. There's no way we can win against this thing right now!" Zenith said, her voice full of concern.

It wasn't that she lacked courage—she just knew that with their current resources, challenging this monster was as good as suicide.

From her experience as an adventurer, she knew that taking on a monster of this caliber required at least two fully equipped S-rank adventurer parties, along with plenty of supplies.

Right now, their only real fighters were Wood, the Demon Wolf King, and Zenith herself.

Zenith was more of a support member, and relying solely on Wood and the Demon Wolf King to defeat the Nine-Headed Dragon seemed like a reckless gamble.

The labyrinth still had unexplored areas, and they could gather more supplies and equipment before returning to challenge the dragon again.

"While we have enough supplies for now, we can't stay trapped here forever. I'm really worried about the rest of the family, so the sooner we get out of here, the better," Wood replied.

"And if we want to leave, this monster is a wall we'll have to face eventually. Even if we can't defeat it, we can still try to fight it and gather some battle data for next time."

Wood wasn't ready to accept Zenith's suggestion to retreat. They had been stuck in the labyrinth for months, and he was growing increasingly worried about his family's safety. He wanted to leave this place as soon as possible.

The Nine-Headed Dragon was dangerous, no doubt, but Wood didn't believe it was unbeatable.

Even when facing a boss, gathering information through an initial encounter was essential. If they couldn't win this time, they could use what they learned to have a better chance next time.

In the end, Wood decided not to let Zenith or the Demon Wolf King fight. He planned to test the dragon's strength alone.

The Demon Wolf King, carrying Zenith, Norn, and Aisha on its back, would be ready to retreat at a moment's notice. If things went south, they would flee as fast as possible.

Wood trusted his own ability to escape. Even if he couldn't win, he was confident he could get away on his own.

It took some convincing, but after revealing his true strength as a Sword King, Wood managed to get Zenith's reluctant approval.

With a firm grip on the sword he'd taken from the Dark Knight earlier in the labyrinth, Wood used a wind spell to propel himself forward at high speed, appearing right in front of the Nine-Headed Dragon in an instant.

Almost as soon as he set foot in the dragon's domain, its nine pairs of blood-red eyes snapped open.

"ROOOOAAARRR!"

The nine heads roared in unison, shaking the chamber with thunderous fury. The deafening sound waves echoed through the room, forming rings of pressure that rippled outward.

The remaining red wolves following the Demon Wolf King collapsed to the ground, their legs giving out under the sheer force of the dragon's roar.

This was the absolute pressure of a top-tier predator. In the face of the Nine-Headed Dragon, ordinary monsters wouldn't even have the courage to fight.

Zenith immediately covered Norn and Aisha's ears to protect their fragile minds from the overwhelming mental pressure. Her eyes, however, remained fixed on the small figure standing in the chamber—their hope, Wood.

With the wind-enhanced speed from his spell, Wood had gotten much closer to the dragon than the others, and he felt the full brunt of the beast's roar.

But with his powerful body and the mental fortitude of a King-level Mage, he resisted the dragon's roar and shook off the effects of the disorienting pressure.

Swinging his sword, Wood unleashed a silver arc of energy through the air, aiming directly at the dragon's central head. After all, most living creatures were weakest at their heads or hearts.

Since it was called a "dragon," its body was naturally covered in metallic-looking dragon scales. Wood had initially worried that his attacks wouldn't deal enough damage. So, he poured all his strength into this strike, using swordsmanship at the level of a Sword Saint.

But what Wood didn't expect was that the Nine-Headed Dragon... wasn't nearly as tough as he'd thought. Its scales, which looked incredibly strong, turned out to be nothing more than a facade...

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P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 380+ at p@treon.com/Betek and change @ to a