Regressing as the Reincarnated Bastard of the Sword Clan

Chapter 97: Flash Demon (2)

“Receive recognition from the artifact to level up? Is a dungeon going to open?”

Theo already had experience opening a dungeon, so he understood better than anyone the convenience of it.

There weren’t many places where you could gain both practical combat experience and experience points at the same time.

‘The key I used when I opened the Lesser Drake’s dungeon is still in my inventory.’

If not, he might get sucked into the unconscious world, just like when he first touched the Moon-White Sword.

Theo opened his inventory wide.

[Accessing inventory.]

Among the items, he pulled out a copper ring and slipped it onto the index finger of his left hand.

The ring fit as though it had always belonged to him.

Click!

At that moment, a sound like machinery interlocking was heard.

[Equipped the ‘Artifact of the Primordial Dragon: Ring of the Desert.’]

[Moving to the second dungeon.]

Theo felt his mind being pulled somewhere.

Fwaaah!

When he opened his eyes again, the scene that appeared was a barren desert.

The sunlight was so scorching that it felt like it might slice through his skin.

The sand underfoot swallowed his steps with each movement.

The heat was suffocating, making it difficult to breathe.

It was an environment completely opposite to Winterer, where Theo usually resided.

“Of all places to be dragged to… why here?”

In all his lives, it was his first time being in a desert, and he was at a loss for how to cope with it.

[You have entered the scorching desert. Survive here for 72 hours.]

[72:00:00]

But the countdown had already begun.

[71:59:59]

[71:59:58]

.

.

“…This won’t work. I need to find a place to set up a base camp first.”

In every quest or mission Theo had faced so far, whether real or illusory, failure always carried the penalty of actual ‘death.’

So, it would likely be the same here.

Even if it wasn’t, Theo had no desire to recklessly use up his chances of regression.

‘From the second regression onward, neither Father nor the Black Dragon will expect anything of me like they do now.’

Considering their hatred for regressors, it wasn’t an unreasonable thought.

Moreover, both of them possessed special abilities to deal with regressors.

What if they used those on Theo?

Everything would be over.

“So, I need to start moving.”

With that thought in mind, Theo slowly began to walk.

His feet sank deeply into the sand, and it felt as though unnecessary energy was being drained with every step.

As soon as he started feeling thirsty, Theo bought water from the shop window and drank it several times.

How far had he walked when…

Rumble, rumble…

‘What’s this?’

Theo stopped in his tracks, sensing the desert trembling slightly.

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At first, he thought he was imagining it, weary from the heat, but the tremor grew steadily stronger.

Something enormous… was approaching this place.

At that moment, Theo noticed that the sand within a radius of several meters around him was forming a whirlpool, spiraling downward into the ground.

The area expanded rapidly, growing from a few meters to over ten meters in an instant, and the shaking intensified.

The situation unfolded so quickly that Theo had no way to escape.

It felt like being sucked into a pit. The sand surged downward like a collapsing mass.

Looking down, he saw it.

A massive, gaping void, more than ten meters wide, was opening its jaws.

Rows upon rows of razor-sharp teeth, and beyond the void, a crimson tongue was visible.

‘Desert Worm!’

The desert’s ruler, a creature far larger and more imposing than a sandworm, had appeared.

Just like drakes, griffins, and wyverns, it was considered a lower dragon species.

Survive for 72 hours.

It seemed that the mission was, in fact, about surviving this Desert Worm.

‘This is insane…!’

Even Evelyn or Kleve, high-level swordsmen, would struggle to take it down alone.

As the worm’s jaws were about to close, Theo quickly used his telekinesis to maneuver the Death Beat swords.

Shwick! Shwick! Shick! Shwick!

He stepped rapidly on the four Death Beats, which created an invisible stairway, propelling him high into the air.

Clack!

The Desert Worm’s jaws snapped shut ferociously, just a fraction of a second too late.

Its jagged teeth and deadly, acidic saliva splattered everywhere.

Graaaaah!

The Desert Worm, displeased that its prey had escaped, shot its massive body out of the ground and chased after Theo with incredible speed.

“Damn it.”

Theo cursed under his breath, stepping faster on the Death Beats.

But the Desert Worm moved much faster, closing the distance until it was nearly biting at his ankles.

‘If only I could summon Umbra… but I haven’t been able to since earlier…!’

Realizing he was about to be caught, Theo swung the Drake’s Blade down fiercely.

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!

He poured all the magical energy from the Dragon’s Heart and his lower core into the blade, unleashing a scorching whirlwind outward.

With a burst of white steam, brilliant yellow lightning struck the Desert Worm’s face.

Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!

Kaaargh!

Although large and small wounds appeared on the Desert Worm’s tough hide, it wasn’t enough to stop its movements.

In fact, the attack only seemed to fuel its anger, making it pursue Theo even more ferociously.

But Theo couldn’t give up just because of that.

He gritted his teeth and swung the Drake’s Blade even faster, scattering beams of light.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Each time his heart pounded, faint waves appeared in the air.

“”

Bam! Bam! Bam!

In an instant, the light beams tore into the Desert Worm’s face, creating thick clouds of white smoke all around.

Keaaak!

The Desert Worm thrashed in pain, shaking the desert violently.

Just as it was about to charge at Theo again, now covered in blood—

Theo had already vanished, disappearing completely into the cloud of white smoke.

Kaaaargh!

The Desert Worm’s enraged roar reverberated through the area as it thrashed about in frustration.

‘As I thought… As long as I stay still, it can’t find me.’

Theo was hiding in a pile of rocks not far from the Desert Worm, observing it carefully.

‘It’s been tracking me through my footsteps… No, it’s been sensing the vibrations of my movements to locate me.’

From what Theo knew, worms, especially the ones that lived underground, had extremely poor eyesight.

Their hearing wasn’t much better, so he had been wondering how they could pinpoint his location. Then, it struck him:

– Could it have an organ that detects vibrations separately from its other senses?

The sound of footsteps and the rustling of sand in the wind have different rhythms.

If the Desert Worm could distinguish that foreign rhythm…

Even if it couldn’t pinpoint his exact location, it could just swallow the entire area, sand and all, making it incredibly efficient.

And, of course, the Desert Worm had the mouth size to pull it off.

So, with nothing to lose, Theo had tried to confuse its senses as much as possible and hide—and his prediction had been exactly right.

‘The problem is I can’t stay hidden here forever…!’

Theo stared down at the ground with a grim expression.

Thump… Thump… Thump…

In various spots across the sand, large and small concentric circles were forming.

‘It’s not just this one. There are more Desert Worms. At least a dozen.’

Sensing the vibrations, the other Desert Worms scattered across the desert were quickly converging on his location.

Like sharks that had caught the scent of blood!

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

The tremors grew more intense.

[69:44:38_66]

Theo had to figure out how to escape the impending chaos, with a dozen Desert Worms about to entangle in a hellish frenzy.

Once they converged, escaping would be nearly impossible.

Then, suddenly, a thought crossed his mind.

– What happens if I activate another artifact mission without clearing the current one?

In one corner of his retina, as if reading his thoughts, the inventory opened wide.

“Let’s give it a try.”

Instinctively, Theo reached for the inventory.

He pulled out a butterfly-shaped earring and swiftly attached it to his left ear.

Click.

The prick of the needle piercing his earlobe stung sharply.

Then—

[Equipped the ‘Artifact of the Primordial Dragon: Butterfly of the Ice Flower.’]

[Moving to the third dungeon.]

Theo’s vision wavered.

However—

[You are currently progressing through the second dungeon mission, so the third dungeon mission cannot be initiated.]

[The two missions are in conflict.]

[The two artifacts of the Primordial Dragon are competing for priority.]

Wuuung! Wuuung!

Bzzt, bzzt!

The ring and earring began to shake violently, as if they were asserting their dominance over each other.

They had begun to clash.

Crack! Craaack!

At the same time, cracks appeared across the once-clear blue sky, spreading rapidly.

[The dungeon has entered a state of chaos due to the mission conflict.]

[Durability is decreasing rapidly.]

“Just as I thought!”

Theo’s lips curled into a smile.

The artifacts he had encountered thus far all housed guardians that protected them and, with their arrogance, never granted ownership without their approval.

But flipping that around meant one thing: the pride between artifacts was just as strong.

If two missions were activated simultaneously, it was easy to predict that neither would back down or concede.

[The two dungeons are repeatedly clashing, attempting to invade each other.]

[The dungeons are merging.]

[The presence of the third dungeon is manifesting.]

Through the cracks in the broken sky, cold air began to seep in, completely out of place in the desert setting.

Fwoooosh—

The cold air filled the sky in an instant, cooling the desert’s heat at a rapid pace. As mist and clouds swirled together, a storm began to brew.

Boom! Boom!

Rumble!

Then, piercing through the vapor and emerging from the clouds, appeared a massive creature—one shaped like a butterfly, but clearly a lower dragon.

A Fairy Dragon, known for controlling the weather and bringing benefits to humanity, had appeared.

Kiyaaak! Kiyaaak!

At that moment, the dozen or so Desert Worms that had emerged from the desert floor all turned their vicious jaws towards their new adversary.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

In response, the Fairy Dragon showered them with icy hailstones, igniting a fresh battle.

—

[You have entered the Ice Mountain covered in eternal snow. Survive for 72 hours against the Fairy Dragon.]

[72:00:00]

Beyond the desert, an icy mountain flickered in and out of existence like a mirage.

Whenever the mountain appeared, the wind, rain, and hail pouring from the sky intensified. When it disappeared, the Desert Worms became even more savage, as if they were about to tear the Fairy Dragon apart.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

As the lower dragon species, known for their formidable strength, clashed violently, the dungeon was turned into a chaotic battlefield in an instant.

It seemed that the monsters had lost all interest in Theo.

Or perhaps they were waiting to test him after they claimed victory.

“Either way, both artifacts are exhausting their strength, which works to my advantage…”

Here, Theo faced a crossroads.

Should he escape now?

Should he wait to take advantage of the situation?

Or—

– What if I take them both down once they’re weakened?

Given that both missions were focused on ‘surviving’ rather than ‘hunting,’ it suggested that hunting them was originally supposed to be impossible. But in the current circumstances, it seemed possible.

‘If they were real creatures, I could even try taming them with [Wyvern Taming]. That’s the real pity here.’

As his eyes sank deep in thought, something caught Theo’s attention.

Bzzzt! Bzzzt!

His waist began to tremble violently.

The Moon-White Sword.

No, to be precise, the griffin contained within it.

It was calling out to him.

Demanding to be unleashed.

Just as Theo had once snapped its neck, it now wanted to break the necks of these creatures too.

It was a matter of pride.

It wanted to prove that it was far superior to the Desert Worms and the Fairy Dragon.

‘Fine. Do as you wish.’

A faint smile tugged at Theo’s lips as he reached for the Moon-White Sword.

Bzzzzzzzzing—

As if it had been eagerly waiting, the Moon-White Sword trembled violently, scattering pale moonlight in all directions.