[The Glutton] – The Prophet's Part (19)

Drake shot forward like an arrow straight at the monster. However, the monster was no less formidable—it roared before suddenly leaping into the air, its tentacles hardening into what looked like countless sharp swords, all lunging straight at Drake!

"Boom!"

A thunderous explosion erupted. The impact between Drake and the monster created a shockwave so powerful that everything within a five-meter radius was blown away, completely swept clean. The residual force extended outward, stirring up a violent storm.

Ron shielded everyone, his wind forming a sturdy barrier. However, his face was growing increasingly pale, his lips drained of all color.

"We should move farther back…" Fiona muttered.

Just then, Jessica's voice suddenly rang out. "Prophet, are you not going to save Drake? If he keeps going like this, he'll turn into a monster and be buried along with the dungeon." Before he died, if he lost his sanity, he might take all of them down with him.

[What the hell? Even at a time like this, Jessica is saying something like that. Does she really think the Prophet is some all-powerful god? Did she ignore the system's warning?]

[Am I the only one who thinks Jessica knows something? After all, she's a follower of the angel Lucifer—there's no way she's actually this naive and stupid.]

[Hahaha! I think the Prophet is just completely useless beyond saving. Watching his believer die right in front of him—what an absolute disgrace for a god! And yet, he can't do anything! Hahaha!]

Ron and Fiona exchanged worried glances at Jessica. Fiona scoffed, "What's wrong with you? Are you trying to force the Prophet to sacrifice himself? We got this far, thanks to him!"

Fiona wasn't the smartest, and she only had combat abilities, but at least she had some common sense. On the other hand, Jessica always seemed bright, so why did she keep saying such dumb things?

Ron couldn't help but add, "Instead of saying nonsense at a time like this, how about you come over here and help me?"

Jessica mumbled, "No… you don't understand…"

"Oh? And what exactly do you understand? Just stay away from the Prophet!"

Fiona snapped as she shoved Jessica aside. She glanced toward the Prophet, only to see that he was still standing motionless, his gaze fixed on the battle between Drake and the monster. His face was completely unreadable beneath the cloth that covered his eyes.

Fiona had often wondered just how unlucky their Captain had to be to summon the weakest god—a god who needed his own believers to protect him. But her thoughts had changed ever since receiving a sword from the Prophet. Perhaps they would have died in the labyrinth without the Prophet. Or possibly they would have perished on the very first night without him. Maybe they would be trapped here forever, unable to find any clues.

The Prophet had helped them. They had no right to resent him.

Silvanus watched Fiona's unwavering back, his deep eyes unreadable.

At that moment, the battle between Drake and the monster climaxed!

Drake swung his sword down, slicing through the monster's tentacles. Black flames poured down the blade, licking at the wounds and preventing them from regenerating as quickly as before.

The monster shrieked in agony. At the same time, the grotesque, multi-layered maw in the middle of its chest suddenly extended outward like a massive carnivorous flower, lunging at Drake. More tentacles sprouted at an alarming rate.

Drake dodged and slashed through them one after another, but their numbers only increased. Until—

They caught him!

They had finally managed to hinder his movements, even if only for a brief moment.

The monster let out a triumphant roar. In its chest, a massive orb of dark energy began to form, swirling like a growing black hole. It was pouring all of its power into one final, devastating attack meant to finish Drake off!

"Captain!"

From below, Ron and Fiona shouted in unison at the sight before them.

"Boom!"

A deafening explosion rang out. The crimson sky was engulfed by a murky, foul-smelling purple-black mist, obscuring everything above.

[Drake won't die, he can't die—please!!!]

[The moment of heroism has to come…]

"Flap! Flap! Flap!"

Suddenly, the powerful sound of wings beating resounded. In the blink of an eye, the dark mist in the sky was utterly blown away, revealing Drake's figure again before everyone's eyes!

Even the monster seemed stunned by this turn of events. Its grotesque maw, set in the middle of its torso, opened wide in a long, furious screech. Its many glaring eyes widened in pure rage.

A massive surge of energy began gathering in its chest again, but this time, the process was significantly slower.

At the same time, Drake had undergone a complete transformation. Two large horns had sprouted from his head, a massive dragon tail extended from his tailbone, and enormous wings had fused into his back, forcing his spine to arch under a layer of thick, gleaming scales.

To withstand the monster's previous attack, he had pushed himself closer to becoming a monster. But now, he was ready for a finishing blow.

The black flames on his sword roared more fiercely than ever as though they could consume the entire sky, radiating an unbearable heat. His still-human hands were charred, the searing pain beyond description.

His eyes were now filled with ferocity and rage.

He wanted to destroy everything. Everything!

But just before he could, his gaze flickered to the ground, where his teammates stood.

Fiona had already broken into uncontrollable sobs. Ron's lips were pressed into a tight line, his eyes filled with anguish and unwillingness.

Prophet… Where was the Prophet?!

Amidst his overwhelming fury, Drake's mind suddenly cleared for a split second. But then—his rage surged back tenfold.

The wind had probably blown away that useless god, right?! Or he got crushed under some debris. Or perhaps he had fled this dungeon when he realized he was utterly powerless?

He didn't even have the decency to stay and witness the death of his believer?!

How could such an utterly worthless god exist?!

How unbelievably unlucky did one have to be to summon a god like that?!

Drake let out a furious roar, completely forgetting that he had been the one to summon the Prophet in the first place.

Below, his sudden outburst left his teammates bewildered.

Fiona wiped her tears furiously. "The Captain must still be mad at me for failing last week's graduation exam. I'm sorry, Captain! Huhuhu… I never thought that even at the end, he'd still remember something like that! Huhuhu…"

Ron choked back tears. "If I had another chance, I'd never skip the Captain's strength assessment again! Captain! Huhuhu…"

"Maybe he's mad about the time you praised Silas behind his back…"

"You're right! Captain, I'm sorry! Huhuhu… But why don't you think he's mad because he found out you called Cocona 'cool' for scolding him? I wish I had told him sooner! Huhuhu…"

"Captain, I'm sorry! Huhuhu…"

Jessica stood to the side, speechless.

"…"

These idiots… They hadn't even realized that the Prophet had disappeared!

But surely—surely—he would reappear any moment now and make them eat their words!

Jessica's unwavering faith in the Prophet made her unafraid, even in this dire situation. They'd probably laugh their heads off if the others knew how much she believed in him.

[Oh my god, why do I feel like Drake's rage is directed at the Prophet? Hahaha!]

[Of course, it is! A god disappearing when his believer is in danger? If I were Drake, I'd be pissed too!]

[But why are Ron and Fiona's tearful confessions so funny? Even though they do seem devastated…]

[The Prophet's sheer uselessness is stealing all the attention! He even ran away from the dungeon—maybe he was so embarrassed that he couldn't face humanity anymore…]

[I think he's shameless and completely unfeeling. He should've disappeared from our sight a long time ago!]

[Is anyone else starting to think that the Prophet isn't a god? Because let's be honest, no real god could be this useless…]