I'm Not an Earthworm, I'm an Earth Dragon

Akash, who stood up casually as if it were nothing, stretched his body into a sideways L shape. He looked so natural that I almost let it slide.

Why is this bastard here? Wasn’t he supposed to have brazenly entered the labyrinth first and collapsed from hunger somewhere, lost?

My doubts were short-lived as Akash muttered something displeased while looking at the wall I had broken through.

“Geez. This labyrinth was meant to be explored with wisdom, not brute force. Respect the designers’ intentions. Well, I guess it’s partly their fault for not anticipating something like this.”

“…Akash? Is that really you? No, real or not, why are you here?”

“Why? Can’t I be here? And of course, it’s really me. I’m the one who rightfully inherited the name that those street trash could never dare to claim.”

Akash spoke with a confident attitude, leaving Myungho and Yuna dumbfounded.

“Wait, wait a minute. Myungho, get back. How do you know if that’s real or not! Even if it is Akash, there’s no way he could have gotten through that labyrinth alone and waited here. It’s probably a fake that saw through our minds and disguised itself convincingly!”

Yuna, with a determined look, suddenly drew her bow and aimed it at Akash. Myungho seemed convinced, though he didn’t understand what she was saying, and stood still. Akash looked troubled.

“Haha, I’ve been found out. Ah, I thought it was perfect~ Oh well. Ugh, grr. Uuu…”

Akash suddenly covered his mouth with both hands and started trembling. What is this? Was Yuna right after all?

I didn’t even know what she was thinking in the first place. From the way she aimed her weapon, I guessed she suspected it was a monster that copied his appearance.

Since I didn’t know what to do, I raised my greatsword high, ready to cut it in half at any moment.

Akash, who had been convulsing as if something were about to burst out, suddenly flipped the bird with his right hand and got serious.

“I don’t have the patience to explain things again to a fool. If you still don’t believe me, then shoot.”

“…Yuna, put down the bow. That’s definitely Akash. There’s no way anyone who can get on my nerves like that isn’t Akash.”

“That’s true. Sigh, how did you get here, Akash? Did you already know the structure… or something?”

When Myungho was 100% sure it was Akash, I lowered my sword. Honestly, I could believe that this wizard might have found some unknown way to wait for us here.

He was the one who unleashed that blizzard on the slime and skillfully navigated the mold palace. He must have done some crazy thing using a method only he knew.

“No. I just know a bit about how dwarves play with dimensions. Don’t ask. I don’t know everything either. Maybe the original old man would know, but I inherited his senile memories, so there are holes here and there.”

“…So, you manipulated a dimensional gate to get here in advance? How… when you can’t even use magic…”

“Well, it’s not magic. I don’t intend to explain, and even if I did, you wouldn’t understand, so let’s just drop it. Call the worm because I want to take this doll and get out of here. It doesn’t seem to wake up with my blood.”

As soon as the hard work was over, it became eerily quiet. I spent my time carving a small stone into a cute snail shape, when Myungho suddenly called me.

Oh, were they finally going to break that container and take out what was inside? I turned my shoulders and asked if it was finally my turn, but I got an unexpected answer.

“Akash says you need to put your hand on that. So let’s put that down for now. It would be nice if we could solve everything with force, but we can’t risk breaking what’s inside.”

So it’s blood, not strength. It wasn’t strange since the key required blood to begin with…

Was it okay to use such valuable blood like this? I felt like I should be charging money per drop at this point.

Since it was Myungho’s request, I obediently placed my scaled palm on the cylinder.

Then, my hand suddenly slipped into the cylinder, and a needle, which appeared from nowhere, pierced my hand.

“Argh… What is this? Why won’t it come out!”

Startled by the sudden event, I tried to pull my hand out, twisting it with all my might, but the cylinder wouldn’t budge.

I quickly wrapped my other hand in magic and scales and struck it hard, but it only shook slightly without a scratch. Myungho called Yuna to help pull me, but it was no use.

What is this, why is it so hard…!

I tried to break the cylinder by twisting the floor or ceiling, but it was impossible. I couldn’t even infuse it with magic.

Could it be that it’s not made of stone?

Whatever was happening outside, the inside of the cylinder remained silent. The needle that pierced my hand withdrew, letting my blood flow into the container. After taking some of my blood, the cylinder finally released my arm.

Myungho and Yuna, who were still pulling me, fell backward. Yuna was pulling from the other side, so she was fine, but Myungho, who was pulling right behind me, was crushed beneath me.

“…Ouch. Oh, it’s out! Altera! Are you okay?! Did something strange get injected into you…!”

Even while being crushed, Myungho worried about me more than himself. Who’s worrying about whom? Fortunately, he seemed uninjured, judging by his playful tone.

Still, I quickly got off him, worried that I might be heavy.

“No, nothing like that. I think it just wanted to take my blood… Oh, wait. Where did the blood go?”

The inside of the cylinder, which had been slightly reddened by my blood, was now clear again as if nothing had happened. Huh. Where did my blood go?

Blood doesn’t evaporate just because it’s separated from the body, unlike scales. But I could soon guess where it had gone.

The girl inside the cylinder was wriggling. First her fingers, then her wrist, and elbows moved as if she were waking up from a long sleep.

Then, I met her suddenly opened eyes. Her deep blue eyes, matching her long, light purple hair, stared straight at me.

Soon, the water in the cylinder slowly drained, and the girl lightly landed on the floor. How could her clothes be completely dry even though she was in the water?

Everything was a mystery. She suddenly woke up after sucking my blood, and her clothes were dry despite being in the water.

No one dared to approach the girl until the cylinder disappeared into the ceiling. Even Yuna was tense, with her bow drawn, and Akash just watched with an indifferent expression.

And the girl sang.

– – – –

It was definitely a song. An eerie yet beautiful song I had never heard before. But it was also words.

The girl was confused and asked where she was. Where was her master, and why was she surrounded by strange races?

I was wondering where to start answering when Akash poked me in the side and said something.

“Well, it’s just like them to have such a hobby. Hey, speak for me. Tell her that her master is gone, so she must bear the duty of procreation.”

Aside from how Akash understood the girl’s song, what was this duty of procreation?

“Procreation?? You said it was a doll. What is a doll supposed to give birth to?”

Honestly, I couldn’t tell if it was a doll or a human; it looked so alive, but that was just its appearance.

Since Akash said it was a doll, I assumed it was just an unusually lifelike doll. But from what Akash was saying, it sounded like it could give birth to something.

“I can’t sing, so let me borrow your ability.”

Akash’s words were so uncomfortable that I ignored him and introduced myself. But the girl just repeated the same questions like a machine.

Where did her master go, why were there strange races here? Oh, and how did I know her master’s language?

“I told you, didn’t I? That thing is incredibly stubborn. Its use is extremely limited. Don’t expect too much.”

Sigh. Since Akash seemed to know something, I half-heartedly relayed his words.

The doll seemed shocked, sank to the ground, and covered her face. Then she stood up and asked again.

Who are you?

“The omnipotent one who lost his wings. That should be enough for you to understand, and I will serve you as your master. You’re a monster that consumes so much magic that you need to offer dragon’s blood regularly… You. You always sang that you wanted a healer, right? That can fulfill your desire. And other desires too.”

Akash said what he wanted and leisurely walked out of the cave.

He was so unhelpful when it mattered most and only said what he wanted. But it was true that I needed a healer, and it was also true that this girl was what we came all this way to find. So I obediently told the girl my name was ‘the omnipotent one who lost his wings’.

What other desires? That twisted Akash, always saying strange things and poking at sore spots.

The girl then grabbed her skirt, elegantly bowed, and answered… sang that she would serve me as her master.

Both Yuna and Altera looked at me as if I were some strange object.

Hmm.

…Was this girl really worth all that trouble?

“…Ahem. W-well, I’ll explain later, so let’s follow Akash for now! At this rate, that guy might just leave on his own!”

Trying to change the awkward atmosphere and create a sense of urgency, I quickly ran out of the cave. But Akash was already waiting with a dimensional gate open.

…Seriously, nothing ever goes my way.

“What. Did you think I’d run away alone? I’m not that much of a scumbag. And… I still need you guys.”

“What are you doing, Myungho? Trying to scare us for no reason. No, this is entirely Akash’s fault… Yes. Let’s just blame Akash.”

Let’s go with that. I mentally agreed and stepped through the dimensional gate.

After passing through a space that looked like the universe for a moment, we came outside, where numerous monsters, two members of the demon race, and the Sword Witch were facing off.

This is crazy.