Every small piece of the body of the giant wild spider fell to the floor, getting dirty with mud and red soil. The dark sticky substance reacted to the organic matter that had come into contact with it: the black mud particles clung to the pieces of the spider's body, showing once again their intrinsic will.

It was as if that unknown slimy matter tried in vain to fix the damaged tissues, mixing with greenish blood and residues of the violet venom. ​​

The long legs of the Dokumotsu were the first things to fall, lifting the mud and causing it to splash in all directions. In particular, a tarantula paw fell right next to Yoichi's two companions.

Enatsu and Shioko watched the scene helplessly, not wanting to interrupt that magical moment of victory. Yoichi's scaled arm was still stretched forward, engulfed in dragon flames.

Compared to the last time he used the so-called 'Scorching Breath' skill, the energy released in his last attack was much more significant and more constant. By leveling up and increasing his combative stats, Kenji had been able to improve that skill.

After completing just over half of the dungeon, the little dragon had significantly improved its attack and movement speed, managing to share its true draconic power with its tamer and allowing him to defeat a seemingly immortal demon with a single blow.

Gradually, the red flames burning under the scales of Yoichi's arms were consumed, progressively decreasing their intensity. Finally, Nobu began to fly again, pointing its bright tail towards the side of the room lit by the young tamer's flames.

Kenji looked up at the butterfly demon. As soon as it realized that the fight was over, the little black dragon deactivated its ability. The flame at the tip of its tail halved its height, and the fiery strip behind its back suddenly disappeared.

Enatsu focused on that scene, trying to figure out what Kenji's immense power might come from. The merchant wasn't stupid, but Yoichi's Oracle was too Nekage-like to be anything else according to his demonologic knowledge.

However, the questions in his head remained the same: how did Kenji strengthen Yoichi's arms up to that point? How much energy does it need? Why is its fire the only thing capable of killing demons shrouded in that strange dark slush?

The battle against the Dokumotsu was over, and the three tamers were the winners, but Shioko seemed puzzled, too. The archer was a tamer from an early age and had concentrated all her energies on combat due to her aggressive and introverted attitude. She got out her anger that way, learning from other tamers and gaining more and more experience from her travels.

Despite knowing Tentochu like the back of her hand and knowing the skills of hundreds of demons by heart, Shioko had never seen a Nekage with such power.

After the draconic fire, the black scales also disappeared from Yoichi's arms. The sudden blaze had burned another small piece of the sleeves of his leather jacket, uncovering his arms a little more.

When Yoichi returned with his back straight, the muscles in his arms also relaxed, and they stretched along his body. However, the forearm tendons took a few moments longer than usual to soften, transmitting the energy of the blow from the upper part of the shoulder to the fist.

Like the electrical cables of a circuit, Yoichi tendons did not have infinite capacity, and the amount of draconic power that could pass through them in a unit of time was limited.

In addition to the feeling of power, Yoichi also felt the need to train his own body, strengthening the muscles of his legs and arms. In that way, he could have exploited that power more and more and would prevail over all the other mid-level tamers.

"Br... brother?" Enatsu stammered. Slowly, Yoichi's head turned towards him like that of an owl at night. "Are you... are you okay?" the merchant asked. Enatsu stepped forward, extending his arm towards his friend.

Yoichi folded and stretched out his arms like a bodybuilder soon after the gym. His gaze, before crossing with his friend's, crossed Shioko's.

He inwardly knew that Enatsu would avoid asking him too many questions, but Shioko would demand precise answers. How could he keep from confessing the truth about Kenji's true identity? If Shioko had known, what she would have said to their guild master?

"I'm fine, Enatsu. I'm just a little upset. I need more training," Yoichi spoke, trying to hide his thoughts. As he spoke, the last fragments of the Dokumotsu's body disintegrated, wafting out sharp flatulence.

"When I was about to tame the Dokumotsu, the biggest of them hit me from behind. Then, the moment before it arrived, I heard a slight noise in the air. It was like a sigh," Yoichi reported, breaking the silence. "Don't ask me how or why, but... I felt strong suffering from the demon that I killed in cold blood", he added.

Shioko grew speechless, imagining that those words were aimed at talking about something else. "Suffering? It didn't look so suffering when it tried to melt us with its acid venom," Enatsu mumbled, disagreeing with that claim.

"Of course, I'm not talking about that, brother. Don't say nonsense, I'm serious. I mean that demon wasn't being itself after the resurrection," Yoichi stated with conviction. "The negative aura that surrounded it appeared the moment the black mud possessed its body. When it was in the corner with the other two Dokumotsus, it looked like a standard demon defending its brothers," he explained.

"Do you think that sticky sludge imposed its own will on the Dokumotsu? How the hell does it make that spider immortal? Shioko's arrows hit him repeatedly, but all the wounds instantly healed. The same arrows had killed the other Dokumotsu just before, so..."

"So now we can be sure that the immortality of 'anomalous' demons comes exclusively from the black mud. When we get to the boss's room, we'll finally be able to discover the true nature of that strange substance and..."