Sometimes, I feel like kicking myself.

Why didn't I think of this earlier?

I didn't need to fight the skeleton at all.

Before I returned to illusion magic to relearn it, I could create only brief things with phantom element.

Like cuts and slashes.

But the moment I managed to create an object with it, it was my win.

I just didn't realize it.

The skeleton doesn't even appear right away.

So I just need to quickly open the door and proceed.

That way, we won't even have to fight.

...

Well, whatever.

It's fine.

I won't have to fight that guy anymore, so that's good news.

I should focus on the next problem.

That big black mass of scales...

That time, I was really exhausted, so I couldn't even tell what it was.

But I know it can use phantom magic.

I have only fought...

No, that wasn't a fight.

I have only seen him once.

I can't grasp the extent of his power with just that.

I thought about covering my eyes to avoid his phantom presence, but first I want to try and withstand it.

There is no way I will let myself be easily affected like that.

And furthermore, I need to inspect his other abilities first.

That would be hard if I was blindfolded.

[Phantom presence]

I walk to the end of the dark tunnel into the big room again.

There lies the mass of black scales.

Looking at it carefully now, I can tell what it is.

A dragon.

...

But I have never met a dragon before.

Why do I know what a dragon is?

The dragon opens his blood red eyes and looks at me again.

He looks to be startled at first, but then starts gazing at me intently.

I start feeling fear again.

But I ignore it.

I keep staring at him while pressuring him with own phantom presence.

We keep staring at each other, until he lifts his head and releases a roar.

Then he locks his eyes on me again and opens his mouth.

Flames start gushing out of it.

I jump to the side and start gathering mana.

[Fire dart]

I shoot a high speed projectile right at his neck.

However, with just a swing of his claw, my attack instantly changes direction and flies back at me.

I narrowly try to dodge it, but it burns part of my mantle.

Shit...

Phantom force.

So he really can use phantom magic.

Then, he once again opens his jaws and shoots a big ball of fire at me.

I grip my mace and swing at the air.

[Phantom force]

His attack turns right around and flies back at his head.

He attempts to evade it, but it manages to hit his tail.

...

Hey, why does it feel like we use exactly the same attacks.

His tail is letting out smoke, but has no visible injuries.

The dragon lets out an angry roar and raises his claw to swing at me.

This is..!

I jump out of the way as fast as I can.

Then, I hear a loud screeching sound behind me.

When I land on the ground and look behind me, there are three deep dents on the wall and the ground, where I stood.

Shit...

Even that?

That's insane.

I gather mana in my mace and prepare to return it.

[Phantom annihilation]

With a downward swing of my mace, the dragon's middle part of the body is bent downwards as he lets out a painful cry.

Blood gushes out of his mouth, but he is still alive.

He looks at me with rage in his eyes.

He once again opens his mouth.

The blood in his mouth starts forming a magic circle and in the corners of his mouth, dark and fire mana starts gathering.

Wha-!

No way!

I quickly cut my finger.

[Blood flow]

Quickly trying to make a magic circle in the air like him, I gather fire and dark mana.

Both of our magic circles darken at the same time.

And we release our attacks.

[Hell glare]

Our attacks clash and explode.

As I'm violently flung into a wall, my consciousness leaves me.

...

...

...

I open my eyes...

...

Damn...

This isn't funny.

He can do everything I can, but better.

And he is much bigger and stronger than I am.

How can I defeat him?

...

Tch...

I guess I need to get even stronger.

Or maybe I can try the same armageddon suicide thing I tried on the skeleton.

Hmm...

Yeah, I'll try that first I guess.

After blankly staring at the rocky ceiling for a few seconds, I get up and head to the table...

|= A few days of dungeoneering later =|

I'm here again.

About to enter the tunnel, which leads to the door room.

My strategy is to run in, make a key, open the door and continue down the dark passage.

All before the skeleton appears.

I hope I can do it quickly enough.

Well, let's go.

I run through the tunnel and reach the door room.

But an unexpected sight comes into my view.

The skeleton is already there.

He stands there looking at the door with his back turned to me.

Shit!

Why is he here?

Did the 'god' tell him to intercept me before I can cheat this door?

Damnit, am I dead now?

As I'm about to turn around and run back, my muscles stiffen up again.

No no NO!

Why?!

The skeleton walks up to me with the key in his hand...

...

And gives it to me.

...

???

He then turns around and heads to the water while releasing my paralysis.

I look at him dumbfoundedly as he slowly walks.

Then, just before his knees are submerged in water, he says a few words.

"The next one...is the last...

Don't try...to cheat it..."

And then he once again disappears into the water.

...

What?

Why didn't he go for my heart this time?

What did he mean the last?

What does he mean 'don't try to cheat'?

...

He obviously remembers my previous attempts.

But I don't understand him at all.

Did he just give up after I defeated him once?

I don't see a reason why.

Never before did a monster just let me through after I defeated it once.

And what did he mean by saying I shouldn't cheat?

Does that mean I shouldn't use the armageddon clone on the dragon?

That I should face it head on?

...

And most importantly...

'The next one...is the last...'

Those words reverberate in my head.

Loud and clear.

The dragon is the last enemy I have to get past?

Ha..haha...

...

He could be lying.

Regarding the items he traded me, he never lied about their functionality.

But...I can't help but doubt these words.

I mean...the last?

I never even thought about 'the last'.

The only thing I knew was 'the next'.

There was always something afterwards.

Hearing that this is the last is...strange.

...

What is wrong with me?

I worked so hard to get out of here.

Why am I hesitating?

I should be happy about this.

I should be overjoyed.

This is what my hard effort lead to.

...

I close my eyes and take a deep breath.

...

I will worry about all of that after I defeat that dragon.

Now, he said 'don't cheat'.

I don't really just want to listen to whatever he says, but...

I have a feeling I should listen to him.

Surely, there is a good reason why I shouldn't do this.

...

Eh, whatever.

I mean, the dragon is way stronger than me and he can do everything I can anyway.

If I can defeat him with this, there should be no worries.

If not, I will just run away and try something else later.

Now then...

[Phantom mimic: clone]

|= Few hours of preparation later =|

I sent the clone into the dark corridor while I went back outside all the way to the water area.

She is too far for me to sense everything properly out here, but I don't want to be in the door room.

The skeleton could get mad for what I'm doing and just jump at me again.

That's why, I mapped the dark tunnel very precisely.

So now I know, when and where my clone should release the spell.

...

All I have to do now is wait.

...

Alright, any moment I should hear an explosion.

...

I still don't hear or feel anything...

Sure, it's far away.

But that thing has such a powerful blast, I should be able to feel it at least a little bit out here.

...

Damn, what now?

Did the spell fail somehow?

...no, with that much mana packed there, it would still create a huge explosion.

What to do...

I should go check what happened.

But I'm completely out of mana.

If the dragon, enraged by my attack, decides to just breathe fire into the dark tunnel, I'm finished.

Or if the skeleton is waiting for me in the door room to punish me for trying it...

As I think about it, the skeleton actually appears from the passage.

!!!

And my body is of deprived its control again.

"I said...don't cheat..."

Shit...

He's gonna kill me now...

...

But then I'm released...

"Because..."

He turns around and starts walking back.

"He...won't allow it anyway..."

...

'He'?

...

The god, huh...

Sigh, I guess I have no choice.

I have to somehow fight the dragon and defeat him head on.

After fully recovering my mana, I once again head through the tunnel.

I enter the door room and try to wait for the skeleton.

But he doesn't appear anymore.

I really don't understand that guy...

Continuing through the dark tunnel, eventually I arrive at the dragon room.

There are no signs of armageddon going off anywhere.

I briefly close my eyes, but then open them and glare at my target.

Fine then...

Let's fight.

You and me.

Even if you are bigger than me, I won't cower in fear.

Even if you are stronger than me, I won't falter.

Even if you are way more powerful than me, I will never give up.

I walk inside the room while tightly gripping my mace.

He notices me and returns my glare.

After few seconds of a staring contest, he once lifts his head again and roars loudly.

This marks the beginning of the final battle.

Bonus:

What is this 'spell pattern' you kept talking about last time?

To cast a spell, you need two things.

First is enough appropriate mana.

And the second is the spell's pattern.

The amount of mana decides the power and longevity of the spell.

The pattern decides what the spell will actually do.

When you cast a spell, you can imagine the pattern as some sort of mold and the mana is whatever fills the mold.

The catch is, unless you enchant things, you have to create those 'molds' on the fly.

Then you have to maintain them while you fill them with the appropriate elemental mana.

Some patterns are especially complex and are hard to both create and maintain.

Spells are ranked higher in difficulty by either having a very complex pattern or requiring a lot of mana.

Those that require both are especially difficult.

Because it means you need to somehow maintain the pattern AND keep the high amount of elemental mana from going out of control.

"Maaaan, you are just BORING readers with those blocks of text.

Why don't you talk about math, too?

I'm sure they would enjoy it just as much."

They are free to read it if they want.

It's not like it has any importance to the story.

"Excuses, excuses...

You are simply terrible at this!"

Shut up...