At the pinnacle of the second volcano, there were roughly fifty enemies. They looked like fire-red crystals and shot themselves towards us. Appraisal showed they were firecrackers.

They were faster than us, but my mana shields protected us. Once I began the offensive, > and using >, their attacks seemed to lessen. They tried to get together and make a military formation to take us on, but we didn't let them. We caught up and eradicated them. Twenty of them left their bodies, which were apparently useful for making weapons. Another twenty dropped EXP shards, giving us each twenty points of experience each. Five gave items that permanently increased HP by fifty. After splitting them, there wasn't much remaining.

As for why the drops were so high, Kimberly already explained the numbers differed for those with such high-level authority.

There was one oddly-shaped key, which just showed up as key on the various appraisals. Second, there was a peculiar item.

Item: Blacksmith fire source container

Description: Pinnacle of creation, capable of holding an entire fire source for use in blacksmithing

I touched it, and it disappeared into my soul. It was currently a giant, open space. I hoped I could fill it eventually, as it should significantly increase my capabilities.

With the second done, we moved onto the third. The first floor, like in the other volcanoes, consisted mainly of traps and some lava. It was similarly easy to get past before we encountered more monsters on the second story. Both Shogerdames and firecrackers assaulted us and made it difficult to pass. Overall, we each gained eighty points of experience.

The third floor contained the evolved race of Shogerdames, the Starry Sky Shogerdames. They had six arms and shot much hotter fire. It was no more difficult for us to chop them than with their unevolved form.

This volcano had a fourth floor. On it, we had to fight one Blitz Cremator each. They didn't move, but their figure arose from the lava on the floor. They seemed to burn everything they came across, except for a bone sword I threw at one. To defeat them, while the rest of my family distracted them, I set up runic combinations of water source and used >. They still rose back up, until I used bloody water spike to finally subdue it. One dropped a high-tier DE recovery potion, another dropped one for MP. Two dropped EXP shards. Finally, I got a new spell.

Lava split

Level: 1

Rank: A-

MP use: 200/square kilometer

Requirements: fire affinity 75% (human)

Description: split lava, allowing safe passage through

"Most likely, I won't have to use this spell," I commented after learning it. "The lava on the floor isn't enough to split."

After the last monster fell, the roof opened, and we left, floating back down.

Even though I just said I wouldn't have to use the spell, the fourth volcano's first floor actually required it! Lava filled the entire cavern, which covered an area of three square kilometers. We had the usual traps before climbing the stairs. This one had five floors, each getting smaller. The second and third contained monsters we had previously fought, netting me three hundred experience points and a few items. As for the fourth, it had Lavanic Blooms. These monsters looked like water flowers floating in the lava until they flew out towards us. They actually happened to be weak to water-based attacks, so they were soon dealt with. I wanted to see what would happen if I sent Samantha alone to the next floor, so I did so, and she returned shortly after.

On the final floor, with the roof already removed, I collected one-hundred EXP shards, twenty for each of us. The others forced me to take half of their portion since I basically soloed the floor.

We left the fifth, and it was now late at night on the outside of the dungeon. We agreed to leave at some point the next day to see if anything changed on Earth. My three daughters told me they had to quickly report to the Angel army, so they left Bella and me together. It had been a while since we fought in the dungeon, just the two of us.

We were excited, as we spent the next few hours going through the first three floors of monsters and lava contained within the fifth dungeon. The third floor was a little more difficult. The monsters here looked like lose strings within the lava sea. Lavanic stringbeasts and pulverizing stringbeasts, as appraisal showed, tried to wrap us up while draining our energy. My mana shields protected me for a while, but towards the end of the fourth floor, ripping them apart with my vampire hands no longer prevented them from breaking through. I used > to freeze the area, which seemed to work. I did the same on the fifth floor.

It was mid-morning by the time my daughters returned.

"Welcome back. Did anything happen?" I asked.

"It's not like we have to tell you," Aurora answered.

"No, it was easy," Krystal said.

"We're good," Kylee replied.

Together, the five of us went to the final floor of this volcano: the sixth floor. At the top, the metal pole began to look like flower petals, dripping off molten stones that rapidly cooled and created a gaseous mixture, deadly to normal humans. The monsters here were hyperionic Tessalon. The sweat dripping from its every pore ignited the atmosphere, causing small explosions before they could land. Their heads each contained a crown of fire.

"Interesting. They look like babies of a void beast, but their power is being constrained,

Seere commented.

"Like Typhon?" I asked.

"Correct," Amon answered.

I was glad they weren't as powerful as Titan, or else I would never have a chance of winning.

I imbued spiritual water in Blackmail while I >, >, and > numerous times, creating obvious puncture wounds. The explosions made it really hard to get close, and the five of us each had two to deal with. I tried a combination of humidity pierce, ice spear, and bloody water spike. That, along with some high-tier recovery potions, seemed to finish them since they were so heavily wounded. Their bodies exploded upon dying, and my mana shield could barely handle its force.

Now that we completed half of the volcanoes, we decided to return back home. Once we arrived, I discussed the volcanoes with my dad.

"I remember them," he began. "The traps took forever to dismantle. Luckily, I found a way to party with an adventurer from my world—another human who was a water mage, just barely level twenty. You know, even the next boss didn't require such a high level. If it weren't for her water-based attacks being so effective, we never would have made it past all ten. They kept getting more difficult as we progressed, and our combined share of recovery potions was quickly diminishing. Luckily, we finished off the last volcano and opened the passage. At that point, however, we had to farm the lower floors for more potions."

"Thanks for sharing your knowledge," I said. "It really helps."

"No problem. I hope you can finish that floor in the next few months. I remember you said that you had some fire-based spells. They'll be useful on the next floor. Just don't get caught in too many traps."

"I won't. I'll be careful."

I wasn't going to tell him I already finished half of the volcanos. I wondered what else the floor held and what was waiting for us. I could just ask the system, but I didn't want to spoil our fun.

We slept the night at home, as we had something to do as a family on the 22nd. Administrator Adams was going to be a guest pastor for our Christmas origin story reading. Now that I knew it may be real since it was from my father's world, I was even more interested in hearing it.

We had to decorate the place to prepare. Here, we didn't use standard Christmas-style decorations. We decorated it in fake dragon scales. Since we were the only people here, we could fly and move around quickly. It was still annoying, though. Each had a sticky backing that we had to peal. Eventually, I got annoyed, so I went to floor zero and had Kimberly get me a low-ranked skill that makes things stickier, called add stickiness. Since it wasn't too powerful, she easily handed it over.

Also, she explained about skills and spells like this that are less combat-oriented and more useful for utility purposes. She stated they could easily be given to those with level eight authority or level seven authority (if asked for by a level-eight). In fact, she gave copies to Bella and my girls as well.

After we all learned the skills, instead of removing the backings, we just made them stick to the walls better. They had been previously covered in wallpaper so that we wouldn’t have to deal with removal.

The skill was interesting, as it made the sticky substance drip from a finger. When it came in contact with the fake scales, it matched the size perfectly.

After a few hours, we had finally finished. There must have been thousands of scales! With such a vast number, the girls all had their skill level increase by one. Mine increased to level four.

As a finishing touch, Bella used the spiritual sparkle spell to make all the scales sparkle and shine.

This was supposed to take us the entire day, but the day was only half over. As such, we continued with the decorations that were planned for tomorrow.

We put black- and bright red-striped carpets along the floor, leading to the pastor's podium symbolizing the blood of the black dragon. The podium was covered in maroon, with the religion's symbol, two swords below a dragon egg floating in the sky, sitting below it. We also set up the microphone and audio system.

On all of the seats, we put the annual blankets out. They, like the podium, had the symbol and were otherwise maroon. Bella suggested making the lights sparkle. We agreed, so we did so. She also seems less shy, now, around my father. Finally, we set up the large spotlight that follows the pastor, or, this year, Administrator Adams, as he "flies" through the air using strings. The whole thing looks more like a play than a religious service.

After finishing up, we talked with the Pastor and Administrator to ensure everything was ready and done correctly.

My father explained to me that they thought my father was close to the black dragon, and that's why they consulted him.

That night, we again went to the volcanoes. We easily went to the top floor of the sixth volcano, where a new monster was waiting for us. It looked like a perfectly-round stone, but it could split up into thin discs to attack. All body parts were controlled by the "core" using mana, so, even though thirty assaulted us at once, once I used > to remove their outer shell, they were defenseless. More waves kept appearing, and I kept removing their shells. Because I again did most of the work, I was forced into taking half of everyone else's EXP shards. As such, I got seven-hundred points.

These battles lasted most of the night, as well as the next day and night. In addition to experience, we got at least thirty MP recovery potions. Ten were normal, ten were condensed, and the last ten were high-tier.

On the morning of Christmas Eve, after finishing the last Shelled Lavincor, we went back home. Both sets of grandparents were coming over so that we could all go to the service together.

After we exchanged greetings and chatted for a little while, at ten o'clock, we left to make it on time. We arrived after the short drive and got to our seats in the front. Every year, the pastor asks my father to take his place, and, every other year, my father declined. This year, with Administrator Adams insisting as well, my father finally relented. He went to a separate room to put on the costume. It was a tight, black jumpsuit as a base. The wings were made of recycled rubber, with cloth hangers keeping it in place. They were attached with Velcro.

After that was successfully put on, he had to put on a harness so that his flight would be safe. Finally, he put on a black robe to cover up the internal mechanisms. His normally-red hair was also covered by a black wig that looked like it was from the 1970s.

The lights went off, signaling the start of the service. The spotlight shot on, facing the door. My father looked like he was walking up a set of stairs, which was a clever use of the strings. At maximum height, he connected the other ropes for descent and spread his arms. Finally, he nosedived towards the podium. The men responsible for his safety pulled up at the last second so that he could finish his entrance.

He began with the usual entrance, up until the selected reading. He brought a book out, seemingly from nowhere. Usually, they would have it hidden in the podium, but he had a ring with expanded space inside. The book had a leather cover, and it was locked by a gold chain. My father produced the chain, showed it to the audience, and ceremonially opened the book, blowing off a fake layer of dust.

"Long ago, there was nothing. From this nothing, arose a Universe and its friends. From the Universe arose a God, and many more came after the first. The Gods' powers allowed them to create whole new races. The initial races have all died out."

He went through lists of monsters I'd never heard of and some more genealogy until he finally mentioned the dragon.

"Dragons, a dangerous force, were then created. This included the Black Dragon of Black Tower, our Master. His world was larger than the Earth, at least as large as Jupiter. Dragons reigned supreme, and lesser dragonic races were treated as royalty. Humans, like us, were nothing to them. If we were strong, we could be slaves. Too weak, and we would be killed off. It was brutal, but the system continued for many years. One day, our Master left. He brought some humans with him to the foreign place, where a long and bloody war was fought. They were on the winning side and, eventually, they collected their rewards."

He continued. I, however, was no longer paying too much attention. What he was talking about reminded me of the things the others in the dungeon had talked about. I wondered what the war was about and how it became a dungeon. With my authority, I thought I could ask around and get some more answers.

When he completed the reading, he brought forth our two sacred objects. They were only here because of administrator Adams. The first looked like a cross. The bottom was shaped like an old skeleton key, and the center was surrounded by ten rays of the sun. The second was an egg, with a hole on top for the cross. Unfortunately, no one could ever twist the key. It was unknown if something happened to the original or if there was a secret to it.

The service continued until the end. Before we left, my father brought me up to Administrator Adams.

"Mr. Adams, Roberto learned of the name himself. I think he should try," my father said.

"Daniel, you know as well as I do that it's most likely a fake. I don't think anyone can turn this key. If not a fake, it is broken."

"We won't know until we try."

"If you really want him to, I guess it's okay. He does meet the criteria. Roberto, what is the name of the dragon?" Administrator Adams asked.

"Easy. The Black Dragon of the Black Tower Mure guards the twenty-fifth floor."

"You're right, Daniel. He did learn it. Are you sure you didn't teach him?"

"I'm sure, Mr. Adams. He asked me about the name himself just the other day."

"Alright. Roberto, please come up here."

"Why, sir?" I asked.

"I want you to try and turn the key," he explained.

"Sure," I said.

I didn't think it would do anything, but I had nothing to lose by turning a key.

Administrator Adams took out the two sacred items. I grasped the cross-shaped key and egg, one in each hand. I put the key in the top of the egg and realized something odd. It was pulling MP out of me as I began to twist. I could stop the flow, but I didn't want to. I wanted to see why it needed mana.

Once it took twenty-five points from me, it easily turned. The top of the egg popped open, revealing two disc-shaped objects. One side was orange and the other green. I used luminesce to blind everyone around me, playing it off as if the egg did it. I took the two discs into Persephone and replaced them with two MP recovery potions.

"It opened!" I announced.

"You're right," Administrator Adams said while my father smiled. "I'll tell the Incarnate (similar to the pope) and take these with me. Maybe, He'll know more."

He quickly left, taking the potions with him. They wouldn't be of help to them since they couldn't use mana.

"Roberto, you did something, didn't you?" asked my father.

"Of course I did. I've never seen those discs before. What are they?"

"I don't know what skill books and spell books look like on Earth, but on my home planet, they look like that. The green part shows that they haven't been used yet. I had those on me when I arrived here. The whole contraption was made to keep them safe. Only with mana could it be opened. 'The only way to defeat a dragon is with another dragon.' It was a popular saying. Some powerful people stole a dragon's breath and a dragon's language, making a skill for each."

"So, I can learn new skills?"

"Be careful. I don't know how powerful they are, as they were very rare items. They're part of a set of three skills. The first skill saved me before, and these remain. Do not learn them yet—especially the second one. The power of a language is perilous. As for the first, it'll break your body."

I had a lesser language, so another one shouldn't be too much for me.

"Don't worry, father. I'll be careful. I won't learn them yet."

"Merry Christmas," he responded.

We drove home soon after.

I had to tell him since he didn't know I was a vampire. I went back to Persephone with Bella and my daughters. The first thing I did was disregard his advice and learn the dragon's language. I immediately knew what the language was used for. It was powerful against people since a major function was directing and controlling mana using just the voice. It didn't work on any other energies, like death energy, but mana is used everywhere. I could, now, just tell the mana to, for example, restrain someone.

The second function of the language was a hidden one not known to most: power over all lesser fires, meaning fires less than those directly using the fire source. Even the eternal law-version, similar to Prince Keith's, with acceptance of the source and the ability to draw forth its power, was included. With the language, I was even able to learn Absolute Blaze, the fire counterpart to absolute frost.

Absolute Blaze

Level: 1

Rank: SS

MP use: 500/second

Requirements: fire affinity 65% (human)

Description: covers everything around caster with fire, regardless of defense, for duration of use. Area increases as level increases. Current area: 1 meter. Increases by 10 meters every level. Has a 50% chance to force enemy's internal organs to burn. Chance increases by 10% every 5 levels.

It was just as powerful, if not more so, than the first one I learned. I didn't know how a language could teach me laws, though. As I already knew the eternal law, the only missing piece would be to gain the other fire sources.

Luckily, Bella told me two more of the orbs were on the current floor. It was still a few hours until Christmas day officially began, so we set out to get me acknowledged by the source.