"Alas… the biggest drawback of letting your soul leave your body is that you can't protect the body itself."
Adam sighed. Even though he'd obtained the power of the Water Demon and was practically immortal as long as his mana didn't run dry, there were always unforeseen dangers.
This world was far from simple. Just like the Witch Queen—an ancient monster who had lived for countless years—she definitely had tricks hidden up her sleeve that ordinary people couldn't even imagine.
And not just one or two of them.
Adam, too, had his own trump cards—like overdrawing the power of the Zodiac Talismans to reach a perfect state.
Everyone had their secret weapons. Only the hot-blooded fools relied on friendship and passion to win battles.
But people could be darker, more cunning than anyone wanted to admit.
"Never underestimate others," Adam muttered. "Treating everyone like fools will only make you the real idiot."
He thought for a moment, then grinned. "Got it. I can mimic Noelle's magic and create a magic shield to protect myself."
Adam backed away from the raging storm and sat cross-legged on the grass a hundred steps away. He closed his eyes, trying to sense his own magic power.
It was… bottomless.
The mana he had absorbed from the Dungeon, combined with the Water Demon's power, had pushed his reserves to a terrifying level.
"I've never really studied magic seriously," Adam admitted to himself. "Even with the Water Demon's power, I've just been playing around with it… using it like a survival tool."
He laughed softly. "I'm sitting on a treasure and still running around looking for scraps. What an idiot."
But the power of the twelve Zodiac Talismans was special. It wasn't bound by the rules of this world.
If "I lack nothing" had a value, it would only be rivaled by the seven true demons themselves.
"Forget it. Let's try this first! Water Magic: Sea Dragon's Lair!"
Adam gathered his magic power and formed a shimmering barrier of water around himself.
Bang!
The shield burst apart after only three seconds.
"I finally understand how Noelle feels. Damn this unstable magic!"
Bang! It exploded again.
"That's enough magic! More!"
Boom!
"Come on! Again!"
Inside the Witch Forest
The Witch Queen remained obsessed with the idea of using Vanessa as the key to unlocking her destiny.
Eternal life?
Even the immortal elves couldn't grasp such a miracle. They had all become pawns of devils—played, used, discarded.
If someone gained the ability to control "fate," could they really defy destiny itself?
Boom!
With a massive crash, Asta and his group blasted open a hole in the Witch Queen's palace wall.
Even Adam hadn't managed to do that.
Menopause was already terrifying for most women—but when it lasted for centuries, it could destroy worlds.
"Let Sister Vanessa go!" Asta shouted.
All witches were children of the Witch Queen. But after years of cruelty and experiments, how much of her humanity remained?
The Queen moved her foot off Vanessa's body and looked coldly at Asta. She wanted to see for herself what kind of boy could inspire such loyalty.
"Stupid, filthy man… You disappoint me."
Her gaze pierced into Asta's fate. This powerless boy would face discrimination everywhere he went.
The air grew tense.
Then came the dual invasion of the Eye of the Midnight Sun and the Diamond Kingdom, breaking the standoff completely.
Vanessa slowly woke up. It seemed the Queen hadn't harmed her after all.
Perhaps Asta's courage had made the Witch Queen reconsider. She decided to use them instead.
"Asta, I will heal your arms. In exchange, you will drive out the invaders from my forest."
"Got it!"
Thin, blood-red strings of magic shot into Asta's body. Wisps of white smoke rose from his arms as the cursed scars vanished completely.
As expected of the Witch Queen—she lied with such ease. She could've healed Asta anytime, yet she had tricked Adam into risking his life in the Strong Dungeon Zone instead.
Still, it was her cunning that had allowed her and the Witch Forest to survive for thousands of years.
"Let's go!"
Asta stretched his arms, feeling the familiar strength return. The long rest had made him rusty.
"You idiot! Do you know how worried we were about you?" Vanessa and the others rushed over and smacked him hard.
This invincible battle maniac—when would he ever start using his brain?
"Alright! Move out!"
Asta's group turned to face the Eye of the Midnight Sun's invasion, while Fanzell confronted an old student—one who had once trained under him in the Diamond Kingdom.
North of the Witch Forest
About a hundred meters from the Dungeon Zone, the ground looked like it had been torn apart by some "inhuman" torture.
"Haha! I did it! I'm a damn genius!"
Adam looked up at the massive water wall he had created. With this barrier in place, he could finally use the Sheep Talisman without worry.
"My gentle Sheep, grant me the power to leave my body."
Golden light flashed from his grimoire, and his soul separated cleanly from his body. The strange, floating sensation filled him with excitement.
"Finally… time to use it!"
His spirit form slipped through the water barrier and soared straight into the Strong Demonic Zone.
"Come on then! Strike me down if you can!" Adam yelled arrogantly.
The instant his soul entered the zone, lightning roared across the skies. Thunder exploded in every direction, unleashing a mad barrage of attacks.
The storm opened its bloody jaws, trying to devour him whole.
Corrosive raindrops pelted his spirit like blades.
The Dungeon was furious—this was punishment for his disrespect!
Crack!
But it was useless. Lightning passed harmlessly through him, the wind couldn't tear him apart, and the acidic rain dissolved into mist before touching him.
"Haha! Can't hit me? Then get mad about it!"
Adam floated in the middle of the storm, pulling faces and dancing mockingly.
Thunder cracked!
Lightning flashed!
The storm howled!
Blood rain poured!
Even the ground began to crumble under the chaos. Adam finally stopped his taunting and looked around. It was time to find the Dungeon entrance.
He drifted toward the center of the Demonic Zone. The landscape was strangely beautiful—lush flowers and glowing plants—but there was no sign of an entrance.
"That's weird…"
He searched above and below ground, but found nothing.
"Could it be…"
His face darkened. He turned back toward the raging storm and began searching there instead.
It seemed even the Dungeon Zone itself had grown tired of attacking him—the skies calmed slightly, granting him a wider view.
"There it is."
Adam's eyes gleamed. The entrance to the Dungeon was hidden inside the Strong Dungeon Zone itself—and even worse, its location shifted every few minutes.
Snap!
A blinding bolt of lightning flashed past, almost playfully.
"Oh, so that's how it is, huh?" Adam chuckled nervously. "Alright, I take back what I said. Could you, uh, be a little flexible?"
Crack!
Another bolt struck, as if the storm itself was offended by his tone.