A scorching dragon breath of flames came roaring straight at Ren's face.
Because the Fire Dragon King had to avoid killing challengers outright, he had deliberately suppressed the attack's power.
Yet just as the blazing torrent was about to engulf Ren—
A translucent barrier suddenly shimmered into existence around his body, effortlessly blocking the violent flames outside.
"Not a bad attack," Ren said calmly.
"But because of my Ultimate Skill, I have complete resistance against anyone weaker than me."
"Go ahead and use your full strength. At this point, I can't really evaluate the dungeon experience properly anyway."
The raging dragon breath—already released at half power—had been blocked with absurd ease.
Ren hadn't even moved.
He had simply stood there, relying entirely on his passive resistance.
Seeing this unfold—and hearing Ren's words—the Fire Dragon King froze for a moment before letting out another thunderous roar in the sky.
"You say you're stronger than me?" the dragon bellowed. "What a joke!"
"Did you just equip some fire-resistance gear and come here pretending to be tough?"
"The magicules you're giving off are decent, sure—but they're nowhere near my level!"
"And yet you dare claim you're stronger than me?!"
"Well then," the Fire Dragon King sneered, "since you're so eager to die, I'll grant your wish!"
"Turn to ashes beneath absolute heat!"
"The dragon breath I unleash at full power cannot be endured—even with the highest fire-resistance equipment!"
"Foolish creature who cannot comprehend the gap between our strengths—scream in despair as you are devoured by flames!"
A long stream of chuunibyou-style declarations poured from the Fire Dragon King's mouth, making him feel immensely majestic.
Then he unleashed another dragon breath.
This time it contained most of the magicules within his body.
The blazing attack erupted as a massive pillar of fire that swept across the ground, carving a scorched trench through the stone as it surged toward Ren.
Compared to the earlier attack, both its destructive power and range had increased dramatically.
The Fire Dragon King watched eagerly.
He expected screams.
Begging.
Panic.
But instead—
When the massive pillar of flame finally struck Ren, the surrounding earth melted into glowing magma.
The crimson light illuminated half of the 96th floor.
And yet—
Standing inside the blazing inferno, Ren didn't move.
Didn't dodge.
Didn't defend.
Bathed in the searing flames, he looked as calm as if he were strolling through a gentle breeze.
"Impossible!" the Fire Dragon King roared in disbelief.
"Even Lord Veldora—if he took my strongest dragon breath without defending—wouldn't remain completely unharmed!"
"You… do you possess some kind of absolute fire-resistance skill?!"
"But even so—don't underestimate dragons!"
"Even if my elemental advantage is suppressed, the physical body of a dragon is something humans can never hope to rival!"
The Fire Dragon King was genuinely stunned.
His most powerful dragon breath had failed to harm the challenger in the slightest.
Still, he absolutely refused to believe the absurd claim Ren had made earlier.
Immunity to attacks from weaker opponents?
That kind of ridiculous ability simply couldn't exist.
And even if it did—
How could he, the mighty Fire Dragon King, possibly be weaker than this human?
Sure, since arriving here he had encountered several terrifying beings.
First the Storm Dragon he revered.
Then an absurdly powerful slime.
And finally the Dragonoid girl who had captured them.
Those three undoubtedly possessed strength far beyond his own.
As for others like Benimaru, they might surpass him slightly in skill or combat ability—but they certainly couldn't overwhelm him completely.
But this challenger?
The Fire Dragon King was certain he had never seen this man before when they were first brought here.
Using his Dragon Eyes, he had already assessed the opponent.
The magicules surrounding Ren weren't particularly remarkable.
And yet this guy dared claim to be stronger than him?
Did he really think the Four Dragon Kings were some kind of stray cats and dogs anyone could bully?
The Fire Dragon King felt his authority as the boss had been challenged.
In fact, the roles almost seemed reversed.
Instead of Ren being the challenger and him the guardian…
It felt like Ren was the boss, and he was the one being tested.
And that feeling made the Fire Dragon King extremely unhappy.
The next moment—
The dragon, who had been circling through the air, suddenly abandoned elemental attacks.
Instead, he dove downward at terrifying speed.
He intended to tear Ren apart with his claws and fangs.
The Fire Dragon King's flight speed was already incredible.
Combined with the acceleration of his dive, his massive body became a crimson afterimage streaking through the sky.
"Flame Pierce!"
Shouting the rather tacky attack name, the dragon's claws glowed red-hot like molten iron as he descended toward Ren's abdomen.
BOOM—!
Explosive flames erupted in every direction.
The dragon's claws—capable of shredding high-level monsters—had definitely struck their target.
But as the blazing fire gradually died down…
And the Fire Dragon King felt the strange resistance coming from his claws…
An ominous feeling suddenly rose within his chest.
The dust and smoke slowly cleared.
What he saw next made his eyes widen in pure shock.
Right in front of him—
Ren stood smiling casually.
And the Fire Dragon King's blazing claw… had been stopped by a single finger.
"Ah, I see," Ren said thoughtfully.
"So your Dragon Eyes skill isn't on the same level as Milim's."
"You can't fully perceive the magicules I've concealed, huh?"
"Well, for a floor guardian in this dungeon, your strength is still pretty decent."
Ren tilted his head slightly.
"So… do you believe me now?"
"That my strength is greater than yours, Guardian-sama?"
His full-powered attack had been blocked by a single finger.
And now this man was casually mentioning Milim—the nightmare who had captured him.
Even the Fire Dragon King wasn't stupid.
At this point, he clearly understood something.
The man in front of him was yet another existence he absolutely could not afford to provoke.
The Fire Dragon King was actually quite pragmatic.
When facing weaker opponents, of course he maintained the full dignity of the dragon race.
But when facing someone far stronger—
Well…
Experience had already taught him the correct response.
He was just about to lower his head and surrender.
But before he could even say a word—
The absurdly handsome human in front of him suddenly started talking to himself.
And the Fire Dragon King saw a fist rapidly enlarging in his vision.
"Another chuunibyou dragon poisoned by Veldora's influence," Ren muttered.
"Even if I told you the truth, you'd probably just assume I'm using special equipment."
"So let's just put you to sleep for a bit."
"After all, I still have the rest of the dungeon to clear."
"Though I have to admit—after meeting you, I'm actually starting to feel a little excited."
The Fire Dragon King wanted to respond.
He wanted to say something.
But before the words could even leave his mouth—
A tremendous pain exploded in his skull.
His consciousness rapidly faded.
As darkness swallowed his senses, the last thing he saw was Ren walking away.
And in his mind, the Fire Dragon King screamed in frustration:
Wait! I never said I didn't believe you!
I was literally about to surrender!