# Chapter 18: The Return to the Dungeon and the Gate Guardian

  ## 1. The Journey of a Shared Body

  The journey back to the dungeon, where Hiroshi had been swallowed by the Dragon, was a test of nerves. Kerchack, in control of Hiroshi's body, was impatient and brutal. He used the draconic strength to carve a path through the forest, ignoring fatigue and pain.

  Luna, riding on Kerchack's back, was the only thing preventing the Dragon from becoming a machine of total destruction.

  "Faster, girl! We don't have time for your human fragility!", Kerchack growled, his guttural voice coming from Hiroshi's throat.

  "I'm not fragile, Kerchack. And you are not Hiroshi. Remember your agreement. You need him for your revenge, and he needs the Karius Sword not to disintegrate," Luna replied, her voice firm but low.

  The dialogue was tense. Kerchack treated her as a nuisance, but Luna, knowing that Hiroshi was listening somewhere, insisted on treating the body as Hiroshi.

  "You said humans destroyed your race out of envy. You are acting exactly like them, using force to oppress. Hiroshi wouldn't do that," she provoked him.

  Kerchack stopped, Hiroshi's body trembling. "**Don't compare me to those worms! I am a Dragon!**"

  "A Dragon who needs a human to survive. And a human who needs an Elf to remind him who he is," Luna retorted, touching the black scale on Hiroshi's arm.

  ## 2. The Gate Guardian

  Upon reaching the dungeon, the entrance was different. The air was heavy, and the cave that was once dark now emitted a faint, bluish glow.

  The entrance was guarded by a colossal being: a **Quaza Golem**. Its form was vaguely human, but its body was made of raw Quaza ore, emitting the same weak magical energy that irritated Kerchack.

  > **Enemy Status:** Quaza Golem (Gate Guardian)

  >

  > **Estimated Level:** 30

  >

  > **Class:** Earth Elemental

  >

  > **Resistance:** High to physical attacks. Vulnerable to darkness/shadow magic.

  "**A Guardian. The King must have discovered the portal**," Kerchack hissed. "**This is your first real test, boy. If you don't survive, I will find another host.**"

  The fight began. Kerchack, in Hiroshi's body, was a force of nature. He used the draconic strength to deliver punches that cracked the ore, but the Golem regenerated quickly.

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  "**Death Breath!**"

  The dark mist hit the Golem, but only weakened it. The Golem retaliated with a punch that threw Kerchack against the wall. Hiroshi's body groaned in pain.

  "**It's resistant! Shadow magic is not enough!**"

  Luna shouted: "Kerchack! The Quaza! It absorbs energy! You need to overload it!"

  Kerchack hesitated. He needed the girl's intelligence.

  "**How, worm?**"

  "Use pure draconic energy! Not the Breath, but the brute force of the symbiosis! It will absorb until it explodes!"

  Kerchack smiled, a cold and calculating smile. He channeled all the draconic energy, causing the black scales to spread across Hiroshi's body. He looked like a Dragon in human form.

  He grabbed the Golem and poured the energy into it. The Golem glowed intensely, absorbing the power to its limit.

  **BOOM!**

  The Golem exploded into pieces of ore.

  The LitRPG interface flashed:

  > **QUEST UNLOCKED: KERCHACK'S PORTAL.**

  ## 3. The Portal and the Hesitation

  Kerchack opened the portal. A dark, menacing light, like a miniature eclipse, swirled at the dungeon entrance.

  "**Enter, girl. It's the only way to save the host**," Kerchack said, his voice softer, almost like Hiroshi's.

  Luna hesitated. "What will happen inside?"

  Kerchack looked at her, and for the first time, there was a hint of fear in his red eyes.

  "**Inside, the symbiosis can be fully completed. If that happens, Hiroshi will become a permanent Hybrid Dragon. And I... I will be free for my revenge.**"

  He took a step towards the portal, but stopped. He felt Hiroshi's presence, weak, but persistent.

  "**I need the Karius Sword to stabilize the body. But the dungeon... it is my mind. Are you willing to enter a Dragon's mind, girl?**"

  Luna looked at the portal, then at Hiroshi's body. She touched the black scale.

  "I promised Hiroshi I wouldn't leave him. Let's go, Kerchack. But remember: I am his anchor."

  Kerchack smiled, a smile that promised pain and destruction. He knew the girl was more dangerous than any army.

  ***

  **END OF CHAPTER 18**