Chapter 121
About 5 minutes ago.
Let’s start with the conversation I had with Eldrin.
“Master, did you call for me?”
Through the cheering team members, Eldrin creaked as she approached.
She looked to be in a good mood.
It must have been the feeling that came from her guess about Aranvalon being exactly right.
“See, I was right, wasn’t I? That’s just how the dragon species are. They’re so strong. And just as greedy. In fact, I expected it from the moment I saw they had built a huge castle in a massive world and were collecting all sorts of treasures.”
“Because its personality is similar to the Great Demon Dragon?”
“That’s right.”
Eldrin slowly waved her right arm and opened her hand.
Above it, dark energies slowly flew in and gathered.
“Here, the Great Demon Dragon sealed in my hand was the exact same. A bastard that exploited the Forest and Rock Clan for hundreds of years, forcing them to offer up treasures….”
Eldrin looked down at the black bead with a distant gaze.
Everyone has something meaningful in their lives.
A nostalgic music box that plays a clear tune when opened, or a piece of jewelry one is attached to. Or a letter written by a precious person.
To Eldrin, that bead seemed to hold such a meaning.
Well, it made sense.
She had suffered for over 500 years because of that thing.
“So, about that.”
I grinned.
“……?”
Perhaps finding that grin extremely unsettling, Eldrin unknowingly hid the bead behind her back.
“What is it, Master……?”
I don’t know why.
It was just that.
As soon as Theme 2 ended so anticlimactically, a thought occurred to me.
‘Is it okay for it to end like this?’
During Theme 1, too.
I had solved the trial in a way that was different from others.
As a result, I was able to receive a reward that was several levels higher than what others got.
‘Which means.’
In Theme 2 as well.
Doesn’t that mean such a method could work?
I can’t be the same as everyone else.
If I am, I’ll only get a mediocre reward.
To advance further?
I had to show something different from the others.
To be precise, I had to create a Probability that the system would acknowledge as worthy of a reward.
‘What if, in addition to keeping my loyalty, I also manage to kill the dragon?’
Wouldn’t that be a sensation on the level of when I swallowed the Toxin Mist?
I didn’t know if it was possible, but I wanted to at least try.
The problem was.
How do I kill that dragon?
“N-no way…….”
Eldrin shook her head from side to side.
“……Surely it’s not what I’m thinking, is it?”
“Hey, about that Great Demon Dragon. That ominous Forbidden Bead.”
Probably.
“Can you release that thing here?”
What you’re thinking is probably right, Eldrin.
* * *
-Kukuku, yes. I have been perfectly defeated.
-However, you will not be able to seal me completely. Just you wait. I will one day reappear and lead you all to ruin!
On the day the dragon was sealed.
The creature had definitely roared.
It had warned that one day, at some moment, it would return and lead us to ruin.
‘The meaning of that ‘one day’…….’
It must be referring to the day the harmony of the Forest and Rock Clan is broken.
Because that was the condition for the seal.
But I had a different idea.
If that dragon’s power is bound to the bead…….
And if it’s possible to release it…….
Then I can just release it here, can’t I?
Then there won’t be anything to worry about in the future.
‘On top of that.’
It’s a rule that two suns cannot rise under one sky.
If there are two predators in one cave, they are bound to fight.
Couldn’t I take advantage of the situation?
“…….”
Eldrin’s expression hardened.
“Master.”
“What, isn’t it a good idea?”
“I’ve always thought this, but you are too reckless, Master. What if the two predators don’t fight?”
“…….”
“And what if their rage is directed entirely at us?”
“You have a point, but.”
I smiled even more broadly.
“We’ve already found Aranvalon’s National Treasure. If it gets really dangerous, we can just go to Theme 3, can’t we? It’s actually a gain. We’d be leaving behind the Great Demon Dragon, which was a thorn in our side.”
As if on cue.
A message appeared.
[By finding the ‘National Treasure’, the clear condition has been met!]
[Ending the trial ‘Theme 2’.]
[In 30 minutes, you will be moved to the location of ‘Theme 3’.]
[Warning! Warning! Warning!]
[Do not touch any ‘Treasure’ from now on.]
[You may suffer great ‘calamity’.]
It was the same as in Theme 1.
The time given after clearing was a total of 30 minutes.
I had to choose.
Would I pass through uneventfully?
Or would I try to clash with the seemingly impossible ‘dragon’?
“Even if there’s no reward, I don’t care at all. What’s important is that I try. Just trying to kill a dragon will be a precious experience, and if that becomes the path for me to grow stronger…… I want to choose to fight.”
“…….”
Silence.
Eldrin’s expression looked dazed.
She was clearly a skeleton with no expression, but I could feel it just from the atmosphere.
“Haa, Master. You are truly…… unstoppable. Because of your passion for strength……”
“It’s thanks to that personality that we sealed the Great Demon Dragon, isn’t it?”
“Hoo, that’s right. It was thanks to you, Master. Yes.”
Eldrin nodded her head.
“This bead. The seal will be released the moment I wish it. However, what I’m worried about is…….”
“That all of us might be in danger within the 30-minute time limit?”
“Yes……. Exactly.”
“Then let’s do this.”
Aranvalon isn’t here.
It only reveals itself once we go through that white door over there.
“Eldrin, you take the bead and run in there.”
“……Ah?”
She gasped as if surprised.
“We’ll create a buffer. You can go in there and stir up trouble or provoke the Great Demon Dragon. Even if it comes over here, there’s a second buffer.”
“A second buffer?”
“Yes, the examiners.”
The high-rankers, including Senior Examiner Luka and Floa.
“They’re here.”
Why?
Just like in Theme 1, the reason they give us 30 minutes is.
To allow those who passed to use the shop.
“With that much, isn’t it worth a shot? And we’re not just sealing the dragon, but truly annihilating it. That’s what you wanted too, wasn’t it, Eldrin?”
“That’s…… right?”
Eldrin trembled slightly.
She was feeling a thrill along with an instinctual fear.
The suppressed anger towards the dragon was stirring again.
“Besides, if you’re worried about the other comrades, you don’t have to. I plan on telling them everything and getting their permission.”
“Okay.”
Soon.
Eldrin opened her mouth with a resolute expression.
“Let’s do it, Master.”
* * *
Back to 5 minutes later.
“Crazy! Hey, Team leader?”
Vladimir in front of me was aghast.
“Surely, it’s not what I’m thinking, is it? You’re going to hunt that horrifying monster? That dragon?”
“…….”
I gave a slight nod.
“Gah, crazy! Did getting hit by a few crossbow bolts scramble your brain? We barely saved our lives, why are you trying to throw your life away for no reason? Did your brain get shaken too much? Hey, guys! Stop the Team leader! The Team leader is trying to commit suicide!”
Truthfully, I could have just ignored him and gone.
But I couldn’t do that.
No matter how many safety measures were in place.
Everyone could be in danger.
This was still Theme 2.
And I was their team leader.
‘Even though I said that to Eldrin.’
That was just to check if the bead’s seal could be released.
If even one person refused to try taking on the dragon, I had no intention of challenging it.
As much as I loved getting stronger.
As much as I wanted this.
I couldn’t be greedy to the point of harming others.
“What, what. What’s going on!”
“Rodygin, what’s the matter?”
“Hoon is trying to commit suicide?”
At Vladimir’s fuss, the team members gathered around me one by one.
I summarized the situation for them.
From the experience of sealing a similar dragon in the past.
To everything I was trying to do now.
“I want to try and kill the dragon. Just like when I jumped into the Toxin Mist in Theme 1, I want to give it another try. However, not everyone can live as they wish. I want to ask for your thoughts.”
“…….”
The team members looked up at me, dumbfounded.
Some looked at me with an expression that said, [What the hell is that bastard talking about?].
Others held their foreheads as if they were dizzy.
Either way was fine.
There wasn’t much time left, but I didn’t rush them.
Because lives were on the line.
“Right now, you’re saying we should hunt that…… that horrifying dragon that Capu broadcasted on video……?”
After a long while, Olena mumbled.
“Good heavens. If my master, Silverstone, heard this, he would have insisted on dissecting your head right away. Just what kind of mind do you have to come up with such an idea?”
“Hmm, I think it’s fine.”
It was then that Capu stepped forward.
“Hm?”
“Huh?”
The team members’ gazes turned to him.
Capu calmly opened his mouth.
“To be honest, when that bitch Olivia was torn apart, I felt a bit of satisfaction. But it wasn’t the same for James.”
“What are you talking about! That bastard James betrayed the Team leader!”
Olena cried out, flaring up.
“That’s right.”
Capu nodded.
“But that’s all. James was just a coward, he didn’t do anything wrong enough to be torn to shreds and die like that. Frankly, I want to get revenge for James.”
“Hmm.”
He had a point.
No, whether he had a point or not.
I cheered Capu on.
Because I desperately wanted to fight the dragon.
“I will fight alongside the Skeleton King.”
Just then, Zhang Wei also stepped forward.
Fwoong!
He brandished his spear coolly.
“No matter who the opponent is. Because the Skeleton King is my dear friend.”
I had no idea since when we had become dear friends.
I smiled and gave him a nod.
Yeah, what the hell.
Let’s be friends starting today! You rascal!
“Well, I think it’s fine too.”
The third person to step forward was Myoi Hana.
“Team leader already proved himself in Theme 1, didn’t he? I think there’s a good chance of success.”
Slipping to her feet, she moved to stand next to Zhang Wei.
Now, there were a total of three people left.
Olena, the middle-aged man.
And Vladimir Rodygin.
“What is this.”
The middle-aged man’s shoulders trembled.
“……I don’t get it. You’re all amazing. I’ve never met people like this in my life. This is unprecedented.”
“Tsk, I guess the saying that you have to be a psychopath to become a ranker is true.”
Rodygin shook his head.
Then, as if he had no choice, he stood next to Myoi Hana.
“Since you’re all going to kill yourselves, well. I can’t stop you all by myself. You crazy bastards. If we’re gonna die, let’s die together.”
“I as well. As always, I will simply follow.”
The middle-aged man also nodded.
“I agree that the Team leader is a madman. But it’s also true that he produces results to match.”
“Ugh, uwaaah!”
In the end, Olena let out a scream.
“Wh-what is this! Are you all really going? To fight that horrifying dragon?”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“If Olena doesn’t want to go, we won’t. To be honest, the idea of hunting the dragon is just my own greed.”
“What’s that supposed to mean! You’ve already made the situation like this! It makes it awkward to refuse now!”
As she shouted.
I grinned and stepped closer to her.
“But, there is one thing I can tell you.”
“What?”
“I’ve faced situations far more difficult than this at least three times. And each time, I solved them and survived, just to show them. And I became that much stronger.”
“…….”
“Trust me and let’s hunt it together.”
Olena flinched.
“If you’re going to become a ranker anyway, don’t you want to become an even stronger one?”
“That’s a given, but it’s all over if I lose my life…….”
“Is that really the reason?”
“…….”
“We’ve been risking our lives until now, and we’ll have to keep risking them in the future. That is the fate of us hunters.”
“…….”
“Olena.”
I looked her straight in the eyes.
“If my guess is correct, we’ll become comrades when we get out of here. We could become closer and more tightly-knit than anyone else. I want my comrade to be a stronger hunter than anyone.”
“A strong hunter…….”
“And I, too, am confident that I can remain by Olena’s side as a hunter stronger than anyone else.”
Olena’s lips trembled.
This was my sincere feeling as well.
Becoming stronger.
Originally, my dream was to become a ranker.
But if I was going to do it, shouldn’t I try to reach the very top among those rankers?
“Damn it.”
Finally, Olena bit her lip.
“Hoon.”
“Yes.”
“Everything else is fine, but please don’t talk with your face so close. That’s cheating.”
“Yes?”
My eyes widened.
“I’m going to hunt the dragon. Let’s go, let’s go!”
“Ah.”
I smiled.
All six of them, excluding me, had agreed.
At that moment.
“Hey you bastards! What kind of bullshit is that?”
Pzzzzzt!
An electric current flashed before my eyes.