Ch.107The Edge of the World, the Outer Continent (1)

What is a Dragon?

From the beginning of time, through the age of chaos, to the mythical era that saw the birth of countless heroes led by Arthur, dragons have existed in all these ages. They are beings who awaken with the beginning of the world and close their eyes when the end comes.

Unchanging, immortal, eternal.

That is what dragons are.

Yet some say they were once noble but are now mere beasts. They point fingers at dragons, calling them nothing but hideous monsters who take pleasure in devouring and burning life.

“That’s not wrong.”

The magician who lived through the mythical era when dragons began to fall sighed, resting her chin on her hand.

“Dragons were originally noble beings. Not all of them, but there certainly existed noble and virtuous dragons. Until the Dragon of Abyss appeared.”

The Lake Magician, Merlin.

“The dragon race cannot go against their original nature. The first and last dragon. The Dragon of Abyss, the beginning and end. From the moment that monster desired the end of the world, it was natural for all dragons to go mad.”

She shook her head in disgust.

“The problem is, even though they’ve fallen to mere beasts, the mystery inherent in the dragon race hasn’t disappeared.”

“Mystery?”

“Yes, remember what I told you before? That mysteries naturally dwell in special races or objects.”

Najin nodded.

He remembered. Merlin had explained this before when pointing to Juel, a human with mystery dwelling within him.

“Dragons are one such race.”

“Then what is the mystery that dragons possess?”

“Unchanging, immortal, eternal.”

Unchanging, never altering.

Immortal, never perishing.

Eternal, unbound by time.

“When I defined the concept of mystery, there were about three races that were absolutely ridiculous, and dragons are one of them. The other two are witches and giants. These creatures are just cheats by their very existence. They’re cheating as an entire race.”

Merlin clicked her tongue.

“They’re perfect from birth. They live eternally in that perfection. The scales those lizards wear deflect not only ordinary sword energy but also repel all magic below 5th circle. And that’s not all.”

Merlin opened her mouth and made a “kyaaah” sound.

When Najin gave her a look that said “what are you doing,” Merlin awkwardly twisted her hair and said:

“And their breath is at least 6th circle magic. Without paying any price, simply because they were born that way, they breathe fire that can melt entire castle walls. As for the Dragon of Abyss… I don’t even want to think about it.”

And what about inside their mouths?

Once swallowed, that’s the end. A dragon’s mouth connects to an entirely different world. Muttering this, Merlin stretched.

“Anyway, I’ve gone on too long.”

Moving to Najin’s side, Merlin waved her finger. Water droplets floating in the air moved right in front of Najin’s nose. Droplets colored white and red.

“The dragons you’ll face this time. The White Dragon and Red Dragon are basically similar. The key is how to temporarily separate their mystery… but I’ll explain that later.”

“Wait, Merlin.”

Najin interrupted Merlin’s explanation.

It was good to hear about dragon subjugation, but there was one point that needed clarification.

“I’m fine with hunting dragons. It’s good to have a chance to obtain a Star. But…”

“Yes?”

“Weren’t the White Dragon and Red Dragon sealed? Under Stonehenge. The heroic tales say you sealed them, Merlin.”

The tales of Arthur that Najin had read many times.

In the first chapter, the White Dragon and Red Dragon were cast down by Arthur and sealed beneath Stonehenge by Merlin. That was certainly the case, so how could they hunt dragons that were sealed?

“Are you planning to release them from the seal?”

Najin frowned.

He didn’t like that idea. Taking out sealed dragons to hunt them seemed like a staged performance. He didn’t think he could obtain a Star through such theatrics.

“No? Why would I release them?”

Merlin tilted her head at Najin’s question.

“They’ll break out on their own.”

“What do you mean?”

“You pulled out Excalibur.”

“Yes?”

“The fact that Excalibur was drawn, though they don’t know it was you, has been announced to the whole world. Not just the mainland, but to the outside world, and even to Camlann.”

The day Najin pulled out Excalibur.

Led by Arthur’s constellation, the night sky was shaken. The trembling sky. The flickering constellations. The disturbance they created was enough to awaken those who had been sleeping.

“Time that had stopped for a thousand years has begun to move again.”

Merlin’s blue eyes gazed at Najin.

“As a new myth begins to be written, how could the beings of the mythical age who were asleep not rise? The Red Dragon and White Dragon are just the beginning. More will arise. The things Arthur defeated, the things that fell because of Arthur, will one by one begin to raise their heads.”

Her finger pointed at Najin.

“To kill the successor of Arthur.”

2.

Two days after discussing dragon hunting with Merlin and beginning to make plans, a summons came from the Central Guild. It was about promotion, and in this case, no separate test was needed.

Najin had already been recognized as a Sword Seeker in front of three Sword Masters and the Emperor. With the Emperor personally congratulating him on this fact, holding a separate test would be tantamount to insulting the Emperor’s authority.

Additionally, with baseless rumors circulating inside and outside Cambria about Najin’s affiliation, the Central Guild judged it right to promote Najin quickly. As a result, Najin’s promotion ceremony proceeded at an unprecedented pace.

Najin was a red-grade adventurer.

Above the red grade, there was only one.

White grade, the white-rank adventurer. The grade called the pinnacle of the adventurer city. While not particularly attractive to the current Najin, there was no reason for him to refuse, given the protection of the Cambria Foundation.

The promotion ceremony, according to Cambria’s tradition, took place in front of all adventurers. A large crowd gathered in front of the Central Guild, and people from outside Cambria came to see the face of Najin, called the youngest Sword Seeker.

“That’s the youngest Sword Seeker.”

“Younger than I thought.”

“Young, but his eyes are alive. The eyes of a warrior.”

“He’s experienced many battles. His posture shows it.”

Among them were some renowned knights and mercenaries who exchanged comments while looking at Najin standing on the platform.

Tap.

And when the appointed time came, a nobleman ascended the platform. Since a white-rank adventurer was essentially a representative of Cambria, it was tradition for a nobleman from the Cambria Foundation to participate in the promotion ceremony.

And in this case, Marquis Eldelmar rose to the platform as the representative of the Foundation. Being acquainted with Najin and having the highest status in the Foundation, Marquis Eldelmar was suitable to preside over the promotion ceremony.

“Congratulations on your promotion.”

He took out a nameplate from a wooden box.

Unlike other nameplates, this one made of rare metal gleamed in the sunlight. On the pure white nameplate was engraved the name Najin, not Ivan.

To Najin, who knelt on one knee and bowed his head, Marquis Eldelmar, as Cambria’s representative, presented the nameplate and medal. With this, Najin became a white-rank adventurer. On the eighth month since setting foot in Cambria, Najin reached the city’s pinnacle.

Amid the applause, Najin rose to his feet. Receiving the gaze of numerous adventurers and outsiders, Najin descended from the platform.

The youngest Sword Seeker.

The youngest white-rank adventurer.

It was tradition in the city to give epithets to white-rank adventurers, but in Najin’s case, he had become such a famous figure that adventurers didn’t need to give him one. There was already an epithet by which the world called Najin.

The New Star.

An epithet perfectly fitting for a boy who suddenly appeared and broke the youngest record, someone no one had expected. Later, when Najin heard this epithet through Dieta, he burst into laughter.

“I haven’t even obtained a Star yet, and they call me the New Star.”

Even while laughing, Najin didn’t deny that he quite liked the epithet. However, Najin also knew that not everyone used this epithet in a positive sense.

New Star meant not only a star that suddenly shines but also a star that disappears after a single flash. It was an epithet with ambiguous meaning.

Which of the two meanings would prevail would be determined by his future actions. And naturally, Najin had no intention of shining briefly and disappearing. Rather, befitting the name New Star, he intended to truly obtain a “Star.”

Right after becoming a white-rank adventurer.

Another letter arrived for Najin. The secretly delivered letter was a “White-Rank Summons,” a letter about a large quest commissioned by the Central Guild.

That is.

The letter described the subjugation of two dragons that would soon be resurrected.

3.

Deep within the Central Guild, past stringent security, there was a meeting room. The room had five seats, three of which were already occupied when Najin arrived.

Bashen Korte.

Rihart Folsen.

Roseline Askarlo.

All three were white-rank adventurers, and Najin was acquainted with two of them. Bashen Korte and Roseline Askarlo. Najin had briefly spoken with Bashen during the process of dealing with the Order’s attackers, and he frequently interacted with Roseline.

“Well, well, meeting the youngster here. Good to see you.”

After Najin became a Sword Seeker, Roseline had called him “Ivan,” but after his age was revealed, she started calling him “youngster.” Once, Najin questioned this.

“What, should I call an eighteen-year-old something else besides youngster?”

“If you want to be called by your name, demand it after you become stronger than me. Then I’ll even add ‘sir’ to your name.”

That was the only answer he got.

Recalling that memory, Najin smiled bitterly and nodded. As he was about to find his seat, Roseline patted the seat next to her.

“Where are you going? Sit here.”

“That’s not my seat though.”

Najin pointed to the nameplate on the seat.

The name engraved on the nameplate was Grizel Parament. Najin’s seat was across from it. Roseline picked up the nameplate, checked the name, frowned, and then tossed it to the seat across.

“We can just switch seats. I don’t like sitting next to that guy. That Grizel, he gives me bad vibes.”

Najin took the nameplate that was originally at his seat and sat next to Roseline. Satisfied, Roseline smiled and whispered in Najin’s ear.

“By the way, youngster, I heard you had a bout with the Empire’s Best Swordsman? There are lots of rumors.”

“That’s what happened.”

“So how was it? You’ve also met Lord Charon. Which one is stronger?”

Roseline’s eyes sparkled.

They were like a child’s eyes asking who would win in a fight between a tiger and a lion, and it was quite a difficult question for Najin to answer. After all, his opponent hadn’t even used his full strength.

As Najin pondered his answer.

The closed door of the meeting room opened. Two people stepped through the open door; one was the Guild Master of the Central Guild who had summoned the white-rank adventurers, and…

The other was Grizel Parament.

A white-rank adventurer whose information was not widely known. Najin looked at Grizel. There was something alien about him. As Grizel took his seat, the Guild Master began to speak.

“The reason I’ve gathered all you white-ranks here is, as I’ve already conveyed through the letter, related to the dragons sealed beneath Stonehenge.”

Two dragons sealed beneath Stonehenge. The story at the center of the legend that formed the city of Cambria.

“The sealing formula inscribed on Stonehenge has worn away, and since eight months ago, it has been gradually losing its effectiveness. The Imperial center predicts that within a month, the seal will be completely broken, and the two dragons will be released.”

Najin already knew this from Merlin.

-Of course, they would notice the seal breaking. Seems the Empire has caught on.

As Merlin muttered this, the Guild Master continued. He spoke about how Cambria had priority rights for the subjugation, how the Empire would cooperate, and how this information must be kept confidential.

Then the Guild Master revealed the details of the subjugation.

“The Empire will support with knights, and the subjugation will be carried out by a small elite force. The five white-ranks gathered here, along with the Imperial knights, will lead the subjugation.”

Documents were given to each person.

As Najin skimmed through the document, he looked up. If the subjugation proceeded like this, then this was…

Najin looked around.

It wasn’t just Najin. All the white-rank adventurers gathered there looked at each other’s faces. The meaning of those glances was clear. At first glance, it seemed like the five would form a team for the subjugation, but looking deeper, it was entirely different.

‘It’s a competition.’

This was more of a competition than a subjugation.

Who would achieve the greatest merit? Who would claim the glory of bringing down the dragon? And naturally, none of them seemed willing to yield.