Chapter 118: Title (2)

Somewhere in Rudera

Wooong—

A dimensional gate for spatial movement opened, and a well-dressed middle-aged man with a mustache stepped out.

“A new era… is it?”

Dragon Lord Iosef stood there, momentarily lost, reminiscing about the miracle that the Demon King had once stirred. 

The Demon King he knew had already been on the verge of transcending mortal limits, yet the miracles she displayed within the community surpassed even that.

Miracles that seemed achievable only by a fully mature god.

GM bestowed that divine realm upon the Demon King by simply giving her a name.

Iosef recalled the words the Demon King had once said to him.

“Are you that afraid? Of the new era!”

The Demon King, who was meant to serve the Demon God, had always seemed expectant, somehow, whenever GM stirred up something.

“Is this truly that new era?”

That very Demon King had been elevated to a god, made into a subordinate deity. 

With the miracles performed previously, faith in GM had surged to unparalleled heights, and this absurd event would only solidify that dominion.

The continent was slowly falling into GM’s grasp.

Then… 

What am I supposed to do?

As the Dragon Lord tasked with protecting the Middle Realm, Iosef was at a loss. 

Should he oppose GM under the pretense of safeguarding the Middle Realm? 

But he lacked a clear justification. 

GM had shown only protection for the Middle Realm through miracles, not harm.

No other dragons would eagerly join a cause to defeat GM under such circumstances.

…And even before considering that, could they even defeat GM with just dragons alone?

To confront GM, perhaps every deity on the continent would need to unite.

A near-impossible feat.

Yet, simply standing by and watching seemed equally untenable, given the vast upheaval overtaking the continent.

A transcendental being capable of shaking the entire continent alone—the Demon King—had been reduced to a mere subordinate in an instant.

And they say the GM handed down a host of [Names] in the process.

I can’t even begin to imagine how many powerful beings will rise under GM’s banner.

If that happens, GM will wield total control over the continent. 

The established gods—Deus, Alia, the World Tree, Pice—would likely be swept away by his will alone.

If GM, having become the sole god, ever fell into corruption or harbored evil intentions…

“What am I supposed to do?”

Iosef clutched his head, torn by a dilemma that left him unable to act or remain idle.

If only he had a god to serve, this decision might not weigh so heavily on him.

For now, he decided to investigate that title, the [Name]. 

Though he held no hostile intent toward GM, he figured it was prudent to at least understand what kind of object this title was.

And so, Iosef entered Rudera.

Yet, even as the Dragon Lord, the origin of all magic, he found no clear path forward.

According to the Demon King’s message conveyed through the community, one could obtain a title if they met the necessary qualifications.

…What sort of qualifications?

A devoted believer of GM?

A loyal player of GM?

Or perhaps, sheer strength?

“…Should I just search them all?”

His original objective had been to observe the title competition, so he resolved to explore for now.

After wandering through various corners of Rudera for a while, Iosef came across the newly opened floors of the Tower of Labyrinths.

“Already the 20th floor?”

Driven by the fervor of players, stoked by the conflicts between the new server and the existing server and the possible ascension to godhood through titles, they climbed the tower at an impressive speed.

Their power and understanding of the game had grown significantly, accelerating their progress.

As Iosef ascended each floor, he couldn’t help but marvel.

The layers below the 10th floor mostly resembled the continent, but after that, he encountered increasingly foreign dimensions—worlds utterly unfamiliar to even him.

A world where people wield swords made of light, a world where humans resided in flying metal structures, a world filled with people in flowing garments, most of whom had strength rivaling that of knights or beyond.

All these dimensions were profoundly mystical.

Just how powerful must GM be to bring such dimensions within Rudera?

Lost in awe, he reached the 20th floor.

A dense, green forest greeted him, along with a humid warmth.

“…!”

Iosef’s eyes went wide the moment he entered the dimension.

“Ah… so beautiful…”

Before him stood a creature he’d never seen on the continent.

It looked somewhat similar to his kin, but no magic could be sensed within it. 

Still, beneath those powerful muscles, immense vitality lay dormant, its presence unmistakably formidable, no lesser than his own kin.

Just by the air it radiated, it stood at the top of its ecosystem—far beyond wyverns or drakes… perhaps even a kin.

But more than anything, there was one detail that caught Iosef’s gaze.

The bulging muscles on its legs exhibited strength, contrasting with its short, stubby arms, which added an adorable touch.

An imposing and dignified female presence, yet with a delicate charm that softened her.

Iosef couldn’t take his eyes off the lady dragon standing before him.

Unlike the cute pet-like creature he’d recently seen on a broadcast called Laura, this lady dragon stirred something different within him.

Though not a complete dragon, she bore a resemblance that seemed to have diverged at an ancestral level.

A magnificence that could be seen as equal to that of the continent’s strongest dragons.

Dragon Lord Iosef found himself enamored with the Tyranno.

“I… I am called Iosef.”

Grrr

The Tyranno didn’t speak, only watched him warily as he slowly approached.

“It’s not much of a boast, but… I-I am the Lord of our kind. Ahaha. Our kin serve as the protectors of the continent, and I am their leader…”

“…Should I try?”

Though Iosef had never once boasted of his status, he found himself wanting to make a good impression on the female before him.

“Well, might I humbly inquire as to the possibility of your approval in allowing me the honor of knowing your name, if indeed such a suggestion can be received as acceptable…?”

As Iosef hesitantly mustered the courage to speak,

ROAR!

“Whoa!”

The Tyranno opened her mouth wide and lunged at him. 

Iosef, startled, waved his hand in a defensive gesture.

CRACK

Invisible magic crushed the Tyranno’s hind leg.

THUD!

Losing her balance, the Tyranno collapsed forward, falling right on top of Iosef.

Though the massive weight descended upon him, Iosef was unharmed.

“Phew!”

But he couldn’t help but feel embarrassed.

“Ugh! Th-that wasn’t my intention!”

His head was trapped between the Tyranno’s legs. 

With a quick, reflexive move, Iosef leapt out from under her.

“I’m sorry! That was not my intention at all! Though, of course, it was a most fragrant and beautiful cloaca! Ah, no, I mean that’s not what I…!”

Wail…

“…O-oh, dear.”

The Tyranno let out a mournful cry, seemingly ignoring his stammered words.

“My apologies. I’ll heal you right away.”

Wooong

He invoked dragon magic, a blessing only allowed to dragons, to mend the Tyranno’s thick leg.

During the healing process, Iosef made a shocking realization.

“Are you… bereft of intelligence?”

The lady before him lacked even the capacity for coherent thought, her intellect reduced to that of a lowly creature.

“H-how could this be!”

For a creature as beautiful and powerful as a dragon to have fallen to such a base level of intelligence—it was inconceivable.

“Who could have done… such a thing?”

Unbeknownst to Iosef, the Tyranno was a lifeform based on Albus’s memories and thus lacked intelligence. 

But Iosef assumed this noble dragon had been cursed, stripped of her intellect.

“…I will. I will restore you.”

His resolute eyes met the Tyranno’s.

“No matter what it takes, I will return your intelligence to you.”

Wooong

Koom!

“A woman as beautiful and strong as you cannot remain trapped in a curse of regression. Even if I must defy the natural order, even if it means forsaking the duty of our kin!”

A massive magic circle materialized, covering the entire 20th floor.

“A magic circle?”

“It’s huge! What is that?”

“Aah! It’s shaking!”

The entire floor trembled from the flow of tremendous magical power.

“For your sake!”

Transcendent magic poured forth from the Dragon Lord’s hands.

“…What on earth am I looking at?”

Albus, monitoring Rudera, rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

“My eyes aren’t playing tricks on me.”

Beep

Albus turned off the monitor he’d been watching.

A dragon and a dinosaur… mating.

He had an overwhelming urge to cleanse his mind immediately.