Chapter 90: Death Dragon

Well, it looks like we’ll have to try something different for this one.

The state of this southern gate is worse than I expected.

If it weren’t for me, it would’ve been messed up long ago.

“Well, there’s nothing we can do about it.”

“Do you have any other ideas?”

Is it really another method?

Surprisingly, there is a simple solution.

“They’re probably moving by now—the guild.”

The Hunter Guild is a group with some awareness.

After just one day, they’re becoming a mess.

They’re probably gathering the guild masters for a discussion as we speak.

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

“They’re probably on their way right now, trying not to get too much flak.”

Yoo Ji-ho would definitely act that way.

If Yoo Ji-ho moves, so will the others.

In the end, it’ll all work out for the better.

If the guild masters step up, they’ll bring all their lackeys with them.

“Hmm. You think so?”

“You can sense it at that level. I can feel it.”

Someone like me can tell.

I’ve survived off my wits since I was young and even took down the Demon King.

Would someone like me not know what’s going on now?

One look is all it takes.

The broadcast I’m doing is probably famous by now.

“Well, aren’t you something.”

“Besides, at this point, we just need to clear the path ahead. If those idiots want to be somewhat better fools, they’ll need to bring all their forces.”

If you had to choose between being a fool and a better fool, of course, they’ll pick being the better fool.

Especially for Hunters, whose pride and honor are important to them.

“A better fool? Will they really come?”

“You saw the broadcast, right? The guild is getting heavily criticized.”

They might be able to ignore other things, but it’s hard for them to let go of public opinion turning so harshly against the guild.

And this dungeon is only getting more serious.

“That’s true.”

“Right now, they’re in a no-win situation. Whether they come or not, they’ll be seen as fools. So they’ll try to at least become fools who contribute.”

Yeah.

The better fools.

The guild will do their best to become the better fools.

They’ll bring everyone with them.

I’ve already taken care of a lot of skeletons.

Only a few are respawning in the back, and the number of skeletons appearing in front has drastically decreased.

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

“Then we should do this.”

“How?”

I walked over to the Young girl and suddenly lifted her up.

[Oh wow, sniffing the back of the saintess!]

[Lol, I’m so jealous of that Young girl.]

[The combo of the saintess and the Young girl, oh, this is good.]

Ignore the nonsense and charge forward.

Toward the next room up ahead!

“What the—why are you carrying me all of a sudden?”

“You’re charging forward?”

“What?”

“Are you holding your phone properly?”

“Uh, wait, hold on!”

With the young girl on my back and the elf beside me, we ran toward the light ahead.

Swinging the mace, I cleared out the skeletons in our way.

After running for a while, we crossed the light and arrived in a small space with a visible ceiling, unlike before.

And there, familiar faces appeared.

It was the Cheonma team and the Battle Mage team.

Both teams were resting here comfortably.

I was jealous.

I’ve been running around all this time.

“So you were all here? If you came first, you should’ve helped us out.”

“Well, we couldn’t go back. Look.”

Battle Mage pointed behind me.

When I turned around, the path I had taken was blocked by an unknown wall.

So that’s why the skeletons weren’t chasing us.

I was ready to hold them off, but at some point, the path had been blocked by a strange barrier.

“Huh?”

Thud!

I lightly tapped it with my mace, but it didn’t budge.

“This really feels like an RPG game.”

It reminds me of the old RPG games I used to play.

Once you enter the boss room, there’s no way to go back to the previous map.

This must be the path to the boss room.

Did they call it a death dragon?

Death dragon.

Once we pass through here, the death dragon awaits.

After taking a break, the Kanora Guild party passed through a space that seemed purposefully designed for rest and arrived at the boss room.

“Grrr, grrrr.”

“Whoa, is that the death dragon?”

It looked terrifying.

Like a completely emaciated lizard. How should we deal with that thing?

“Wow. It looks exactly how I imagined it would.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

It’s exactly like a skeletal dragon. Its front and hind legs are bound by strange iron chains, but its head—the most important part—isn’t sealed at all.

In other words, it can still unleash its breath attack.

That’s what this means.

“Oh man, if we mess with that thing, we’re screwed.”

The mermaid princess was disgusted.

Yeah, I agree, it looks dangerous.

Its size is like several buildings combined.

Considering it’s a skeleton, though, it’s probably not that big.

Anyway, that worm-like death dragon is currently asleep.

“Its breath already smells like death.”

“No kidding. It reeks of rot.”

Both the succubus and the young girl pinched their noses.

Yeah, the stench is really something.

It’s like this skeleton dragon ate a dumpster for lunch.

“It’s too late to turn back. The way behind us is blocked.”

“That’s true.”

So, we have to fight it.

If we don’t break this thing’s skull, it’ll eventually come out and cause havoc.

Based on the known gate history, before the Hunters subdue them, the monsters flood out of the gate.

This skeletal dragon would be no different.

“Hmm, I’ve got something to say.”

Battle mage spoke up, sweating nervously.

What now?

What’s the matter?

“What is it?”

“About this death dragon. It’s not the one from my world.”

Battle mage shook her head slightly.

“Really?”

“It looks similar, but that’s just because it’s bones. In my world, they didn’t have weird symbols or those giant talismans wrapped around their legs.”

I’ve never seen anything like this either.

Those talismans are probably meant to seal the dragon’s movements.

Maybe someone who came before us put them there.

It wouldn’t have been the Hunters.

So, who could it have been?

“The important question is who placed those talismans.”

“Right, that’s suspicious.”

Whoever it was must have been pretty skilled to suppress the movement of a high-level monster like this.

If it wasn’t a Hunter, could it be someone from this world?

It’s not from mine, at least.

“Whoever it was, they weren’t trying to use the dragon for some evil plan, right?”

“Well, you never know. You can’t just assume someone from another world isn’t a villain.”

There are plenty of crazy people who use talismans.

People who use dangerous monsters because they’re too weak to fight themselves.

“Yeah, like there was this time when a mad wizard created undead experiments, and when they went berserk, he controlled them with talismans. Or maybe they were originally good, but the talismans made them go berserk. Something like that.”

Since Battle mage comes from a world similar to mine, she reacted in disgust.

Looks like she’s fought against something like this before.

“So, in short, someone’s exploiting the dragon?”

“Now that you mention it, there was also this jerk who tried to ‘correct’ the voices of us sirens with weird talismans.”

The fishfolk reacted as well.

Strange talismans?

Voice correction?

“Maybe that person was the only savior who could fix the sirens’ voices. The sirens must have thrown away a once-in-a-millennium talent.”

“A talent? Are you insulting my voice?”

“Yeah, to be honest, you’re tone-deaf to the point it’s embarrassing to be seen with you.”

When I hit her with the hard truth, the siren looked deflated.

That’s the kind of tension she needs to have about her voice.

I’m not in the wrong here.

Who knows what’ll happen in this battle with the death dragon, so it’s better to say things like this in advance.

Honestly, this time it feels like it’s going to be tough.

Conversations like this aren’t bad for easing the tension.

“That makes sense. Such things are common even in the martial world. I almost fell for it myself.”

“I can’t imagine the Cheonma being caught off guard.”

Cheonma being controlled?

That’d be like getting hit by the Cheonma Slash a dozen times.

“Well, to be precise, it was when I was a cat. My sister—seeing me asleep in my cat form—tried to turn me into a real cat with a talisman because she wanted to see me act cute.”

Right, the Cheonma can transform into a cat.

The thought of the Cheonma as a cat… If Cheonma meows, wouldn’t that make her the ‘Neko Cheonma’?

“So what happened?”

“My sister turned into a cat instead. It was amusing to see her clinging to me all day.”

Did she just say she turned her sister into a cat?

If I were Cheonma, I probably would’ve smashed her head with a mace.

But still, turning someone into a cat seems a bit much.

“Wow, Cheonma is scary.”

“No, she tried to turn me into a cat first, so it was only natural.”

“Well, when you put it like that, it makes sense.”

“She was the one at fault in the first place. It’s a fond memory, in a way. I wonder how she’s doing now.”

For just a moment, Cheonma showed a nostalgic expression.

Does she miss her sister, even after all that?

I’m glad I left that world behind.

“So, does that mean it’s not a breath attack?”

“We can’t be sure. Even if the worlds are different, the death dragon could still be similar.”

“That’s true. Especially if it’s undead.”

“Battle mage and I may be from different worlds, but there’s probably not that big a difference in civilization. Judging by its bones, it’s similar to what we have in our world.”

In other words, we should strike first.

“It looks like it’s asleep, right?”

Looking closely, the death dragon wasn’t moving at all.

So, it must be asleep.

That means the answer is obvious.

This is the perfect chance to land a critical hit.

“Seems like it.”

“Then, first strike wins.”

I raised my mace high.

The higher the level of the monster, the more you have to hit it as hard as you can.

You have to break its skull while you have the chance.

That’s how I’ve lived up until now.

That’s why I’ve survived so long.

“Hey, if you mess this up, we’re screwed.”

The succubus tried to stop me, but this isn’t something that can be stopped.

“So, do you have an escape route?”

“No, but…”

Since there’s no way back, that means we have to take down the boss.

Seeing as the broadcast is still running, if we manage to beat this place, the gate will probably be destroyed, and we’ll be able to leave.

That’s the feeling I get.

It feels like this was all planned by someone, which makes me feel uneasy.

“That’s why we have no choice. It’s better to strike while it’s still asleep.”

“Wow, that sounds dirty.”

The succubus always knows how to ruin the mood.

She’s such a succubus, even thinking about that in this situation.

“That’s because your head is filled with nothing but dirty thoughts.”

“You thought so too! Admit it!”

What’s her deal?