Chapter 30

EP.30 The Forgotten Dragon (2)

The world's setting is unique.

A game-like system based on 'runes' is embedded throughout the Holder society, and Holders prove their inherent abilities by growing runes and raising their Holder ranks within this system.

Hunting monsters for money and growth has become a kind of 'playing,' but no Holder finds this strange.

This system has been in place for a very long time.

Most people have adapted to it.

While countless scholars continue to study the Holder system, much remains unknown.

'Besides, no one thinks it's a real game.'

Just because it has a game-like structure, it is not considered a game.

The threat of monsters is a clear reality...

Anyone could be killed by a monster at any moment.

'The dungeons are the same.'

Dungeons, where monsters respawn and bosses exist, are similar.

They can be sufficiently dangerous depending on the level, and ruthless monsters abound, but the system itself is similar to the form of a game.

"Wow, so we can't get these rewards again if we re-clear this dungeon?"

Park Jin-woo asked with a surprised look.

Well, considering Professor Tak Won-ho didn't know much about dungeons, it's not surprising that Park Jin-woo didn't know much either.

Park Jin-woo only knew how to fight.

I burst out laughing and replied.

"Yeah. We get rewarded for our hard work."

"Then what about the boss?"

"The boss respawns, but the rest room won't open again even if you successfully hunt it. The gimmicks will probably disappear, making it easier to clear."

The rest room only opens for the party that first clears the dungeon and successfully hunts the boss.

Therefore, the rest room rewards are a special privilege given only to those who first clear the dungeon.

It's not for nothing that many Holders have rapidly grown after clearing undiscovered dungeons.

"But can I really choose first?"

One of the rewards displayed in a row.

The party members gave me the right to choose first.

The next step is to check all the items and redistribute them.

In other words, they gave me the right to choose an additional reward in advance.

It was a rather unconventional distribution method.

'I feel a bit uncomfortable.'

It's hard not to think, "Is this really okay?"

Of course, it's true that my contribution to this raid was significant.

During the boss raid,

I poured everything I had into it...

If I hadn't, everyone would have been in danger.

Still, human nature isn't always logical.

If I choose a really good item, it might make others envious.

Especially if there's an epic item among the rest room rewards, it could cause a headache.

"...If you weren't there, we would all have died."

As I said this, Kim Chae-eun was about to respond when Kang Ju-yeon suddenly spoke up.

She slightly averted her gaze, looking a bit embarrassed, and said,

"You're qualified. So, choose first."

"That's right! During the boss raid, you did almost everything! Don't feel bad, just choose first."

Perhaps because an unexpected person said something unexpected,

Kim Chae-eun added, sounding a bit flustered.

...It sounded like she felt her words were being preempted.

Park Jin-woo and Moon Ga-eun also nodded in agreement.

It meant they were thinking the same thing.

It would be rude to refuse when everyone is this insistent.

I nodded and started to move.

I slowly examined the items displayed in a row.

"Hmm..."

The rewards from the rest room are diverse.

Especially in a dungeon with an average monster level of B, even more so.

Various weapons, armor, special items, and magic stones.

A wide variety of items were displayed.

"Huh?"

Among them,

one item caught my eye.

An old stone tablet with traces of age,

but with a dignified aura.

Even though it had a rough appearance, it was clear at a glance that it was not an ordinary item.

Such a stone tablet

revealed its presence among many items.

And I

had a vague idea of its identity.

'Isn't this the stone tablet that Ji Yun-jae had?'

The dragon-riding assassin, Ji Yun-jae.

A spy from the <Villain> clan,

who later becomes a powerful Holder and a future enemy.

The stone tablet I saw

had the exact same appearance as the special item he completes in the story.

I hurriedly approached and picked up the stone tablet.

<Item Information>

◎Name: Stone Tablet of the Forgotten Dragon

◎Type: Special

◎Grade: Legendary

◎Creator: -

◎Special Effects:

: A special power that once ruled the world is sealed within. Fill the empty grooves on the stone tablet with the magic stones of the Forgotten Dragons to release the great seal. (0/5)

: By steadily infusing the stone tablet with magic power for 3 hours, you can obtain 3 points of Spirit. This effect can only be obtained once and cannot be used again once used.

◎Detailed Information:

: For those who have forgotten their names and honor, it is difficult to regain the power they once wielded. As you fill in the traces of the dragons' ancient history, you may uncover the secrets of the stone tablet.

Eureka!

I exclaimed inwardly.

As expected,

it was the special item that the original Ji Yun-jae completed.

After completing this item,

Ji Yun-jae obtained a dragon-related legendary rune and

earned the nickname 'Dragon-riding Assassin.'

'So this is the item that grants a legendary rune.'

Legendary rune.

A rune that allows the use of powers from ancient history or traces.

Although it sounds like a higher-tier version of an epic rune,

its performance is similar to or slightly better than an epic rune.

The same applies to the mythic rune, which is said to be touched by the breath of a god.

All three types of runes are unique to a particular race or individual and have overwhelmingly superior performance compared to normal or rare runes.

'They just have slightly different properties.'

The legendary and mythic runes have a broader range of effects due to their unique properties and acquisition methods.

For example, [Sweat of the Seeker] possesses an incredibly powerful effect that rivals any legendary or mythic rune.

Of course, excluding special cases like [Sweat of the Seeker],

the performance of legendary and mythic runes is generally better.

[Stone Tablet of the Forgotten Dragon] is a special item that helps Holders obtain such legendary runes.

Holding the stone tablet, I looked around at the party members and said,

"I'll take this one!"

The party members' expressions became strange.

They looked like they didn't understand.

"Jae-hyun, are you really going to choose this...?"

"It's a legendary item, but..."

It's natural to be puzzled.

Even though it's a legendary item,

it has almost no immediate effects.

At best, it offers an effect to increase Spirit by 3, and the seal release requires the insertion of the magic stones of the Forgotten Dragons, which seems like a far-fetched condition.

There was no reason to choose this unique stone tablet over other good rewards.

"In exchange, give me this and the magic stone from the Grizzly Drake. That's enough for me. I don't need anything else."

The magic stone from the Grizzly Drake.

It is undoubtedly one of the magic stones required by [Stone Tablet of the Forgotten Dragon].

It was also a reward from the rest room after we defeated the Grizzly Drake, and the name of the Grizzly Drake was new to me.

In other words, the Grizzly Drake is one of the five Forgotten Dragons.

If the dungeon respawns as it is,

the boss room monster is likely to change to a regular drake.

"Do Jae-hyun, think about it again. There are many good weapons and armor, are you really going to choose this...?"

Moon Ga-eun asked with a dubious expression.

But I said in a bright voice,

"It's fine! This and the magic stone are enough for me!"

After all, weapons and armor can be made by Choi Yu-min.

If her artisan-type runes grow,

the crafted items will be much better than most items here.

"Okay, if you say so..."

With the awkward agreement of the party members,

I obtained [Stone Tablet of the Forgotten Dragon].

* * *

Inside the academy cafe.

Kang Ju-yeon and Moon Ga-eun were drinking their coffee.

Before going to the dungeon, as per Do Jae-hyun's suggestion,

they had agreed to meet at the cafe.

"Ugh, sweet. I like the vanilla latte here because it's sweet and the creamy taste of milk is almost gone."

"......"

While Moon Ga-eun was shivering and drinking the vanilla latte,

Kang Ju-yeon was quietly stirring her straw.

Her eyes seemed to be deeply lost in thought.

Moon Ga-eun tilted her head as she looked at her.

"Ju-yeon, what are you thinking about?"

When Kang Ju-yeon is spaced out like this, it's one of two things.

She's either thinking about something or not thinking about anything.

...Simple but accurate.

And Moon Ga-eun, who has known her for a long time,

knew that this was the former case.

"...Thinking about Do Jae-hyun."

"Huh? What? Are you really interested in Do Jae-hyun?"

Unexpectedly,

Moon Ga-eun started to get excited.

She felt something was strange...

She had felt it since he applied to downgrade to the intermediate class...

When did he start to become interested...

She started to mutter, running wild with her imagination.

Kang Ju-yeon's eyebrow twitched.

"...Do you want to die?"

"Sorry."

Kang Ju-yeon continued to stir her coffee with the straw,

resuming her previous thoughts.

The Holder she had only thought of as strange.

Do Jae-hyun.

Chasing after his father's words to find a gemstone,

she had gradually followed in his footsteps...

and found herself clearing an undiscovered dungeon with him.

Continuing to grow as they cleared the dungeon,

the party's coordination gradually improved.

He even showed leadership surpassing her own in some aspects.

'And... the boss raid.'

A dangerous situation where everyone could have died.

The boss raid.

Do Jae-hyun proved his special value there.

Despite a critical gimmick that made magic attacks ineffective, he found a unique way to clear the boss and successfully hunted it.

It is unusual that he has a rune that can reduce defense by biting with teeth.

It's a rune that doesn't exist for typical Holders.

However, the party members, including Kang Ju-yeon, did not have major doubts about the process.

The runes a Holder possesses are like their weapon and trade secret, so it's an unwritten rule not to ask about them.

The process was beastly, but...

he used everything he had to hunt the boss.

'......'

Kang Ju-yeon felt that she had a lot to learn from this dungeon raid.

There were moments when she almost fell to a monster due to complacency, and during the boss raid, she was unable to help the party due to the gimmick.

Although she had reached the B-rank Holder level, she still lacked experience.

'He's a fascinating person.'

Do Jae-hyun had moved from being a strange person to...

a fascinating person in her mind.

A person who always shows new paths and possibilities.

That's who Do Jae-hyun is.

"I'm going to recruit him for the Fire Judgment."

So, Kang Ju-yeon said what she had been thinking without hesitation.

To stop her best friend from having unnecessary fantasies.

"Huh?"

But Moon Ga-eun's expression changed.

She looked like she had heard something unexpected.

Kang Ju-yeon, not noticing her reaction, continued.

"He's a Holder with overflowing potential. His judgment and combat sense are excellent, as seen during the boss raid. I need to recruit him before graduation."

A rather long statement for Kang Ju-yeon.

It showed how strongly she wanted to recruit Do Jae-hyun.

He was a Holder worth actively recruiting for the <Fire Judgment>.

And upon hearing this, Moon Ga-eun...

looked troubled, scratching her head and said,

"R-royal clan is also going to make a recruitment offer, right?"

"...What?"

Kang Ju-yeon's expression rarely showed confusion.

An unexpected competitor had appeared.