Chapter 60

While flying over the road to Photren, I realized I was holding a book in my hand.

It was given to me by Gainta when I left Eleera.

Apparently, it was something that emerged from the mine after I left Eleera last time, but since no one else could read it, he gave it to me.

The flying magic seems to have a characteristic where the wind doesn't affect you even as the speed increases, only the consumption of magic power increases.

I thought about reading it while flying.

Considering this, I opened the book while occasionally looking down to make sure I didn't get lost.

The content was about dragons.

It described the conditions for dragons to appear and methods to deal with them.

There were mainly two conditions for the emergence of dragons.

First, the density of 'magic particles' in the atmosphere must exceed a certain level.

Magic particles are terms I've seen before, like in cases of magic power poisoning.

Since they are invisible, it seems difficult to determine, but when the density of magic particles exceeds a certain level, various harmful effects occur, making it easy to identify.

Mainly, sub-dragons and other powerful monsters appear in large numbers, and the maximum magic power of humans generally decreases.

To my knowledge, I haven't heard of the maximum magic power decreasing, so I can breathe a sigh of relief.

I've only seen a sub-dragon once, and it's far from a large-scale outbreak.

Secondly, a trigger for the birth of a dragon must occur in a place with a sufficient amount of magic particles.

The degree of the trigger varies depending on the amount of magic particles, but when intentionally causing it, it seems that a forced explosion is created using magic stones.

Magic stones have the effect of aiding the creation of dragons.

Wisps are also generated under similar conditions, and are considered to be failed versions of dragons.

Methods to defeat them were also written.

Most magic is ineffective, and any sword will burn out immediately upon striking a dragon, making it impossible to kill them.

After studying methods to deal with them, it was discovered that by using a large-scale version of the 'Magic Freeze' spell with magic tools and a large number of mages, dragons could be frozen and sealed deep underground to prevent their re-emergence for a while.

Apparently, two continents were destroyed before this method was found.

It's a terrifying story.

The main content was about this much.

Since it's a thin book (not the kind sold in Aki in summer or winter, but literally a thin book), it doesn't go into much detail, but I can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that everything is fine for now.

I should probably look into this 'Magic Freeze' just in case.

But there's no need to rush.

As long as there are no signs, the possibility of a dragon being born during my lifetime is likely very low.

Even if signs do appear, it apparently takes about five years for a dragon to naturally emerge.

However, by the time dragons naturally emerge, it is predicted that mages will be useless and the dragons will be so strong that they cannot be handled.

The ancient civilization apparently did not test this far.

If they had, they might have perished even sooner.

I certainly don't want to test it either.

When I finished reading, I realized that Photren was already close.

This time, I need to raise my rank.

I probably won't encounter a situation where rank fraud is necessary again, or rather, I don't want to.

I entered the city through the gate.

To avoid surprising anyone, I landed about 100 meters away and ran to the gate, but the effect is unknown.

I went straight to the guild and handed my guild card to a receptionist I saw and spoke to her.

"Excuse me, I want to raise my rank."

"You're from Desibatora. Please wait a moment."

The receptionist took the card and went into a back room.

When she came out, she was holding a new guild card.

The new guild card was generally blue, with a copper-like stripe at the top.

The design changes when you rank up.

"Here, it's confirmed. You've set the shortest record from registration to C-rank promotion. Congratulations."

"Thank you."

I had been taking detours, but it seems this was still the shortest record.

I wouldn't be surprised if there were faster ones, like those who used to be knights.

But if knights can become as strong as Radumcos, that's not the case.

Moreover, the city's security would be a concern in that case.

I thought about this as I left the guild.

Then I realized I was hungry.

Come to think of it, I hadn't eaten breakfast.

I remember hearing that there's a good fish restaurant a little way from Desibatora.

I've been eating a lot of grilled meat lately, so it might be nice to have some fish.

I found the restaurant I was looking for after a short walk.

The door had a large fish symbol on it.

The familiar fish symbol, a combination of a triangle and an ellipse, like on Earth.

Perhaps the image people get from fish is similar in this world.

Well, I don't know of any seas where fish that sink ships and eat people are abundant.

I entered the restaurant, sat at a random seat, and waited to be asked for my order.

This seems to be the norm in this world.

"What would you like to order?"

A woman who looked like a server came to take my order.

"Is there a recommended fish dish?"

Even if there was a menu, I couldn't read it.

Actually, I can read it, but seeing something like 'Eratana's Lechis' doesn't tell me what it is, just like a French dish written in katakana.

And what's 'Nelkin's Desibatora-style'?

Is it a dish named 'Desibatora-style'?

"Then I recommend the Eratana's Lechis. It's the best season for it."

It seems I hit the jackpot by choosing randomly.

The price is 240 ter, which isn't extremely high.

It's not cheap, but it's not outrageous.

"Then I'll have that."

I placed my order, and the dish arrived after a short while.

Compared to the restaurants in Ein, it's a bit slower, but the food still comes out quickly in this world.

The fish that came out was, well, chunky.

About 40 cm long, with a spiky jaw and fins, it was a whole fish.

Not the kind with flimsy, pointed fins like a sculpin, but more like...

Wait, this fish seems familiar.

Is it a black bass?

Probably a salt-grilled version.

Is it delicious...

Well, if it's recommended, it must be good.

I cut a piece of the Eratana and put it in my mouth.

...Wow, it's delicious, like a high-end river fish.

Despite its large size, it tastes like a sweetfish.

A voluminous sweetfish, the best.

This price is well-deserved.

In less than 10 minutes, I had almost finished the meat.

But there was still some meat left on the bones and spines.

However, the utensils in this restaurant are knife-like wooden tools and something like a broken spoon.

Unlike chopsticks, they are not suitable for such fine work.

...It seems it's time to use the enhanced jaw strength from my status.

I tried to crush the remaining meat along with the bones.

...Wow, it's really delicious.

The texture is like a cracker, and it matches the taste of the Eratana perfectly.

It might even be more delicious than eating the meat alone.

Before I knew it, I had eaten the Eratana, leaving only the spine and head.

"Thank you for the meal. Can I have the bill, please?"

"Yes, it's 240 ter. Thank you for coming... Wait, where are the other bones?"

The server looked puzzled as she took the money.

"Oh, it was so delicious that I ended up eating the bones too. Thank you for the meal."

I said this and left the restaurant.

"...Are you from Desibatora?"

As I was leaving, I heard this voice.

That's right.

With my stomach full, I thought about doing a bit of work.

Even for slash-and-burn agriculture, it's not just a matter of setting fire in this world.

The island where the field is planned is pre-bombed.

Agriculture has become quite violent.

Worried about the future of slash-and-burn agriculture, I moved to the island and launched a dive bombing.

The bombing, enhanced by the sub-dragon I defeated, hit the entire island, blowing away the trees with a loud boom.

About a minute after the explosion, the island returned to silence.

Thanks to the absence of trees, I noticed there was a lake on the island.

It might be useful for something.

I approached to take a look.

The water seemed to have escaped the worst of the bombing, but it was murky, and fallen trees were submerged.

There were also a lot of Zunana grass remains floating.

I didn't see any fish, so it would probably only be useful as a water source.

Still, it's better than nothing.

Burning itself requires a few days of rest, so I decided to collect the scattered Zunana grass and return.

I might take a day off tomorrow, since I won't be able to rest once the Broken campaign starts.

--- Two days later.

I was heading to the island again.

Of course, to burn the trees and secure the farmland.

According to Merzia, as long as the monsters are dealt with, the rest can be handled by her, so my job is mostly done.

In other words, my job was to burn the island, which had no greenery left from two days ago.

However, what awaited me was a lush Zunana grass field.

I couldn't believe my eyes.

...Wait, didn't I bomb the island thoroughly two days ago?

Is Zunana grass tougher than I thought?

No, but I collected the remains, so what happened?

Anyway, there aren't many places where Zunana grass can be harvested without trees.

I used water magic to cut it all down and put it in my item box before setting it on fire.

The extra-large fire magic barrage engulfed the trees, turning the island into a sea of fire.

Alright, that should do it. I'll come back to check tomorrow.

I might need to ask Merzia about the uses of the large amount of Zunana grass.

I won't need it on this island anymore since I burned it today, but the amount I collected is considerable.

Thinking this, I left the island, and the next day, when I came to check, what I saw was

--- a vast field of lush Zunana grass.