Chapter 100

< Traditional Play (4) >

- Roar!

The massive black dragon roared. The oppressive roar made a few A-rankers involuntarily step back. A message of fear resistance appeared and disappeared in front of my eyes. My ears hurt.

- Well then.

Riet raised her long neck and looked down at the humans. Except for the bright spring day and the Alpine-like background, it's a fitting scene of a dragon versus humans. Although I'm conspicuously absent from that "versus." Not that I'm completely uninvolved; I might be the grand prize.

Under the clear blue sky, being clutched in the dragon's foreclaw feels really terrible.

- I will kidnap the princess! If you have the courage to face me, defeat my subordinates and come to the top of that tower!

What is Yoo Hyun doing right now? I hope the kids are playing well and not fighting.

- Honey, you should scream, "Save me, Prince!" in this situation.

“No.”

Why is Seong Hyeon-je just watching? Of course, it would be convenient if Riet just let me go, but it's too much to just watch with a popcorn bag.

Grrrr

Riet's hind legs scratched the ground. The tightly packed muscles under her tough scales twitched.

- Hold on tight, honey~.

Hold on to what, damn it. Just a moment.

Boom!

Three feet stomped the hill forcefully. With a sound like thunder, the ground shook, cracked, and debris poured down. The small hill was crushed like a sandcastle, and the black giant soared into the air.

For a moment, I felt the pressure to the point of going deaf, and then the sound of the surroundings collapsing was heard again. The walls of the castle, which were relatively intact, and the buildings around them, including a relatively small tower, crumbled under Riet's footsteps and the flick of her tail.

During that time, the connection to the teacher skill was cut off, and I could only see the dust and black scales. I was tempted to cast the teacher skill on Riet, but if I faint now, I might really be in trouble. Even if I wake up tied to the top of the tower in a long dress, I won't be surprised. Lightning strikes, the dragon rampages, the air is thick with poison, and Noah is crying... something like that, right?

If I pull myself together, will the outcome be different? Well, I can avoid the dress, which is a big difference.

- Han Yoo-jin!

Then Noah's voice was heard. I'm grateful he came, but when I imagine his frightened eyes, I start to worry. I don't want Noah to overexert himself for my sake.

“Noah, don't come alone, ugh!”

The foreclaw holding me shook violently, and Riet stood on her hind legs. One of her foreclaws grabbed the base of the giant tower. Beyond the darkly undulating scales, I could see Noah. Even though the platinum dragon is not small compared to humans, he looked like a chick in front of an eagle.

- Grrr!

Noah, growling fiercely, clung to the black dragon's head. He bared his claws and gnawed at the scales with his teeth, but Riet's rough head movement flung him off. Since Riet has poison resistance and curse resistance, Noah only had physical combat left... but it was clear he was no match.

Really, how are they twins?

“I'm fine, come with Seong Hyeon-je!”

Noah, who had been circling around, reluctantly changed direction. Riet, who was climbing the tower, looked down at me with sparkling eyes.

- You really have a knack for raising kids? It's been a while since someone attacked me like that.

Her cheerful tone made me feel helpless. What are her standards for raising kids?

The central tower was holding up well despite the dragon's claws digging in. Riet gently threw me into the round balcony at the top of the tower.

The room was quite spacious, considering the size of the tower. From the faint traces of broken pieces and the decoration of the high, round ceiling, it must have been quite magnificent originally. The table, chairs, and wardrobe, all scratched and damaged, looked quite luxurious. The bed, though stripped of its decorations, was still impressive in size.

“Honey~.”

I was casually walking around the room, checking it out, when Riet's voice, now human, came from behind. ...Can I turn around? I glanced down to see that she was properly dressed.

“Even after a full-body transformation, your clothes are intact.”

“I applied a curse skill. I can only apply it to A-rank equipment for now.”

You can do that? What a great ability. Riet, who walked in with a click, put a picnic basket on the table. When did she get that?

“I wanted to be a wicked dragon from a fairy tale when I was five~.”

“Congratulations on achieving your dream.”

“Everything was good except for the lack of wings. In the original, I should have spread my magnificent wings and flown away perfectly! Next time, I'll make a more impressive and perfect exit. Maybe I'll get a flight skill?”

What do you mean, next time? Finish it in one go.

“So, what should we do now? Eat me?”

Riet tilted her head and said.

“Why would I eat a hostage? I need to keep you safe until someone comes to rescue you. If I get hungry, I'll eat the sandwiches in the basket.”

I don't know if there are sandwiches, but I suddenly wondered what Seong Hyeon-je packed. He probably didn't pack it himself; someone like a secretary or someone else must have prepared it, so it might be quite ordinary.

Since the only chair was taken by Riet, I sat on the bed. Seong Hyeon-je will handle it, so I might as well take the opportunity to organize my thoughts.

‘Originally, the one who teamed up with Saebi was Seong Hyeon-je, and he was supposed to betray later, but I regressed, and it all came to light.’

Saebi seems to know about the regression before. So, he must have involved MKC, Sudam, and Riet to kill Seong Hyeon-je. I don't know why he's interested in me. Does he know I regressed?

‘So, is Seong Hyeun-je on the system's side... or something like that?’

I'm not sure yet. Maybe he just wanted to eat the crumbs and stay out of it. Or maybe he just went with what he felt like.

“What are you thinking so deeply, honey?”

Riet, who approached silently, stopped in front of me. When I looked up, I saw her golden eyes glowing strangely. The room was a bit dark without lighting, so they glowed like a cat's.

“Riet, how did you end up under a curse or brainwashed?”

This is important. For Riet, an S-rank, especially a born S-rank, to follow someone's orders... it means the same method could work on other S-ranks, right?

Riet pouted at my question.

“I'm not sure, but there were some creepy guys hanging around. I first noticed them about three years ago? Not long after I awakened. They approached me, saying they could make me stronger faster than others, but I kicked them away because it felt wrong. Then they started asking if I was curious about why the world changed and offered me item or skill information.”

Three years ago, that's the early stage. Riet, Seong Hyeon-je, and Yoo Hyun. Did they approach the born S-ranks first?

“You did well to refuse.”

I would have been tempted.

“It was boring. I'd rather fight and listen to the winner! I might have accepted if they had offered a condition for a rematch. Anyway, they started bothering my brother when I kept refusing, so I beat them up every time I saw them. They were quiet for a while after that. For about two years?”

The mention of her brother being targeted made me frown. Maybe Yoo Hyun was in a similar situation, which is why he kept his distance from me. There might have been enemies like Yun Kyung-soo, but the main issue was probably Saebi or something.

It seems they couldn't speak properly due to some gag.

“Then, they suddenly appeared and gave me an order... to the first of the Cursed Poison Dragon, Dio Balshesis.”

Riet's voice dropped. Her eyes glowed with a faint killing intent.

“Yes, that guy. He felt somewhat similar to me. A higher-level Cursed Poison Dragon.”

“A higher-level Cursed Poison Dragon?”

If it's a higher level, maybe Riet was freed from the command because of the Dragon Slayer title. Or maybe it's the combination of the nemesis of Lauchitas and curse resistance. If the curse that bound Riet was from a Cursed Poison Dragon, my curse resistance skill would have doubled in effect.

Either way, it's a fortunate coincidence...

‘...Is it a coincidence?’

Cursed Poison Dragon. Only this type of dragon keeps appearing. After Lauchitas in the dungeon before the regression, there was the original Dio Balshesis, who shouldn't have existed, and now Saebi's side. ...The black one might be a real coincidence.

If, just if, the appearance of Lauchitas, a Cursed Poison Dragon, in the dungeon I entered wasn't a coincidence...

“Honey!”

“...What?”

Riet leaned in and stroked my cheek with one hand.

“You seem special.”

“Ah, well, I'm not exactly ordinary.”

“But you're different from before, softer?”

Riet's lips curled up. A bad feeling hit the back of my head. I expected my condition to be revealed when we met again.

“Even if everyone says my stats are F-rank, I didn't believe it. But today, I can't do anything against you? Even if it was because of the others watching earlier... you still seem softer now. How about it?”

“About what?”

I fiddled with the beads of the necklace and spoke.

“I lied when we first met.”

“Really? That's interesting. Are your stats F-rank now?”

“Yeah.”

Then I was pushed back. Hey, wait a minute.

“What are you doing!”

“What I wanted to do before~.”

I thought she would be angry about the lie, but she's completely different from what I expected. Damn, let go. Don't tear my shirt.

“Go back to being a dragon and hang on the tower! You said it was your dream!”

“What? You like it when I'm in a good state? Your taste is unique. I like it.”

...Crazy, why isn't Seong Hyeon-je here yet? He should have swept everything away by now. He's not wasting time playing with the poor people again, is he?

Then, on cue, the sound of Noah's flapping wings was heard. Seong Hyeon-je leaped into the balcony. I don't know how he removed the attribute seal item, but the lightning on the chain wrapped around his arm flickered.

He's a bit late, but he's here in time.

“I've come to save you, princess!”

...The damn human is shouting excitedly. I can't tell him to go away. It's sad to be in this situation. Switch the roles, mister. Do you really want to be a prince at your age? Switch with Noah.

- Han Yoo-jin! Are you alrigh...

Noah, who stuck his head into the balcony, was startled and quickly retreated. Damn, Riet. You made the kid flustered. In Noah's eyes, his sister and... I'll stop thinking about it here.

Seong Hyeon-je looked at us with surprise.

“Was this supposed to be an adult version of Fairy Tail?”

“Stop joking and play your role and defeat the dragon.”

“Want to join?”

Riet! The crazy jokester laughed and sprang up. Her longsword, which she suddenly held, cut through the air, and Seong Hyeon-je vanished from the spot.

Swoosh

A sound like paper being cut was heard. However, what crumbled was a stone. The balcony, cut diagonally, fell, followed by the wall and ceiling.

“Now, let's dance for the ending. Sorry, princess, for stealing your dance partner!”

“Take her. You don't need to return her.”

Just leave the skill.

Riet leaped up between the collapsing tower. Her body disappeared downward in an instant. Then Seong Hyeon-je, holding me in one hand and the picnic basket in the other, leaped up.

Crash!

I don't know what Riet did below, but the massive central tower collapsed not just at the top but entirely. Seong Hyeon-je, stepping on the collapsing wall, soared into the air and landed on Noah's back, who was flying nearby.

“Please take care of lunch.”

Seong Hyeon-je, handing me a shirt he took from his inventory and placed in the picnic basket, turned and fell.

“Excuse me, Noah.”

Seong Hyeon-je used the teacher skill on Noah and checked the situation. The central tower had completely collapsed, and dust rose like a fog.

Snap!

The Seeker's chain extended endlessly, piercing between buildings and spanning the air. Seong Hyeon-je, turning his inverted body upright, landed lightly. As soon as his feet touched the chain, he slid and ran, and immediately after.

Crash!

A sword strike, wrapped in a hurricane of dust, struck. The chain was cut, and the ground was torn apart. The buildings that were still intact were sliced like paper. Everything within a radius of several meters around was shattered and scattered.

“...Noah, you must have had a hard time.”

Noah nodded silently but clearly. Choi Seok-won's attack was quite powerful, but this... it's almost a different level.

Even with Noah's eyes, I couldn't see through the dust to the inside. But Seong Hyeon-je wasn't just taking the attacks. The severed chain had disappeared, and light surged.

Rumble!

The air trembled as if in fear, followed by a storm of lightning. The debris of the collapsed tower flew up like popcorn, burned black, and shattered. The intense light, as if to burn the retinas, made both Noah and I instinctively close and then open our eyes. What we saw was a blackened building site, swept clean of dust and debris.

Seong Hyeon-je stood in the middle of the destruction, probably smiling, though his position made it hard to see clearly.

Riet was the same. Sitting on the pile of debris, she giggled and slowly released poison. Her tail, visible behind her, swung and crushed brick chunks like boiled eggs.

And once again, the wild forces clashed. The fear resistance message appeared again. How many times is this?

Hmm... I can't do anything about them. Maybe I'll check what's in the picnic basket.

< Traditional Play (4) > End

ⓒ Geunseo