Chapter 39

Chapter 15: Kinselo's Misunderstanding

Meanwhile, Jin's squad—

Contrary to the expectations of the intermediate class, they had been securing smooth victories against the orcs for several days. Out of the twenty-five orcs designated for extermination, they had already slain seventeen.

"Seventeen now! We might return without a single casualty!"

Scut and Taiment pulled their swords out of the orc they had just killed.

"Let's go back and really flatten the noses of those who thought we'd fail. I was worried about Jin's reputation being tarnished, but it might turn out to be the opposite."

"Still seven left. We can't let our guard down until we finish them all."

Messa, who spoke with a sharp tone, was smiling inwardly.

'It seems the gods are blessing us. Or maybe they're blessing Young Master Jin, and that good energy is coming to us as well?'

Everyone in Jin's squad felt the same way.

The orcs, who usually moved in groups, were, for some reason, appearing one by one, and not in a hurry. It was understandable why they had such thoughts.

"Let's start the search again! Everyone, stay alert!"

Jin's squad collected the ears of the dead orc and began moving to the search formation.

And a man hiding in the bushes, watching their backs.

'If they kill the remaining seven, I can go home... right?'

This man, looking extremely bored, was Murakan.

Messa thought the gods were protecting them, but in reality, it was the might of this black dragon that was protecting them.

Murakan had arrived in this area, the unprotected zone of the Kurano Principality, before Jin's squad and gathered the orcs.

And he said this:

"Listen up, you orc brats. From now on, you must always go alone. If any of you form a group or stick together, I'll kill you. Got it?"

The orcs, being mere orcs, could not defy the command of the great black dragon.

Especially when the command was given through the 'Dragon Word,' which symbolizes the power of dragons. Controlling the minds of lower monsters with Dragon Word was as easy as sleeping.

This was why Jin's squad had been able to face the orcs one by one. Of course, Jin's squad was completely unaware of this.

'Anyway, it seems I'll have to keep making such annoying requests to Jin for a while. Damn, just because I'm a thousand-year contractee, does that mean I have to do everything? Yes, everything. Damn, it's a job, a job!'

Jin's squad managed to exterminate the remaining seven orcs by the next morning.

"We did it!"

"We really did it!"

This time, even Mesa joined in the cheers with his comrades, without counting the seconds. They had completed the extermination a day earlier than the scheduled mission period.

"We'll camp until afternoon, and then return to the Garden of Swords after breakfast. Each person will take a 45-minute watch. Malban, prepare breakfast."

The camping began.

Murakan also lay down in the nearby bushes. He planned to pass the time until afternoon by looking at the erotic books he had brought.

Just looking at the erotic books made him feel less annoyed. He hadn't had this happy, engrossed time for a while, as he had been dealing with the human brats' mess.

'When I get back, I'll ask Jin for a few limited edition erotic books. Hehe, just thinking about it makes it seem like the deal isn't so bad...'

Thud.

Suddenly, Murakan covered the erotic book and sighed deeply.

A dangerous aura was detected from far away, near Jin's squad's campsite. Although he couldn't yet determine the identity or purpose of the aura, two things were clear.

The entity was slowly approaching Jin's squad's campsite.

And it was a very powerful being.

'It doesn't seem like it will just go away. This will make the deal unprofitable. Where did such a creature suddenly come from?'

Tsk!

Murakan, with a bitter taste in his mouth, stood up from his seat.

Fortunately, Jin's squad's skills were only at the 3-star level. They couldn't distinguish between the darkness of dawn and shadows, so they wouldn't notice the large barrier Murakan cast around the campsite.

Sssss...

Murakan's hands began to gather a substantial amount of spiritual energy.

This spiritual energy was on a different level from when he first awoke in the Storm City's underground and met Jin. After spending time with Jin, he had been breathing in abundant spiritual energy, gradually regaining the power of the black dragon that once shook the world.

"Hmm?"

When Murakan covered the entire campsite with the barrier, Velop, who was on the first watch, tilted his head.

The surroundings seemed to have become darker all of a sudden. Velop didn't notice the barrier; he just thought the twilight had deepened.

A heavy wind blew, and Murakan's entire body began to be covered in black energy. Soon, Murakan revealed his true form as a black dragon.

Flap!

The giant wings blocked the crescent moon. All the monsters, animals, and insects in the vicinity trembled with instinctive fear.

The powerful entity approaching the campsite stopped moving, having sensed Murakan.

"Who dares to release such energy without my permission?"

Murakan, crossing the night sky in an instant, possessed the majesty of a divine envoy, standing against the crescent moon.

There was no response.

And when Murakan took his true form, he wasn't particularly merciful. Kiiing! With each flap of his wings, a black storm fell.

A storm of shadows. The storm bent the giant trees in the forest like twigs and rushed towards the source of the energy.

Only then did the creature lying in the forest stand up. When Murakan confirmed the 'entity,' he momentarily stopped flapping his wings.

A massive body, not much smaller than a castle, was entirely made of dark rock. Under the ancient magic helmet, red eyes glowed brightly.

And in the creature's hands were a giant spear and shield.

It was a 'Grave Giant.'

"...Huh, not a living being but a relic from the ancient era."

Murakan was surprised to see the Grave Giant.

The Grave Giants had disappeared 2000 years ago. The dragons were the ones who had ended the Grave Giants guarding the tombs of the dead gods.

In other words, this entity shouldn't be here.

As Murakan slowly landed, the Grave Giant raised its shield. For a while, Murakan looked down at the Grave Giant, overwhelmed by a strange emotion.

"However, I'm not pleased to see you."

Rumble.

The Grave Giant took a deep breath and lowered its stance. Murakan, who had been recalling the old war, tightened his scales.

He was preparing to exhale. Even if it left some traces, the Grave Giant needed to be ended in one breath.

Darkness gathered between Murakan's open jaws. It took only a few seconds for the spiritual energy, enough to cover an entire mountain range, to gather.

Sssss!

The moment the breath was released, the surroundings were instantly enveloped in darkness. The Grave Giant bent one knee and hid in its shield, but it couldn't withstand Murakan's full power.

"Rrrrr...!"

The only thing the Grave Giant could do was leave a final scream. Just like the Grave Giants who faced the dragons 2000 years ago.

Crack.

When the breath was fully exhaled, only a rain of stone dust remained where the Grave Giant had stood.

"Huff, huff...!"

Murakan, who had transformed back into a human immediately after the battle, was breathing heavily. Using too much power after a long time made his entire body feel like it was breaking.

'It can't just be a Grave Giant that happened to survive. Damn, no matter how I think about it, this seems to be related to Ziph. What the hell is happening in this world?'

Murakan, who had been pondering for a moment, shook his head in annoyance.

'For now, it's better not to tell Jin. If anything happens, I'll protect him. If the kid grows up well for the next 10 years... we might have a chance to face Ziph.'

* * *

The next morning, in the basement of Bubarr Gaston's sculpture workshop.

Bubarr, leading his large, fat body, was pacing around the basement. He was so anxious that he kept biting his thumbnail.

Creak.

A man entered the basement. A tight coat, sharp eyes. This cold-looking man was Viskel Ibliano, the deputy leader of the revolutionary group 'Kinselo.'

"V-Viskel-sama! There's a problem! My artwork, my artwork!"

"...I've already heard the details. A Grave Giant was defeated last night."

"Yes! Ugh, who could have done such a terrible thing...! Not recognizing the soul of art!"

Viskel sighed.

It was frustrating that this fool, who shouted about the soul of art, was necessary for Kinselo's great cause.

"Bubarr. Your soul of art isn't important right now. The one who defeated the Grave Giant last night was a dragon."

"A dragon?"

"Yes. A dragon that controls shadows. I confirmed it myself on my way here."

Viskel was on the verge of losing his mind.

Kinselo's great cause had been prepared for five hundred years.

Now that the plan was nearing its final stages, an accident had occurred. Even more frustratingly, most of the active dragons were with 'Ziph.'

Bubarr stopped his fussing.

"...This can't be. Do the dragons already know about our great cause? And a shadow dragon, no less?"

"Nothing is certain yet, but it's a clear warning. I'll arrange a meeting with Ziph soon. For now, keep a close eye on this side. I'll assign some useful people to you."

"Understood, ugh! Ah, but Viskel-sama. Have you had breakfast? I want to eat sweet potato croquettes."

Viskel barely suppressed his boiling anger and said:

"...Fine, I'll bring them and eat with you."

"Hehe, great. Please bring some fresh milk when you come."