Chapter 51

“! Ò$Ò\$... \! Ò\Ò#$Ò%!!!”

He thought he could faintly hear Charlson shouting. But his cries gradually faded, muffled as though Woojin had sunk underwater. As his body crumpled, his consciousness plunged as if falling into a bottomless chasm.

EEEEEE...

Woojin grimaced at the piercing ringing in his ears and opened his eyes.

“Where am I...?”

He slowly moved in the silent darkness. Just then, he felt an icy chill.

“... Snow?”

Woojin looked up. As snowflakes began falling one by one, his darkened surroundings suddenly brightened.

“What are you doing? Come on.”

It was then that a man spoke to him from the snow-covered mountain ridge. The instant Woojin saw him, an unexpected surge of emotion made him bite his lip.

“... Raoul?”

But he looked a little different from how Woojin remembered him. The wrinkles and gray hair that had betrayed his age were nowhere to be seen. His face radiated strength rather than the shadow of impending death.

This was Raoul in his youth.

“We have a hunt to get to.”

Woojin clasped his outstretched hand.

“Just a little farther. Once we climb this stretch, we're there.”

He watched Raoul stride uphill through the snow. The way Raoul treated him was so natural, as though they had known each other for years.

'Is this some kind of flashback scene...?'

Sometimes, acquiring a particular item would play scenes stored within it for the player. But Woojin had never imagined he would get to experience a memory firsthand like this, rather than simply watch a recording.

[You have entered Belian's Nest.]

[You feel a bitter cold.]

▶ Health decreases by 10%.

▶ Speed decreases by 10%.

▶ You continuously lose 1% of your Health per minute.

Woojin swallowed and stared ahead, his face tense.

The Ice Dragon Belian. The third dragon Raoul had hunted.

He recalled what Raoul had told him: he had created the sword art Dragon Heaven after hunting Belian.

“You have come again.”

Belian addressed the intruder who had entered his lair unbidden with an air of familiarity.

“How many times has it been? You never tire of coming to see me.”

“Because you couldn't kill me.”

Belian's lips twitched at Raoul's words. A dragon's expression was difficult to read. Woojin couldn't tell whether he was smiling or sneering, but at least there was no murderous intent in the eyes watching Raoul.

“Could not kill you...? Has it never occurred to you that I chose not to?”

“Don't get too attached. I'm going to kill you. Damune the Mad Dragon went easy on me like that, too, and all three pairs of her wings ended up torn off.”

“Damune... She is too soft. One of the few dragons who loved humans.”

A shiver ran through Woojin. The cold filling the air suddenly stabbed his skin as though it had turned to thorns.

“But I am different.”

The ice dragon spread his wings, and a cutting gale swept over the two men.

“Urgh?!”

Woojin raised an arm to shield himself and turned his head, barely able to keep his eyes open in the fierce wind.

“Here it comes.”

Raoul stepped in front of him, his voice oddly excited.

“One, two, three, four...”

He began counting as though waiting for something. In time with his count, magic circles began multiplying above Belian's head.

When the magic circles were complete, Woojin was speechless.

'Fifteen stacked magic circles?'

Even the Red Witch, considered a top-tier mage, could manage only two alone. Even a group of ten or more mages could stack no more than three.

BOOOOM!!!

The moment the magic circles shone, the dragon's breath poured toward Raoul.

“...!!”

Raoul grabbed Woojin by the scruff of his neck and yanked him back.

KRRRRAAASH!!

With a deafening roar that threatened to rupture their eardrums, the breath blasted away the entire mountain range outside the nest.

“Let's go.”

Raoul spoke to Woojin, who stood frozen, dumbfounded by the impossible power.

WHOOSH!!

Raoul drove power into his leg and pushed off the ground. Once airborne, he stepped on empty space. Wind stirred beneath his feet, and in an instant he was running toward Belian. His body glided like a flowing breeze, closing the distance to the ice dragon until the two were within arm's reach.

Woojin sprang off the top of the ice dragon's foot and changed direction in midair. For a fleeting instant, he thought he saw something like wings behind his back. They were not radiant like an angel's, but black and rough like an eagle's.

“Druid arts?”

The ice dragon spoke as he watched.

“That's right. They were quite a pain to learn.”

KRRRACK...!!!

Flying in a zigzag to evade the ice dragon's gaze, Raoul thrust his sword forward.

'Got you.'

Just as he was about to pierce the dragon's reverse scale—

“You have learned something useless.”

“...?!”

He lost his balance. The right leg that should have braced his thrust was gone. Blood spurted from below his thigh, and, unable to arrest his momentum, he pitched forward.

“Gah!”

His body bounced and rolled several meters.

“Raoul...!!!”

Woojin called his name and ran toward him.

“Stay back!!!”

Raoul shouted just then. His eyes were trying to tell Woojin something. Had this been their first meeting, Woojin would not have understood. But the time they had spent together in the other world allowed him to read that look.

“Haaaaah!!!”

Woojin changed direction and swung his sword.

CLANG!!

But the ice dragon's wing blocked his blade.

“Do you think such a paltry sword could reach me?”

Belian regarded him with cold eyes.

“... Damn it.”

Forgetting this was a game, Woojin trembled involuntarily at the all-too-real terror.

“Well done.”

It happened then. While Belian's attention was fixed on Woojin, Raoul's voice came from behind him. The dragon hastily turned his head—

THUNK!!

Raoul's sword sliced off Belian's reverse scale.

“GRAAAAAAGH...!!”

The ice dragon began thrashing with a scream. Atop the rampaging dragon's head, Raoul kept swinging his sword. Lustrous blue scales cascaded down like clumps of snow.

“... H-how?”

Woojin stared uncomprehendingly at Raoul. His severed leg was whole and attached again.

“Y-you... You have learned magic as well?!”

'Magic?'

At Belian's words, Woojin looked up at Raoul.

“That's right. My reward for eating your kind's hearts.”

Reattaching a severed leg was impossible without fairly high-level magic.

'Not just Druid arts, but magic too...? Raoul could do that?'

This was the first Woojin had learned of it.

But, thinking about it, it wasn't impossible. Woojin himself had once used magic in the other world after absorbing Ratan's mana.

Dragon Hearts were called the source of mana. Since Raoul had eaten them raw, it was hardly strange that he possessed mana.

“Dragon mana will eat away at you.”

“I don't care. I just have to kill every last one of you before it does.”

With his reverse scale severed, Belian looked at Raoul with mournful eyes.

“You have already eaten three Dragon Hearts. If you eat mine as well, you will surely die. Will you do it even knowing that?”

“I will. If it will make me stronger.”

“Why are you so obsessed with strength?”

“To conquer the Labyrinth Tower.”

A throb of pain made Woojin's cheek twitch.

'Raoul tried to conquer the Labyrinth Tower too...'

Belian's question had piqued Woojin's curiosity. Now that he thought about it, he had merely learned that Raoul held the hidden class Dragon Hunter. He had never asked why he hunted dragons.

“You hunted dragons... because of the Labyrinth Tower?”

“Yes. Because you're bystanders. Because you've turned your backs on the Labyrinth Tower despite all your strength. If you won't use that power...”

THUNK.

Raoul drove his sword into Belian's belly.

“I'll take it.”

“Heh heh... You are more than remarkable. You are ruthless.”

Yet, as though forced to acknowledge him, Belian closed his eyes to accept death.

“What a pity. Surely, surely there was another path...”

“Another path? There is no such thing.”

SHRRRIP!!

Answering his last words coldly, Raoul slit open his belly and pulled out the Dragon Heart within.

“Just one last dragon left now...”

He murmured under his breath as though renewing a vow to himself.

“Khan. It's thanks to you. I was able to kill him because you distracted him.”

He handed Belian's Dragon Heart to Woojin.

“This is your share.”

Woojin stared at the radiant blue gem, his expression stiff.

“Dragon mana isn't ordinary mana. It's the power underlying everything. You can tell from watching me, can't you? Magic, spirit arts, even swordsmanship. It takes you beyond human limits.”

“Why... are you giving this to me?”

Raoul smiled at his question.

“Why else? To give you a chance as well.”

“A chance?”

“Will you hunt dragons with me?”

“...!!”

DING.

At that moment, a window appeared before Woojin's eyes.

[Congratulations.]

[You have discovered a hidden class.]

[You may advance to Dragon Hunter.]

▶ Upon advancing, you may undertake the quest for the Unique class 'Dragon Slayer.'

[Would you like to advance?]

Woojin's eyes widened.

'A Unique class...'

The twelve hidden classes that existed in [Evil Tale] were truly every player's dream. Woojin stared at the system window, his gaze trembling.

Raoul had been this powerful in his youth. The elderly Raoul he had met in the other world was strong too, but this man was beyond compare.

'If I choose this, I can become as strong as him.'

Woojin's ultimate goal was to clear the final floor of the Labyrinth Tower in the other world. He had to use the power he gained in the game to clear that floor and return to reality.

Then a thought struck him.

'Will this... really be enough?'

Even Raoul, with all his strength, had ultimately failed to conquer the Labyrinth Tower.

The Labyrinth Tower's final floor.

Once the ninety-ninth floor was cleared, the Labyrinth Tower would collapse, leaving the final floor floating high in the sky.

'They said humanity had no way to reach the final floor once it became a floating castle.'

Countless monsters filled the skies, and even the greatest mages had been slaughtered by them before reaching the hundredth floor.

[“In my foolish desire to become just a little stronger, I did something I should never have done.”]

Woojin recalled what Raoul had told him.

[“What a pity. Surely, surely there was another path...”]

His finger twitched just as he was about to press [Accept].

Another path.

Belian had definitely said that as he died.

'... Could it be?'

After a moment of thought, Woojin bit his lip as though reaching a decision.

“Raoul. I won't become a Dragon Hunter.”

[Class advancement canceled.]

Had he done the right thing? Giving up a Unique class...

Even as he closed the system window, Woojin's heart pounded wildly.

“... Why? You could become more than strong enough.”

The young Raoul regarded him with a puzzled look.

“Because the power gained by killing dragons isn't what I need to conquer the Labyrinth Tower.”

“Yes. I understand. Dragons possess tremendous power. But they're bystanders. Humanity begged for their help, yet they never answered.”

Raoul tightened his grip on the Dragon Heart.

“If you're thinking of becoming a Dragon Knight, give up. Do you think they'll help us if we become their servants?”

Anger seeped into his voice.

“I have no intention of begging them or becoming their servant. Nor do I intend to kill them and steal their power.”

“... Then?”

“I'll command them.”

“... What?”

Bewilderment spread over Raoul's face.

“I will reign over them.”

DING.

At that moment, another notification rang out.

[You have discovered a quest.]

[Quest Name: Dragon Lord]

▶ Upon selecting this quest, you may undertake the quest for the Legendary class 'Dragon Lord.'

A window shimmering with red light appeared before Woojin.