Chapter 84

TAP! TAP-TAP-TAP!!!

The three of them began running as fast as they could.

"Hhh..."

With his Health nearly depleted, Woojin felt as though his lungs were stabbing into his bones with every step, but he did not slow down.

"Master, let's head into the village. I've set traps."

Peron spoke curtly as he drew his dagger. Strangely, the blade of [Ice Claw], which he had obtained in the Ice Cave, seemed even whiter than before.

"I don't know whether they'll hurt that thing... but let's use them to buy some time."

Woojin nodded.

"A Black Dragon suddenly showing up in a Monster Wave... I have no idea what's going on."

"It's probably because of me."

"What?"

"I have a dragon-related quest."

"There's never a dull moment around you, Master."

Peron looked incredulous, yet also as though the explanation made sense.

"Did you get a quest to hunt the Black Dragon or something? Making you kill a monster like that... That's ridiculous. Seriously."

At that moment, something flashed through Woojin's mind.

He hadn't received a hunting quest.

'The objective of the Dragon Lord quest is to make a dragon submit.'

He had simply assumed that meant using force. It was only natural to follow someone stronger than yourself.

'The quest I received from the Fairy Queen was to protect Thorn Bach.'

"Hh... Hic..."

That was when he heard it. As they entered the village, sobs reached them from all around.

'... What?'

Were there still people who hadn't evacuated?

Woojin hurriedly scanned his surroundings.

"Ah."

In that instant, he understood. He had been far too naive.

After rescuing Ruen and his companions, he had assumed no one else would be in danger.

But...

There were people who couldn't escape, even if they wanted to.

The injured.

Those who had lost their families.

Those robbed of their livelihoods.

'Protect Thorn Bach...'

Woojin looked at the village. Ravaged beyond recognition, it was little more than ruins.

'... Can I really call this protecting it?'

A bitter taste filled his mouth.

Had he been shortsighted to think that fighting and defeating the Black Dragon was the only way? Was he perhaps missing the very heart of the matter?

"...!!"

GRIND.

He clenched his teeth, as though he had made up his mind.

"Peron, forget the traps."

"... What?"

"If we set them off, the people still in the village will be in danger."

"Huh? But they're just NPCs."

At Peron's casual question, Woojin finally understood.

Everyone would think that way.

Risk yourself to save NPC lives?

It was absurd.

Even someone completely immersed in the game would find it difficult to sacrifice their life for an NPC. The higher their level, the more the death penalty would matter to them than an NPC.

"... You just won't let up, will you?"

SPLASH!!!

Woojin poured his remaining potions all over himself.

[Your Health has recovered.]

[ Trait: Indomitable is no longer active.]

[Trait: Coldhearted Winter is no longer active.]

[Trait: Fertile Winter activates.]

▶ Defense increases by 10%.

"Boss...?"

"Change of plans. Peron, Weden. From now on, you two rescue the villagers. As many as you can!!"

With that, Woojin turned away from the village and began running in the opposite direction, toward the forest.

[Grrrr...]

Watching the party split up, Bensina abandoned the other two and took flight after Woojin.

"Over here!!!"

Woojin shouted at the top of his lungs as he watched the Black Dragon fly toward him.

* * *

-With all the raid teams sent to slay the Black Dragon now withdrawn, Thorn Bach is quite literally hell on earth.

-Estimated fatalities have now exceeded 1,500.

-Amid all this, one player is still facing off against the Black Dragon.

-The eyes of the entire continent are on him.

BANG!!!!

Suzuki Hana angrily flung off her robe.

"Aaaaaagh...!!!"

Her scream echoed through the Red Tower, making the nearby mages flinch.

"Goddammit...!! That fucking Black Dragon!! I even lost a level!!"

At higher levels, a single death was devastating. Not only could you drop items, but the amount of experience lost was enormous.

"B-but... at least no one lost any equipment."

"So what?"

"W-well..."

"Hah, forget it. Things might have been different if you lot were just a little better. What's the point of getting angry at incompetents?"

She waved a hand dismissively.

"Get out."

'... What a personality.'

The mages under her command looked deeply disgruntled, but none dared argue. Much as they hated to admit it, they were all mages, yet her abilities far surpassed theirs.

On top of that, she was a direct disciple of Ratan Gray, the head of the Red Tower. It was absurd to have to feel the disparity in rank even while playing a game, but no mage in the Red Tower could afford to ignore her moods.

"Um..."

"What? I told you to leave."

"Lord Ratan had a message for you."

"What is it?"

"The kingdoms have reportedly begun mobilizing in response to the Black Dragon's appearance."

"Well, of course. With the raids failing, what choice do they have?"

"And so... he has decided to send mages from the Red Tower again."

"What the fuck! Has he gone senile? Didn't he see us get wiped out just now?"

"Well..."

She sneered, as though she already knew what her subordinate would say.

"Players can resurrect when they die, so he's going to work us into the ground? These NPC bastards are even more cunning than we are. So how many does he want me to pick?"

"Yes. He said he would send around thirty. He has left the roster entirely to you, Red Witch."

"What's there to think about? Just pick from the bottom."

"... Pardon?"

"Didn't you hear me? Put together a group of low-level newcomers to the Red Tower."

"But then most of them will be in their fifties. They won't even be able to use multiple magic circles."

Suzuki Hana looked at the questioning mage as though the answer were obvious.

"Then do you want to go get your asses killed again? Waste your precious experience?"

"... N-no."

The mage bowed his head and hurried out the door.

"Whew..."

Out in the corridor, he let out a weary sigh.

"Having to suck up to a boss even in a game... Fuck, maybe I should just quit."

The mage who had spoken privately with Suzuki Hana muttered irritably.

"Oh, you there!"

He called out to a mage he encountered in the corridor.

"Yes? What is it?"

"Nothing much. You know Thorn Bach, right? The tower master has ordered us to put together a fresh reinforcement unit. This will be your first large-scale battle, won't it? It'll be good experience."

Feeling awkward, he couldn't quite meet his junior's eyes.

"Here's the roster. You're probably on it too. You joined the Red Tower recently, right? Your name was...?"

"Ah... yes. I'm Kim Chan."

"Right, right. Just notify everyone on the list."

"Aren't you going back too, sir?"

"I wish I could. What a shame. Something else has come up for us to do here at the Red Tower. I'd love to go back for revenge! Anyway, see you."

He dashed down the corridor as though fleeing.

'That's right. The Red Witch is right. I'd have to be crazy to throw away precious experience.'

* * *

-The five great kingdoms are holding emergency talks.

-Charlo, the Knight of Glory, has been the first dispatched from the Kingdom of Ogal to stop the Dark Zone's expansion.

-Keldian, the Warlord, is reportedly on his way from the Kingdom of Malas.

-Deployments from Bolton, Ilshenium, and Cobrian remain unconfirmed.

WHOOSH!!!!

The first to arrive at Thorn Bach through the portal was an order of knights clad in golden armor.

Charlo, known as the Knight of Glory, radiated light from his very being, befitting the foremost paladin of the Kingdom of Malas, whose state religion was the papal order that followed Rashin, god of light.

"What a foul presence."

Charlo wiped his nose with the back of his hand as he sensed the dragon's aura spilling out of the expanding Dark Zone that was swallowing Thorn Bach.

"Where is the Black Dragon?"

"The Holy See's scouts arrived ahead of us and are currently assessing the situation in Thorn Bach."

"Still, we've come a long way, and it took far too long."

"It couldn't be helped. The Dark Zone has rendered the portal near Thorn Bach unusable."

Charlo nodded at the priest's answer.

As he had said, they stood not in the village, but on a barren plain. An old portal stood before them. It was an ancient makeshift portal, not one of the official portals used by the kingdom. Its capacity was so limited that transporting the knights alone had taken more than a day.

"It's already been three days... There won't be anyone left alive in the village."

A heavy atmosphere settled over them. They were on a plain roughly three kilometers from Thorn Bach, yet the air was so charged with killing intent that it made their skin prickle even as they stood still.

"What of the other kingdoms?"

"We received word just now. The Warlord will be arriving shortly."

"... The Warlord? A major figure, then. It seems the Kingdom of Malas is serious about this hunt."

Charlo nodded.

"And the rest?"

"It isn't confirmed yet, but according to the priest dispatched to Ilshenium, it appears the Naga Mercenary Company is preparing to move."

"Mercenaries? They intend to throw money at the problem."

"They are top-class mercenaries, though. And Cobrian seems to have settled on providing magic cannons."

"Magic cannons... Not bad. Ilshenium had better have a good excuse once this is over. The continent is in peril, and they're too busy looking after themselves... Tsk."

Charlo clicked his tongue in disapproval.

'I'd like to do the same...'

The priest bowed in reply and discreetly let out a quiet sigh.

'Every raid team that challenged it was wiped out... How are we supposed to kill it?'

The dragon itself was nowhere in sight, but merely looking at the darkness created by the Dark Zone was overwhelmingly intimidating. No matter how he considered it, he couldn't imagine them winning.

-Isn't anyone willing to come help poor little me?

He opened the clan chat with a sigh.

-Nope, no one.

-Boss, I'll be waiting at the shrine.

-I'll go collect your dropped items later. ^^

-LMAO

In stark contrast to his own mood, the messages rolling into the clan chat seemed positively gleeful.

'Damn it. They're all too busy making fun of me.'

"... Well, I wouldn't come either."

Alteon, a high-ranking devotee of the Third Holy See, smacked his lips bitterly.

He himself would never have come here without orders from the Holy See. As someone with the Rare class High-Ranking Devotee—a priest serving directly under the pope—the pope's orders were absolute.

'What lunatic would come here to throw away precious experience?'

"We should move toward Thorn Bach for now. We should also look for a favorable position for the magic cannons."

"... Understood."

There was no turning back now.

Looking utterly miserable, Alteon nodded at Charlo's words.

"Reporting!! Black Dragon confirmed in Thorn Bach!!"

"What's the situation?"

"It appears to be engaged in combat."

"... In combat? Are you saying another order of knights arrived before us? Which one?"

Charlo questioned the scout in bewilderment.

"Well... it isn't an order of knights."

"Then?"