Episode 146 [Suwon, Dragon Hunting – 5]
——————————
In general, in games, it was natural that monsters with higher levels had higher ‘vitality’.
There was a set number called HP (Health Point), and reducing it was hunting.
In that respect, catching high-level monsters required more time and effort.
So what kind of concept does vitality exist in this ‘real world’ that has been turned into a game?
‘Generally, the barrier thickness can be analyzed as the level of resilience of the outer armor that protects the core.’
In other words, only by canceling out all of them and inflicting fatal wounds could the monster be killed.
Furthermore, if the conditions were ‘perfectly’ met, it was possible to kill with ‘one blow’.
‘…Even if it’s a dragon.’
Currently, Aji Dahaka’s neck barrier was severely damaged.
Perhaps the best opportunity to send it away in one fell swoop is now.
‘If there is a dragon slayer here, the chances are dozens of times higher.’
It is an anti-dragon power that offsets the dragon’s barrier by a certain amount.
If the 26.5m Orichalcon giant throws that force with all his might into a 40m long spear…
‘…It is possible to kill with one hit.’
Qua—ah—ang——!
A 40m long spear that crushes the atmosphere like a rocket and is launched with an explosion on its tail—
‘This one shot is enough.’
Hyunwook Lee raised his left hand the moment the spear left Talos’ hand. Concentrate all your attention to detect the metal projectile containing enormous kinetic energy and apply force as delicately as possible.
Hoo—woo—woo——!
‘Even if you touch it slightly incorrectly, the direction and speed will change significantly.’
At that time, Aji Dahaka noticed a large spear flying towards him.
“No way, that’s….”
It was not unusual for the guy’s eyes to turn into embarrassment for a moment.
“How did you——!”
Immediately after, a magic shield began to form in the direction it was flying.
As many as four hemispherical shields blocked Geochang’s path.
Hung—Wh—Wh—Wh———
But the Geochang penetrated them as if tearing a piece of paper.
bang-! bang-! bang-! bang-!
‘As expected, it is the power of a dragon slayer.’
The special power that nullifies the dragon’s power to a certain extent, and the power of the Orihalcon giant, which is powerful in itself, are intertwined in one spear and are shot at the nape of Aji Dahaka’s neck.
‘This is the end.’
He will never be able to block that blow.
Blah blah blah!
hit-
Pow——The giant spear’s tip, Mowglei, popped out through the nape of the guy’s neck.
The scales fell off and the guy’s pupils got bigger.
Then blood drips from the larynx and the life disappears from the guy’s eyes.
“Ka—a——!”
A cruel death, no different from that of any other beast, bursts from the mouth of this great creature.
“Like this… in vain….”
With those words, the head and tail of the thing hanging in the air fell limply, following gravity.
– congratulations! You have defeated ‘Azi Dahaka’, the incarnation of Angra Mainyu!
As usual, that system message was the final moment of the strategy.
‘This… was much easier than I thought.’
This could honestly be attributed to the Mowglai brought by the dimension shifter—William Bernard.
If it weren’t for that, even if he could catch it, it would inevitably have been accompanied by enormous damage.
‘But… there may be a necromancer around here, so you should be careful.’
Lee Hyun-wook scanned the entire area through Hugin’s senses.
To him, the dragon’s body was an irreplaceable treasure.
He may have been waiting for the opportunity to create the ‘Bone Dragon’.
‘Honestly, I’m not ready to face the necromancer again.’
But fortunately, the feared thing did not happen.
***
“…….”
Meanwhile, the Slayers Alliance, like a group of meerkats, raised their heads and looked at Aji Dahaka’s body and Lee Hyun-wook alternately with mesmerized expressions, and their expressions were full of despair.
In addition, all the media hosts who were broadcasting this scene could not keep their mouths shut.
It was the same with the [Kill the Monster] broadcast.
– ah…….
– uh…….
The two MCs were just filling the audio with strange mumbles for quite some time.
– Uh um……
It was so unrealistic to retire the highest-ranking creature called a dragon with just one blow.
No one knew what explanation to give to this part, so they remained silent.
After a while, Tyrone Thompson opened his mouth with difficulty.
– …It was like a hunter hunter.
He closed his mouth for a moment as if gathering his thoughts, but then continued speaking.
– There was a target in front of me, but I didn’t rush forward and just watched with bated breath. No hunter would make the mistake of pulling the trigger hastily when a bear is in front of them.
– ah…….
– Like a hunter, the moment he falls into the trap… he lands a single hit.
Previously, he assessed that Stillane could do nothing but avoid it.
He was embarrassed because he knew full well that he was drawing a conclusion that was contrary to what he had thought at the time.
– Ha… I felt several times today that my insight is short. It’s a shameful day in many ways.
– Tyrone Thompson Don’t be too upset. Isn’t this an ending no one expected?
At that time, Aji Dahaka’s corpse disappeared into the light at the bottom of Laputa, as if being sucked in.
– Still Rain ends up taking the rewards from this big event. This is so haha….
It was the moment when Stillane took possession of the entire body of the black dragon.
– It is often called a dragon material. By Tyrone How much is a black dragon worth?
– well. Honestly, I don’t think there is a more appropriate answer to that than saying ‘it cannot be determined.’
The value of the items made from the black dragon’s leather, bone, heart, etc. was beyond imagination.
– Steelerain is even considered to be at the forefront of magic engineering based on Laputa, right?
– Yes. This item is made by processing the world’s best materials with the world’s best technology…
No one could have imagined the result.
***
The moment Aji Dahaka died, rewards appeared before the eyes of those who contributed to the attack.
– congratulations! You have stopped Angra Mainyu’s invasion!
* Rewards for the [Sudden Event] are ‘paid differentially’ depending on contribution.
– congratulations! Lucky rewards will be given! (2nd place)
1) Dragon’s Treasury Key (7)
2) Dragon’s Rare Ruins Entry Token (1 sheet)
The system message flashed before Edward Woods’ eyes.
But even as a dragon slayer, he couldn’t figure out what it was.
‘…What is this, a dragon’s treasure trove?’
I also gave this key when I caught a subadult red dragon in London, but at that time, 7 boxes fell on that exact spot. It was probably the same concept, but it seemed to be on a much larger scale.
at that time-
Ku—gu—gu—gu
A loud noise rang out from somewhere, and a fairly large earthquake occurred.
“Adjutant, what is this situation?”
Soon, a deputy who realized the situation rushed over and reported.
“We checked and found that 4 gates are closing.”
“Well, that alone wouldn’t make this loud noise, right?”
“Oh, and… the mountain nearby is collapsing.”
The only mountain around here is Paldalsan Mountain, which has an altitude of 145 meters above sea level. Since it was not affected by the battle, it did not collapse suddenly. In other words, it was a situation presumed to be a phenomenon related to this event.
at that time-
– (!) ‘Black Dragon’s Labyrinth’ has been created in the nearby area.
“…uh? “What is a labyrinth?”
Everyone looked at Edward Woods with a bewildered expression.
He was the only one who could provide an answer to this problem.
After much thought, he came up with an answer.
“Hmm… I guess I can probably get my reward there.”
And seeing as how things like ‘keys’ and ‘admission certificates’ were paid out differently,
Depending on the number, the level or number of rewards that could be obtained seemed to vary.
‘I was given 7 keys… but I only got one hit.
In other words, Steele Lane would have gotten a lot more keys and tickets.
Sure enough, a much higher number appeared before Lee Hyun-wook’s eyes.
– congratulations! Lucky rewards will be given! (First place)
1) Dragon’s Treasury Key (36)
2) Dragon’s Rare Ruins Entry Token (3 sheets)
‘I only got 4 keys in my past life, right?’
Although he killed himself, the total damage was not that high.
And that wasn’t the only reward.
– congratulations! You have achieved a special achievement.
[List of Achievements]
7) Dragon Slayer
– Condition: Kill the dragon in a direct manner.
– Effect: Reduces all of the dragon’s powers. (-50%)
In this life, just like in the previous life, he captured Aji Dahaka and became a dragon slayer.
However, the Dragon Slayer option was not attached to the Moglai that killed Aji Dahaka.
This is because the Moglei already had the Dragon Slayer option attached.
‘It was an opportunity to add the dragon slayer option to other Moglei…’
That was a very disappointing situation.
‘…There is no need to regret anything.’
This was an inevitable choice for a sure victory. With the dragon in front of me, I couldn’t make the gamble of leaving a certain amount of life remaining and striking the final blow with another weapon.
‘It’s arrogant to chase after gain when you don’t know how he might escape at that moment.’
however….
– congratulations! By satisfying special conditions, Moglei is granted mysterious power.
‘……huh?’
Lee Hyun-wook tilted his head. What does it mean to suddenly meet special conditions?
[Item information]
– Name: Mogley (Hero)
– effect
1) Mass liberation (1~5): Releases the sealed ‘mass’ and grants ‘strong bones’ to the user.
2) Shockwave: Generates a powerful shock wave. This destructive power is proportional to mass release number 1.
3) Mana Explosive Sword: The blade is given the ‘power of a typhoon’, causing a ‘gust of wind’ on the next strike.
4) Space Cutter: A very sharp wind blade is fired and cuts a large area.
5) Dragon Slayer (2): With the power to kill dragons, he ‘greatly’ ignores the dragon’s power. Additionally, ‘Dragon Sword’ is granted, improving all abilities (+30%) and forming a superior ‘Mental Barrier’.
It was confirmed that the last 5th Dragon Slayer was strengthened to ‘Level 2’.
‘What, does Dragon Slayer also stack?’
Anyway, after looking at the content, it changed from ‘partly’ ignoring the dragon’s power to ‘largely’ ignoring it.
Subsequently, tremendous additional effects such as ‘Dragon Power’ and ‘Mental Barrier’ were given. This was a hit.
‘…This will make it much easier to catch Nidhogg, right?’
As promised to Donald Harris, the manager of the World Tree, I had to help him hunt ‘Nidhogg’ after some time.
As he was also an adult dragon, I expected it to be a difficult strategy, but it seemed like it would be much easier this way.
‘And this means you can make a 3-stack Dragon Slayer Moglai?’
What other options will be available in the future… I honestly couldn’t help but look forward to that.
Coo—gu—gu—gu——!
Meanwhile, a huge tremor began to emanate from Paldal Mountain in the distance.
‘I knew it….’
As Lee Hyun-wook remembered, the ‘Black Dragon’s Labyrinth—Rare Ruins’ was being created there.
After stopping the 4th wave, a blessing called ‘Laputa’ appeared. When the invasion of the Black Orc army was stopped, ‘Sindansu’ was born. So what will be given after stopping the invasion of Angra Mainyu Legion?
First, the [Labyrinth], a large-scale dungeon formed in the real world, is formed on Mt. Paldal.
‘And the real reward lies in the last room of the labyrinth.’
As a kind of linked event, real rewards could be obtained within that labyrinth.
Hyunwook Lee lifted up the Mana Messenger.
“Ah, Park Jun-mo, you also got the key to the dragon’s treasure trove, right?”
– Yes, that’s right! I got 2!
“You have to go get your compensation too, so come down to the ground now.”
Lee Hyun-wook took Park Jun-mo and Kim Se-hee to Paldal Mountain.
However, the Slayers Alliance arrived before them.
“Why are you blocking the road?”
As Park Jun-mo said, they quickly occupied and blockaded the Paldalsan area.
“Perhaps they have realized that there is a reward there and are trying to take advantage of it.”
But of course, Lee Hyun-wook’s entrance could not be prevented.
Lee Hyun-wook naturally walked between them.
Sharp gazes flew in from here and there.
At that time, Edward Woods appeared in front of him.
Wooooow——
The two people faced each other beneath a parade of broadcasting drones that covered the sky.
“…….”
In the moment of silence, only the sound of mountain birds chirping was heard in the mysterious silence.
Jeok- Jeok-
Edward Woods walked toward him.
“…it was great.”
He held out his hand and Hyunwook Lee took it.
It was quite an emotional match, but it seemed like they wanted to end it like a gentleman.
“Now let’s go check your reward.”
***
It is said that after the earthquake continued for about ten minutes, a huge lava cave was created in Paldal Mountain.
This miraculous phenomenon was quite familiar to today’s mankind.
“—It is said that there is an entrance leading down to the underground at the top of the mountain!”
The Slayers Guild’s scouting party, which explored the entire mountain, reported and everyone moved in that direction.
There really was a strangely shaped rock at the top of the mountain, and there was an entrance leading down to the underground.
“Now, just in case something goes wrong, let’s go down one by one, led by the tanker.”
– caution! You have entered the entrance to the Black Dragon Labyrinth.
There was a long, wide, and high passageway like a lava cave like Manjanggul Cave on Jeju Island.
I walked in for about 5 minutes but didn’t find anything special…
“—There is something in front of the stop.”
At some point, a T-shaped fork in the road appeared.
“Hmm, it’s a huge ominous door. There are two of them…”
As Edward Woods said, there were huge stone gates blocking the road on both the left and right.
“I’ll go check and come back.”
Edward Woods’s adjutant said this and approached the door, placing his hands in turn.
“—It is said that the left side is the entrance to the labyrinth, and the right side is the entrance to the treasure trove!”
As he shouted, Edward Woods turned to Lee Hyun-wook.
“Steelrain Labyrinth is a kind of hidden stage, right?”
“Yes, I think so too.”
“Then, would you like to conquer that labyrinth together?”
Just as he did before the attack on Dragon, Edward Woods offered his regiment.
But the core was different then. At that time, if he had asked Lee Hyun-wook to come under him…
“…and I will leave the leader of the strategy team to Steele Lane.”
This time, he bowed his pride and asked for some kind of reconciliation, saying that he would come under him.
He must have been quite surprised as he watched Lee Hyun-wook successfully capture the dragon. Since being a dragon slayer is a pride, do we show respect to Lee Hyun-wook, who has done a good job in that field?
‘This may be sincere, but it’s going to be annoying no matter what.’
The ‘true reward’ of this event was sleeping inside.
And no one knows how to get it except Lee Hyun-wook.
But there was absolutely no need for him to make an unnecessary companion.
“Well, I’m sorry, but… I’m going to try a separate strategy.”
When Hyunwook Lee politely declined, Edward Woods’ face hardened slightly.
“…You really want to go all the way alone.”
“Well, I’m not alone. I have my own team.”
“Ha—shouldn’t we reach some level of agreement now?”
He showed his displeasure and walked out first. Hyunwook Lee followed him.
“Do you want to compete again to see who can conquer that labyrinth first?”
“That’s not it. It’s just a little uncomfortable. I’m more shy than I look.”
He said sarcastically and looked back at Hyunwook Lee.
“Our Steele troops are here. We could try to attack them right now.”
It was almost like a threat, but Lee Hyun-wook did not respond.
But Lee Hyun-wook clearly knew what would happen if they tried to attack him first.
‘The moment you reach the last door, you will have no choice but to come back.’
To break through the final gateway, an F-rank player was needed.
It was only after reaching the final gate that I was able to get a hint as to who he was.
‘But I already know very well who he is.’
And at this point, they had already investigated where he was.
“…Then let’s check the treasure trove first.”
Edward Woods said with an expression of displeasure.
Immediately after, several Slayers Guild members opened the stone door on the right.
thud–
– congratulations! You have discovered the treasure trove of the Black Dragon Azi Dahaka!
“wow….”
Did you say that the dragon in legend likes shiny things?
As if with that as a motif, there were gold and silver treasures everywhere.
“Wow—if you bite into this, it’s real gold?”
However, the players’ reaction was nothing but lukewarm.
“What can I use if I get a piece of gold?”
The real reward they wanted was, of course, ‘items’.
And as we went a little deeper, a very foreign landscape appeared.
“There are a lot of boxes over there!”
Large wooden and iron boxes were stacked in rows in a dark space.
The place felt more like a huge logistics warehouse than a treasure trove.
“You guys may seem a bit sloppy, but this will be the real reward.”
Edward Woods shouted as if declaring and then explained.
“Some of you may have obtained the key earlier. That key can open all the chests here without restrictions, but the key expires immediately after use. That means you can only open one chest per key.”
Then he turned his head and looked at Hyunwook Lee.
“…It seems like the rewards are being given out randomly. This happens often.”
The sound of dry swallowing was heard here and there.
“Wow, so there’s a chance we can get the first prize?”
“Huh… honestly, this is completely random, right? I trust my luck.”
There were a few people who achieved only one key by contributing very little.
For them, it was an opportunity to obtain a legendary item that was not even in their possession.
“Well then, shouldn’t we decide who opens it first?”
Edward Woods spoke, and Kim Se-hee, who was standing next to Lee Hyun-wook, stepped forward and asked a question.
“Wait a minute, isn’t the person with the highest contribution the top decision maker?”
No matter how random it was, it was advantageous to draw first, so the order was a quite sensitive issue.
And usually, a preferential option for compensation – so-called ‘seed rights’ – is given depending on the level of contribution after the attack. In other words, according to Kim Se-hee’s argument, Lee Hyun-wook should have been selected first according to such custom.
Edward Woods’s deputy came forward to question him.
“…Well, I don’t remember us signing such a contract. What do you mean?”
“yes?”
“This only applies to a ‘joint attack’ that started with a contract signed by mutual agreement.”
This time, the argument was that there was no relevant issue because ‘unlimited competition’ took place without such procedures.
“What is that…”
“Team Leader Kim is okay.”
“…Ha, I understand.”
It was quite unfair, but if you think about it, what they said was valid.
“Do we need anything grand to decide something like this? Why not just draw lots?”
It was Amanda Anderson who said that, and Edward Woods also nodded his head.
“Do you agree that I’m not bad, Steele?”
Lee Hyun-wook also nodded, and soon the drawing of lots was prepared in front of everyone.
But then, the sound of a conversation flowed into Lee Hyun-wook’s ears.
– Hey Rick, is it possible to change it with the lottery spell?
He was preparing for any unexpected situation by hacking all nearby Mana Messengers.
But just then, I caught a voice whispering something suspicious.
‘Are these guys trying to rig the lottery?’
It seemed like he was planning to secretly cast a spell inside the lottery container and then replace its entire contents.
‘When I draw, I plan to change it to a lot that only has a certain number.’
Edward Woods may not have intended this manipulation, but he couldn’t help but be offended.
‘It doesn’t matter. No, it actually went well.’
Lee Hyun-wook obediently drew lots without any protest.
As a result, the number he picked was a whopping 17th place.
I was 17th out of 18 people with the key, second to last.
And Edward Woods…
“Hmm, second place.”
Since I was in second place, I thought they probably adjusted it appropriately so as not to cause any misunderstanding.
“…Is Steele okay?”
He asked for confirmation. Honestly, this could not have been a quite sensitive issue.
“Yes, I’m fine. Let’s move on quickly.”
He really didn’t care one bit. Rather, I was thinking that it went well.
Soon, the unknown wizard player who took first place stepped forward.
“after…….”
gulp-
His eyes landed on the largest box in the right corner, but he didn’t dare look past it.
He knew right away that he had to hand it over to Edward Woods, who was second in line.
Clap—
He selected a suitably sized box and opened it.
“oh…….”
Inside was a set of top-quality ailment recovery potions.
If it were sold on the market, it would cost hundreds of millions of won.
“Now, I will choose.”
Now it was Edward Woods’ turn for the second time.
He pretended to think about it, and as expected, he chose the largest box.
Clap——
With a heavy sound, the lock turned, the lid of the box opened, and brilliant light came out.
Woo—woo—woo—woo——
“Oh what?”
In response to the unusual reaction, the Slayers Guild members looked at the scene with expectant expressions.
But what came out of it was something that fell short of expectations.
“Uh… it looks like some kind of jewel.”
It was about 11kg of adamant.
“hmm…….”
It was clear that it was a significant and expensive item, but it was also clear that it was far from the first prize.
After that, he picked the box quite carefully and used the remaining six keys in succession.
Clap—
“…….”
However, only material items that could be called ‘miscellaneous items’ popped up.
Clap—
In the end, Edward Woods’ expression darkened considerably, as he had chosen ‘Bang’.
“…….”
The others looked at him, but inside he looked hopeful.
It was because he had a good chance of being selected if he hadn’t come in first place so far.
And so the random box drawing, which could be called gacha, continued.
But strangely enough, jaw-dropping items rarely came out.
“Ah, it’s all just like that, right?”
“I feel like I was completely scammed…”
And finally, it was number 17 Lee Hyun-wook’s turn.
however…….
“…Oh, there aren’t enough boxes? “There are only 5 left!”
Considering that Lee Hyun-wook had 36 keys, there were only 5 boxes left.
“Is that possible? Doesn’t that mean the system gave more than the compensation?”
“It’s probably stuck in a corner somewhere. Now, let’s all look for it!”
But then…
uh! “There’s a door in the floor here!”
The moment someone shouted like that, everyone looked dumbfounded.
“Huh? A door…”
“What kind of door is it?”
Just as he said, there was a door in the corner of the room leading down to the basement.
However, until the end of the war, it was hidden by a box and was not visible.
At that time, Lee Hyun-wook went in front of him and said.
“…It looks like the treasure trove was double.”
The real treasure was scheduled to be revealed from now on.
