Chapter 105 : Chapter 105

Chapter 105 - Heart Hunter (1)

“Still the same as ever, Leila.”

Leila turned her head, sucking on the blood in a transfusion pack. Her expression was thoroughly crumpled, though.

Anyway, since her true nature was a vampire, she had to live on things like this, but it was much better to just wolf down a bag of snacks and a cup of ramen.

“Huh? Isn’t it the model student?”

“...My name is Seo Hye-in.”

“Right, model student.”

Seo Hye-in’s expression crumpled just as much as Leila’s, but instead of replying, Leila threw the empty blood pack and scored it into the trash can.

“When was the last time you went outside?”

“I haven’t gone out once since the new game started, so... about a month?”

“...”

“Don’t look at me with pity. I’ll kill you. So, what brings the model student who hates to even talk to lawbreakers here?”

“...I came at my father’s request. I have something to commission.”

Leila’s head snapped around.

Her narrowed eyes were full of disbelief.

“...Mr. Seo Jin-seong? A request to Wanderer? Seriously? The man who was in hiding for years is ordering something from the black market?”

“Yes.”

Seo Hye-in replied with a reluctant sigh.

“There’s someone he’s been very interested in recently. It seems there’s something he wants to... test regarding that person. And you’re probably the only one who can make it. Since you are the best alchemist of this generation.”

“Right. Thanks for the compliment. But could you at least look at me properly when you talk?”

“I would like to do so. But your gaze...”

Charm Gaze was one of the trickiest skills among the Demonic Eye series, which was full of all sorts of crazy effects.

Because of its power to interfere with the opponent’s mind just by making eye contact, without question, Leila rarely thought of going out, cooped up in her house like this. Just going for a walk would cause a disaster.

“But the model student is the face of the Hunting Alliance, right? Can’t you even brace yourself and endure it?”

“What nonsense are you talking about? My father himself said that even an S-rank Climber can’t resist a Demonic Eye.”

“He did it just fine. Weren't you close to him?”

“...”

Even though the name was omitted, she knew at once who she was talking about.

There was only one person among those close to her who could pull off such a ridiculous feat so casually.

“Did you meet Mr. Kim Gyu-sik recently?”

“Yeah. He came with your little sister. It was a portal request.”

“...A portal? To where?”

Instead of answering, Leila pointed at a map.

And seeing the place name written there, Seo Hye-in tilted her head.

“...The Unknown Mountain Range? Where is this?”

“All the Climbers who went near there went missing. No one knows what’s inside, so.”

“...”

What on earth was his business in a place like that?

To this, Leila shrugged and added.

“But he said he’d bring me something interesting.”

“...Pardon?”

And at the word that followed, Seo Hye-in couldn't help but be dumbfounded.

***

“Yes... it’s an elf village, alright.”

Seo Ah-in, tied up tightly with a rope, said in a flat voice.

“A prison is also definitely a part of a village... right?”

“That's right. You’ve gotten smarter lately, haven't you?”

“...It’s not even surprising anymore, really...”

Seo Ah-in, who muttered a lament as if she had lived through all the hardships in the world in her cell, soon looked around and said.

“So, what’s your plan? You just stood by when the elves suddenly appeared and kidnapped us.”

“I did, didn’t I.”

“Ah, is it a prison break by any chance? I don’t see a single guard now.”

“If we do that, we’ll die.”

In the first place, the very fact that they were living in a colony in such a formidable place indirectly showed how strong a race the ‘elves’ were, didn't it?

The reason they didn't bother posting guards here was related to that.

Because any guy who tried such a thing could be quickly chased down and killed.

‘...Well.’

To be precise, it wasn't that the elves themselves were strong, but it was possible because there was someone watching over them from behind.

“...You brought me to a place like that again? Do you really have a conscience?”

“It hasn't even started yet, what are you talking about.”

The ‘really dangerous situation’ hadn't even started yet.

And that was proven shortly after by the appearance of an elf opening the cell door with a stiff expression.

‘...What would Mr. Ebga think if he saw this.’

Unlike him, who was clearly a scholar type, the elves here boasted bodies that were clearly forged in the great outdoors.

Wouldn’t even a decent gym rat not be able to hold a candle to them? The fact that they were minimally covered seemed to accentuate it even more.

“Oh, ooh...”

And there was one person letting out a strange admiration at the sight of those bodies.

When I gave Seo Ah-in a cold look, she suddenly started making excuses with a reddened face.

“D-do you think you wouldn’t be the same if the situation was reversed, Mr. Gyu-sik?!”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“...”

After chuckling at Seo Ah-in, who had become a mute who’d eaten honey, I walked down a dark corridor following the elves’ forceful lead.

“...Hmm.”

And I noted that while the elves weren’t wearing any armor, the ‘weapons’ they were holding were all masterpieces.

Considering their technological level, it would be impossible for them to supply themselves with weapons covered in so many beneficial effects.

It meant there was someone who ‘made them’.

And there weren't many beings who would just toss out weapons covered in such ridiculously rare materials.

“Huh, this place is...?”

Seo Ah-in, who saw the large structure they arrived at shortly after, let out such words.

It was so big that even when she craned her neck to look up, she couldn't seem to see the end of it.

“What’s inside...? It seems even bigger than the temple where the Spirit Beast was.”

And it was a place where a being far, far, far more dangerous lived.

You could tell just by looking at the elves aiming their weapons at us from behind, not wanting to take a single step inside.

But seeing them continuously push them towards us, it was clear they were pressuring us to go in quickly.

“Ah, ow! Don’t poke me! I’ll go, alright, I’ll go!”

“...”

“...Why are you looking at me like that?”

“No, I was just thinking you have no sense of tension.”

“If you hang around with you, this much just becomes daily life...”

I see.

Then I guess I don't have to worry so much even when we go inside.

[What’s this, humans after a long time?]

Seo Ah-in turned to me with a pale face.

“Is that what I think it is?”

“Probably.”

“...A dragon? A dragon?”

“A dragon.”

Seo Ah-in fainted on the spot.

***

Just as they are depicted in most media, the dragon race in Conqueror is also an incredibly powerful existence.

In fact, it didn't just end at being powerful; this one was one of the challenge bosses that was made so you could see the ending even without defeating it because the difficulty was too high.

Near-infinite mana, insanely powerful firepower, strong resistance to almost all attacks, and a combat AI that could be described as cunning without exaggeration.

If you were told to break through with a frontal attack, it was no exaggeration to say it was the strongest among the enemies you could meet outside the Tower. It wasn't for nothing that it was given the title of [EX-rank Demonic Beast], of which only 5 exist in the game.

In reality, even guys who were quite used to the game often didn't bother with dragon hunting.

[So, do you understand why you are here?]

And contrary to that infamous reputation, a very calm voice fell from above my head.

Its body was so huge that the pair of glowing eyes in the darkness looked like two lighthouses standing together.

“A human sacrifice, an offering. Something like that, isn't it?”

[...This human seems to have quite the nerve.]

“It's obvious if you look at the situation. To humans with primitive-level technology, if you hand out such good weapons, even if they are things you made out of boredom from your perspective, what else would you be treated as but a god?”

And that would be why they offered up every human they caught as a sacrifice. An offering to the god who protected them, something like that.

The sound of the dragon snorting was heard fiercely. It was called a snort, but the wind pressure was almost at the level of a typhoon.

[You seem to be a quick-witted one, don't you?]

“I’m quick-witted enough to know that you don’t intend to just kill us.”

I continued with a smirk.

“How boring must it be to build a nest in a place like this and lie around all the time. You have to have some fun with people who roll in like this from time to time. Isn't that right?”

[Yes. You know well.]

The dragon chuckled heartily. The entire great cavern rumbled and shook.

[But you’re quite brave, aren’t you? There’s no way a smart guy like you wouldn’t know the information that many humans who came here have disappeared, right?]

“They probably all had it coming.”

[Hmm?]

Well, the missing Climbers were all just too greedy.

Even though it was labeled in the game as ‘it’s fine not to fight’, people like me visited here in almost every playthrough because if you met certain conditions, the reward was good.

So.

“The basic creed of the dragon race is ‘equivalent exchange’. If you want something, you have to put up a stake of equal value from this side as well.”

[...]

“All the humans who stood before you until now must have demanded something tremendous, lost to you, and paid the ‘price’. Right?”

[...You, you really know well, don't you? Who on earth did you hear that from? Is there a human who imparts knowledge related to the dragon race?]

“That’s not important. What’s more important is that I’m more than willing to have a ‘match’ with you.”

A belligerent smile appeared on the dragon’s face.

[Are you serious? Against a dragon?]

“That’s what I came all this way for, after all.”

[What will you wager?]

“I’ll wager my neck. You wouldn’t accept any other stake anyway if I want to get what I want.”

The requirement for the upgrade quest was to subdue two SS-rank or higher Demonic Beasts.

And, even though my specs couldn't even take down an SS-rank. Conversely, I could actually beat the EX-rank Demonic Beast, a dragon.

Because.

[...Alright. What is the method of confrontation?]

It was because of this.

As soon as the question I was waiting for came, I gave a triumphant smile.

Perhaps because of its characteristic as an EX-rank ‘challenge boss’, the dragon had various events it could compete in besides simple combat.

One of the dragon’s nicknames in the game was ‘Mini-game Heaven’.

And among those mini-games.

There was also an event where I, who could be crushed in an instant like a bug, was the only one who could wipe the floor with this guy.

“A debate.”

[...]

To the dragon staring down at me blankly from above, I continued with a smirk.

“A battle of which side has more diverse knowledge.”

So, in other words.

It was a fight over who was the bigger nerd about Conqueror lore.

[...Are you serious? You want to have a battle of knowledge against an ancient dragon?]

Of course, he could say that.

Ancient dragons, having lived for so long, were no exaggeration to be called walking libraries of knowledge. No human sage could even comprehend a fragment of the knowledge that dragon had accumulated in its life.

“Serious? No, of course I’m not serious.”

However.

I was a human who had mastered this game to the level of a walking dictionary.

“You’re not strong enough for me to be ‘serious’, anyway.”

There was a time when I was called the ‘World's Strongest Obsessive-Compulsive Patient’ online.

It was after an incident where I engaged in a debate battle against 5 people simultaneously on the Conqueror section of the ‘Tree Wiki’, which was full of only Conqueror fanatics, and after a bloody battle that lasted over 21 hours, I slaughtered them all.

It was time to see if my skills from back then had rusted.

Now.

Bring it on, dragon.

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