Chapter 301
Chapter 301
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 301
Chapter Title: Chapter 7. The Land of Blazing Heat
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A shower poured down once.
Even under the shade, it had felt endlessly hot, but as the rain began to fall, a coolness gradually seeped into their skin.
Shwaaaaa—
It wasn't a downpour, but for rain in the desert, a considerable amount was falling.
Judah looked up at the sky, which he rarely paid attention to. The sight of raindrops falling onto the translucent barrier felt atmospheric.
He had originally planned to pull out an umbrella, but Lime shook his head and demonstratively cast a spell as if showing off.
A very thin, transparent barrier spread wide above their heads, blocking the rain. The clear shield moved along with the group, keeping the rain at bay.
Thanks to it, there was no need to pull the hood of his robe low, nor was there the sticky discomfort from rain hitting their legs or shoes despite an umbrella.
Judah worried about Lime's mana consumption, but he said there was no need to fret over creating a barrier strong enough to merely block rain.
The rain fell for quite a while. Dark clouds, filling the horizon like overflowing sand, covered a vast area as they poured down rain. It looked like it would continue until night, so they began to feel the need to find a place to rest.
"Over there. Let's go as far as that rock we see."
At first, he thought there was nothing but sand and dunes, but as they walked, large rocks buried in the sand or protruding here and there appeared frequently. The group nodded, and they soon arrived near the rock.
They stayed there for the night. Unsure if the dark clouds would linger until morning, they still pitched their tent behind the rock, assuming the sun would rise.
To replenish the salt lost in sweat, he distributed salt and had them drink water. Lime, as always, prepared a meal using ingredients unavailable in the desert.
Honestly, without him, they would have eaten the same or similar food every time. After a hearty dinner, they quenched their thirst with cool water, lit a campfire, and turned in for the night. The night cooled down unlike the day, growing chilly but not unbearably so.
It was just the right temperature.
When day broke, the dark clouds were drifting far away. Everyone sighed deeply at the sight of sand heated by the blazing sun. Their faces said, *How are we going to cross this again?*
Then, Iris seemed to have a good idea and wrote something in her notebook to show Lime. He immediately created a transparent barrier over their heads, just like the one for the rain yesterday, following her suggestion. Iris then either used the fragment's power or cloaked it in shadow, dyeing the transparent barrier black. Perfectly, it created shade beneath like under a massive umbrella. At least they could avoid the sunlight now.
Since the desert was formed by the fragment, the heat persisted even under the shadow, and they still needed to pull their hoods low to maximize the robe's magic effects, but avoiding the direct sun seemed to satisfy everyone.
They prepared and continued walking in the direction opposite the dark clouds.
As they delved deeper into the land of blazing heat, Judah had thought the desert was nothing but sand and dunes, but large rocks appeared frequently, and traces of ancient draconian homes and their subordinate monsters began to show. There were even large rock mountains. It wasn't completely barren.
Lime showed interest in plants he'd never seen before, and scorpions appeared too.
"I thought it was a completely dead land, but it's not entirely like that. To think lifeforms survive even here."
Arhil spoke in genuine surprise, and Iris wrote in agreement in her notebook, showing it to her. Lime pondered seriously if *that* was edible. He cautiously asked, *Shall we try it...?* Judah shook his head at the sight.
He himself had some resistance to poison thanks to the fragment, so even extreme venom might be fine, but the others didn't.
Even Arhil's divine purification magic had unknown limits.
At that moment, something appeared on a distant ridge and charged toward Judah's group.
"...Raptor?"
It resembled the raptor that an annoying summoner from the Radiance had called forth back when he traveled from Uruun with elves through the slave kingdom of Silan.
The fragment's influence and the land's high mana density must have interacted to open a gate to the demon realm.
The raptors charged at Judah's group upon spotting them. At a glance, there seemed to be about ten, but more kept appearing one or two at a time behind. They prepared for battle as the creatures kicked up sand furiously.
Iris summoned her black silhouette scythe, and Judah called forth Artemisia. Lime readied his magic, and Arhil bestowed blessings.
There was no real need for Lime and Arhil to prepare. Judah and Iris—no, Judah alone could handle them all.
But one raptor, descending the final hill, turned back and stopped in place. Then, as if resigned, it hung its head low.
"?
Judah watched with a puzzled expression.
Pffft—!
Suddenly, without warning, a sand dune erupted, and a long-snouted, dragon-shaped head burst out, swallowing the raptor whole.
"D-Dragon!?"
Lime cried out in shock. The raptors hadn't been charging at Judah's group thinking they were prey.
Crunch, crunch—!
They were fleeing from the monster with a dragon's head that was now savoring the raptor. As proof, the raptors didn't approach but passed by with looks that said, *What are you standing around for? Run! You idiots!* Judah watched them go, then shifted his gaze to the creature devouring the raptor and said,
"It's a dragon head."
"Pardon?"
Lime looked baffled, as if hearing the term for the first time—which made sense. It didn't live in the middle realm, and even in the demon realm, it was exceedingly rare.
"It's called a dragon head. A mid-tier demon beast that inhabits the demon realm, and a very valuable one at that."
Judah said it casually, as if it were nothing.
"How do you know that…?"
Lime stared at him, stunned by Judah's knowledge he himself lacked. Judah chuckled at the question. How could he not know? In the game, spotting one was like hitting the jackpot.
They mostly inhabited the domain of Demon Lord 1, Xian. They lived elsewhere too, but finding them was like finding stars in the sky. Sometimes they slipped into the middle realm when demon gates opened by chance... That was the lore. Catching them yielded massive experience for a mid-tier beast, materials for high-grade armor or accessories, and a high chance of a top-tier magic stone.
Players chased them to the map's edge if spotted—for an easier game ahead, they had no choice. Developers even used them for hidden quests in specific areas. The 1st continent had some too, in remote corners of the Baekje Empire or next to Calypso, in Mantium.
Anyway, they gave scant hints via NPCs, but players sniffed them out like ghosts and shared info. What started as hidden quests became must-do staples once discovered. Judah gave Lime a perfunctory answer.
"You can find it in the Serenia Castle library. Definitely check it out later."
Unwittingly promoting Serenia Castle, he stared quietly at the dragon head munching the raptor. That size wouldn't be sated by one raptor. He didn't know how many it'd eaten on the way here, but instead of pursuing the fleeing pack, it eyed Judah's stationary group with reptilian eyes.
Even from afar, its diamond-shaped pupils revealed its gaze. Licking its chops, it slowly emerged from the sand dune it had pierced.
Its long, worm-like body was encased in a crustacean-hard shell—its dragon head was its defining feature, hence the name. It wriggled its serpentine form, gliding smoothly over the sand toward them.
It opened and closed its gaping maw, seemingly debating if Judah's group was edible. As it observed them, Judah watched back, tilting his head, frowning, then suddenly brightening with realization.
"Ah! Ha, haha!"
The group stared at Judah in confusion as he burst into laughter. They couldn't understand why he was laughing like a madman. And they wouldn't. Receiving their gazes, Judah stepped forward. It felt like a lightbulb had flicked on in his head.
"We're lucky. Really lucky."
Was this the effect of his 89 Luck stat, or preparation by Xian?
Either way, it didn't matter. Grinning nonstop, Judah removed his robe's hood and advanced. His hair felt like it might combust in the fierce sun, but the laughter wouldn't stop. Glancing back, he earnestly warned Iris and Lime.
"Iris, absolutely do not attack. Lime, no magic either. I'll go handle it. I'll bring back the best gift for everyone!"
The dragon head, seeing Judah boldly leaving footprints in the sand, decided to give him a taste and ceased probing, charging swiftly. It slid down the dune like skiing, then burrowed into the sand.
Judah put away Artemisia and drew the newly acquired Gaia instead.