Chapter 163
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 163
Chapter Title: Yggdrasil, Green Wave, Dragon of Death - 3
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About 30 minutes before the Dragon of Death, Nidhogg, spread its wings in the shadow of Yggdrasil...
Lee Hyun-wook and his party had arrived near Lake Chad and were facing a massive barrier.
A translucent dome of water covered the entire western pier of Lake Chad. Lee Hyun-wook placed his hand on it.
Whoooosh—
Water rushed violently from bottom to top along the dome's surface, forcefully pushing his hand away.
“...You think Mr. Harris put this up? And the Spirit King must be inside, right?”
Just as Park Jun-mo said, it seemed Donald Harris had erected the barrier to hide the Spirit King's presence.
"Damn, this is making me anxious. Don't tell me the whirlwind died down because one of them died...”
Lee Hyun-wook shook his head at Kim Se-hee's concern.
“I doubt it. Neither the Spirit King nor the Guardian of the World Tree would fall that easily.”
If it were a fight one could win, their current cold war-like relationship wouldn't have persisted.
In any case, the two titans seemed to be confronting each other inside, and the atmosphere was unlikely to be pleasant.
A moment later, a small opening appeared on the surface of the water barrier, and as the party stepped inside...
Whoooosh—
“Ugh, it's all water in here!”
Sure enough, the area was flooded. Lake Chad had overflowed, its waters surging past the embankment.
On one side, Donald Harris was visible, sitting perched on a root of Yggdrasil that jutted out.
He glanced sideways at something—a tower made of water stood at the edge of Lake Chad.
Two figures stood atop it, conversing. It was likely the Spirit King and his daughter.
Prydwen was landed nearby, with Jack and Hannah sitting on its ramp door.
Both wore dazed expressions. The events of the past half-day were surely still bewildering.
“I heard you were the one who rescued that girl... Is that true?”
“Yes. The Dark Elves kidnapped his daughter to use the Spirit King.”
At those words, Donald Harris clutched his forehead as if a headache was coming on.
“Ha, this is insane. The fact that they've already infiltrated this city... It's just absurd.”
Donald Harris, who operated his own intelligence network and had even predicted the Dark Elf legion's invasion, had been caught off guard. It seemed he couldn't possibly gather every piece of information from every front.
‘He was nearly outplayed in his own backyard. This must be weighing heavily on him.’
If not for Lee Hyun-wook, he would have suffered a major blow... Knowing this, his gaze toward Lee Hyun-wook softened subtly. It now seemed to hold a clear sense of trust.
But even so, Lee Hyun-wook's actions were so incredible they bordered on the unreal, so he had to ask.
“But how did you figure it all out and stop them?”
“This time... I got lucky. I happened to witness them by chance.”
Chance. Donald Harris snorted at the ridiculous explanation. But there was no time to press further, as the water tower carrying the Spirit King and Jane was approaching them.
“Here comes the leader of those unlucky mana thieves.”
“...Mr. Harris, you haven't spoken with the Spirit King yet, have you?”
The matter Lee Hyun-wook was referring to was entrusting Yggdrasil's defense to the Spirit King.
“Ahem. We've only confirmed that we aren't enemies. As for that kind of talk... not yet.”
It seemed his pride wouldn't allow him to be the one to ask the Spirit King for a favor.
“Mr. Harris, in that case, would it be alright if I spoke with the Spirit King on your behalf?”
“Yes, that's what I was hoping for. I'm still not in the mood to exchange words with that fellow.”
Lee Hyun-wook stepped forward as the water tower completely dissipated, and the Spirit King walked toward them on his own two feet.
The first thing that caught the eye was his long hair, a radiant platinum blonde that seemed to shimmer with light.
A handsome man who, even at a glance, exuded a 'class' different from humans, the Spirit King stood tall before Lee Hyun-wook.
“...I was too flustered earlier to thank you properly. Thank you for saving me.”
Jane stepped forward and spoke first, followed by the Spirit King.
“Thank you for saving my daughter. And I wish to repay this debt, without fail...”
Yes, for a favor of this magnitude, offering a fitting reward was the law of the game.
Lee Hyun-wook nodded, intending to state his request directly without hesitation.
“As you know, the culprits behind this incident are the Elves. They are preparing to strike this place in earnest. They intend to swallow this entire Divine Tree ecosystem... and that will include the Spirit Realm.”
A flash of anger crossed the Spirit King's eyes as he listened to Lee Hyun-wook. The ones who threatened his land and insulted him were coming again. In other words, there was no real need for negotiation.
“I think so as well. And if we can help in that fight, we would be glad to.”
Just like that, without even having to ask, an alliance with the Spirit King was formed—perhaps thanks to the Villains.
“We would be very grateful. But a mere defense won't be enough. The enemy's scale is larger than you think, and they won't give up after just one or two attacks. They will press on with increasing viciousness.”
Lee Hyun-wook turned his head to look at Donald Harris.
“So, what we're thinking is... we'll strike their main base first.”
“Hmm... The Dark Elves' main base? You mean the great forest on the northern continent?”
Lee Hyun-wook nodded at his words and took a step closer to him.
“Yes. I would like to borrow the ‘Great Flood’... which can wipe out that entire region at once.”
A momentary silence fell at Lee Hyun-wook's words. Only the sound of crashing waves could be heard.
The silence was broken by Donald Harris, who had been watching from a distance.
“Hmm, the Great—what? What are you talking about?”
As an S-rank Spiritmancer, he couldn't help but be puzzled by information about spirits that he himself didn't know.
On the other hand, the Spirit King and Jane, who knew what it was, couldn't hide their somewhat surprised expressions.
“The Great Flood. Please lend us the ultimate and most devastating technique a water spirit can use.”
The Great Flood (Flood), a cataclysmic technique that utilized a tremendous amount of water, was the ultimate form of water spiritmancy, one that could only be invoked when the Water Spirit King led numerous water spirits and combined their powers.
‘In a single blow, the defensive line established by the Allied Human Forces was completely shattered, and the war was lost.’
In his past life, after the Black Elementalists conquered the Spirit Realm of Lake Chad, they had forced the use of that technique. The target was the entire containment line of the Allied Human Forces established in Israel and Palestine. Lee Hyun-wook had witnessed the mountain-like wave, originating from the Mediterranean Sea, as he escaped the battlefield of Jerusalem.
‘...It was the very moment Inferno had burned away Flos Ruber's Green Wave and claimed victory.’
The flames of Inferno, which had quelled the endlessly regenerating green wave, were swallowed in an instant by a real wave.
That single strike drowned the majority of the Allied Human Forces' strength, and humanity's final line of defense was breached.
‘This time, I’ll turn that immense disaster back on them.’
However, after Lee Hyun-wook mentioned the ‘Great Flood,’ the Spirit King's expression noticeably hardened.
“Hmm... I must wonder how on earth you know of its existence...”
Although they now had a common enemy, his wariness had not yet subsided.
‘But I just mentioned their hidden trump card, so he must feel uneasy...'
In times like these, the most suitable excuse was, as always, the transcendent object, Laputa.
It appealed to having some absolute power, rather than having done a background check through some despicable means.
“Laputa. I possess the legacy of the Gnomes, and it contains various sources of information.”
This simultaneously implied that he was not an adversary and could be a powerful ally.
“Hmm—Gnomes. They were indeed a troublesome and cunning race. To think they possessed such power...”
I didn't know how the lore of these famous monsters was intertwined, but for now, it worked.
“However... the conditions to use it... I must say it would be difficult right now.”
But the Spirit King immediately showed reluctance. It didn't seem like a refusal, but rather that there was a genuine, significant problem... Lee Hyun-wook, as if he already knew, nodded with a faint smile.
“Hmm, perhaps... are you having trouble with your mana circulation, Spirit King?”
At Lee Hyun-wook's question, the Spirit King's expression could only stiffen further.
If the previous information about the ‘Great Flood’ was merely like leaking a national military secret, this ‘mana circulation problem’ was akin to a serious health issue concerning a head of state.
“...Don't tell me you obtained that information from Laputa as well?”
“If that's true, then I can help with that, too.”
Like the Dragon King in the fable *The Rabbit's Liver*, the Spirit King was characterized as suffering from some incurable disease.
And finding the elixir to cure his illness was the core scenario of the ‘Spirit King Quest.’
“But this problem... it would be difficult to solve even if one were to brew and consume the entire Divine Tree.”
At those words, Donald Harris's eyebrow couldn't help but twitch.
“What? W-What did you just say you'd brew and consume?”
“Hmm, it was just a joke...”
“Damn it, even as a joke, in front of who do you think you're—”
Lee Hyun-wook cut off Donald Harris and proposed a completely different alternative.
“Now, now, what about a ‘Dragon Heart’ then?”
The most surprised person was Jane, who gasped and grabbed her father's sleeve.
“Gasp! Father, a Dragon Heart... for your core...”
Jane spoke in surprise before she could stop herself, then clamped a hand over her mouth.
But Lee Hyun-wook knew what words would have followed.
‘The miracle cure for the Spirit King's illness—one of its ingredients is a Dragon Heart.’
The Divine Tree indeed held powerful mana, but the mana it produced was meant for the environment. It consumed most of its mana by bestowing a ‘blessing’ upon the vast surrounding area to maintain the mana ecosystem.
In contrast, a Dragon Heart is a type of ‘engine’ that bestows powerful mana upon a single body.
“Truly, you can provide a Dragon Heart?”
“Of course. I am, after all, a Dragon Slayer.”
A strange light glinted in the Spirit King's eyes, and Jane tugged at her father's sleeve.
“Father, please... you can't miss this chance.”
Come to think of it, there was a theory that one of the reasons the Spirit King's daughter roamed the human world was to find a cure for her father's illness. While not confirmed, it seemed to be more or less true.
And for the Spirit King, it was an offer he could not refuse. He closed his eyes and nodded.
“Yes, very well. If you provide me with that great source of mana, I shall raise my great wave.”
But just then, Donald Harris strode over, looking somewhat aggressive.
“Damn it—sorry to interrupt while things were going so well, but a big problem has come up.”
He scowled deeply and dispelled the barrier that had been covering the area.
“While I was distracted by this whole mess, I didn't expect another thief to sneak into my house!”
He seethed, glaring east toward the city center of Yggdrasil.
“...Yes? What was stolen?”
In response to Lee Hyun-wook's question, Donald Harris looked up at the eastern sky and muttered softly.
“I was too distracted to sense it until now... Soon, the dragon will break out of the root prison...”
At that moment, an explosion echoed from one side of the city, and a tall building split in two and crumbled.
Kra-koo-koo-koom—!
Everyone could only gape at the magnificent sight and take a step back.
Giant membranous wings blocked the light emanating from Yggdrasil's leaves, casting a shadow.
“Gasp—”
“Th-That's...”
A familiar form covered in black scales—it was a Black Dragon.
But this was a being of a much higher class than the ‘Azi Dahaka’ they had previously hunted... Named ‘Nidhogg,’ it looked down upon Yggdrasil with a strange smile.
It was a sight that would make anyone in the city despair.
Even the Guardian of the World Tree and the Spirit King were groaning in dismay.
It was a being that possessed a powerful ‘class’ that even they dared not face.
“Damn it, we're completely screwed...”
Amidst that despair, only one person, Lee Hyun-wook, wore a triumphant smile.
“Spirit King, if this is the case...”
He said, looking at the Spirit King.
“It seems I can procure that Dragon Heart for you, fresh from the source.”
***
Lee Hyun-wook immediately summoned a multitude of weapons, which surrounded him as he flew into the sky.
Soon, Nidhogg seemed to sense the ‘Dragon Slayer’ power he possessed and glared in his direction.
“Now, on my signal, you two will bind its wings. I need you to do that for me, and do it well.”
Lee Hyun-wook spoke to the Spirit King and Donald Harris below via Mana Messenger.
“And Team Leader Kim, as soon as you make contact with the Saintess, send me a mana communication.”
- But Steelain, no matter how I think about it, this doesn't look good...
The voice belonged to Donald Harris, who, uncharacteristically, sounded as if he had lost his fighting spirit.
- Even if I combine my power with this fellow, the most we can do is bind it for about thirty seconds... Even if we manage to catch it then, once it enters Phase 2 and the area becomes its ‘Unique Domain,’ won't we be helpless?
To hear the great Donald Harris sound so weak was a sight most people could never imagine, but the very reason he had left Yggdrasil and gone all the way to Ganghwa Island was because of that beast, Nidhogg.
- ...The reason I suggested we take that bastard on together was because it couldn't use its full power while in the root prison. If it can fly around freely like this, it's impossible to face. That's why I wanted to deal with it somehow before it grew strong enough to tear its way out of the root prison. But now, it's all ruined.
Freed from the root prison and having fully recovered its strength, Nidhogg was an overwhelmingly powerful foe.
- Nidhogg, Coordinator of Death (LV: 227)
...Level 227. A full 28 levels higher than the level 199 Azi Dahaka.
But Lee Hyun-wook had also grown stronger since facing Azi Dahaka.
‘And now, I have three Dragon Slayers.’
First, Lee Hyun-wook himself, having achieved the Dragon Slayer ‘Accomplishment,’
Second, Mogeuley, which had appeared from another dimension and reached ‘Stage 2’ after killing Azi Dahaka,
And third, ‘Balmung,’ obtained from the hidden stage of the Dragon Labyrinth...
‘With these three, most dragons would probably sense my aura and tuck their tails between their legs.’
Dragons, that absolute race, derived their immense pride from their overwhelming power. But the ‘Dragon Slayer’ effect plastered all over Lee Hyun-wook's body could ‘nullify’ a dragon's authority.
Edward Woods from the distant future had said that if one stacked enough Dragon Slayer effects and faced a dragon, a ‘Negotiation Event’ or ‘Subjugation Event’ could occur, even allowing one to make the dragon a ‘Vassal.’
‘...But Nidhogg has an ace up its sleeve, so it will choose a direct confrontation rather than trying to negotiate.’
And Lee Hyun-wook knew exactly what that ace was, and he planned to exploit it.
「You, blasphemous wretch—!」
Despite being at least two kilometers away, Nidhogg's voice felt like it was boring into his ears.
「How dare a mere mortal harbor such presumptuous power?」
That voice alone was likely killing the ordinary people in Yggdrasil's city center like ants.
But Lee Hyun-wook was unaffected. His entire body was covered in Dragon Slayer effects.
「I shall—cleanse—this entire—blasphemous—den of humans—with death—!」
At that moment, its maw gaped open, and a streak of black light flashed from its throat.
Kwo-o-o-o-o-o—!
A breath like a pillar of black fire, its target the heart of Yggdrasil's city.
Kra-koo-koo-koom—!
With a single breath, a dozen buildings collapsed, and an area hundreds of meters wide melted away.
‘...Such damage is unfortunate, but unavoidable.’
An unusual black smoke began to billow from the point of impact, starting to fill the city.
A Black Dragon wielding the power of death. Its breath had both the ‘acid’ and ‘death’ attributes.
Soon, the screams of those who couldn't escape the smoke began to echo throughout the city.
Kuaaaah—
But at some point, those screams began to transform into something more sinister, like ghoulish shrieks...
Uwoooooh—
Lee Hyun-wook sent Hugin to survey the city. As expected, the undead were rising everywhere.
Clatter— clatter—
And among them were not only humans but also monsters like orcs and trolls.
They seemed to be the corpses that were being dismantled within the city after a Gate raid in the vicinity.
「From the land I have purified, my servants have risen. They shall plunder your comfortable space—!」
Hwoong—
With a single flap of its wings, it closed hundreds of meters, its massive body growing larger and clearer at a rapid pace.
An overwhelming pressure, like standing on a railroad track and facing a giant locomotive...
But Lee Hyun-wook didn't evade. Instead, he shot forward, flying straight toward it.
‘I currently have a total of three overlapping Dragon Slayer effects.’
2+1+1 might not necessarily equal 4, but it would be at least greater than 2.
Chwa-aak—
Its jaws opened wide as it drew near, its black throat filling Lee Hyun-wook's entire field of vision.
‘Even against a dragon, as long as I don't feel intimidated and just focus... I can dodge it.’
Lee Hyun-wook closed his eyes and performed an acrobatic flight, maximizing the sensory enhancement from Hugin.
He narrowly avoided its massive claws and teeth, then swung his greatsword toward the nape of its neck.
Woong—
Like a key named Dragon Slayer unlocking a lock named Dragon's Authority, the dense barrier was ignored.
And so...
Kwadududu—!
The tip of the greatsword tore through the silk-smooth scales, carving a long gash into its beautiful body.
「Kuaaah—! H-How dare you—on my royal person—」
The beast twisted its body and began to indiscriminately fire all sorts of magic. Dozens of magic circles materialized and spun around Lee Hyun-wook, from which an indiscernible barrage of spells poured out.
Pa-ba-ba-ba-bang—!
"Kuh!"
Like a small bird flying through a night sky filled with exploding fireworks, Lee Hyun-wook frantically twisted his body.
‘As expected, I have to suppress this overwhelming firepower somehow.’
After dodging the magical barrage, he struck an incomplete magic circle with Mogeuley.
The magic circle began to waver, and then, wasn't the spell's deployment canceled?
‘Just as I thought, it's nullified!’
Thus, the power of a Dragon Slayer lay in ‘nullifying’ the dragon's authority itself.
Lee Hyun-wook controlled ‘Balmung’ to pierce through the magic circles blooming in the area, one after another.
As a result, the number of spells Nidhogg successfully cast dropped by more than half.
「For a mere human to meddle with a dragon's noble magic, how insolent—!」
Lee Hyun-wook soared into the air, climbing higher than Nidhogg, and threw Mogeuley.
Its target was Nidhogg's wings—the most crucial method for taking down a flying monster.
「Where do you think—How dare you—!」
To evade Mogeuley's pursuit, Nidhogg dove vertically, flipping its body upside down.
It then folded its wings, faced Mogeuley head-on, and began casting a spell to intercept it.
‘...An unstable posture, solely for the purpose of defending its wings.’
And it was only wary of the ‘Dragon Slayer.’ This meant there was a clear opening.
“—Now!”
At that moment—two whirlwinds formed in the sky and struck Nidhogg. Just as the S-rank Wind Controller, Kodo Koshiro, had done, they were using wind to force the dragon to the ground.
Kwa-a-a-a-a-a—!
「Kuh— Do you think this is enough to bring my royal person to the ground?」
But the power of the whirlwind was less than Kodo Koshiro's, and Nidhogg was stronger than Azi Dahaka.
“That's why I prepared one more.”
At that moment, the ground in Yggdrasil's city center heaved, collapsing in places as water burst forth. The power of the Spirit King. He had pulled up the groundwater wholesale, shooting up pillars of water to bind the beast's wings.
Kwa-ang—!
And thus, the first step of a dragon hunt—dragging it to the ground—was a success.
- It worked! Steelain, we've only got thirty seconds at most! Hurry and finish it!
However...
「Khahahaha— Yes, I'll praise you for bringing me down! But can you kill me?」
But strangely, despite being slammed into the ground, Nidhogg was far too composed.
「Come, mere human who has bathed in great blood—Can you truly harm this royal body?」
If anything, it was a taunt of unknown intent, as if trying to lure him in.
How could a dragon, even if it had fallen, not be wary of a Dragon Slayer?
‘The reason is that this dragon, which governs death, is confident it can never die.’
- Steelain, what are you doing? Don't you know this is the only golden opportunity?
Donald Harris's anxious voice echoed in his ear.
However, Lee Hyun-wook had no intention of seizing this golden opportunity.
Just then, Kim Se-hee's voice—the signal for the real opportunity—came through his ear.
- *Chk*— Sir, we're on our way with the Saintess!
The moment he heard that voice, Lee Hyun-wook turned and began to fly off somewhere.
「...Hmm?」
Nidhogg couldn't hide its puzzlement at the scene. Then, it chuckled.
「You're smarter than I thought, choosing to flee now— Uhaha—!」
“Yeah, I'll run my hardest, so come and get me.”
Lee Hyun-wook muttered this and entered through the ramp door of Prydwen, which was flying straight toward him.
Inside were Kim Se-hee and Park Jun-mo, as well as Emilia Müller and Peter Clark.
“...We have to purify a lich's life vessel? Is that for real?”
Emilia Müller approached, asking with a look of incomprehension.
A Lich is a magic user who deals with death. And one of the special characteristics of their kind is that they can only be killed if their ‘life vessel,’ a container for their life force, is destroyed.
“Yes, that's right.”
“...Where is the lich?”
“Right over there.”
Lee Hyun-wook pointed to none other than the Black Dragon, Nidhogg.
Come to think of it, the being did exude a powerful aura of death.
“Ah... then what about the life vessel?”
“We're going to find it now. Alright, Maru—get ready to close the hole!”
「Got it, I'm on standby!」
“We're going in now, through the hole in the ground it came out of—into the root prison!”
The moment Prydwen entered the hole in the ground, Nidhogg scrambled into the air.