Chapter 15
I’m translating the chapter directly into polished HTML, preserving the in-universe UI blocks and the series glossary terms. Next I’ll format the system notices/comments as styled divs and keep the narration flowing naturally.CHAPTER_TITLE: Protection (2)
Sheeeeeeek!
A blue flash sliced through the air and shot forward.
Thwip!
It punched clean through a cobalt-scale drake’s chest.
Fuuk—!
Then it pierced the head of the drake runner behind it.
The flash didn’t stop there.
It vanished only after skewering five of them in total.
EXPERIENCE GAINED
EXPERIENCE GAINED
EXPERIENCE...
One shot....
“Five of them?”
Du-ho’s eyes widened.
Isto, standing at the bridge entrance, folded his LED eyes into the shape of seagulls and shouted,
Oh, oh!
-Long-range support type! Very goodhamda.
The newly summoned super-intelligence stood atop Black Dragon’s back.
A long, sleek silhouette.
Limbs far longer than Isto’s.
And a scope was mounted over one eye.
Whirrrr—.
The scope blinked as it swept across the battlefield.
Du-ho muttered inwardly.
It’s completely different from Isto.
If Isto had a round, cute impression, the new super-intelligence was sharp and cold.
Then its body seemed to fade into the background and reappear again, like a ghost sniper.
Swish....
It lifted an energy bow.
At a glance, the curve was long and elegant.
As the bowstring drew tight, blue light gathered and formed an arrow.
Whiiish— thwip!
The arrow tore through a drake runner’s forehead.
Thunk! Fuuk—.
The monsters behind it were pierced in sequence and toppled to the ground.
Ting! Whiiing....
With a smooth twist of its waist, another arrow flew, taking out the one that had been about to fire and the monster behind it as well.
By the time it completed a full rotation,
most of the ranged monsters had already fallen.
EXPERIENCE GAINED
EXPERIENCE GAINED
EXPERIENCE...
Du-ho stared blankly.
Wow....
Was three kills on one shot just the default?
But he also spotted a weakness.
It’s accurate, but... there’s a firing interval.
Still, it never exposed that flaw at all.
It was compensating by ghosting the enemies that were about to strike first and eliminating them before they could act.
Meticulous. Cold-blooded.
But....
“Can’t it talk?”
Du-ho felt puzzled.
He’d assumed it would chatter even in battle like Isto did, but it had been suppressing its presence so thoroughly that not even a hint of sound leaked out.
At that moment, Isto, who had just smashed a drake runner at the bridge entrance, shouted,
-Newbie! Du-ho nim is curious, you know!
-...
-Say something, say it, say it....
-...What a noisy iron head.
A cold, low voice.
Du-ho’s eyes went wide.
The newbie left only that one line behind and began blinking its scope again, hunting for a new target.
Huh?!
Isto’s LED eyes wobbled.
-I, I’m noisy?!
Whiiish— thwip!
Whether Isto protested or not, the newbie silently sniped the next target.
Hey.
-Newbie! Your senior is talking....
Whirr— clang!
The newbie twisted its waist and let a light arrow skim past Isto’s head by a hair’s breadth.
Stars flashed in Isto’s LED eyes.
-Wh-what! You attacked me just now, didn’t you!
Smack!
He vented his anger by slapping away a charging drake runner.
-Du-ho nim! I think that one was summoned wrong....
Whoosh! Kaaang!
Another light arrow came flying toward the back of Isto’s head. This one was a little stronger.
-It’s making my brain dumber, hamda!
-No talking during combat.
-Huh?!
Kaang! Kang!
More and more light arrows kept flying in.
Fire crackled across Isto’s LED display.
-After this, you’re dead, hamda!
Kiaa— Puk! Pung! Kwaaang!
Taking out his frustration, Isto seized a cobalt-scale arm and swung it mercilessly at the monsters on the bridge.
EXPERIENCE GAINED
EXPERIENCE GAINED
EXPERIENCE...
♪♪♪
The battle situation had definitely changed.
After the newbie joined in, no more spears or arrows came flying at them.
Not only that, but somewhere along the way it had moved behind Isto and was silently clearing the bridge of monsters one by one.
Isto was still sulking over what had just happened.
Hmm....
-This is much more convenient, you know.
Its LED eyes flicked backward.
But the newbie still only did what it had to do.
-It feels like I teamed up with a scrapyard robot....
While muttering complaints under its breath, at that moment—
Kuuuuung!
The ground rumbled by the water.
Across the bridge, a massive shadow emerged.
Twice the size of an ordinary cobalt-scale.
A body like an enormous boulder—no, like a mountain.
The cobalt-scale leader.
Kwoong! Kwoong!
Like an enraged bull, it charged toward the artificial island.
The bridge trembled, and even Black Dragon’s body began to tilt.
No!
Du-ho hurriedly activated metal manipulation.
Whiririririk—.
Iron sand burst out of the ground and wrapped around the leader’s legs.
Power made possible by the levels he’d gained.
“Take it down!”
-Isto will handle it, hamda!
Isto clenched his fists and charged.
Flames flickered in his LED eyes!
But....
Fwooosh— thwip!
A hole was punched straight through the center of the cobalt-scale leader’s forehead.
Thud....
The massive body toppled backward.
EXPERIENCE GAINED
Isto stopped in place mid-run.
-...???
Tears appeared in his LED eyes.
T-that! That....
-Newbie! How dare you! You stole my turn, hamda?
But the newbie said nothing, merely blinking its scope as it aimed at the next target.
As if that weren’t even worth answering.
Isto’s fists trembled.
His anger quickly turned into firepower and exploded outward.
The coordinated assault of the newbie and Isto.
Whiiish— ting!
Puk! Kwa-jik!
The last remaining monsters were swept away in an instant. Some had holes punched through their heads; others had their skulls sent flying by Isto’s hands.
Watching from behind, Du-ho clicked his tongue.
At this rate....
I’m starting to feel bad for the monsters.
EXPERIENCE GAINED
EXPERIENCE GAINED
EXPERIENCE...
The system alerts rang for a long time before finally going quiet.
Silence settled over the oasis.
Thump.
Du-ho sat down on the ground and let out a breath.
Whew.
He had come in thinking it would be easy, but he hadn’t expected things to snowball this much....
Then he looked back and forth between the two of them.
Completely different styles.
And yet somehow, their timing fit together perfectly.
Since their roles are split up... it’s nice.
They might be a mess around each other, but their teamwork was phenomenal.
Tap, tap.
Isto approached the newbie.
-Hey there, newbie.
-........
-As your senior, I’m talking—
The newbie jerked its back around.
Huh?!
-Y-you’re ignoring me?!
-You waste mana needlessly.
-Huh?!
-To speak is to think. Thinking leads to mana consumption. Am I wrong?
At that plausible logic, Isto wavered, and Du-ho finally burst out laughing.
...Those two aren’t even doing banter, are they?
As long as the work got done, he could let it slide.
But then.
...Why isn’t the quest completion message popping up?
He opened the status window, and—
Black Dragon Egg Protection
Progress: 96%
Du-ho’s face stiffened.
It’s not over yet?
It was a relief that there was no time limit, but unease seeped in all the same.
“Isto, check whether there are any hidden monsters.”
-Understo....
Before Isto could finish, the newbie had already turned its scope and was sweeping the surroundings.
-All targets eliminated.
...What, that’s pretty quick.
Du-ho marveled and checked the status window again.
『Progress: 97%』
“...Huh?”
The number had gone up for some reason.
『Progress: 98%』
Isto’s LED eyes shook.
Huh! Huh!
-Why is this happening, hamda?!
The newbie also looked startled as it adjusted its scope, as if it had made a serious military error.
『Progress: 99%』
The three of them were staring dumbly at the status window when—
Kuuo!
Black Dragon slowly lifted its head.
Its deep black eyes looked down at Du-ho.
Startled, Du-ho stepped back.
Click!
The sound of something cracking.
Everyone’s gaze snapped to the dragon’s chest.
Fine fissures were spreading across the eggshell.
Eh!!
Crack! Crack, crack!
The fractures spread like a spiderweb.
Oh! Oh!
-Is the dragon baby being born, hamda?!
Isto’s LED eyes widened, while the newbie narrowed its focus by adjusting the scope.
Snap!
The shell split apart, and a small head poked out from inside the egg.
Kii....
The baby Black Dragon had broken free of the shell.
Its whole body was wet, and its wings hung limp, but after a little while it slowly opened its eyes.
Quo... kiiih....
The mother Black Dragon gently lowered her snout.
The hatchling answered by rubbing its tiny nose against hers.
Du-ho and the others watched the scene in silence, spellbound.
His chest warmed.
It’s... so beautiful.
Suddenly, he thought of his family.
Meals shared together, laughter, and even the occasional arguments of daily life.
The people who had always supported him.
At that moment.
Black Dragon Egg Protection
Reward: Facility unlocked.
Only then did he understand.
That percentage was until it hatched.
To be honest—
The real reward was seeing Black Dragon’s birth with my own eyes.
Du-ho looked at the dragon with a satisfied smile.
Quoe....
The mother dragon looked down at Du-ho again.
“If you’re grateful... live happily.”
Maybe his blessing pleased her?
Huuuu— thud.
Light gathered before Du-ho, and a transparent bottle appeared. When he took it, gold liquid swayed inside.
“A gift...?”
“Quo.”
Du-ho rubbed the tip of his nose and stored the gift from the Black Dragon in the Garage.
Then....
Kiiih.
Soon after, the Black Dragon picked up its hatchling in its mouth and set it atop its neck.
The massive wings spread slowly.
Whoooom—!
The flutter of those wings whipped the air into a gale.
Sand scattered in every direction.
Shhhhhh....
Du-ho covered his face with nanobots to keep the sand out.
Quoeeeey!
The Black Dragon soared high into the sky.
Du-ho waved.
“Live well and stay healthy!”
In an instant, the Black Dragon’s figure vanished beyond the heavens.
Du-ho watched for a long moment before muttering to himself,
“Feels like I dreamed it....”
Suddenly, he remembered the Queen’s Ratkin from a month ago.
It had been the same then.
He’d cleared an unexpected quest, and the entire first floor had vanished.
Could this be the same thing again...?
Du-ho shook his head.
That couldn’t be.
Last time there had been a clear condition: the total extermination of the Queen’s Ratkin.
Well....
This one was just about protecting the egg.
And yet, some part of his chest still felt strangely heavy.
When he looked back, Isto and the newbie were already extracting mana stones from the monster corpses.
They bicker, but they still get the job done.
Du-ho joined them.
“Isto.”
-Hm?
“I heard monster hides are useful too?”
Isto’s LED eyes lit up.
-That’s right, hamda! Unlike the Ratkin, drake runner and cobalt hides are traded in the market, hamda. I’ll peel them off—
Before he could even finish,
Shick— saak—
an exact cutting sound rang out.
When Du-ho turned his head, the newbie had already stripped the drake runner’s hide cleanly away.
Its hand movements were precise, almost surgical.
It’s more perceptive than I thought.
Squeak, creak—
At that moment, static crackled from all over Isto’s body.
“Isto, you....”
-I’m fine! Hehe.
“You worked hard because of me. Good job.”
-Huh! It’s nothing! Hehehehe~.
The newbie quietly poured cold water on the moment.
-...An iron head. Inefficient.
Fire sparked in Isto’s LED eyes.
Newbie!
-Don’t you have any consideration for your senior?!
-...It’s respect, not consideration.
-Huh, huh?!
Tsk!
-I’m ashamed we’re the same kind of super-intelligence.
At a loss for words, circles spun in Isto’s LED eyes.
Du-ho barely managed to hold in his laughter.
Something told him Isto would get hurt if he laughed here.
...The newbie’s no pushover either.
Once he’d steadied his breathing, Du-ho spoke.
“Isto, I’ll patch you up when we get back, little by little.”
-...Mm.
Tear effects formed in Isto’s LED eyes.
Du-ho smiled.
From here on out....
It’s going to be pretty noisy.
A short while later, Du-ho’s group exited the first floor of the Abyss.
♪♪♪
Huh?!
A hunter who had just shot upright from bed stared blankly at the status window notice.
This was...
“What are they even sayin’?”
Thud... Koooung!
The floor shook hard.
Ahhh!
“It’s an earthquake!”
People in pajamas and hunters alike spilled out of the buildings in a panic.
Some were barefoot, others wrapped in blankets, all of them screaming as fear took hold.
That was when it happened.
Thud— koooung—!
As the Abyss twisted and the shock of floor reorganization swept across all of Yeouido—
“Again?! Again?!”
It was the exact same situation as just one month ago.
No, this time it was even more shocking.
“Black Dragon?! There was something like that on the first floor?!”
“That’s impossible!”
“I’ve been going there for years, and I never saw even a shadow of a dragon!”
It was a floor that had been conquered decades ago.
Now it was known only as a hunting ground for rookie hunters.
“Is the system insane?!”
Just as the chaos reached its peak, another notice appeared.
For a brief moment, silence.
And then....
Wooooooaaahhh!!!
Between the streets and the office towers, the hunters who had just been jolted awake embraced one another and roared in celebration.
“It’s extended again!”
“A whole month! We bought ourselves another month!”
Yeouido at dawn turned into a madhouse in an instant.
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