Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Golden Dragon (1)
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It wasn't gear, so I was a little disappointed, but I figured I should check its info first and reached for the egg.
Crack—
The information I wanted didn't appear; instead, the egg began to crack.
The moment I wondered if I'd handled it wrong, what I thought was a golden chick... no, it had two horns on its head.
Its eyes weren't open yet, and for a moment, I saw wings on its back...
“Kyuu? Kyuu!”
“Ack!”
The creature, with its eyes still shut, somehow knew to bite my finger.
[You have been attacked by the Golden Dragon Alphinius.]
[1 Gold and 20 Silver have been plundered.]
...?
I got my finger bitten, and money was taken?
I tried to pull my hand away quickly, but the creature let go first.
“Buuuurp!”
It let out a hearty burp and then passed out.
What in the world is this thing?
****
After I washed up, Luke told me Tae-soo had come by, so we ate on the first floor and then went up to my room together.
“That thing came out of a random item box?”
Tae-soo stared in wonder at the golden dragon lying in the small birdcage as if it were dead.
“Yes. It was an egg at first, but when I touched it, it cracked open and this thing came out. Do you know anything about it?”
“I've only ever gotten consumables... Chil-seong pulled a rare piece of gear once, but I've never seen anything like this.”
It seemed Tae-soo didn't know much either.
“It looks cute. Why'd you lock it in there? Is it vicious?”
“I don't know about vicious, but it bites.”
“Looking at its size, its teeth must be tiny. It probably doesn't even hurt much.”
He gave me a look that said I was being too harsh, which felt unfair.
“When that thing bites you, you lose money.”
“You lose money? What are you talking about...”
“Why don't you stick your finger in the cage?”
As if he didn't believe me, Tae-soo unhesitatingly put his hand inside.
The golden dragon, which had been lying down, shot up and bit his hand.
Tae-soo pulled his hand out faster than the speed of light, a look of utter disbelief on his face.
“Buuuurp!”
It burped and lay back down, just like yesterday.
“One... one gold is gone! What is this? My money!”
All that for just one gold.
Yesterday, I woke up from the pain to a notification saying I'd been fleeced of over 15 gold, so I had Luke buy a cage in the dead of night and locked the thing up.
“Do you understand now?”
“What kind of creature is this? More importantly, can't you get the money back?”
“I don't know. I haven't been able to get it back...”
“Wouldn't it come out if we cut its belly open?”
Cut its belly open?
“Tae... Tae-soo, isn't that a bit much?”
That's just too cruel.
To think of cutting open that tiny thing's belly.
“Too much? This thieving dragon stole a whole gold coin, not just a few pennies...”
“It took 15 gold from me yesterday.”
“It took 15 gold? We should slice it open right now!”
I was shocked when he immediately pulled out a dagger and held it in his hand.
“Wait, Tae-soo. Cutting it open is still too much. Look at its size. Do you really think 15 gold will come out of that tiny stomach?”
The golden dragon was only about the size of my fist.
He was still gripping the dagger, so I quickly took out a gold coin and offered it to him, but Tae-soo waved it away.
“No, it's fine. I can spare one gold...”
His expression said it was anything but fine, so I slipped it into his pocket.
“Ahem, really, it's okay. Anyway, that thing is a real nuisance.”
“That's why I'm at a loss. I have to go to the labyrinth today, and I don't know what to do with it...”
I tried yesterday, but being a living creature, it can't be put into the inventory.
Taking it to the labyrinth would just make it a burden, but I don't have anyone suitable to leave it with.
Actually, I could probably find someone to look after it, but its food is the problem.
That little rascal dragon eats money.
If I left it with someone like Luke, he might just take the money and starve it to death.
“Then why not leave it with our guild?”
“I'd be grateful if you could. I'll provide money for its food too.”
It ate 15 gold yesterday, so leaving about 100 gold should be enough, right?
“I'll have to warn them not to touch it carelessly. Let's go together.”
I left Kabisa and headed to the Golden Lion Guild with Tae-soo.
The Golden Lion Guild's headquarters was as large as the Silver Wolf Guild's, but it was empty, likely because it was a labyrinth day.
“Looks like everyone has already left. Seol-hwa should be on the fourth floor, so let's leave it with her.”
It seemed Seol-hwa wasn't going to the labyrinth.
When we got to the fourth floor, I saw Seol-hwa wrestling with a mountain of paperwork.
Looking at the enormous pile of documents, I thought going to the labyrinth might be preferable...
“Excuse me, hello, Seol-hwa.”
“Oh? Hyeon-ung? Brother-in-law?”
Seol-hwa, who had been focused on her papers, looked up at us with a surprised expression.
“Has everyone left already?”
“Yes. Didn't you say you were meeting Hyeon-ung for breakfast and then heading straight to the plaza, brother-in-law?”
“My younger brother here has something he needs to leave.”
“Something to leave? Couldn't he just put it in his inventory...?”
“This one doesn't go in.”
I lifted the cloth covering the cage.
Seol-hwa's eyes widened like saucers.
“That's a golden dragon! Where did you get it?”
Oh, she knows what this thing is?
“They're really hard to find. Where did you get it?”
“He said it came from a random box he gets once a week for having the Pioneer title.”
“Oh, really? It's amazing that this came out, even from a random box.”
“What's so special about it?”
“It's a limited edition pet. They were only sold for a short time early on, so not many people know about them.”
A limited edition pet?
This was the first I'd heard of a pet system in Elsia.
“Elsia doesn't normally have a pet system, but they were sold for just one day to commemorate the 100th day anniversary.”
“I see.”
“Most of them were temporary, lasting a week, but three or four types were permanent if you managed to pull them. That golden dragon was one of those permanent limited edition pets.”
...It might be permanent, but that wasn't exactly welcome news.
“Do you happen to know its effect?”
“In the game, pets were basically for picking up items and money.”
So it's an auto-looting system.
“Is that all? When that thing bites, you lose money.”
I can pick up items and money myself. The cost is too high for that.
Then again, will it even pick up money?
“You lose money? Uh, well... they said the permanent pets had special abilities, unlike the normal ones.”
“Special abilities?”
“They were said to be different for each type, but I never saw anyone who pulled one... If it eats money, maybe you should just keep feeding it?”
It's not like I'm desperate for money.
“It takes gold by the coin every time it bites.”
“G... gold?”
...The moment she heard Tae-soo, her gaze turned sharp as she stared at the golden dragon.
“Kyuu! Kyuuu!”
Just then, the creature woke up and started whining.
“Still, it's cute. Can I touch it?”
“It'll take your money if it bites you.”
It was certainly cute, but it was too noisy, so I took a gold coin from my inventory and tossed it into the cage.
It immediately swallowed it whole and lay down again.
“Hye... Hyeon-ung, are you out of your mind? A gold coin! Let's cut its belly open right now!”
Didn't you just say it was cute?
As expected of the finance manager, she couldn't tolerate wasting money.
“Th... that's a bit...”
In the end, I decided against leaving it with her for now.
Fortunately, she said pets couldn't be attacked by monsters.
To be honest, I really wanted to leave it behind since it seemed like a burden, but...
I had a strong feeling that if I left it with Manager Lee and went to the labyrinth, I'd never see it again.
When I arrived at the central plaza with Tae-soo, it was bustling with people.
“Our guild members are over there.”
“You went through all that trouble coming and going because of me.”
“What trouble? You bought breakfast. I'll see you later.”
“Okay. I'll see you on the seventh day.”
We had agreed to meet on the 42nd floor on the seventh day to tackle the floor boss together.
I also had to defeat the 50th-floor boss for the lord's quest, so this felt like a warm-up.
Of course, I'd only made it to the 12th floor before, but I could just ask Bio for help.
After parting with Tae-soo, I took out the companion summon cards and waited a moment. A blue light erupted, and my view changed.
“Hanna Pogani, the Knight of the Golden Flash, and Rina Alsmeyer, High Priestess of the Dyna Order.”
The two of them appeared in a familiar red light.
“Hyeon-ung! You've come for us again.”
“It's been a while, old man.”
It had only been ten days, but it felt much longer, so I was happy to see them.
“How have you all been?”
“Of course. We've been well. I'm so happy to see you again.”
Hanna was all smiles...
“What a bland question. Was there any doubt we'd be fine? What about you, old man?”
Rina is the same as ever.
Of course, though her tone was anything but gentle, a faint smile graced her face.
She was prickly, but she still asked how I was doing.
“I missed you two so much I couldn't sleep at night.”
“I'm so moved that you kept thinking of us even out there.”
“That's a lie, isn't it? For someone who couldn't sleep, you look awfully well-rested.”
That Rina, she's sharp.
“It's true. You're being mean.”
“So you cried because you missed us that much? A grown man crying over something like that is a bit...”
Jeez, I can't say anything to her.
“I... I never said I cried.”
“W... whatever!”
She shouted and ran off into the distance.
“What's with Rina?”
“Don't worry about it, Hyeon-ung. Rina's happy to see you too, she's just embarrassed. It's a secret, but while we couldn't see you, she talked about you constantly.”
She really can't be honest with herself.
“By the way, Hyeon-ung, your sword has changed... huh? What's that you're holding?”
Hanna pointed to the cloth-wrapped cage, so I lifted the fabric.
“A dragon? I've never seen one so small.”
“It may look small, but it's an incredibly dangerous creature.”
“Dangerous?”
Just as I was about to explain, Rina, who had run ahead, came back.
“What are you two... huh? A dragon?”
“It's small and cute, just like you, Rina.”
“I am not small! More importantly, what's with the dragon?”
I gave them a brief explanation of the situation.
When I showed them how it actually ate money, they were both surprised and fascinated.
“Do you two know anything about it?”
“I've never seen one before. A dragon that eats money.”
“Me neither. I've seen plenty of large ones, but never one this tiny.”
Unfortunately, it seemed neither of them knew anything.
“Hyeon-ung, Alpen might know something.”
“Alpen?”
“He's a friend who knows everything there is to know about monsters and animals.”
The name sounded familiar for some reason, so I checked my inventory and thankfully found him among the rare companion cards.
“Alpen, the greatest beastmaster in Maldina.”
A boy with curly brown hair appeared in a flash of blue light.
He was shorter than Hanna but about a hand taller than Rina, dressed in brown leather clothes.
“Hello, Summoner! My name is Alpen.”
He bowed his head deeply and gave a cheerful greeting, reminding me of a mischievous kid you might find in the countryside.
“Nice to meet you, Alpen. I'm Oh Hyeon-ung.”
“Hyeon-ung, that's a cool name.”
“Thanks.”
“Hello, Alpen.”
“Hanna! Rina, you're here too.”
“Don't talk to me, loser.”
“L... loser? I'm older than you...”
“Got a problem? Want to fight?”
So Rina isn't just prickly with me.
“Rina, that's enough. Anyway, Alpen, Hanna said you know a lot about monsters and animals, so I summoned you. Is that right?”
“Of course! As the greatest beastmaster in Maldina, there isn't a single animal or monster I don't know... Whoa! It's a golden dragon!”
Oh, good. He recognized it at a glance.
“It's a creature that eats money...”
“That's right. Golden dragons live on money. I've only ever read about them in books; this is my first time seeing one in person. Thank you. Thanks to you, Hyeon-ung, I get to see such a precious dragon.”
He was surprised, yet he still managed to be polite—a completely different vibe from someone else I know.
“Could you explain everything you know in detail?”
“Of course! Golden dragons are incredibly rare. They say there used to be many of them in the past, but their diet was a problem...”
“Because they cost a lot of money?”
“Yes. Their staple food is money, and they'll perish if they don't eat more than 10 gold a day, or valuable equipment of equivalent worth.”
Per... perish?
No, perishing isn't the important part.
It eats items, too?
“It eats gear on top of money? What a glutton.”
Rina frowned.
Hanna also took a step back, as if worried about her own equipment.
“Old man, let's roast it.”
Roast it?
“No, roasting it is a bit much... Hey, Alpen?”
“Yes, Hyeon-ung.”
“I heard a rumor that it has some kind of special ability. Is that not true?”
Seol-hwa definitely said that permanent pets have special abilities.
“That's correct. According to the literature I've read, raising a golden dragon is expensive, but it repays its owner once a month with an item worth more than what it consumed.”