Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Golden Dragon (2)
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Like most people, I'm not a big fan of gambling.
But what if it's a gamble where victory is guaranteed?
The moment I heard Alpen say the golden dragon gives items worth more than what it eats, I remembered a public service announcement I once saw.
‘Have you thought about the consequences?’
It was an anti-gambling PSA, but the picture accompanying the slogan just had to be a royal straight flush.
The highest suit, too—spades.
It was mercilessly mocked online, with people asking if it was a pro-gambling ad telling them to think about how they'd enjoy life after winning.
I guess the ad's creator must have never gambled before.
After all, no hand can beat a royal flush in spades.
In a situation like that, you're supposed to go all-in, even if it means taking out a loan and betting your house deed.
A gamble with a guaranteed win isn't really a gamble.
“Hyeon-ung, are you really sure it's okay to spend this much money?”
“Of course. Alpen said it was a sure thing, didn't he?”
“Yes. It's true, Hyeon-ung, please believe me!”
Alpen even said I could burn his summon card if he was lying.
That's pretty convincing, isn't it?
“Mister, I think it's full.”
“Kyuuing...”
The golden dragon, which had been gulping down the gold coins Rina was feeding it, was now cautiously averting its gaze.
“Then stop feeding it.”
“Aw, I think it can eat more. Hey, eat up!”
“Rina, stop! You can't overfeed it...”
Alpen quickly stopped Rina, and I walked over, took the coin pouch from her, and put it in my inventory.
[You have acquired 4702 Gold.]
Including what it ate before we entered the labyrinth, it seems its limit is about 300 gold a day.
According to Alpen, there are several reasons why golden dragons, once quite numerous, have become rare.
For one, wild golden dragons have a hard time finding gold or equipment in the wild.
As for those raised by the wealthy, human greed apparently brought disaster.
Because they were guaranteed to give better items, their owners fed them excessive amounts of money and equipment, causing them to die from overeating...
“Hyeon-ung, it's gotten a lot fatter than before.”
“It has.”
“I want to carry it.”
“Let's leave it with Alpen.”
“No. I'm going to carry it.”
This kid. Just a moment ago she wanted to roast it, but it seems she's grown fond of it after feeding it.
Rina approached the golden dragon, but huh?
“Oh!”
It suddenly leaped at Hanna and slipped right into the space between her chest armor.
“Hanna, are you okay?”
What's with that little guy?
Of all the places...
“I-I'm fine. It's being quiet inside. It's warm, and I think it finds this spot comfortable.”
“Hey! I'm the one who fed you!”
Rina gestured with an aggrieved expression, but the golden dragon didn't even peek its head out from Hanna's breastplate.
“Hey! Come out!”
“Kyu.”
It lifted its head, stuck out its tongue, and then burrowed back into the breastplate. Is that thing really a dragon?
“Mister, let's roast it.”
“We've already fed it 300 gold, so that's a bit...”
One thing's for sure: it's definitely a male.
****
I stepped back slightly to dodge the claws of a lycanthrope lunging for my neck, then plunged my sword into its chest.
*Thrust—*
Blood streamed from its chest as it collapsed.
[You have defeated a Gold Lycanthrope.]
“Hyeon-ung, your reactions are much better than I expected.”
“Mister, you seem faster than before.”
“Kyuing! Kyuing!”
It's only natural.
My gear has improved.
Ah, of course, I still haven't gotten my legendary weapon back.
After entering the labyrinth and feeding the golden dragon yesterday, I used the Red Hare's Thousand-Mile Gallop skill to jump straight to the 50th floor.
I could have asked Bio, but I wanted to test something first.
I wanted to see how far I could go without my legendary weapon and without summoning Bio.
My current stats are almost the same as when I was dragged to the 50th floor with Bio.
Fighting for real, it feels even easier than before.
“Oh? There's another group on the right. They must have come because of the howling earlier. I'll take care of them.”
Before I could even speak, Hanna, who was standing beside me, dashed to the right.
Not even a few minutes passed before a stream of notifications popped up.
[You have defeated a Gold Lycanthrope.]
[You have defeated a Gold Lycanthrope.]
[You have defeated a Gold Lycanthrope Archer.]
[You have defeated an Elite Gold Lycanthrope Warrior.]
[You have leveled up.]
A level-up. Nice.
Coming up to the 50th floor, I'm reminded of just how strong my companions are.
It took me about ten minutes to deal with three of them...
While I'm fighting three or four, Hanna and Rina seem to take down at least twenty each.
Thanks to them, I already hit level 28 yesterday.
I leveled up once this morning and again just now, so I'm finally level 30.
Leveling is ridiculously fast when hunting on the upper floors. If we grind a little harder today, I think I can easily reach level 35.
“Kyuing!”
Our little golden dragon was also diligently waddling around the Gold Lycanthrope corpses on its short legs.
[You have acquired Gold Lycanthrope Claw x3.]
[You have acquired Blessed Armor Enhancement Scroll x1.]
At first, I thought I could just pick up the items myself, but using the golden dragon is so convenient.
It seemed useless at first, but now that I'm using it, it's quite handy.
It feels just like when I bought and used a robot vacuum for the first time.
[You have acquired Mithril Wolf Gauntlets.]
[Golden Dragon Agnus has consumed the Mithril Wolf Gauntlets.]
Well, it sometimes eats equipment on its own like this, but it doesn't matter.
They say it repays you with something better a month later.
Hanna returned with a slightly glum expression.
“This time, only two hides dropped on my side.”
I took the hides Hanna handed me and put them in my inventory.
[You have acquired Gold Lycanthrope Hide x2.]
“It's better than nothing.”
I heard from Tae-soo that miscellaneous items related to a monster's body depend on how you kill it.
Hanna and I both use swords, but unlike Hanna who kills with a single slash, stabbing and cutting multiple times lowers the drop rate for items like hides.
Still, I'm one of the better ones.
If you turn them into pancakes with a mace like Rina does, you often get nothing at all.
“Mister, what are you looking at?”
“Nothing.”
“How boring. Anyway, aren't you getting tired of this? I think it's about time we went to fight that floor boss or whatever it's called.”
“I agree with Rina. At your current level, Hyeon-ung, I don't think it'll be a problem.”
I also thought it was worth a try, but I was a little worried.
Boss monsters are fundamentally several times stronger than regular monsters.
The original plan was to help Tae-soo with the 42nd-floor boss on the seventh day and then challenge the 50th-floor boss.
I did kill a floor boss, the troll, once, but that was on a lower floor.
It would be better to level up more and fight it safely, but if my companions say it's fine...
“Alpen, what do you think?”
Since reaching level 20, I can summon up to three companions, so I've been keeping Alpen summoned at all times.
To be honest, he's not much help in combat, but I've already invested a pretty penny in the golden dragon.
I chose Alpen as its dedicated caretaker, just in case something happened to it.
Though the little dragon seems to prefer Hanna over Alpen.
“Uh... I'm not a combat specialist, but I think with your skills, Hyeon-ung, it's definitely worth a try. And you have Hanna and Rina with you...”
If Alpen agrees too, then it's unanimous.
I was also starting to feel a bit bored myself.
I took out the companion summon card I had stored in a corner of my inventory.
I just hit level 30, so I don't even need to unsummon anyone.
“We're on the 50th floor, so come on out. Bio, Master of the Forgotten Space.”
As if the message was delivered properly, Bio appeared with a flash of purple light.
A tiger uses its full strength even when hunting a rabbit.
This isn't the 42nd-floor boss; it's the 50th. It's not an opponent I can afford to underestimate.
“Bio, long time no see.”
“B-Bio? Hello.”
When Bio appeared, my other summoned companions all greeted him... huh?
Hanna was right next to me a moment ago, but now she's standing far away.
What's she so shy about?
It's enough to make me wonder if she dislikes him rather than likes him.
And here she is, a pro at slaying monsters.
“...To think you've returned here so soon. Your progress is swift.”
“Thanks to someone, I had to train hard all by myself.”
“For someone who trained 'by himself,' you seem to have quite a few companions around.”
*Ahem*, can't you just let that slide?
“Still, it's not the same as having your help, is it? Especially since you took my weapon. Even without you and my weapon, I'm at about the same level as last time.”
“That's right. Bio, our mister has improved a lot.”
Rina, nice assist.
Bio thought for a moment without a word, then nodded.
“Fine. If you were able to return here, you must have mastered the basics. I will return your weapon.”
Bio flicked a finger, and a longsword radiating a golden glow materialized in mid-air.
Seeing the sword, I felt like I was about to tear up.
It was great when he upgraded my dagger into a longsword, but I never dreamed it would be taken away so absurdly.
Fearing he might change his mind, I snatched it quickly.
[You have acquired Calisina's Fang.]
Ah, this heavy, cool sensation.
Has it been 22 days?
It was a long time of humiliation and persecution.
Now, I can return to being Sword Saint Oh Hyeon-ung...
“What are you doing?”
“Mister, what are you doing?”
“Hyeon-ung?”
All my companions, including Bio, were staring at me strangely.
“Ah, it's nothing. Alpen, bring the golden dragon over.”
A little embarrassing.
I guess I got too sentimental after getting my weapon back after so long.
“Why the golden dragon?”
“Golden dragon. Here. Eat this too.”
I offered the Nameless Knight's Conviction to the golden dragon.
If I have a spare sword, Bio might take it away again and tell me to train.
“Kyuing! Kyuing!!”
It quickly leaped from Alpen's arms and began to nibble on the sword, starting with the hilt.
The little dragon devoured it in an instant, even though it was easily twice its size.
“*Buurp!*”
[Golden Dragon Agnus has consumed the Nameless Knight's Conviction.]
After letting out a burp, it walked over to Hanna, curled up in her arms, and passed out.
“A golden dragon. A rare creature indeed.”
“I tend to be lucky.”
“Is that so? In any case, since I've returned your weapon, it's time to face a challenge befitting your level...”
“W-Wait, stop!”
“What is it?”
That guy Bio. If I hadn't stopped him, he probably would have transported me to an even higher floor, just like last time.
“I have a request to fulfill, so I need to defeat the strongest monster on this floor.”
“The strongest monster here... Ah! That would be a decent opponent. Very well, I shall send you there immediately.”
Send me there immediately?
Before I could even ask if that was possible, Bio flicked his finger, and a brilliant white light erupted, engulfing me and my companions.
The light was so bright I had to close my eyes for a moment. When I opened them, it was too dark to see anything.
“Bio? Rina? Hanna? Alpen?”
“Kyuuing...”
No answer from my companions. Why only the golden dragon's voice...
“Your other companions...”
It was Bio's voice.
“Answer me sooner. Why is it so dark in here? And what about my other companions?”
“I sent them back for a moment.”
What kind of nonsense is this now?
“But why?”
“I believe this is something you should be able to overcome on your own.”
“But I have companions, so why would you...”
“It is all for your sake.”
For my sake, my ass.
Even for a Mythic-grade companion, isn't this too much?
“I will watch until the very end, so do not worry. Prove that you haven't been relying solely on your companions.”
...?
Did this guy Bio forget already?
That just his presence boosts my stats by 100.
When he talked about relying on companions, I thought he would leave too, but if he's here, that's a different story.
As long as he's here, it's not a big problem.
Plus, I got my weapon back.
“Hey, at least give me some light...”
“Fine. I shall provide light.”
As Bio spoke, a sphere of light materialized in the air.
The place we were in before was a maze similar to the 9th floor, but this was a massive plaza... No, it would be more accurate to call it a graveyard.
There were no headstones or graves, but the plaza was filled with a staggering number of black coffins, easily thousands of them.