Chapter 55
Chapter 55
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: The Dragon Fiend's Sanctuary (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Following Hanna, I summoned Rina, Timi, and Milli, and finally Alpen—all my companions except for Bio.
“Hyeon-ung! You've summoned us again...?”
“Mister, what's that demon?”
“Who is that woman?”
“Hyeon-ung, it's been a while...? Isn't that a demon?”
They all seemed wary of Elaine.
“H-hello.”
“She's a new companion.”
“I am Elaine, a Succubus Princess.”
“That outfit... No, Mister!”
“What?”
“It's been a while, and the first thing you tell me is that this filthy demon is our new companion?”
I had a feeling this wouldn't go smoothly.
As expected, a priest and a demon are like oil and water... Huh?
“I... I may be a demon, but I'm not filthy...”
Before I could even step in, Elaine burst into tears.
“I wash myself thoroughly every day...”
She wept sorrowfully, large tears rolling down her cheeks.
I mean, what kind of demon breaks down over a single comment like that...
“Rina! Hyeon-ung said she's a new companion. You shouldn't say such things.”
“That's right. You don't even know her yet...”
“Um... I also think you were in the wrong this time, Rina. Hey, are you okay?”
“She's just got a bad temper. You're not filthy.”
Milli and Hanna approached Elaine to comfort her.
Even Alpen, holding Geumyong, said nothing, but he gave Rina a disapproving look.
“Isn't she just acting? What kind of demon cries just from being called filthy once...”
“No... I'm not... I really do wash every day...”
At first, I thought she was acting, just like Rina said, but seeing her cry so sorrowfully, I didn't think that was the case.
“No, that's not what I meant... I'm sorry. Okay. You're not filthy.”
In the end, even Rina apologized, though her expression was anything but pleased.
She might look fully grown on the outside, but mentally, she seemed a bit immature.
I wondered if she was young and asked her age; she said she was 200.
But for those 200 years, she had never met anyone other than her mother and sisters...
“You've never interacted with the other demons in the sanctuary?”
“No. My mother said the outside world was dangerous.”
“That's strange.”
“It sounds like your mother was a bit overprotective.”
The saying 'a flower raised in a greenhouse' seemed to be written just for Elaine.
A real princess.
Or maybe that's why she has 'Princess' in her name...
Elaine continued to sob, but with the other companions consoling her, her tears soon subsided.
“Hey, Elaine, will you be able to keep traveling with us?”
“Are you telling me to go back again...?”
Tears welled up in Elaine's eyes once more.
“No, it's just that you don't seem used to being outside, and you said you're uncomfortable around men...”
I hadn't seen her combat abilities yet, but it wasn't like I desperately needed another combat companion, and honestly, I didn't want to play babysitter.
“You're okay, Hyeon-ung. Because you're my first man.”
What kind of nonsense was this now...
“F-first man?”
“Mister?”
“Hyeon-ung?”
“That's not true, right?”
Everyone glared at me fiercely.
Rina, in particular, looked like she was about to shoot lasers from her eyes.
“...I don't know what you're all thinking, but it's not what you think. Hey, Elaine?”
“Yes?”
“The others are getting the wrong idea, so could you please explain properly? Why am I your 'first man'?”
“Were you a woman too, Hyeon-ung?”
Do I look like a woman...
“Of course not. When you said that, you meant the first man you've talked to, right?”
“Yes! Hyeon-ung is the first man I've ever spoken with!”
Fortunately, thanks to my quick response, the misunderstanding was cleared up quickly.
And since she didn't seem to want to go back, I decided to let her travel with us.
I was a bit worried because she seemed so innocent for her own good, but I was sure the other companions would take care of her somehow.
Everyone except Rina seemed to be okay with it.
“I look forward to working with you all.”
“You know my name, right? I'm Rina.”
“Right. I'm Hanna.”
“Call me Sister Timi.”
“My name is Milli. It's nice to meet you.”
“I'm Alpen.”
After a brief round of introductions, we headed toward the Harpy Queen's nest.
As we walked toward the nest, Rina tilted her head.
“Mister, didn't you say you got wings from that blessing last time?”
Ah, this is why old habits die hard.
I had completely forgotten about the Golden Wing I'd received from the Harpy Queen's blessing.
“I forgot. Golden Wing!”
Golden wings sprouted from my shoulders... huh?
[The Form of Fire combines with the Golden Wing and evolves.]
[You have acquired the unique wings, Spirit Wing.]
The golden wings began to turn blue, the color deepening until they looked like they were shimmering with blue flames.
“Huh? You had wings too, Hyeon-ung?”
“The Harpy Queen can give wings like that?”
“They merged with something I already had.”
“You already had wings? Mister, weren't you human?”
I'm sure she didn't mean it that way, but being told I wasn't human felt a bit like an insult...
“I am human. These wings are like a piece of equipment.”
There was no way wings originally existed in Elsia, after all.
After giving a vague explanation, I placed a hand on the wings to check their information.
I had to make sure the Golden Wing's ability to fly hadn't disappeared.
[Spirit Wing (Unique)
The only wings of their kind in the world, created when the Blessing of the Harpy Queen was added to wings imbued with the power of fire.
Bound, Fire Resistance 80%, Wind Resistance 50%, All Stats +20, EXP Gain +30%, Self-Repair, Flight Capable.]
To be honest, I couldn't remember all the original stats, but I did remember the EXP gain was 20 percent. It had gone up by a whole 10 percent.
Thankfully, the flight function was still there.
“Elaine, can you give me some tips on how to fly?”
“Ah, you just have to... fly?”
It was a rather anticlimactic answer, but when I focused on putting strength into my wings, my body lifted into the sky with a gust of wind.
Changing direction was easy, too, just by thinking it.
So you really did just have to fly.
With a little more effort, I quickly ascended so high that my companions were no longer visible.
It was a little dizzying, but the sense of stability was incomparable to when I was clinging to the Harpy Queen.
The wind felt refreshing, too.
I decided to re-summon my companions at the Harpy Queen's nest and temporarily sent them back.
It took less than ten minutes to reach the nest.
“My benefactor?”
“I found your lover.”
“I-is that true?”
“Yes. But first, let me summon my companions.”
I re-summoned my companions, then took the thick letter I had received from the lord out of my inventory and handed it to her.
It was quite long, and it took the Harpy Queen a while to read it slowly, but neither I nor my companions rushed her.
Not when we could see tears falling from her eyes and streaming down her cheeks the entire time she read.
“Oh, I'm sorry. I got too lost in my own emotions...”
“It's fine. What did the lord say? Ah, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to.”
“Not at all. If it weren't for you, benefactor, I would never have heard from him at all. It says he hasn't forgotten. And that he's sorry...”
Considering the absurd thickness of the letter, there was surely more to it, but I didn't press her for details.
I had at least that much sense.
Anyway, so the lord was a romantic, huh?
[You have successfully completed the hidden quest: Find the whereabouts of the Harpy Queen's lover and inform her.
Reward: 10 random stat points have been distributed.
Luck +2, Strength +2, Agility +3, Stamina +2, Mana +1]
Oh, extra stats are always welcome.
But this wasn't the end.
The quest had said there would be additional rewards based on performance.
Since I'd completed it in less than a month, I was sure I'd receive something good.
“This may be shameless of me, benefactor, but could I ask you for one more favor?”
I worried it might be another chain quest, but thankfully, it was a simple request to deliver her reply once she'd written it.
“Of course. It's no trouble. But, um...”
“Ah, I haven't even properly rewarded you yet, and I've been so selfish. I'm sorry. Please wait just a moment.”
I appreciated her quick wit.
A touching love story was nice and all, but I needed to get my reward.
She trotted over to her nest and quickly returned, handing me a rainbow-colored crystal.
“This is...”
I'd seen one just like it before.
On the 9th floor of the Labyrinth.
[You have acquired a Passage Crystal to the 51st Floor Secret Dungeon: The Dragon Fiend's Hideout.]
My guess was right.
“Compared to the grace you've shown me, benefactor, this is nothing...”
“No, this is more than enough.”
The legendary cloak I was wearing, Hanna's necklace, Rina's ring.
I'd gotten them all from secret dungeons.
Even though I'd found them on a low floor, they were still good enough to use now. And this was from the 51st floor.
I was certain I could get at least one legendary item.
“Will it take long to write the reply?”
“Ah, well... Almondeu wrote such a long letter, so I think it will take me some time to put my heart into it as well...”
“Then I'll come back to pick it up the day before the Labyrinth closes.”
“Yes. Understood.”
We agreed I would pick up the items I had entrusted to her later as well, and I immediately crushed the crystal.
My vision changed with a flash of blue light.
Like the Summoner's Shop, a vast field stretched out before me, but the atmosphere was entirely different.
The grass was not green but a deep purple, and a crimson moon hung in the sky.
[You have entered the Secret Dungeon: The Confined Dragon Fiend's Hideout. Time until dungeon collapse: 71:59:59]
The Mimic's Tomb was a day, I think, but this time they gave me a full three days.
It was probably because it was a high-level secret dungeon with a higher difficulty.
[Field Effect of the Dragon Fiend's Sanctuary: Curse of Weakness activates.]
[Your overwhelming status effect resistance has successfully resisted the Curse of Weakness.]
“Hyeon-ung, something feels strange here. I feel so drained.”
“My body feels strangely weak...”
I was fine thanks to my high resistance, but my companions, except for Rina, all looked unwell.
“Kkyuing...”
“Ppoyo...”
It seemed not only my companions but also Geumyong and Nix were affected by the curse.
“Are you okay, Mister?”
“I'm fine.”
Rina snapped her fingers once, and a white light enveloped the companions.
“Thanks, Rina.”
“Having a priest around is so convenient.”
“Agh! What is this light? It hurts so much!”
Elaine writhed in agony.
“Ah, sorry... I forgot you were a demon.”
Rina apologized awkwardly, but I had a suspicion she might have done it on purpose.
It was a little doubtful, but since she said so herself, I had to believe her...
Fortunately, Elaine, being a hero-class companion, recovered quickly, and the other companions, along with Geumyong and Nix, were back to normal.
“Hyeon-ung, is this place similar to the one on the 9th floor?”
“Yeah. I should have explained, but I was in a hurry. I don't think we can let our guard down this time. Our opponent is a Dragon Fiend.”
“A Dragon Fiend?”
“I've hunted a few evil dragons before.”
“Me too.”
Milli and Hanna answered confidently. It seemed Dragon Fiends were more common than I thought.
“Kkyuing? Kkyuiing...”
Geumyong suddenly whimpered weakly and started backing away.
“Geumyong. Not you.”
It seemed he thought he was a real Dragon Fiend because Tae-soo kept calling him that.
“Mister, I can feel a sinister energy coming from over that hill.”
Rina pointed to a hill on our right.
“Then let's head over... No, I'll go scout ahead first.”
I spread my wings and flew north.
The hill was farther than it looked; it took about three minutes of flying to reach it, and I was stunned by what I saw.
Beyond the hill lay an incredibly vast plain.
I wouldn't have been surprised if it were just a plain.
But on one side of the plain, which was dense with purple grass, stood a massive army of monsters that looked to be in the tens of thousands.
There were goblin-like creatures, but also Lizardmen, Orcs, Trolls, Ogres, and even colossal one-eyed giants that stood over 10 meters tall.
In the sky above, there were at least several thousand Wyverns and Gargoyles, and at their center, a colossal black dragon, its bulk rivaling a small fortress, glowed with red eyes.
I had seen a situation similar to this before.
In the video I watched at the Summoner's Shop when I first got Bio.
The number of monsters and the color of the dragon were slightly different, but the scene was almost identical to the one I'd seen back then.
The moment I thought I should return to my companions, send back Alpen or Elaine, and summon Bio, a system window appeared.
[The Dragon Fiend, Arpe, has detected an intruder.]