Chapter 30
Chapter 30
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Fire Dragon?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Fire Dragon?
Then it all made sense—that astonishing level of power.
Dragons were one of the pinnacle monsters in Utopia, right alongside drakes.
'Didn't expect to run into a dragon this early.'
Even for a hidden dungeon encounter, this was way too soon.
Dragons and drakes weren't supposed to appear in Utopia for at least another three years.
And with that realization came a question.
'How the hell did Jin A-young and the others kill a fire dragon?'
They all had impressive traits, sure, but they still fell short against a fire dragon.
"Oh ho?"
The fire dragon's sharply gleaming eyes met mine as I was lost in thought.
"You know about dragons, do you? The other humans seem completely clueless."
Curiosity swirled in the depths of its vertically slit pupils.
"Who in this world doesn't know about dragons? Back on Earth, everyone does."
"That's not what I mean. You've seen one of us up close before. And unlike the others, I can't peer into your foggy depths. You're definitely human, though."
The dragon was trying to discern my identity with its "Essence-Piercing Gaze."
But the others here had no idea about that ability.
"Cut the nonsense. What are you getting at? Why aren't you fighting us and trying to talk instead?"
I shifted the topic to deflect unwanted attention and suspicion.
"Looks like you've got a secret. Desperately changing the subject like that. Well, your identity isn't what's important right now anyway."
The fire dragon continued leisurely, a faint smile playing on its lips.
"I am the guardian who protects the king slumbering in this place."
That was common knowledge—not just to me, but to everyone. We'd confirmed it all from the messages just moments ago.
"And as a guardian, I must conserve even the smallest bit of power to eternally preserve this site where the king sleeps."
In other words, this dungeon was sustained by the fire dragon's power.
Dungeons vanished once the boss was defeated, after all.
"So, to those of you who've made it this far, I intend to offer one of my treasures."
A dungeon boss handing out rewards without a fight?
'No way. Bullshit.'
Jin A-young hadn't killed Lee Eun-joo for no reason.
"But first, you must pass my trial."
Of course it wasn't that easy.
"What kind of trial?"
Kim Tae-hyun asked cautiously, his face tense.
Using polite speech with a monster that wasn't even human, despite being overwhelmed by its power?
It was a small detail, but it told me everything I needed to know about Kim Tae-hyun.
'Disappointing.'
The confidence he'd shown when we first met, the bold leadership guiding us here—all of it had been an act.
If Kim Tae-hyun were the real deal, he'd still be standing tall even after losing all his summons.
"Nothing major."
I had a pretty good guess what was coming.
"We'll determine the strongest among you. And only that one survivor gets the reward."
And there it was.
Jin A-young hadn't killed the fire dragon from the start.
She'd passed its trial and survived.
'Such a clichéd trick.'
"Wait a minute. You don't mean for us to kill each other, do you?"
Kim Tae-hyun caught on, asking again with a tense expression.
With all his summons gone, anyone could see he was the weakest now.
"The method is up to you."
The fire dragon showed no interest in Kim Tae-hyun's plight.
"I'll simply give one of my treasures to whoever remains last."
It drove the point home.
"I'll wait. So go ahead and figure it out. Don't you want to claim the treasure and get out?"
As the fire dragon finished speaking, tension rippled through the air in an instant.
Everyone was probably wrestling with the sudden turn of events.
Was there another way to be the sole survivor?
Did they really have to attack their comrades?
If so, who to strike first?
And would the ally next to them suddenly turn on them?
Amid the confusion, they just eyed each other warily.
'This must've been the perfect moment.'
Jin A-young probably made her move right then, while everyone hesitated.
Before Cha Si-won and Lee Eun-joo could use their skills, she could've taken them out easily.
'Time for me to step up.'
But I had no intention of following some monster's orders after coming this far.
It even reminded me of the 72 demons in the Demon Realm treating humans like slaves, which soured my mood further.
"No need to eye each other suspiciously."
All eyes—including the fire dragon's—turned to me.
"We just team up and kill that fire dragon."
The first to react was, predictably, the fire dragon.
"You intend to kill me?"
"With the likes of you?"
Arrogant, as expected from a dragon.
"This is a dungeon tailored to our level. It's totally doable."
The ordeal dungeon had been the same.
Risk your life and go all out, and you could barely scrape by.
Even a hidden dungeon couldn't escape that system.
The fire dragon before us was set to level 30s standards.
Of course, its power still far outstripped ours, but I could kill it.
I knew its sole weakness as a dragon.
"You're right. Due to the restrictions here, I can't return to my true form. But you lot still can't touch me."
"We'll see about that. But here's the real key point."
I emphasized each word clearly so the three still tense faces could hear.
"Kill you, and we get not just one treasure, but all of them."
The fire dragon had said it itself: one of its treasures.
That implied there were more.
"You've got more than one treasure. Right?"
Bait number one.
Even knowing its level cap and weakness, fighting a dragon solo was insane.
If I had forces to spare, I'd use even an ant.
Cha Si-won and Lee Eun-joo were particularly useful.
"And if it could wipe us out easily, why bother with this offer?"
The system-listed clear condition for this hidden dungeon was: "Obtain treasure from the guardian protecting the king's rest."
If it were designed for only one survivor, there'd be extra conditions.
The system never lied.
"A mere lizard playing games."
The fire dragon chuckled as I finished.
"Impressive. Dissipating their fear with mere words. Drawing out human reason and greed."
Its "Essence-Piercing Gaze" indeed.
It saw right through my intent in an instant.
But that changed nothing. It was already too late.
"Alright. Let's do it."
Kim Tae-hyun, summon-less but burning with resolve.
"Must've been crazy for a second. Actually considering a monster's words."
Cha Si-won slammed his greatsword into the ground with force.
"I had a good idea."
Lee Eun-joo began prepping her enhancement skills.
"See? They're on board."
The three had already made up their minds and were ready to fight.
"So how do you plan to face me?"
The fire dragon gazed at me with the same arrogant eyes, as if nothing we did mattered.
"How? We kill you."
"Hahaha!"
The fire dragon laughed as if my words were absurd.
"You think your attacks can harm me?"
"Knock, and the door shall open. Even dragon scales. Never heard that one?"
"Playing word games, human."
The fire dragon had no clue.
That I knew about its sole weakness: the reverse scale.
"Everyone, get ready. Tae-hyun, do what you can right now."
"What I can do?"
Kim Tae-hyun blinked at my words.
The confident, spirited guy from our first meeting felt like a distant memory now.
"Remember why we came here."
Good, he got it.
Honestly, I wasn't expecting much from him anyway.
There was only one king guarded by a dragon in a hidden dungeon.
The Dragon King.
Kim Tae-hyun's level was high, but turning that into a death knight wouldn't be easy.
'To hit the fire dragon's reverse scale, I need Kim Tae-hyun's action.'
All I wanted was one thing.
For the fire dragon to desperately unleash its "Dragon's Breath."
That would expose its reverse scale.
"Need more time to prepare? Discuss all you want. It won't matter, but you should at least die satisfied, no?"
The fire dragon watched us smugly, arms crossed.
Was that what set her off?
"Pisses me off."
Lee Eun-joo pouted and activated her skill.
She followed up by enhancing her body.
Blood-red haze rose from Lee Eun-joo's entire form.
"I'll kill it."
No time to stop her—she charged straight at the fire dragon.
With her boosted physical abilities and the world slowing in her perception...
'She can hold it off for a bit.'
She could withstand the fire dragon's attacks alone, to some extent.
But that was it.
Without knowing the reverse scale, even a weakened level 30s fire dragon couldn't be killed.
That was the pinnacle of monsters: the dragonkin.
'Kkaebi. Stand by.'
So I had to move too. To draw the fire dragon's attention so Kim Tae-hyun could reach the golden crown.
I left Kkaebi behind, drew my sword, and followed Lee Eun-joo.
I called out to Cha Si-won as well.
If Cha Si-won with his magic sword joined, we could definitely pin down the fire dragon.
But...
'What the hell?'
The Cha Si-won I knew would've already slammed his greatsword down.
No reaction.
"Hahaha! Humans, as expected."
I skidded to a halt and whipped around at the fire dragon's sudden mad laughter.
No way.
"Haa..."
A deep sigh escaped me.
Kim Tae-hyun rolling on the ground clutching his bleeding head in disbelief.
And beside him stood Cha Si-won, holding his bloodied greatsword.
"What the hell are you doing, Cha Si-won? Have you lost your mind?"
I hadn't seen this coming. With Jin A-young gone, another traitor.
Cha Si-won shook the blood off his greatsword and looked at me.
"Sorry. Thought it over, and our odds of killing the fire dragon are too low. You guys who haven't fought it wouldn't get it."
If Jin A-young hadn't killed Cha Si-won without giving him time to think...
"Even if we fought, I had no clue how much life force we'd need to feed Asterisks to take it down. Get it?"
She'd be the one dead.
"And, Sir Fire Dragon?"
Cha Si-won looked past my shoulder at the fire dragon.
What was he telling it?
"While those humans distracted you, this dead guy was trying to turn your king into a death knight."
He was tattling. Unbelievably.
"Daring to disturb the king's eternal slumber? Is this true?"
"Urk."
The sounds alone told the story.
Enraged at the mention of its king, the fire dragon unleashed its full power and blasted Lee Eun-joo away.
"Yes. So don't forgive them."
Using the fire dragon to kill me and Lee Eun-joo?
The true nature of humans in dire straits.
'Got a serpent's tongue, huh.'
This was the real Cha Si-won.
Cha Si-won in front, fire dragon behind.
'Use Kkaebi?'
Have him handle Cha Si-won while I faced the dragon? But considering the level gap, Kkaebi alone couldn't manage, even with luck.
As I pondered my next move...
"Amusing."
A murderous voice sounded right behind me from the fire dragon.
I dove into the slowed world and turned.
But the fire dragon's speed outpaced my body.
A massive impact sent me flying, crashing alongside Lee Eun-joo into the wall.
Red blood trickled from my mouth.
If not for my high stamina and the timely [Lava Shield] activation, I'd be in real trouble.
I painfully lifted my head to see the fire dragon staring down at its fist.
'Even [Lava Shield] barely scratched it.'
I'd hit it squarely, yet its fist only had faint scorch marks.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Kkaebi rages at his master's injury.] No. Don't rage. That's not it.
"Stop! Kkaebi!"
I shouted desperately at Kkaebi, who had become a black wind.
But it was too late.
Kkaebi plunged his dagger at the fire dragon's neck with desperate resolve.
Crack—.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Skeleton 'Kkaebi' has been destroyed.] With a casual flick of its hand, the fire dragon erased Kkaebi's head.