The Dragon's Test
Lee Bok-dong's heart pounded. In the video, he had killed quite a few enemies. Was the skill he showed then something she liked?
So, had he been highly evaluated? Enough to hire him with money?
The expectant thrill didn't last long.
“Me? Me?”
Jijonmussang butted in without noticing, but there was no reason to hire this middle-aged man. He hadn't even appeared in the video, so he had nothing to appeal with.
But the woman nodded again.
“Hiring? That's fine.”
By now, Lee Bok-dong could guess that she wasn't scouting him because she liked him.
Gaon also seemed to have noticed the reason, his expression becoming awkward.
Lee Bok-dong barely managed to hold back a sigh.
They think we'll hire us and Gaon will tag along as a set? They're buying unnecessary items because they're after the special reward items...
Gaon asked.
“So, you're hiring mercenaries? Does that mean the young lady will become an elf by receiving the final reward? But you're a human character. I heard you need to be an elf character to become an elf. How about creating a new character in the As faction?”
“I'm not becoming an elf, but I'm gathering a team for a certain purpose.”
“Purpose? What is it?”
“It's a Swordmaster kill. To be precise, it's Gaon kill.”
Gaon almost choked.
“Why?”
“You know, right? If you can't catch that Swordmaster, you'll never get the final reward. If you find a way to catch him somehow, the sponsors will hand over cash like it's Monopoly money. So, why are you playing this game, Mr. Gaon? You said you weren't short on money.”
“I'm practicing swordsmanship.”
“From the video, you were joining in the players' battles too?”
“Because a Swordmaster appeared. I wanted to see some real swordsmanship up close.”
“So, it would be great if you had more opportunities to face Swordmasters? I'm a bit of an information source, so I can send you to places where Swordmasters might appear.”
“That is a good suggestion, but binding with a contract is a bit...”
“You don't have to worry about that.”
The woman answered cheerfully and looked at Lee Bok-dong and Jijonmussang. Jijonmussang smiled with a grin, but Lee Bok-dong shrank.
The woman said.
“But can I see Mr. Gaon's abilities? I want to see the real thing from the video...”
Why test the ability of this side when hiring the other two?
Gaon didn't refuse. Opportunities to show off abilities like this one didn't come often.
“Alright.”
The four headed to the shooting range.
Gaon was a celebrity, and at the same time, everyone's eyes focused on him. The reactions were also hot.
“Praise him! The chairman has arrived!”
Even though those gazes and reactions were burdensome, the woman was calm.
The woman simply raised her gun and asked.
“Really, can I shoot at you?”
“Yes.”
Bang! The fired bullet bounced off as if Gaon had swung the knife as casually as possible.
She shot again, and Gaon bounced it off again.
It was something new and startling, even though it had been shown in the video. It was common in comics, but it was something that couldn't be done with a human's eye-body vision from the start.
“Wow, shit!”
Amid the applause, the woman also sighed in admiration.
“...You really bounced the bullets...”
Next was the rapid-fire test.
Amid the crowd who had recognized Gaon, Gaon tried to pull even more intense praise from them. He secretly moved his lips to cast a haste spell, but even if there was a dragon controlling magic in front of him, he wouldn't have noticed the spell's casting.
The spell completed in an instant accelerated his blood flow. He shot the pistol in his right hand continuously. Bang bang bang bang!
This shooting range facility was modern unlike the game background. Not only did the shooting targets automatically rise and fall, but there was also a device to measure the speed from loading to shooting.
“0.1!”
Considering that this was the measurable minimum, the actual speed might have been much faster.
“It's broken the record, isn't it? It's a record by No Jin-gu...”
While people muttered, Gaon asked with a calm face.
“So, is this level passable, right?”
The woman nodded.
“Of course! It's more than passable, of course. Have you tried the Guinness challenge? The modern rapid-fire record is 0.16 seconds or so, right?”
“Olympics too, and I heard non-human races don't get record recognition.”
“Ah, you're not human... Are you an elf? The name is also Gaon, and you're really a Swordmaster?”
Gaon denied firmly.
“Absolutely not.”
“You swear on your god?”
Gaon hurriedly tried to reach an agreement.
Goddess?
The goddess responded to the fervent call.
Are you really selling your goddess, Gaon? Not just thirty silver coins, but just to maintain the setting? My great warrior's faith is truly amazing.
Ah... I'm sorry.
It’s a joke. You can swear a false oath in the name of your goddess.
Thank you. I'll repent later!
Repent all you want. After all, my great warrior doesn't break even easy oaths like sleeping at a certain time every time? Compared to that, a betrayal isn't that big.
Gaon prayed for forgiveness for a moment, then swore.
“I swear.”
“You took a long time... Anyway, the test seems sufficient. Perfect!”
While Gaon smiled, the woman looked at Lee Bok-dong and Jijonmussang.
Gaon, who belatedly recalled the woman's purpose, said.
“But I'm not a set with these two. You should know that. I can quit this game anytime, and it's not like I'm trying to seduce those two...”
“There will be no such thing! I won't bother you at all, so don't worry.”
The woman swore like that, then said to the two Earthlings.
“So, shall we write the contract?”
Jijonmussang asked with a laugh.
“Do I have to meet directly?”
“You can send it by fax, but let's just do it by email!”
*******
Lee Bok-dong read the contract that came by email.
Contract period: 6 months, 4 million won per month. Bonus payment possible.
For Lee Bok-dong, the contract content was sufficiently detected, but it wasn't a satisfactory contract.
No automatic renewal... It's not Gaon, and there's no profit in long-term contract with us. So, it's like that.
Lee Bok-dong hoped this contract would last as long as possible, and that he could make this contract with his own ability. His wish was to earn money stably and prepare for retirement.
After thinking for a long time, he called the phone number written in the email. Hoping not to be scolded for calling when he was bothersome.
Fortunately, the voice beyond the phone was kind.
The woman's voice from earlier today came.
“Um, Mr. Lee Bok-dong? Is there something you want to ask about the contract?”
“Yes. Before that, I want to say something. I know this too, but this contract... You proposed it to someone who would follow me wherever I go...”
“Yeah, that's right.”
“This kind of scouting proposal... What should I do to receive it only with my own ability? So, if a long-term contract is possible...”
“Well? I don't know well. If I have to guess, wouldn't it be that you have to do more than just hiring a few mercenaries?”
“If it's more than a few's value...”
“Like today's Mr. Gaon showed, how about training your rapid-fire ability to an amazing level? If you shoot fast, you can kill many, so you can do a few servings.”
“To have such ability... How many years of shooting practice do I need...”
“Well? To reach the level of a few servings, wouldn't it take several years of practice?”
Lee Bok-dong's energy drained.
“It's a bit much to do such training for years. Shooting well is useless in society... and who knows how long this game will last. Training or whatever must be done in a short time. To save money for the future...”
Lee Bok-dong said that and realized he had said too much. It wasn't the time to grumble at the woman.
The returned answer was indeed cold.
“If you care about the future, you should study or get a qualification. What if someone asks you to care about their future like a stranger? I'm not your mom, Bok-dong.”
“I'm sorry...”
“If the game ends, your life will be in trouble? Don't you have any major or qualification?”
Lee Bok-dong answered in a dying voice, barely audible.
“Yes...”
“Mr. Bok-dong, are you a dragon? So, does time guarantee growth?”
“Yes?”
“When you age, you grow and shrink, right? If time passes like this, won't you become an ancient Lee Bok-dong?”
“No, because I'm human...”
“Then do something. Whether it's acquiring a qualification or practicing shooting.”
Lee Bok-dong wanted to cry, let alone throw the phone.
While suppressing anger, a voice came from beyond the phone.
“Sorry. Getting older makes me nag more. I've heard nothing but bad words every time I do this to my daughter, and I can't fix it at all. Again, I'm really sorry.”
Lee Bok-dong couldn't say bad words to the woman.
“No...”
After the call ended, Lee Bok-dong, who had been lying down for a moment, entered the virtual reality game machine.
He thought he would go to Gaon and tell him that the woman had a child.
From what he saw today, Gaon was kind to that woman. If he tells her that she's a married woman and seems older than expected, she won't have reason to treat Gaon well.
It was a petty revenge that came to mind, but once he went to find Gaon, the will disappeared.
At the sword training school, Gaon was swinging his sword. Sweating profusely without stopping.
He's been doing it since morning...
He knew he was working hard, but he didn't know he was working this hard.
He couldn't interrupt.
Lee Bok-dong ended the game.
*******
Dragon Ataraxia's mood was gloomy.
Like an old man, she was immersed in nostalgia for the past.
Her current nest was this skyscraper, but her previous nest was much more primitive.
A large cave on Mount Arin in the Arin Plains, that huge active volcano.
There, Ataraxia lived with her husband and young daughter.
Her husband was aggressive. He couldn't tolerate Earth monkeys wandering around the nest. As the lord of Mount Arin, he burned illegal intruders.
The Earthlings seemed to have decided to crush the nest entirely.
Dozens of aerial bombs shaking the ground. It was enough to destroy the nest.
Her husband died. The young daughter hiding under him also.
Since the first time a fruit was born in the heavenly orchard, all dragons cherish their young terribly.
So, burning London and Kyoto was not enough revenge for Ataraxia.
Even now, more than half a century later, Ataraxia remembers her daughter. The small hatchling that threatened with crocro when she scolded.
As Ataraxia kept her eyes closed, an adult voice came.
She couldn't get angry at the voice that interrupted her memories.
“Mom, what are you doing? Put on Pororo quickly.”
*******