Chapter 131
Chapter 131
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 130
Chapter Title: Phantom Dragon on Survival Island
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Just like that, the 25 participants, divided into five teams of five each, scattered across the island.
"Of course."
The members of our team were me, Seongjae, Hye-young, Olya, and Lea, the former idol—five in total.
But the faces we could actually see numbered six.
"I'm not participating in the game. Think of me as a helper! A guide, you could say."
Kang Boram, the Eternal Magical Girl, grinned brightly as she led the way.
She wasn't really with us in person; she'd sent some kind of clone.
'No surprise there. She wouldn't join a mission like this anyway.'
Even if the guests were all master-level, an 8th-class barrier mage was on another level entirely. No joke—she could wipe out every guest here in under ten minutes, even if they all ganged up.
That is...
Excluding me.
'I wonder...'
Honestly, I couldn't gauge it.
Unlike facing off against Ardania's knights, where you could read an opponent's skill from their breathing, stance, or steps, that wasn't possible at this level.
What you needed was inspiration or intuition.
Things I lacked. So, as they say, you'd only know once you clashed.
And right as I thought that...
Boram whipped her head around, locking eyes with me.
"Heh... you're gonna get pierced, pierced through."
I realized she'd read my mind and bowed my head.
"My apologies."
"No, no—your energy's lively, and I like it. Spotting potential in a junior always feels good."
Seongjae jeered at her beaming smile.
"Ugh~ Don't lie! You rag on me all the time!"
"You're hopeless, you skirt-chasing punk—that's why!"
As they bickered while walking...
[Encounter!]
A sharp warning blared. A sound that physically reached our ears.
And at the same instant...
Flash!
"Mooooooo!"
A bull-headed monster about three meters tall roared.
"Eek!"
The girl idol screamed.
"......"
"......"
"......"
As everyone stared silently, the girl idol—right, Lea from Shabet. Gotta remember that—
Lea looked embarrassed.
"S-Sorry. I've been filming reaction variety shows with my members lately... Th-Think of it as an occupational hazard."
"Haha! Happens. I catch myself cracking up and clapping at my friends' jokes these days. Idol's curse, I guess."
Ignoring Seongjae's awkward voice, I turned my gaze.
No one feared the bull-headed monster. Not a single person here would lose to it one-on-one. Natural, really.
Instead, they watched with thrilled expressions.
"Whoa, it looks totally alive! I'll take it!"
Olya charged forward with a hearty shout, and the bull-head—Minotaur—rushed to meet her.
"Mooooooo!"
"Yaaah!"
Boom!
A heavy thud echoed as Olya's and the Minotaur's heads collided.
A three-meter brute with massive arms slamming foreheads with Olya—a tall but still slender woman!
But as expected, and sensibly...
Olya won.
"Moooong!?"
The Minotaur staggered and collapsed. Facing an Earthshaking Fist practitioner who wielded vibrations? No way it walked away unscathed. The impact had to be worse than headbutting an iron pillar.
"Bang!"
Seongjae, beside me, pointed his finger like pulling a trigger.
A wooden bullet faster than sound flew into the Minotaur's mouth—
And the fight ended.
Rustle...
"Whoa? The body's vanishing!"
"What is this? A summon? I thought it was an android."
"Not a summon."
The smart pet filming us shifted into a Siamese cat form. Taeseok had synced up.
"You all know about the Monster Incident. The estimated damage alone is astronomical."
Everyone nodded. Of course they did. Even without harming the 34th Earth, the Monster Incident was a galaxy-spanning crisis.
And with that topic raised, figuring out the Minotaur's origin wasn't hard.
"From some game, huh."
"Yes."
Taeseok's reply drew a question from Lea.
"PD! But don't those monsters only appear in crowded places?"
"Correct. The game master rigged a way to lure them. Simply put... it swaps their spawn coordinates."
"I got it for us! Couldn't ignore the promo value, so he handed it over!"
Boram flashed a V-sign, shocking everyone.
"You!? Directly from the game master?"
"Dear lord!"
Even in the greater universe, the top-tier god game master—a demigod born between god and human—was elite.
He'd lived normally until high school, when the Apocalypse Project hit Earth. Boram was his school junior back then, apparently close.
Not quite Ilseong's chairman with his "god classmate" jokes, but Boram was one of the few on the 34th Earth tight with the game master.
"My mom prays to the game master every night..."
"That's beyond golden connections. That's divine lineage. Divine."
As we marveled, another monster appeared.
[Encounter!]
"Alright, let's hunt and tally!"
Things progressed smoothly. We roamed the island, playing various games.
We'd entered unarmed, but exploring yielded treasure chests for gear and puzzles that earned buffs from dragons.
[Encounter!]
[Encounter!]
[Encounter!]
One issue, though.
"The encounters are getting shorter? I'm running low on mana!"
I shrugged at Seongjae's words.
"Still a win. Monster kills give points too."
The gains weren't just that.
"Another one!"
"Whoa, six out of seven drops for Jaeyeon. No way!"
Killing monsters dropped items! Seongjae laughed in disbelief.
"Heard about it, but seeing it? Insane. Item farming in reality. Lea!"
"Yeah, oppa! Skill book!"
A golden book summoned beside Lea.
I watched from the side.
'Priest of the game god.'
Rare sight. Becoming one on the 34th Earth took serious cash, and those priests wandered the stars for levels, leaving the peaceful planet behind.
"[Appraise]!"
Lea shouted, squinting and groaning as she read. Tough for her.
But unlike her needing skills, I could read item descriptions at a glance.
[Ogre Gauntlets]
Gauntlets infused with ogre strength. Fixes character's Strength (Str) to level 10.
1. +10 damage bonus to melee weapons.
2. +200 weight limit for carrying more.
3. Thieves and mages cannot equip.
"From what game? So many with ogres."
"Looks like Dungeon & Dungeon! Grants ogre strength when worn."
"No battery or mana stone needed? Total cheat."
"Well, like other items, probably has durability."
With over a hundred monsters downed today, the drop rate wasn't high. And six of seven from my kills? Actual rate might be lower.
'Ah, this.'
Even getting items soured my mood.
'This ties to me too.'
Not a total shock. The universe-wide monster crisis linked to my abilities in many ways.
'Seems related, but not quite.'
Game monsters spawning to attack sapients vs. my pay-to-power gains—same "game" root, totally different paths.
My power was question marks from start to finish.
"Flower Team! Three treasure chests found! Two games won! 210 monsters slain—current score: 2nd place!"
"We took down that many and still second!?"
"Good work regardless!"
"Argh, my poor back!"
Day one wrapped.
We found a clearing and summoned the Green Dragon—Flower's flower carriage.
"Whoa! Cooking gear galore!"
"Spices too!"
"Bedrooms for everyone! Awesome!"
Flower's flower carriage exceeded expectations. Dragon treasure with ultimate magic evident at a glance!
Hye-young's recon said other teams struggled with fires and shelters, but we dined comfy thanks to it.
We lit a bonfire and sat around it.
Truthfully, I wanted private rest, but no dice.
Survival Island PD Taeseok dropped by.
"After dinner, stick together as much as possible! Casual chats are even better!"
'How's forced talk "casual"...'
Only I griped inwardly.
"Sure~"
"Got it!"
"Hey, rolling paper? Rolling paper?"
Everyone else was used to it.
'We're not here to hunt, after all.'
Combat footage aplenty; time for other scenes.
"Oh! How do you know Olya and Jaeyeon? Calling her 'teacher' and all."
Lea, ever the pro idol, steered the topic smoothly.
Olya laughed.
"Met in the ring. I was her debut opponent."
"Whoa! Jaeyeon debuted as a pro fighter? Makes sense—she was badass earlier!"
Lea's bubbly laugh fit her idol vibe: slim build, cute features, fresh-faced charm.
Seongjae chuckled.
"Lea, you're no slouch. Game god priest, under thirty, 5th-class mage? Lineage shocked me. That rumored Amplification School?"
"Yeah, just fit my aptitude."
"Idols these days are nuts. Dance, sing, act, compose—and high-rankers to boot. Look at today's guests: ten idols out of masters."
"Idol competition's fierce. Most teams have at least one high-ranker now."
We chatted on various topics. Plenty of leeway, good vibes.
'And safe.'
Five Dragons were on Survival Island now.
Transcendents worshipped as gods in low civs—not one, but five.
No mishaps possible. That's how they broadcast real-combat content.
"You pull off anything well, acting included."
Hye-young approached post-wash, hair damp.
"I don't tense up much."
Big-hearted. Wouldn't have survived twenty years in Medievaland otherwise.
Now, I only stress over life threats, loved ones dying, or my empire crumbling.
Or tax officials mentioning 8.7 billion.
'...Still gives me chills.'
Anyway.
Mistakes? Redo. Screw-ups? A few hate comments. No big tension.
"Impressive."
She sat beside me, chin on knee, bonfire reflecting in her eyes.
"I can't shake the nerves yet. Tanked my idol days like that once."
"Right, former idol?"
"Yeah. High-rank担当 like Lea. Barely active before it flopped."
"That..."
I paused, spotting the watching cat.
Poof!
Text floated over its head.
[Don't look at the camera! Pretend there's no camera and chat!]
"But the camera's right there—how pretend it's not..."
"Hehe!"
Hye-young giggled suddenly.
"First variety, though."
"Even pros struggle ignoring blatant cams..."
"Teacher!"
Olya bounded over, energetic.
"Stamina left! Train today?"
Absurd, I shot back.
"Train on camera? Want that airing nationwide?"
"Oh, the boob shots? Fine. Ring had tons. Over a million saw my nips..."
"Ew! Ew! Forbidden! No lewd talk!! What kinda weekend sacred variety is this!"
"I'm talking my own body~~! Koreans are such prudes!"
Boram joined the ruckus, merry chaos.
Right then.
"...Huh?"
Boram, scolding Olya, looked puzzled. Seongjae beside her asked.
"What's up?"
"Comms cut suddenly? Extradimensional scout shouldn't... What the hell."
Her grave tone drew eyes, but Boram ignored, staring skyward blankly.
Naturally, gazes followed.
"Hm? What's... Huh?"
"Huh?"
"The sky... closing up?"
Exactly. The star-packed dusk sky dimmed sequentially, like giant lids clamping from both sides.
Then, at some point.
-Roooooooar-!
A spine-chilling roar made hairs stand.
It appeared.
"...You're kidding."
Black body brimming with deathly aura. Wings dwarfing its massive frame.
Worst: the text embedded atop it.
Phantom Dragon (Mythic).
Replie.