Chapter 76
Chapter 76
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: How the Rank 1 Hero Protects the World
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Maybe it was because it was an island, or perhaps because it was the middle of the night, but the wind slipping through my clothes felt particularly sharp, like it was slicing into my skin.
Of course, the chill was perfect for cooling off the sweat.
“……Hoo.”
I took a deep breath, and the cold air pierced straight into my lungs.
After a solid training session, the feeling was great. Having sweated it out and swung my sword over and over brought a deep sense of satisfaction from achieving my goal.
Plus, my mind cleared of stray thoughts.
When I looked up, the stars scattered across the sky came into sharp focus.
A night with good vibes.
“If you have business, spit it out.”
The Azure Dragon, who’d been shoving its head into my field of vision like it was putting on a show since earlier, narrowed its eyes ever so slightly.
- Aren’t you afraid of me?
“I’ve been through too much to get spooked by something like this.”
If I got scared just looking at the translucent form of the Azure Dragon—which couldn’t harm me anyway—my heart wouldn’t have lasted this long.
Besides, it clearly had no intention of hurting me.
If it did, the sword in my hand and the armor around me would’ve popped up some kind of message by now.
- I see. You look like you’ve only lived about thirty years, but the scars etched into your soul run deep.
“……You can see that?”
Anyone who saw my current appearance wouldn’t peg me at thirty. That was one of the things I’d realized recently while staring into the mirror.
Nurse Pine Cone’s skill preserved the target’s condition, so my face hadn’t changed much since I was twenty. Lee Woo-yeon wasn’t just picking fights about my age for no reason.
The Azure Dragon’s whiskers twitched slightly, as if it found my curiosity amusing.
- What I see is the age of the soul.
“Like mana or something?”
- The human ability to perform miracles is one power of the soul, but that’s not all there is to it.
“Your intro’s dragging. Just say what you want already.”
My body, warmed by the training, was starting to cool in the dawn breeze. This would only mess with my conditioning.
- Impatient one, aren’t you? Well, human life is finite, and your soul burns bright, so maybe it’s natural.
“Get to the point.”
The Azure Dragon let out a long sigh. The multicolored aura around its body rode the wind and swirled toward me.
- I have a request.
Huh.
I couldn’t help but chuckle. A being like that asking me for a favor?
Wow, I must look like a big shot. It was ridiculous, but I decided to think positively for now.
“Why would someone like you need to ask a favor from me? You seem way more omnipotent than any human.”
- This world belongs to humans, after all. What beings like me can do is limited.
“Beings like you?”
- You’ve already met one. There’s an evil aura clinging to your soul.
It meant Belial.
The Azure Dragon huffed lightly through its nose. With that, the multicolored energy swirling around me brushed past me—shwoop.
It was as warm as a hairdryer on low. Strangely, the chill in my fingertips faded the instant it passed.
I looked down at my hands. It was subtle, but the color of my skin had definitely changed.
Honestly, the cold had been so faint before that I hadn’t even noticed it myself. But now that it was gone, I realized.
Something had been attached to my body.
“……What did you do?”
- Anyone who returns alive from the world of evil spirits inevitably picks up malevolent energy. Parasites that devour radiant life force. If I don’t cleanse them like this, they’ll bide their time until a crack forms in your heart.
With that, the Azure Dragon chuckled lightly—huh.
- Of course, you don’t seem like the type to let something like that take root. Still, better safe than sorry.
“So I should say thanks?”
- As the one making the request, think of it as a small token of sincerity.
Not demanding payment, just a gesture of goodwill?
At this point, my curiosity was piqued. What could make a being powerful enough to blow away demonic energy with a single huff bow to me like this?
“Fine, I’m curious. What’s the request?”
The Azure Dragon’s eyes curved like it was smiling.
In the daytime, I’d thought its gaze emotionless and mechanical, but under the dawn sky, it looked surprisingly kind.
- You said you needed Pharma’s Sword.
“And?”
- To be precise, you’re not the one who needs it. You seem plenty strong with the sword you already have.
……And there it was.
Not exactly a surprise. I’d half-expected it.
The sword in my hand—the Apex Holy Sword—practically vibrated with delight at those words.
- The Apex Holy Sword expresses its agreement.
It was trembling like it loved hearing that. No wonder it’d gone quiet when the bronze sword came up. Sounded a bit sulky.
- You’re not surprised.
“I saw it coming. Honestly…… anyone can tell it’s not a combat sword.”
Assuming the System created the sword in Baekrokdam according to legend, it was probably made as a “ceremonial sword,” just like many people believed.
Yang Tae-won’s guess was spot on.
- Indeed, that sword was made for those who heed the words of beings like me.
The dragon’s eyes seemed to gaze into the distant sky. I looked up too, but I doubted we were seeing the same thing.
- The child I protect must wield Pharma’s Sword.
The “child I protect” had to be Yang Tae-won. The will transmitted directly to my mind carried unyielding resolve—not in its voice, but in its intent.
“……I’ve got a ton of questions, but let’s clear one thing up first.”
I was curious why Yang Tae-won had said that, and what the Azure Dragon planned to do with the bronze sword.
But that curiosity was trivial compared to what I had to do.
What mattered now was something else.
“With Pharma’s Sword, can you really seal the path to the Demon Realm?”
If the dragon’s ultimate goal was getting Pharma’s Sword to Yang Tae-won—and it saw me as necessary—it might’ve lied.
- Of course. I cannot speak falsehoods.
“Sorry, but I’ve been burned by lines like that too many times.”
Even Belial, a demon, didn’t lie outright. He just twisted the truth, poisoning ears like venom.
No guarantee the Azure Dragon wouldn’t do the same.
“I want more solid proof.”
- I swear on my child.
“That’s not enough.”
- ……What do you want?
“If you’re bargaining with me, stake your soul too.”
For the first time, the Azure Dragon stirred in apparent surprise.
- A human…… who knows the ways of soul-binding deals.
Of course I did.
I’d once bargained with Belial to escape the Demon Realm.
He’d used a soul deal to ease my doubts—annihilating the soul of whoever broke the pact.
You couldn’t cut a deal with a demon without collateral.
Though I still couldn’t fathom why a demon would stake its soul just to get killed by a hero once.
That’s why I knew.
With beings like this, you couldn’t negotiate as equals without putting your soul on the line.
But the Azure Dragon shook its head.
- I cannot make soul deals with humans. That’s a sin only demons commit.
Its gaze turned to me, almost concerned.
- Besides, anyone who’s made even one soul deal with a demon…… their soul bears deep scars, even if the deal is broken.
That…… I hadn’t expected. But it didn’t feel like a lie.
Makes sense. Belial wouldn’t do me a single good turn. Classic demon move.
“What happens if your soul gets scarred? There’s no visible wound, and I’m still alive.”
- Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt. Not dying right away doesn’t mean you’re unscathed…… That flaw becomes a chink for evil to exploit. Think back. Don’t you get swayed easily by things that defy the natural order?
……Damn.
I clicked my tongue.
Too many things came to mind. Way too many.
There was something I’d always found odd.
My class was Hero, so I could basically dispel magic that defied natural laws within my power’s reach.
By the same logic, I should’ve had high resistance to mental magic…… but I kept falling for it.
Without Angelus’s Blessing equipped, even basic hypnosis was hard to detect.
Sure, I’d been weak to mental magic since dropping into Tartarus.
But at some point, I’d felt especially vulnerable…… and yeah, it lined up with after my Demon Realm trip.
And it was because of that deal with Belial, that bastard.
“Fucking demon scum…….”
Should I go back and beat him to death?
Thinking of all the crap I’d been through made my head throb. Who knew I’d find an unexpected answer here.
Not that it helped much right now.
“……Fine, no soul deal then. But I still want solid compensation.”
- Name it.
No matter how much it was bowing to me now because it wanted something, it was still a being I couldn’t easily oppose.
I might have no choice but to grant the request, but I’d damn well get something in return.
“You want me to get Pharma’s Sword to Yang Tae-won, right?”
- Yes, that’s my request.
“I don’t do favors for free. I take commissions and get paid.”
Working as a mercenary in Tartarus had made me used to jobs and rewards. First time with a dragon, though.
- Very well. What do you want?
Only one thing I wanted, of course.
There was something I’d stake my soul to learn.
“Tell me about the Seed of Fate.”
The main quest the System gave me.
Find the Seed of Fate.
No matter how much I thought about it, I had no clue. I’d crisscrossed Tartarus for ten years, soaking up info, but nothing.
That meant it was knowledge no ordinary human could uncover.
Belial confirmed it existed, but I had zero details.
So, did that mean I had to twiddle my thumbs until the System spilled? Hell no.
Better to ask someone trustworthy.
Meeting the Azure Dragon was lucky in that sense.
If it was beyond the System like Belial, it probably knew about the System…… or at least could dig up info easier than me.
That’s why I proposed the deal.
- The Seed of Fate?
But the dragon’s reaction was odd.
- Why are you curious about such a thing?
“What?”
That hit a nerve.
The Azure Dragon peered at my face like I was some curiosity, then quickly drew its own conclusion.
- Ah, I see. You truly don’t know, so you’re asking.
“……You’re making me feel grossed out. If you’re gonna tell me, spill it properly.”
- But didn’t you make this your condition? I can’t pay upfront before the job’s done.
Playing hardball, huh? I bit my lip.
“I always get a deposit before starting.”
- Yet we both want something from each other. I can’t be sure you won’t take the pay and ditch the request.
Figures. Even a System-blind being like this plays coy when I give a little.
I glared at the Azure Dragon, and a light chuckle echoed.
- Kidding. Heh heh. The Seed of Fate……
Its eyes gazed into the distance again. Its wandering stare swam through the vast dawn sky.
- A friend of mine once stood at such a crossroads too.
“A friend?”
- Yes, the Seed of Fate sprouts at the crossroads of destiny.
I listened quietly to the Azure Dragon.
- Isn’t it terrifying? Once it buds, there’s no turning back, and all that pain falls solely on humans…… So fierce, only to wither away in futility.
Nostalgia colored its tone.
The dragon looked to the dawn sky, but it was clear it saw something different from me.
- A fleeting sparkle, yet it spreads, leaving something behind. Thus, the mortal becomes immortal.
In the Azure Dragon’s upward gaze, hazy stars filled its eyes.
- Isn’t that the essence of human history itself?