Chapter 129
Chapter 129
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 129
Chapter Title: Dragon Slayer (2)
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Among the six hunters.
A cool stream of invective burst from the lips of Vladimir, who stepped forward first.
“You dragon bastards all like that? We saved your asses when you were getting pummeled to death by that Giant Dragon, and now you’re compromising on killing us painlessly? Wow, how does a thought like that even pop into your head? Impressive, really impressive.”
He spat to the side and tossed out the words in a rough manner.
“……Vladimir. What do you plan to do?”
“Hmm, that dragon…… It doesn’t seem like it’ll even listen to us…….”
Olena and the other team members showed worried expressions.
But Vladimir didn’t stop talking.
“Man, it’s just amazing. Hey, you lizard! Let me ask you one thing. Are you dragons a selfish race that doesn’t know gratitude? Or did you get dementia from old age? I’d understand the latter, at least.”
Whoosh!
He swung his staff threateningly to provoke it.
Beside him.
“I sense impure intent in the dragon’s aura. Do you think my spear, which has judged countless murderers, cannot judge a dragon?”
The Judgment Spear positioned itself nearby.
Emitting a savage and brutal killing intent.
Splash! Splash!
Meanwhile, Olena continued to support their footing on the ground with water.
- Hm.
Aranbalon furrowed his brow as he looked at the six hunters.
His expression was one of utter disbelief, as if he couldn’t find words.
- You don’t seriously think you can take me on with that pathetic power, do you? Even though I’m injured, do you really think you’re my match?
The energy emanating from the dragon’s body grew even more vicious.
- And you accuse me of knowing no gratitude? Ridiculous. Do you feel gratitude to a passing bug that helped you win a fight?
“Yeah, I do.”
Vladimir smirked in response.
“What’s the reason not to feel gratitude to a bug? And if you could communicate with that bug, wouldn’t it be even more so? As expected, you lizard bastards think you’re all that? No sensitivity, no manners.”
Vladimir’s words showed no restraint.
After all, the dragon had already declared it would kill them—what was there to fear?
It would attack whether he spoke or not.
- Shut up!
Aranbalon glared with bulging eyes.
His golden eyes were ferocious, but Vladimir didn’t back down.
“And you still haven’t grasped the situation? The dragon plague you have and that Giant Dragon right in front of you both ended up dead because of us. You think you’ll be any different?”
- I can’t listen to this anymore.
Rumble!
Aranbalon flapped his wings powerfully.
- I was going to kill you off easily at first. But I’ve changed my mind. Especially you, the loudmouth—I’ll make sure you don’t die even if you want to!
The killing intent grew fiercer, and a brown magic circle etched itself into the air.
“Damn it! Everyone, get ready!”
“Brace for impact!”
The hunters shouted in the tense, hair-trigger situation.
They crouched down, preparing to cover all directions with various skills.
Thud! Pffft! Pffft!
Then, an odd sound came from below.
A sound that didn’t fit the situation at all.
It was the sound of dragon back hide being torn.
- ……?
“……!”
Aranbalon.
Even the team members halted their movements for a moment and looked down.
Stab! Stab! Stab!
Soon, a very small weapon and a human arm came into view.
And crimson blood continuously spurting up into the sky.
- What is……?
Aranbalon, witnessing the bizarre scene, fell silent.
He had assumed there were only six.
So one had died, but it had been inside all along?
‘Ha, so that’s how it was.’
Aranbalon finally understood.
Why the Giant Dragon had suddenly writhed in pain.
Why it had screamed and taken his attacks head-on.
‘That human.’
No doubt about it.
That human was responsible.
Pffft! Pffft!
The human, who had been slashing wildly, soon pulled both arms out and gripped the back hide tightly.
Then, with a forceful pull, he yanked his body out—schlurp!—and exhaled.
“Gah, gehk, keh! Hah, hah!”
His expression looked utterly exhausted.
“Haa, haa! Thought I was gonna suffocate to death. You damn dragon. Why’s your body so freaking huge?”
He breathed raggedly, grumbling.
The blood and sweat covering his body dripped endlessly.
“Hun? Hun!”
“Team leader!”
“My friend! As expected, you’re alive!”
The team members shouted joyfully at the sight of him.
“Huu, huu!”
The young man, breathing heavily, looked up at the sky.
Where Aranbalon was positioned.
“Hey, Mr. Aranbalon?”
The dragon stared at the young man with yellow eyes.
It was unexpected.
His body, which he’d imagined a mess, was surprisingly clean.
And his eyes brimmed with vitality.
“I heard everything while coming out. You can’t just fight without me—that’d be no fun.”
The man flashed a thick smile.
* * *
“Huu, huu!”
Thump, thump!
His heart kept pounding.
After exerting himself nonstop for the first time in a while, every muscle in his body screamed for oxygen.
He could have come out slowly, but he pushed hard.
Because he’d heard the conversation between Aranbalon and his comrades outside.
‘Good.’
It had worked out for the best.
He’d almost felt bad if Aranbalon had acted decently.
But since it turned out this way, he could fight with a clear conscience.
‘Anyway.’
He had no intention of backing down.
His final mission wasn’t to take down the Giant Dragon, but to deal with Aranbalon.
That massive greed dragon was his prey.
- You bastard……
Aranbalon growled.
- You’re their leader. Then I’ll just kill you first, and it’s over.
The dragon’s aura poured entirely toward him.
But he didn’t flinch.
He wasn’t the same as before.
Just moments ago.
While stabbing the Giant Dragon’s heart relentlessly.
Whether his body shook or not.
In a trance, stabbing away?
Boom!
A vibration like the world splitting hit him.
[Ding!]
[Processing ‘Giant Dragon.’]
One message appeared.
Finally, the message that the dragon was dead.
At the same time.
[Successfully hunted ‘Dragon’ with maximum contribution.]
[Achievement accomplished.]
He received his second lifetime achievement reward.
[Reward arriving!]
[Congratulations!]
[Acquired skill, ‘Bone Dragon’ (S-Grade).]
The first achievement reward had been the S-Grade ‘Fire Dragon’s Staff’ from clearing the ‘Unmeasurable’ stage.
This time, the reward was the skill ‘Bone Dragon.’
Before he could fully check the skill details.
More messages popped up frantically.
[Hidden condition fulfilled!]
[Hidden condition exclusive to Unique Ability: Cursed Necromancer!]
[Condition: Dragon Slayer!]
- Great achievements are needed to raise the Unique Ability’s grade!
- Process the ‘Dragonkin’ existing in the world!
Crazy.
A curse probably slipped out involuntarily.
This was the message that appeared every time for grade upgrades.
What Unique Ability in the world required slaying a dragon to level up?
[Congratulations!]
[Your grade has grown to S-Grade!]
Well.
He knew now anyway.
Hidden conditions were just the system’s way of providing plausibility.
Now he’d piled up enough achievements to reach S-Grade.
[Rewards for grade change arriving!]
The best part first.
[Vitality filling!]
[Vitality: 1,220/1,220]
His vitality refilled.
Not just vitality.
Wounds healed, fatigue recovered.
The phrase “born anew” fit perfectly.
Next best.
[Skill, ‘Skeleton Knight Summon’ (A-Grade) grade increased!]
[Changed to Skill, ‘Skeleton Lord Summon’ (S-Grade)!]
Skeleton Lord.
Surprisingly, they evolved into his old moniker.
[Skill: Skeleton Lord Summon]
[Grade: S]
[Effect 1: Consume 10 Vitality to summon a Skeleton Lord. Up to 10 possible.]
[Effect 2: Can name each Skeleton.]
[Effect 3: Each Skeleton’s Vitality increased by 500.]
[Effect 4: Each Skeleton can summon a total of 10 ‘Skeletons’ one grade lower than itself.]
“Ahh, Master……. I can feel power surging.”
“My lord, with this…… I think we can exert about 50% of our peak strength.”
Especially.
The Absolute One awakened Sun and Eldrin’s growth was tremendous.
Almost ten times stronger than before?
Their hazy presence sharpened.
That wasn’t all.
[New Skeleton’s main weapon set!]
[Target Skeleton: ‘Bone Eight’]
[From now on, that Skeleton will respond to your command!]
Even the sealed Bone Arm!
Honestly, if he’d had time, he would’ve sat right there.
To check all rewards and changes.
“…….”
But there was no time.
Olena’s magic had long since expired.
Above all.
He was suffocating.
And he didn’t know his comrades’ situation outside……
He’d shoved the messages aside and crawled out frantically, leading to the current situation.
“Fu.”
Snapping out of his thoughts.
He stared silently at the dragon radiating savage aura.
“Sun.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Ssslrp!
Sun appeared on his right.
Unlike before.
Emitting an immense presence.
“Eldrin.”
“Yes, Master.”
Eldrin appeared on his left.
“You two. Can you take that thing down?”
“A dragon that’s already injured and can’t even use 10% of its power? What’s there to fear?”
“No problem.”
Ssssh!
They were already Skeleton Lords.
They had also called their subordinates.
Rumble rumble rumble!
Skeletons slowly multiplied, swelling to an enormous number.
A Lord can summon 10 ‘Skeleton Knights’ (A-Grade).
Each ‘Skeleton Knight’ (A-Grade) can summon 10 ‘Great Skeletons’ (B-Grade).
Each ‘Great Skeleton’ (B-Grade) can summon 10 ‘Balanced Skeletons’ (C-Grade).
So, how many Skeletons could Sun summon alone?
First, itself: 1.
A-Grade Skeletons: 10.
B-Grade Skeletons: 100.
C-Grade Skeletons: 1,000.
Total: 1,111.
Excluding Demir working hard outside.
Bone One, Sun Spear, Eldrin, Bone Four, Bone Five, Bone Seven. And now the newly unsealed Bone Arm.
With all seven subordinates multiplying.
Soon, 7,777 Skeletons stood on the ground, weapons in hand.
Bone Arm wore gauntlets, so probably a martial artist job like old James?
‘Anyway.’
Nearly ten thousand troops.
The sight of them armed for him was spectacular.
“Crazy…….”
“Insane, right?”
“It’s practically a Skeleton legion?”
“This…… is the Skeleton King?”
The members who saw it were stunned.
But.
- Hmph!
Aranbalon didn’t admire it.
- Arrogant fools……! You dare try quantity against me! No matter how many, bugs are still bugs!
He sneered instead.
Yeah.
It was sneer-worthy.
He couldn’t stand tall before a dragon with just this force either.
“Wait and see.”
He’d show them something fun now.
Whoosh!
His arm swinging the staff felt light.
Light burst forth.
[Using Skill, ‘Bone Dragon’ (S-Grade).]
[Vitality 100 consumed.]
He used the achievement reward he’d obtained.
Pointing at the dead Giant Dragon’s corpse.