Chapter 130
Chapter 130
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 130
Chapter Title: Dragon Slayer (3)
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‘I can’t beat Aranbalon under normal circumstances.’
I swallowed hard.
The reason I’d been able to take down the Giant Dragon.
Was because luck and a bunch of other factors had lined up perfectly.
If it hadn’t been locked in a deathmatch with Aranbalon?
‘I never would’ve caught it.’
It hadn’t even used its breath.
The moment I’d infiltrated its body, it would’ve noticed and countered.
‘That’s why.’
This was going to be no easy fight.
I had to use every means at my disposal.
[Skill: Bone Dragon]
[Grade: S]
[Effect 1: Consume 100 stamina to turn a dragon’s corpse into an undead.]
[Effect 2: The ‘Bone Dragon’ will follow you for 5 hours, then vanish into your subspace.]
[Effect 3: This skill has a 24-hour cooldown.]
I reread the skill I’d gotten as a reward for the ‘Dragon Slayer’ achievement.
A skill only I, with maximum contribution, could use.
Bone Dragon.
‘Fuck.’
Goosebumps prickled across my skin.
That massive thing turning undead and following me?
Didn’t my chest swell with grandeur just thinking about it!
Yeah.
This was what a necromancer was all about.
The true swagger of a necromancer wasn’t a Death Knight or even a Lich.
It was the Bone Dragon.
The ultimate undead.
A dragon made of bones—that was surely the symbol that stirred a man’s heart!
Rumble rumble!
‘Let’s go!’
I hurled the surging energy at the fallen Giant Dragon.
Imagining it rising again to sink its teeth into Aranbalon.
But.
“......Huh?”
I soon furrowed my brow.
The energy, which had shot off vigorously, lost its power and fizzled out.
“What?”
[An error has occurred!]
“Huh?”
A dumb sound escaped my lips.
Error?
[You are cursed.]
[You can only summon skeletons.]
[The skill ‘Bone Dragon’ (S-Grade) has been canceled.]
[100 stamina has been restored.]
“Crazy?”
I narrowed my eyes and read the message.
Just in case I’d misread, I went over it a couple more times.
“Ha.”
Right.
I’d forgotten.
My unique ability was the Cursed Necromancer.
Which meant I could only command skeletons.
‘But isn’t this too much?’
This wasn’t a skill from being a necromancer—it was just an achievement reward.
Did that mean.
The curse on me outranked even the system it guided?
As I grimaced in disbelief.
[The system is recalculating the achievement reward.]
[Analyzing correlation between ‘Skill’ and ‘Unique Ability.’]
[Please wait a moment.]
As expected.
That’s how it had to be, right?
Yeah, that made sense.
I let out a sigh of relief.
If it didn’t recalculate, I’d have been seriously pissed.
After all the effort for that ‘Dragon Slayer’ achievement.
Losing the reward outright would’ve sucked.
[Ding!]
[The skill ‘Bone Dragon’ (S-Grade) has changed to the skill ‘Bone Dragon Skeleton’ (S-Grade)!]
Bone Dragon Skeleton?
What the hell was that?
[Skill: Bone Dragon Skeleton]
[Grade: S]
[Effect 1: A skill only obtainable by the ‘Cursed Necromancer.’]
[Effect 2: Consume 100 stamina to absorb a dragon’s bones.]
[Effect 3: Replaces the bones of all summonable skeletons with the absorbed dragon bones.]
[Effect 4: The bone density of the skeletons is determined by the dragon’s size, quantity, and the number of summonable skeletons.]
I skimmed the description quickly.
Roughly, it meant my skeletons’ bodies—like Taeyang or Eldrin—would become dragon bones.
Similar to dragon tooth soldiers?
If dragon tooth soldiers were made from dragon teeth.
Mine would be the bones themselves?
“Hmm, alright then?”
Seemed decent enough.
Nothing beat seeing it for myself.
[Using skill ‘Bone Dragon Skeleton’ (S-Grade).]
[Consuming 100 stamina.]
Rumble rumble!
Another massive surge of energy poured from my swung staff toward the Giant Dragon.
At the same time.
- What’re you fumbling around alone for? If there’s nothing worth showing, just piss off already.
A red flame shot from Aranbalon’s magic circle right then.
“Hun!”
Olena shouted.
“It’s fine!”
I’d been keeping an eye on Aranbalon’s movements the whole time.
Screeech!
The flame roared toward me like a torrent.
‘Bonesa!’
Bonesa appeared at my side and blocked the flames with his shield.
As the ‘Behemoth Bone Shield’ engraved with an ancient demon’s face absorbed the fire.
[Ding!]
[Absorbing the bones of the ‘Giant Dragon.’]
Flash!
Light enveloped the world.
[The skeletons’ bones are being remade from the dragon’s.]
A faint, sparkling mist.
Instantly wrapped around all 7,777 skeletons.
- What...?
Aranbalon’s yellow eyes widened.
No wonder it was shocked.
The massive Giant Dragon corpse had melted away, leaving only sagging hide.
- Y-You bastard? What did you do?
The dragon roared.
- Where’d you stash my spoils?
Ah.
It wasn’t shocked—it was pissed?
That its stuff was gone?
Fitting rage for a greed dragon.
“Why’s it yours? I contributed too.”
I muttered softly, looking down.
Below, my minions were marveling at their new bodies.
“My lord, this is...?”
Taeyang mumbled blankly.
“Master. Don’t tell me...?”
Eldrin’s voice was stunned too.
“Our bodies have become dragon bones?”
“Seems like it. Look.”
Fwoosh!
What would’ve melted any tank’s bones before.
Bonesa’s body was holding up against Aranbalon’s magic.
“They’re insanely tough now.”
Had to be.
Dragon bones, after all.
They’d withstood the aftermath of each other’s breaths.
Among the world’s hardest materials.
“Ahh, my lord. Incredible.”
Flash!
Taeyang kicked off the ground, soaring toward Aranbalon.
“No real power boost, but this sturdiness... I feel like I could tank anything.”
Thud!
Eldrin dashed to the side too.
“And tougher bodies mean sharper, more frequent attacks. I’m satisfied, master.”
Not just Taeyang and Eldrin.
Creak! Creak creak!
Countless skeletons gleamed with fervor.
Pleased with their new forms, their morale soared.
Pure battle spirit rose, free of fear or despair.
Whoosh!
I switched my staff back to a spear.
That’s when.
Splash!
A water-step sound rang out.
“Hun, we’re here!”
My comrades had arrived at my side.
“Team leader! What the hell’s going on?”
“My friend, you alright?”
“Hey, team leader! We diving into that dragon again this time?”
Vladimir raised his staff.
“No, that won’t work.”
I shook my head.
“Why?”
“It already knows the trick.”
Dragons were strong.
And intelligent beings.
Repeating the same method could backfire.
Flutter!
It was already flying high, widening the distance as if anticipating.
Crunch!
Aranbalon swatted the leaping Taeyang with a massive foreclaw and floated into the air.
“Fair point.”
Vladimir smacked his lips regretfully.
“Moving like that makes coordinate calc impossible. Like trying to hit a flying bullet.”
“So what’s your plan?”
The Judgment Spear asked with a serious look.
I clenched my fist.
Gazing up at Aranbalon in the sky, I muttered.
“We fight somehow.”
The dragon was hurt.
Its skin was bruised purple in spots, swollen.
Wounds still oozed blood.
Tough, but not impossible—we had a shot.
“This is where the real mission starts.”
I kicked off the ground.
* * *
Aranbalon’s holy castle.
A storm raged through the endlessly massive fortress.
Aranbalon smashed approaching skeletons fearlessly or swept them away with its tail.
Even injured, a dragon was a dragon.
Boom boom boom!
One strike shook the world like the heavens were collapsing.
But.
A hint of unease showed on Aranbalon’s face amid the melee.
‘Unexpected.’
The humans he’d dismissed as mere bugs were fighting far better than anticipated.
‘Hmph, soldiers who absorbed dragon bones.’
The man’s abilities were bizarre.
With a mere gesture, he’d melted the bones of the dragon he’d slain.
And remade them into his soldiers’ components.
‘That’s why it’s tricky.’
Swords, spears, bows, shields, staves, gauntlets.
The horde charging with diverse weapons—honestly, laughable before.
Pre-injury, he could’ve crushed them with a “[Tickles]” and a stomp.
But.
‘Tough.’
Dragon bones, perhaps.
No matter how much he struck or smashed, they wouldn’t shatter easily.
And even shattered, they regenerated vividly.
‘As expected of one acknowledged by a dragon?’
Aranbalon had known, actually.
The Giant Dragon’s dying words.
Their meaning.
- You bastard. You’re laughing now... thrilled with your win.
- But soon, you’ll pay the price for that greed.
It had hinted at the human’s victory.
And he’d thought, yeah, that tracked.
‘But.’
Only if he’d let his guard down.
Now that he acknowledged and wariness toward these humans.
Victory was assured.
- My victory.
Rooooar...
The magic power coiled inside Aranbalon like a taut rubber band unleashed in a rush.
Whoooosh!
The ground dust trembled finely, and approaching skeletons lost balance and toppled in the gale.
Exerting physical force with mere aura.
That was the power of a dragon ruling a world.
- That space magic user’s annoying.
The dragon’s yellow eyes fixed on Vladimir.
Escaping via space distortion every time he tried to grab him—infuriating.
Alone, whatever.
But dragging all seven humans along.
Forcing him to fight endlessly respawning skeletons.
Pin that space mage down, and he’d cripple their mobility.
- Die!
Whirr!
The magic circle etched in the air glowed.
But.
Whoosh!
The bastard vanished slyly again.
Boom boom boom!
The shot beam pierced empty air, slamming into the ground and exploding.
The floor cratered, dust billowing.
“Lizard, eyes here!”
“Dragon, better focus on us.”
Swish swish!
The persistent skeletons clinging since earlier.
- These pests.
Aranbalon’s eyebrow twitched in irritation.
The spear-wielding and bow-wielding skeletons were relentless.
Targeting his fractured left wing and bleeding right thigh.
‘Can’t drag this out.’
Not fully in his favor.
Body wasn’t at peak.
Needed to end it quick.
- .....
Aranbalon closed his eyes and focused.
From now on.
He’d set aside the greed dominating his body for a bit.
Acknowledge the foe.
No arrogance or carelessness.
Rumble rumble!
When Aranbalon opened his eyes again, a massive magic circle was forming in the sky.
So strong.
No equals.
Magic even a dragon had never used before.
Drained tons of energy, but guaranteed results—a sealing ultimate.
[Aranbalon uses ‘Target Dispel’ (SS-Grade).]
[Target - Vladimir Rodigin.]
[Vladimir Rodigin cannot use skills for 24 hours.]
Halt!
The fleeing humans’ feet stopped dead.
- Bingo.
At the same time.
Every magic circle in the air swiveled toward the humans.