Rebalancing and Rest
The status of dragons varies from world to world. The title of apex predator remains unchanged, yet depending on the laws of that world, they may become nothing more than fire-breathing lizards or guardians of the middle realms. In the world of the half-dragon, the fire dragons leaned toward the former. They could not wield magic or exercise the authority of dragon speech like the dragons of my own world. That did not make them weak, however. Their overwhelming physical prowess born from massive frames, near-immunity to flame, and dominion over fire sufficient to earn the title of Flame Lords proved why they stood at the top of the food chain. A fire dragon’s breath could even transform into a Mystery that carried flames within it. Yet that also meant they were merely apex predators—nothing more.
“I can hunt as many dragons that can’t even use magic as I please!”
“Kyaaargh!”
I slid down the violently thrashing back of the fire dragon and dragged my embedded spear-sword along its flesh. Soaked in the blood that gushed like a fountain from the wound, I dropped away to avoid its agonized rampage. The half-dragon seized the opening created by the fire dragon’s focus on unfamiliar pain and sank its razor-sharp fangs into the creature’s body.
“These lowly wretches dare…!”
“Doesn’t sound like something the one getting beaten by lowly wretches should be saying.”
“Grr!”
I mocked the fire dragon, which still failed to grasp reality, while kindly adding another wound. Though its eyes burned with rage, it no longer charged at me as it had at first. It had already suffered several serious injuries after blindly attacking and allowing the half-dragon to counter. Glancing between me and the half-dragon, the fire dragon slowly began to back away.
“What, you running away?”
“This is no retreat! It is a strategic withdrawal!”
“Sounds like running to me.”
“It is not running away!”
Its pride was high, but it still feared death. Sensing that continuing the fight would truly end in its demise, the fire dragon glanced backward in search of escape. I poured more aura into my spear-sword. Perhaps because this world’s dragons were of little help to their realm, its situational awareness was slow. Its wings, needed to flee into the sky, had long since turned to rags, and even if it tried to escape on all fours from exhaustion, we could easily pursue. If it had intended to run, it should have done so earlier. Realizing this, the fire dragon ceased fighting and attempted negotiation.
“I wish to negotiate. In exchange for my life, your revenge—”
“Kyaak?!”
“Krarrarara!”
“You wretch! Attacking without warning while I attempt negotiation!”
“Negotiation requires equal standing. Why negotiate with prey already caught?”
No matter how desperately it struggled, its fate as hunted prey here would not change. Understanding there was no room for negotiation, the fire dragon lashed out in a frenzy, aiming for the half-dragon’s neck. It was a resolve not to die quietly, yet—
“Kyaaargh!”
“Kuhk!”
The half-dragon moved first, biting down on its neck. An ominous sound echoed from the throat. The fire dragon thrashed to survive, but before its efforts could succeed, the half-dragon’s jaw strength intensified. I used Blink to appear behind the fire dragon’s head and drove my spear-sword in. Having taken attacks from both sides, the fire dragon let out a short death cry and ceased resisting. With a gaze full of resentment, it looked at me until the light in its eyes faded and its body went limp.
I gazed at the slain fire dragon, brushed the blood-soaked body, and smiled in satisfaction.
“Hunt complete. Been a while since I had such an entertaining fight.”
“Krrrk.”
Compared to the legendary status dragons held in my world, it felt somewhat lacking, but considering this fire dragon had only recently reached adulthood, it was not bad. The North’s power balance was simply abnormal; this level was still enough to call itself a dragon. Its defeat stemmed solely from the half-dragon’s presence sealing its primary weapon—flame—leaving it forced into close combat.
Refreshed after stretching my body after so long, I looked at the spear-sword trembling in my grip. Having absorbed blood in the meantime, the weapon continued sucking up every drop of blood around it as if still unsatisfied. After drawing even the blood staining my body, it vibrated in contentment and emitted a bright light.
Paaah!
Having absorbed the dragon’s power and the feat of dragon slaying contained in the blood, the spear-sword awakened a portion of the strength once lost to the laws of this world. Its once somewhat crude form transformed, and a dragon pattern surged forth as if coiling around it. The power of dragon slaying was added alongside immutability. I let out a small gasp of admiration as I examined the spear-sword now displaying a satisfying presence.
“Overall quality has gone up.”
It was not merely the appearance becoming more ornate or the addition of the dragon-slaying effect. As the karma imbued in the weapon rose, its overall performance improved, and the immutability effect strengthened as well. Given how many dangerous situations immutability had resolved, “jackpot” hardly sufficed. At this rate, I could consider my weapon excellently prepared for the mountain dragon subjugation.
“Since it hasn’t been fully liberated yet, I suppose I’ll just need to hunt a few more fire dragons here.”
“Krarrara!”
“Yeah, you’re coming along too.”
I chuckled at the half-dragon’s imposing figure. Standing atop the fire dragon’s corpse, the half-dragon looked at me with vertically slit eyes. Then, from its mouth came a roar that…
“Flamma Calor Ignis.”
“Huh?”
“That is my name.”
“…..???”
For a moment, I failed to register the situation and wore a dumbfounded expression. The half-dragon—no, Calor—who had been looking down with a faint smile, lowered one wing all the way to the ground. As it assumed a posture to make mounting easier, I belatedly grasped the situation and laughed in disbelief before climbing onto its back.
“That’s pretty unfair. We’ve been together all this time, and you never said a word?”
“I had no intention of speaking until I hunted my kin who refused to acknowledge me as a dragon and became a complete dragon myself.”
“So you’re a dragon now?”
“Strictly speaking, I am not yet a complete dragon, but since I fought and defeated my kin, I am the more perfect dragon.”
Its personality was certainly that of a dragon. As I inwardly marveled at a value system that could be called either arrogant or extraordinary, a deep voice reached my ears.
“It would be best to prepare more thoroughly for the next opponent.”
“We’re not fighting right away?”
“The one we just hunted was unusually weak. Those who have fully matured into adults are troublesome to face, so it would be better to make sufficient preparations before engaging them.”
Since Calor knew more about fire dragons than I did, I raised no objection. We had plenty of time anyway, so we could hunt them one by one. For now, I decided to enjoy the wind against me in the sky.
***
Several months had passed since the first fire dragon hunt. Having run without rest all that time, I stayed in Edenberg to rest and began an overall rebalancing. The fortress had been steadily constructed, and the quarry operated day and night, producing supplies for the front lines. Having absorbed the insights gained upon reaching Gold rank into my body and repeated training, I occasionally handled designated requests or Gold-rank requests that came in, enjoying the leisure. When I spotted useful monsters, I did not forget to tame them either.
Today, while eating cookies in the first-floor hall of the Adventurer Guild, I spotted Neon bursting through the guild doors.
“I’ve finally surpassed it!”
Like Archimedes crying “Eureka,” Neon came running with a mad grin, drawing everyone’s attention in the hall. The adventurers’ gazes toward him were quite favorable. Like Adela, Neon had adapted well to the North and built good relationships everywhere with his unique charm.
“After months of secluded training, you’ve finally broken through the wall?”
“Reaching the sixth circle at such a young age—definitely talented.”
“Neon, treat us in celebration of breaking through the wall!”
Voices congratulating Neon’s advancement echoed here and there. Since breaking through a wall was cause for celebration as a warrior, scattered applause followed. The sixth circle was equivalent to a fully mature Silver rank by Northern standards. As praise was offered to the veteran warrior standing at the final threshold before the seventh circle—Gold rank—Neon shouted as if he had been waiting for this moment.
“Everyone, shout! I’m paying for all the food today!”
“““Woooooo!!”””
“One serving of food for the guild staff as well!”
“““Waaaaah!!”””
Having instantly seized control of the branch’s atmosphere, Neon was lifted up by the adventurers. While I smiled at the sight of him praising his own talent with an arrogant face from atop their shoulders, the chefs who had heard Neon’s cry grinned and stoked their flames higher. Soon, adventurers who ate as much as they were strong would flock in and begin ordering. To exert power that did not falter even against giant monsters, they needed just as much energy. Moreover, given their skill, the food could not possibly be bad—why would adventurers not order?
With dozens of chefs finishing preparations under the head chef’s command, the adventurers rushed toward the order counter.
“One head chef’s special lunch here!”
“Meat! More meat!”
“I don’t need anything else—just sausage and beer, please!”
Amid the flood of orders, the apprentice chefs at the counter checked the order sequence with hawk-like eyes and wrote down the menus. Though called apprentices, working at the Adventurer Guild meant they were veterans who had worked at least ten years at other restaurants, so their handling was flawless. They instantly took the orders and relayed them to the chefs, whose hands moved like lightning. With delicate flame control and deft movements, they sliced thick cuts of meat and grilled them on stone slabs, added fresh ingredients to massive pots to boil soup, placed pizzas in enormous ovens, and grilled skewers on grates. The alcohol was, of course, the finest aged in chilled oak barrels cooled by ice magic.
Once the instantly completed dishes were distributed to the adventurers seated at tables, the first-floor hall grew lively in an instant. Thanks to the culture of treating others generously when there was something to celebrate, this was a common sight seen several times a month. Of course, to avoid excessive burden on adventurers, the guild had set its own standards and limits, and discounts applied to food, so there were more adventurers willing to splurge than one might think.
While enjoying the cheerful atmosphere—gulping down cool beer and biting into sausages overflowing with juice—I noticed someone descending the stairs from the second floor. The person who came down was Luna, radiating a fox-like, bewitching charm. Surveying the noisy hall, Luna pulled out a talisman from her bosom.
Clap, clap!
“Alright, everyone, pay attention!”
When Luna lightly clapped, the sound amplified through the talisman pierced everyone’s ears. Since it was a sound impossible to ignore, everyone in the hall focused on her. Luna smiled alluringly and spread open the document she held.
“Sorry to interrupt the festivities, but an official notice has come down from the Adventurer Guild!”
“What is it, Miss Luna?”
“You’ve all heard about the plan His Excellency the Grand Duke was carrying out, right? The Continental Conference.”
“Of course we know about that.”
“Didn’t they say they’d gather forces from across the continent with the intention of taking down the mountain dragon this time?”
Wearing a satisfied expression at the adventurers’ answers, Luna hung the document on the guild bulletin board and spoke.
“The exact date of the Continental Conference has been set. The Adventurer Guild is preparing to select representatives, so if you’re interested, apply.”
“““Ooooooh!”””
“For reference, Branch Manager Vergo and I will also be participating in the delegation, so think carefully, alright?”
“““Woooooo!!”””
With those words, Luna returned to the second floor. The first-floor hall, filled with a festive mood, blazed even hotter than usual as people gathered before the bulletin board. Attending a conference where powers from all regions gathered as a representative of the North? They could not miss this. I watched with understanding as the adventurers burned with desire to find a way to participate immediately. Seeing this, Neon approached with a puzzled expression.
“You’re not joining in over there?”
“I already sent Umbra to check the document’s contents.”
“Wow. Fast.”
“Since I’ve rested enough, it’s time to get moving again.”
“That’s good.”
Neon smiled confidently at my words. He clearly did not want to miss the chance to spread his name far and wide. He had adapted splendidly to the North.