Chapter 252
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 252
Chapter Title: Dragon Realm Assault
There had been a minor hiccup, but the team heading to the Dragon Realm had been selected without issue.
Everyone except the Black Hand.
Was it the overwhelming shock from meeting Leyzon?
To Ambition Star Guild's master, Rastolpo, everyone appeared perfectly normal.
Amid his tangled nerves, rumors spread like wildfire through the world.
The Abyss was challenging the Dragon Realm alongside Ambition Star Guild.
The Abyss, who had already made a name for himself through various exploits.
Now he was tackling the Dragon Realm—a dungeon no one had ever cleared—and interest exploded everywhere.
Soon after, an unexpected situation unfolded at Ambition Star.
"...Sponsorship, you say?"
"Indeed. Our merchant guild will sponsor your Dragon Realm challenge."
A major merchant guild had suddenly stepped up to offer support.
They had shown little interest in Ambition Star's activities before.
Now they were all clamoring to sponsor, which was bewildering.
"Why the sudden sponsorship...?"
"We heard the Abyss is participating this time."
Rastolpo's face stiffened.
The rumors were spreading uncontrollably—who knew where they were coming from.
"The Abyss has a tight bond with Steel Wolf Guild, right? Settling into Sahā Village hasn't been easy lately."
The heads of the major guilds cleared their throats and asked to lay the groundwork.
No.
They wouldn't care even if he didn't pull strings for them.
It was purely a show of goodwill toward the Abyss, offering this much support.
"Then why not sponsor Steel Wolf Guild instead?"
"Haha, we've already poured plenty into Steel Wolf. But aren't the other guilds doing the same?"
Steel Wolf was already overflowing with sponsorship funds.
So now they aimed to boost their name in other areas.
It was just the kind of move you'd expect from guilds swimming in cash.
But that's exactly why they dominated as major players.
Money only multiplies when you spend it.
The guild heads knew this principle all too well.
"...I'll pass the message along."
Even Rastolpo couldn't mouth off in the face of this much money.
It amounted to several years' worth of Ambition Star's operating funds.
Unlike other guilds, Ambition Star survived solely on Phantasmal Beast materials.
Despite their second-place ranking, funds were always tight.
If this could cover it, he'd do anything.
"Typical of cash-flush major guild heads. Use that funding well for Ambition Star."
When Rastolpo relayed the news, Leyzon showed no greed for the sponsorship at all.
"But."
"It's sponsorship coming to Ambition Star anyway, right? Might as well open the money pipeline with the big guilds—it'll make running things so much easier."
Rastolpo hesitated, but Leyzon couldn't care less.
Rastolpo felt grateful, yet astonished at the same time.
How much leeway did he have to treat such sponsorship like pocket change?
Leyzon's presence was growing ever more terrifying to Rastolpo.
Still, thanks to him, they'd secured ample sponsorship.
"I'm not the type to just take without giving back. I may not help with material things, but I'll assist as much as I can. Need anything?"
In that case, a proper return was in order.
Rastolpo was an honest man.
That quality had elevated Ambition Star to second place.
Leyzon didn't dislike people like him.
So he flashed a gentle smile.
"Spread the Abyss's name. Helping with that is enough."
Some things couldn't be bought with money.
Reputation was one of them.
"We'll give it our all."
Rastolpo vowed to back Leyzon's goal.
Thus, with various interests entangled, Ambition Star's Dragon Realm challenge began.
The Dragon Realm lay in the Murbal Gorge of the western mountains.
A gorge said to have formed from a massive dragon lying down in ancient times.
True to the legend, a long river resembling a dragon snaked alongside towering limestone cliffs.
The Dragon Realm nestled midway up one of those cliffs.
Its entrance resembled a dragon's maw gaping toward the sky—an eerie shape.
Anyone seeing it for the first time might flee, thinking the dragon was furious.
Ambition Star Guild arrived at Murbal Gorge.
Scale the cliffs, and they'd enter the gorge.
Leyzon gazed at it, lost in thought.
'I remember a Bug Dungeon around here somewhere.'
Bug Dungeon.
Similar to the one where Leyzon had found the Kalтура Empire's legacy.
Players had tried everything, but ultimately gained nothing.
Such a Bug Dungeon was nearby.
'Perfect timing.'
He'd planned to check it out anyway.
Stopping by now was a fine idea.
"Abyss, time to move."
Then Rastolpo called out to Leyzon.
"Hanok, let's go."
"Yessir."
Hanok, drowsy from the carriage ride, stretched long and replied.
The two looked utterly relaxed, like they were out for a stroll.
To others, it was a jarring sight.
But for them, Hero-grade dungeons were routine.
Tensing up every day for a single dungeon would wear the body down.
Stay relaxed, but never careless.
That mindset was ingrained.
"Ah, Lord Abyss! You're here!"
As Leyzon approached the group, a friendly woman called out.
A woman with red ponytail hair.
She was known as Red Moon.
Her striking beauty sparkled with excitement whenever she saw Leyzon.
Her gaze held greed and wild allure.
Ever since learning he was the Abyss, her attitude had flipped completely.
Leyzon could easily guess why.
Using a woman's weapons against a man was perfectly natural.
Why not use them to gain advantage?
"I get your intentions, but you'd better not."
That's why Leyzon decided to warn her.
"I'm already at my limit holding back right now."
Leyzon smiled faintly and pointed at his feet.
Several eyes flickered into existence within the red shadow before vanishing.
Red Moon glanced at them, then curled her lips upward.
"The greatest thrill comes from scaling unclimbable cliffs."
She'd lost all fear.
Undaunted even by Syria's vicious warning.
"I won't mind if you vanish without a trace."
"Your savage jokes are fun too!"
What a unique character.
Leyzon assessed Red Moon that way, then scanned the rest.
This was the Hero-grade dungeon, Dragon Realm.
Rastolpo had assembled forces without hesitation.
Starting with those tested alongside Leyzon, he'd brought substantial talent from Ambition Star.
All Heroes, as befitted a Hero-grade dungeon.
Losing even one would be a massive loss.
"With Necromancer Lord Abyss here, it's fine if we die."
Red Moon tossed in her own savage joke.
She wasn't ordinary either.
Leyzon finished scanning everyone and eyed the last one.
A gaunt mage with little change in expression.
'Crea, was it?'
A figure as low-profile as Leyzon.
Rare among Hero-grade Pioneers to lack fame.
That's why he stuck out occasionally.
Bored, he kept popping a lollipop in his mouth.
Spotting Leyzon, he offered one.
"Want one?"
Leyzon accepted on reflex.
"Thanks, I'll have it."
Unwrapping it revealed a lemon flavor.
Better quality than expected.
"Let's move out. Edin."
"Yes."
As Leyzon savored it, Rastolpo signaled departure.
At his command, Hero-grade mage Edin cast flight magic.
No matter how fierce the gorge winds, magic rendered them powerless.
They reached the Dragon Realm entrance in seconds.
Rastolpo tensed.
No one had cleared the Dragon Realm.
First attempts were always nerve-wracking.
Yet some remained utterly relaxed.
"Feels similar to that last dungeon!"
"Dungeons only have so many ways to personalize entrances. Can't avoid some overlap."
Hanok and Leyzon, naturally.
The two strongest here by far.
Their ease loosened everyone else's tension.
Soon the entrance came into view.
Crude bone decorations symbolizing a tribe.
And a lone Dragonling standing before it.
The Dragonling gripped a spear and yawned lazily.
Then it spotted Leyzon's group and froze.
That one—it's a gatekeeper.
Alerts intruders at the entrance.
The Dragonling opened its maw.
Dragonlings share info in ultrasonic cries inaudible to humans.
Transmissible up to 10km away.
Kwachik!
But before it could utter a sound.
Its body crumpled in the red shadow and shattered to pieces.
Rastolpo, drawing his Legendary gear [Thunderfall Cannon], froze mid-motion.
A Hero-grade Phantasmal Beast destroyed in one blow.
He felt firsthand how dangerous the red shadow was.
The others' eyes widened too.
"Guild Master."
Leyzon called while extracting a magic stone from the shattered Dragonling's head.
"Speak."
"How much do you know about the Dragon Realm?"
The Dragon Realm grew stronger with each era.
Through battle experience against Pioneers.
The imperial family rarely permitted challenges.
This permission came from the court's chaos.
Any success would be welcome.
Nobles approved anything promising results.
Thus, Dragon Realm intel was scarce.
"Just Dragonling traits and past challenge routes."
"Then let me share one key fact."
Leyzon stomped the ground.
His shadow split open, and something began rising.
Leyzon had spared no effort on undead creation.
What defined a Necromancer?
Commanding legions of undead.
Hordes.
The Ice Knight Order raised their armed weapons.
"Uahaha! So this be the Dragon Realm!"
"Ahh, gratitude to Lord Abyss for bringing us on this campaign."
"Perfect spot to cut loose."
The Necromancer corps emerged with bizarre cackles.
Each led their own undead legions behind.
"Giiiik."
"Kiruk."
"Chiiik!"
Citadel Worm Legion and Curse Doll Legion filled the ground.
Vampire Bat swarms blotted the sky.
And at their forefront.
Serpent Dragon.
Curse Demon King.
Moving Black Citadel.
Vampire Queen.
Leyzon's closest undead elites revealed themselves.
"The Dragonling Dungeon is divided into zones, fortified by thick walls."
Rastolpo gaped at Leyzon leading the horde.
"So what we need to do."
Leyzon grinned fiercely atop surging red shadows.
The reason no Pioneer had cleared it before.
"Is a siege."
Time for the overwhelming horde assault they'd deemed impossible.