The Lili Tribe (2)
“The Dragon’s Lair in the north. What do you mean by that?”
“Pardon? Ah… well…”
At my question, Lucien began recounting everything he had seen and heard.
Strange insect-like beings had taken over the eastern forest.
While fleeing from the first group that attacked them, the Lili had spotted another pack of bizarre creatures heading north.
Those creatures resembled giant centipedes, and they had spoken of Dragon’s Lair traces discovered in the north.
Lucien had managed to overhear them without being noticed thanks to the Lili tribe’s ability to listen to the Voice of the Forest.
“They said this place had definitely become Yongtaerim and that they needed to find as many Dragon’s Lairs as possible…”
“Hah.”
My mind grew heavy with the implications.
Back then, those aberrant monsters had invaded the lair’s territory.
I had never stopped wondering what their true goal was.
What if they were simply searching for Dragon’s Lairs?
‘Somehow, that feels right.’
My intuition whispered to me.
‘This is…’
Dangerous.
I need to grow stronger, fast.
‘Those mantises.’
Even the ordinary soldiers had been close to level 200.
And the mantis-type commander—
I had sensed it wasn’t a true high-ranking officer, yet it still exceeded level 200.
Then how strong would the actual commanders be?
There might even be beings whose levels surpassed Arkeron’s.
Worse, I had no idea how many of them existed.
One thing was certain: any force that traveled with hundreds of soldiers was likely part of a massive army.
‘The centipedes Lucien saw also seemed to be in considerable numbers.’
A sharp sense of urgency swept through me.
The lair’s location hadn’t been exposed yet, but if it ever was…
We might have to repel hundreds or even thousands of enemies at once.
‘…Terrifying.’
The mere thought of mantises and centipedes swarming over this place sent a chill down my spine.
Realizing how fortunate it was that Elatrium had settled around the lair, I felt a fresh wave of gratitude.
Thanks to them, the discovery of this lair would be delayed, even if only a little.
‘I need to awaken more combat-type guardians like Arkeron as soon as possible.’
I was about to reach level 50.
Judging by the pattern so far, that should be when I could summon the next guardian.
If I could summon one, I could only hope it would be another powerful combat guardian like Arkeron.
‘And the other Dragon’s Lairs.’
They almost certainly contained dragon eggs as well.
What if I could form the Oath of the Dragon with those eggs too?
Oath of the Dragon (EX)
- Allows contracts with dragons.
- Contracts (1/1)
1) Elemental Dragon (Dania)
There was only one contract slot.
That was why I had assumed Dania would be the only dragon I could ever contract.
But what if other Dragon’s Lairs and eggs existed?
And what if I could increase the number of contract slots?
‘……Then I have to find those Dragon’s Lairs no matter what.’
I had no intention of yielding any Dragon’s Lair to anyone else.
From now on, I would have Arkeron focus his scouting on locating more Dragon’s Lairs.
Yet there was still one major problem.
“There’s no way out of here.”
Even if we found another Dragon’s Lair, we still had no means of leaving this place right now.
Dania had said the exit would only open once she reached level 500.
Waiting that long wasn’t an option.
Was there no other way?
“There is one loophole!”
At that moment, Bellerin suddenly spoke up.
“A loophole?”
“Yes! If we connect an Amplifier to the Dimension Severance Arkeron uses, we can widen the dimensional rift enough for Master to pass through!”
Oh…
That was possible?
“How do you make the Amplifier? What materials do you need?”
“Ah! As long as you have mithril and magic stones, I can craft one! Of course, the durability will be a bit low, but still!”
“Really?”
“Yes! And we just obtained a large quantity of highest-grade magic stones, so I can use those to make one right away!”
“Good. I’m counting on you.”
“Ah! But there’s one important thing when using it.”
“What is it?”
“Well… the rift created with the Dimensional Amplifier has extremely high mana pressure! To withstand that pressure, you’ll need to be at least level 70!”
This… gave me yet another reason to raise my level immediately.
Level 70.
It sounded high, but I felt I could reach it quickly.
“Understood. Just make sure you craft that Amplifier properly.”
“Yes! Got it! I’ll head straight to work then!”
“Ah! Wait a second.”
I called out to Bellerin as she turned to leave.
“Ever heard the saying ‘even Mt. Geumgang looks better after a meal’?”
“Pardon…? Mt. Geumgang…?”
“It’s mealtime right now. It means you should eat first before going to work.”
“Ah…!”
She nodded brightly at my words.
Bellerin had quite the appetite herself.
The way her eyes sparkled at the mention of food made that obvious.
‘Alright. Now then…’
It was time to prepare the meal I had planned earlier.
“Popo, harvest some cabbage, green onions, and carrots for me.”
“Popo!”
Popo bounced away toward the vegetable patch.
“Popo!”
Squish, squish.
+_+ With sparkling eyes, Popo happily gathered the vegetables.
As a vegetarian, Popo was always happiest when harvesting produce.
“Chuchu, prepare some Nagatara meat.”
“Chu!”
Chuchu raised a hand and pulled Nagatara meat from its pouch.
“Ah… I-I should be going now…”
Lucien tried to excuse himself after witnessing the scene.
“Why not stay and eat with us since you’re already here?”
“…Eh, me as well?”
“Yeah. Though, can you even eat food? I thought your diet was forest essence.”
“W-well… I can taste food…! It just doesn’t provide energy…”
“Perfect. Have a plate before you go. You’re practically family now.”
“Y-yes! Thank you!”
In the end, Lucien joined the meal as well.
“Arkeron, go fetch Fenril too.”
『Keron. As you command.』
I had sent Fenril to the shadow wolves in Elatrium earlier for a family reunion.
Now that I wanted to let him taste Nagatara meat as well, I called him back.
‘Right then.’
I looked at the ingredients laid out before me.
Dungeon Green Onion, Lv100
A great aura has settled upon it.
Upon consumption, Attack Power increases for 45 minutes.
*Permanent minor Attack Power increase afterward.
Dungeon Cabbage, Lv100
A great aura has settled upon it.
Upon consumption, Defense increases for 45 minutes.
*Permanent minor Defense increase afterward.
Dungeon Carrot, Lv100
A great aura has settled upon it.
Upon consumption, Evasion Rate increases for 45 minutes.
*Permanent minor Evasion Rate increase afterward.
Green onions, cabbage, and carrots.
Every ingredient carried combat-related buffs.
Extremely satisfying effects.
‘Let’s start with the green onions.’
I sliced the green onions and placed them on the pan to grill.
Sizzle!
As the green onions cooked, their fragrant aroma filled the air and oil began to glisten on the pan.
Sensing the right moment, I laid the Nagatara meat on top.
Sizzle!
The sound of Nagatara meat frying in green onion oil spread softly through the air.
“Awooooo…!”
Fenril reacted the loudest.
Saliva dripped from his mouth as he wagged his tail furiously.
As expected, Fenril loved it the most.
Chiiiii!
Once the meat was properly seared, I tossed in the cabbage and carrots.
Finally, I added Mandrian as well.
“Wow… Gulp.”
“Chuuu!”
“Awoooong!”
“W-what an intense aroma…”
『Delicious smell—saliva overflowing!』
Everyone around me was making a fuss.
Understandable. Even I had a mouthful of saliva pooling.
‘The smell is insane.’
The rich, savory scent of Nagatara meat blended perfectly with the nutty aroma of green onion oil, while the sweet fragrance of dungeon cabbage and carrots supported it beautifully.
The subtle herbal note from Mandrian tied everything together, sharpening the appetite even further.
“Alright, everyone take a plate.”
I evenly distributed the finished dish.
Popo, Chuchu, and Lucien received mostly vegetables.
Dania and Fenril got mostly meat.
Bellerin and I took balanced portions.
‘Mandrian isn’t here.’
Something felt missing—the usual “Geueo-eoeo” sounds weren’t present.
A strange emptiness settled over me.
Without realizing it, I had grown fond of the creature.
I would have to set aside a portion for him later.
“Everyone, take one Shine Muscat each before eating!”
After carefully applying the Growth Acceleration buff, I finally took a bite of the Nagatara meat.
Crunch!
The moment it entered my mouth, the rich savoriness of the green onion oil coated my tongue, followed by the deep, intense flavor of the Nagatara meat.
Crisp on the outside, juicy on the inside, the meat’s juices flooded my mouth.
“Whoa…”
A sigh of wonder escaped me.
I hadn’t expected such a difference from simply adding green onion oil.
Once again, I marveled at how the Nagatara meat seemed to melt on my tongue.
This time, I picked up some dungeon cabbage and carrot together.
Crunch!
The cabbage offered perfect elasticity and texture, while the carrot remained pleasantly crisp despite its softness.
Even on their own they tasted excellent, but combined with the green onion oil and meat juices, they created an otherworldly flavor impossible to find anywhere else.
‘This is seriously insane.’
While I was lost in the ecstasy of the taste, exclamations erupted from everyone around me.
“Chuuuoooo!”
“Popo!!”
“Ah~ It’s so delicious♥”
“Awoooong—!”
“T-to think such a flavor existed…!”
Every voice overflowed with rapture.
That alone proved how delicious it was.
“C-could I save the rest…?”
Lucien asked cautiously, glancing at me.
Save something this good?
He had been eating so enthusiastically just moments ago—why?
“Doesn’t it suit your taste?”
“N-no! It’s so heavenly that it’s almost overwhelming…!”
“Then why?”
“I’m… full…”
I studied his expression carefully.
He wasn’t lying.
His face was flushed with satisfaction, and his stomach looked slightly rounded.
‘He really doesn’t eat much.’
He hadn’t even finished half of what I would consider one bite.
Perhaps because of his small stature, his appetite was modest as well.
‘Well, they are a race that lives on forest essence.’
Understanding the situation, I told him to save it.
Lucien’s face lit up instantly.
“Then… would it be alright if I shared the taste with the rest of my tribe…?”
Ah!
Come to think of it, I had been rather inconsiderate toward our new family members.
“Sure, take it. You said there are about a hundred of them, right? It might not be enough, so I’ll add a bit more.”
“Ah! Thank you! Such a precious dish…!”
Lucien’s eyes welled with tears, visibly moved.
“I’ll work even harder from now on!”
“Good. While we’re on the subject, keep producing that forest essence and supply it regularly.”
“Yes!!”
His enthusiastic reply made me smile inwardly.
It seemed the supply of forest essence would proceed without any issues.
One meal had turned into quite the profitable deal.
“Arkeron, take some Nagatara meat to the shadow wolves as well.”
『Keron. As you command.』
While I was at it, I made sure the shadow wolves were fed too.
Watching through the scout ship as they howled in delight while eating the meat brought a gentle smile to my lips.
Crunch!
I finished the meal with Mandrian.
Its bittersweet, mysterious flavor cleansed my palate neatly.
Right after, system messages appeared.
Growth Acceleration Buff is active.
Mana has greatly increased.
Level has risen.
Level has risen.
Two levels rose at once.
Reaching level 50, I felt a surge of hot energy rising from deep within my body.
Reached Level 50.
The potential of Oath of the Dragon (EX) is boiling over.
Thump, thump, thump—
A message appeared before my eyes as my heart began to pound violently.
Thump, thump, thump, thump—
The moment it felt as though my heart would burst—
Whoosh—!
Along with the system message, a flame-like energy burst from my heart and spread throughout my entire body.