The Dragon's Catalyst
Lim Dojun understood exactly why the drake had charged forward the moment he saw the frost fox pelt.
“Dreck-i… so you really understood what I was saying?”
The drake had taken action after overhearing his muttered words: I should have looked for something like a catalyst to help with cold circulation.
“You… incredible little guy!”
“Kyaaak!”
-Thud! Thud!
The drake barked in a clearly annoyed tone, as if asking why it had taken him so long to notice. Dojun simply stroked its head.
He felt incredibly satisfied.
What a remarkable creature!
It had even carried the pelt so carefully in its teeth, worried it might damage the hide.
Dojun accepted it with great care.
The instant it touched his palm, a refreshing chill spread across his skin. It felt like no ordinary treasure.
“U-ugh…”
“Hm?”
A groan came from the side.
Dojun glanced over.
There stood a man who appeared to be the bandit leader, mouth still hanging open in shock, along with his subordinates peeking out from afar, only their eyes visible as they watched.
Ah. Right. This thing had an owner.
Only then did he regain enough composure to look around properly.
The bandit leader, Vargas, who met Dojun’s eyes, felt the world go dark.
I… I’m dead.
A mage who commanded a dragon.
He had appeared like some hero from legend. What other reason could there be for them to come to this mountain stronghold?
They would surely slaughter them all in the blink of an eye, just like punishing evil villains.
“Is this yours, by any chance?”
Dojun pointed at the frost fox pelt and asked.
He planned to inquire about the price first.
He had spent all his gems and gold coins buying sunstones last time, but he still carried some silver coins as emergency funds.
If the price was right, he intended to buy it.
“I-it’s not mine! No, not at all!”
“It’s not? Now that I think about it, I accidentally collapsed your tent as well…”
“I-it’s fine! It was going to collapse soon anyway!”
This thing?
Though it was a tent, its sturdy poles and thick fabric looked like they could withstand even a typhoon.
“And you can take that pelt! We just happened to pick it up, but it would suit a great mage like you far better.”
“Hmm… it is something I truly need. If you’re offering it, I won’t refuse. Still, I should give you something in return.”
Dojun handed Vargas two silver coins.
“Here, take these.”
“Th-thank you…”
The frost fox pelt was worth dozens of gold coins if sold properly, but Vargas didn’t dare complain.
No matter how much money one had, it couldn’t be more precious than one’s life.
“Then we’ll be on our way.”
Dojun could tell from the atmosphere that this was a bandit hideout and that they weren’t exactly welcome.
But he had no desire to wipe out a bandit group for no reason, and since he had obtained what he wanted, he preferred to leave quickly.
Besides, he was worried about Casian and Jo Difel, who had been suddenly abandoned in the mountains.
“Dreck-i. Let’s go.”
-Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Just as when they had arrived, Dojun rode the drake and vanished in an instant.
After Lim Dojun’s group left.
“H-haha… I survived…”
To have been captured by a mage and a dragon yet still live.
Even the demon kings from fairy tales would struggle to pull that off, yet a mere bandit leader had survived.
Vargas carefully tucked the two silver coins still clutched in his hand into his chest.
Somehow, those two coins felt like his very life.
It might be superstition, but he resolved to keep them safe from now on.
That relief lasted only a moment.
“…Everyone get over here right now, you bastards!”
Vargas immediately roared in fury.
“Your boss was about to die and you just hid and watched? Mark my words, at least one of your limbs is getting broken today!”
When enemies attacked a bandit stronghold, the men were supposed to rush out and protect their leader. Instead, these cowards hadn’t made a sound and simply observed.
Of course, if Vargas had been in their position, he would have hidden without breathing too. But that was that, and this was this.
Today, he would properly vent his anger… no, educate them.
“Jun. Where did you suddenly disappear to?”
Casian and Jo Difel, who had been abruptly abandoned in the mountains, were flustered but waited patiently for Lim Dojun.
They never imagined their junior would abandon them.
And just as they believed, Jun returned quickly.
“This guy caught the scent of this and dragged me away. I’m sorry.”
Dojun apologized with a deeply remorseful expression.
It hadn’t been his intention, but abandoning his seniors in the mountains was still a serious offense.
“Oh my god! Is that a frost fox pelt?!”
“That’s insanely expensive…! It’s a material that would require pouring in an unimaginable amount of achievements to obtain!!”
Yet the two no longer showed any signs of panic or fear.
So he had left to get the frost fox pelt.
That made sense.
If one found a valuable material, abandoning comrades for a short while was perfectly understandable.
Their surprisingly cool reaction actually left Dojun flustered.
He had been prepared to apologize at length, but their attention had completely shifted to the frost fox pelt.
Anyway, the group set off again after that.
Riding atop the drake, Dojun draped the frost fox pelt around himself and began training.
The effect was immediate.
Simply wearing it around his neck brought refreshing coolness, and it greatly assisted the flow of mana circulating through his body.
The Valteon-style Cold Circulation technique utilized cold attributes to enhance mana efficiency. The frost fox pelt perfectly supported that cold flow.
Thanks to it, Dojun was able to train far more satisfactorily until they reached the ruins.
“We’re almost there. According to the map, the entrance is near that cliff.”
Casian, now riding the drake with practiced ease, checked the map and spoke.
As expected of ancient ruins, they were located deep in the mountains. The entrance was even halfway up a cliff—an incredibly difficult spot. But the group had a drake.
“Dreck-i! Jump!”
Long-distance flight was too much, but with its powerful jumping ability and wings, gliding was entirely possible.
Thanks to that, they overcame the harsh terrain in moments and arrived at the ruins.
“……”
“…Ah, damn.”
For the first time, the group’s expressions darkened.
According to the map, the entrance area was supposed to be firmly sealed. Yet the entrance to the ruins stood wide open.
If someone had already looted the ruins, the chances of anything valuable remaining were slim.
Of course, Casian could still gain academic credit just from exploring the site, but for Dojun, who had come for Dragon Heart fragments, this was extremely disappointing.
“Wait a moment. It looks like the ruins were opened not long ago?”
Casian examined the surrounding traces and spoke.
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
If Casian, whose major was exploration, judged it so, it was reliable.
“Then let’s hurry and follow them. We might not be too late.”
Dojun took the lead and entered first.
—Hey guys! I found some absolutely jackpot information this time!
One day, when Reyna came running in excitedly, Volk and Peter—both from the same hometown—could only shake their heads.
Here we go again. Did you waste a ton of money on another fake lead?
You said you didn’t even have money for food. Looks like you’re here to mooch off us again.
No! This time it’s real!
Reyna was an adventurer and treasure hunter.
At least, that was what she called herself. To her friends, she was simply a get-rich-quick dreamer.
A fool who bought mostly fake ancient maps and information for huge sums, went through all sorts of danger, and always came back empty-handed.
So here’s the thing—can you two come with me?
Sigh…
I’m going to lose my mind…
If anyone else had made such a request, they would have refused without hesitation.
Volk was a mercenary with a decent reputation for his shield work, and Peter was a rare mercenary mage.
Neither came cheap, so there was no reason for them to visit some dubious ruin.
But they couldn’t simply turn down a longtime friend from their hometown.
The fact that Reyna had come to them meant she truly had no one else to ask.
Haa. Fine. We’ll go with you. If we don’t, you’ll probably go alone anyway.
I’d feel too guilty if you died. That’s why we’re going.
Yes! Thank you so much! You guys are the best!
But if we find any treasure in the ruins, we split it exactly three ways. Got it?
Of course! I spent my entire fortune getting this information, but there should be even greater treasures inside! We’re going to be rich!
Volk and Peter naturally thought it was impossible, but they didn’t want to crush Reyna’s dreams.
There was still that tiny chance that real treasure might exist, after all.
So they set out, and endured all sorts of hardship.
Rugged mountain paths, monsters appearing at every turn, wild animals and insects attacking at night, run-ins with bandits and thieves…
After overcoming countless obstacles, they finally reached the ruins.
The moment they saw the tightly sealed entrance, they thought, Wait… could this actually be real?
At the very least, a blocked entrance meant something decent was probably still inside!
They struggled to open the entrance and stepped inside. Before long, they became certain.
“…Looks like Reyna actually found proper information this time.”
“Wow. So the day finally came. I thought she’d only ever waste her time.”
This was no mere ruin. It was a genuine dungeon.
The distinction was simple.
If it was just an old place containing ancient knowledge and stored items, it was a ruin.
If it had mechanisms designed to block and attack intruders no matter what was inside, it was a dungeon.
And this place was a dungeon.
A very dangerous and powerful one at that.
While dealing with numerous traps and emerging guardians, the three eventually stopped walking.
All of them were exhausted and had accumulated minor injuries.
They realized that continuing like this could lead to fatal wounds—or even death for one of them.
“…Reyna. Any idea how much farther it goes?”
“No idea. We don’t know the dungeon’s layout. But I can make an educated guess.”
“Then give us your guess.”
“Best case? Or worst case?”
“Worst case.”
“Assuming this dungeon started from the cliff we climbed and spreads throughout the entire mountain… we haven’t even cleared twenty percent of it yet.”
“…Insane.”
Volk and Peter unconsciously began praying to the gods.
Neither was particularly religious, but in a situation like this, prayer came naturally.
“This is bad. Continuing from here is too dangerous.”
“But we can’t turn back either.”
“…Yeah.”
The dungeon’s traps weren’t one-time use.
No matter how ancient and powerful the creator, the traps would recharge after a certain amount of time.
Some traps required taking the hit and enduring it, so with their current injuries, going back the way they came was terrifying.
The fear of the unknown was frightening, but facing something they already knew was just as bad.
They couldn’t go forward, and they couldn’t go back.
Once their water and food ran out, they would starve to death.
“……”
“……”
A creeping sense of despair slowly filled the three of them.
Only horrific futures came to mind.
And at that moment.
“Found them.”
Lim Dojun’s group appeared on the other side of the passage.