Chapter 70
Chapter 70
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 70
Chapter Title: The Returning Dagger
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I’d heard it was suspicious, but I never imagined they’d pull off something this absurd.
“Breath!”
Jeong-hyeon shouted from atop the Demi Drake’s head.
The party members, who heard him clearly, all wore panicked expressions—but not because they doubted him.
They were simply stunned that the impossible sight of a Demi Drake using breath was unfolding right before their eyes.
Yet none of them were foolish enough to take a Drake’s breath head-on.
Hot energy gathered in the Drake’s maw, soon taking the form of visible flames.
And in no time at all,
Roarrrrr—
The flames swept across the dark marble plaza.
Having lost both eyes, its accuracy was understandably poor.
But its destructive power was terrifying.
The scattered remains of Havel Goblins, Bandit Kobolds, Skeleton Warriors, and Lopu Orcs littering the ground were engulfed in the blaze.
The heat was threatening even to Jeong-hyeon, perched on the Demi Drake’s head without direct exposure.
‘If not for Physical Ability Enhancement, I’d have been burned off by now.’
If he moved away from its head, the heat might lessen a bit, but he couldn’t.
Sliding down its back might prompt the Drake to twist its neck and roast him instead.
It was a last-ditch skill anyway, like a final spasm before death, and for an undead, a bit of scorched hide was no big deal.
The burns weren’t fatal, so he had to endure as long as possible.
The other party members caught in the breath’s range had to flee for their lives.
Those close by, like Jin-ah and Cha-jin, had it easier.
A slight movement took them out of the angle, and they were frontline fighters by style anyway.
For the healer Park Hee-jun, though, it was like a bolt from the blue.
“Argh! Ha-yul, fire, fire!”
“......Quiet.”
Fearing a corpse if she left him, Ha-yul had surprisingly hoisted Hee-jun onto her back and was dodging the flames.
With an extra person, it was precarious for her too.
Every wave of scorching heat on her back drew screams from Hee-jun, while Ha-yul calmly told him to shut up—a comical scene straight out of a skit.
‘Life is a tragedy up close, a comedy from afar, they say.’
The breath lasted about a minute.
Yet to Jeong-hyeon and the hunters, evading it felt longer than any battle they’d faced in ‘Yum’s Tomb’ so far.
Fwoosh—
The flames flared fiercely one last time before quietly dying out as if they’d never been.
The Demi Drake, having exhausted its strength, didn’t collapse but drastically slowed its movements.
“Done with your show?”
Jeong-hyeon gripped his mace firmly and tossed out a question he didn’t expect an answer to.
It had been a flashy finale, but no more rampage was coming.
All that remained was the cleanup.
[55.9%]
The over 55% probability caught Jeong-hyeon’s eye.
Thwack— Thwack—
Each swing of the mace splattered dead flesh and rotten blood.
Cracks began forming on the pale bones hidden beneath.
The Drake shook its head a few times, but it couldn’t affect Jeong-hyeon now.
In the end, the battle with the unexpected Demi Drake in this level 5 gate concluded as its head shattered.
Thud—
The over-6-meter behemoth fully collapsed to the ground.
“F-Finished.”
Cha-jin’s incredulous sigh.
How had they won?
Even thinking back now, he couldn’t grasp it.
Truth be told, the moment Jeong-hyeon magically climbed atop the Demi Drake’s head, victory was all but sealed.
And Jeong-hyeon was still perched there.
With a deeply furrowed expression.
“Jeong-hyeon-ssi...?”
Jin-ah cautiously called out to him.
He’d practically won the unbelievable victory single-handedly, so why the grim face?
The reason was simple.
‘No coin?’
Had the 55.9% fallen through?
No message appeared after the Demi Drake’s massive body fully crumbled, as it should have.
He waited a bit longer, thinking big bodies might take time to register death.
But the coin acquisition notice never came.
All this ordeal for nothing?
Well, there was one thing.
[Sudden Coin Quest ‘Master of the Tomb’ cleared.
Reward granted.]
Two coins for completing the sudden quest.
But quest rewards were quest rewards.
Killing the Demi Drake should yield its own reward, right?
“Arrrrgh!”
“W-What? Are you hurt?”
The other party members rushed over as Jeong-hyeon tore at his hair, collapsing atop the Drake’s head.
Was his trait something like Frenzy or Berserk?
Pouring out all his power only to suffer excruciating pain afterward?
“I killed the Drake! I did it!”
But the anguished cries spilling from Jeong-hyeon’s lips seemed far removed from such special traits.
In the end, the party could only watch him in bewilderment.
And after some time passed,
[You have cleared the mission of level 5 gate ‘Dragon’s Tomb’.]
This time, the mission-cleared message definitively appeared for everyone.
And Jeong-hyeon—
“Is that guy emotionally unstable?”
“......Agreed.”
—was grinning ear to ear.
He’d been wailing moments ago, now beaming like he owned the world.
To those watching without knowing the details, it was chilling.
Of course, there was a good reason.
[Proficiency level of ‘Decent Combat Sense’ (E) has risen from 3 → 4.
Proficiency level of ‘Markedly Agile Movement’ (D) has risen from 2 → 3.
Proficiency level of ‘Fairly Sharp Throwing Skill’ (D) has risen from 2 → 3.]
Unexpectedly, three traits had leveled up at once.
‘So that’s why Drake-nim held back the coin!’
One coin? No big deal.
Three trait levels instead? Perfect.
In Jeong-hyeon’s mind, the Demi Drake had been promoted to Drake-nim.
All traits mattered, but these were his core ones, making the news even sweeter.
But the rewards didn’t end there.
Rumble—
“What’s that?”
Among the dragon statues carved between the five passages,
one collapsed with a loud crash, revealing a wooden chest hidden inside.
No one said it, but everyone instinctively knew.
That was the artifact box.
Even Jeong-hyeon, giggling like a madman, sobered up.
The party exchanged glances and approached the chest.
‘Wonder what’s inside.’
He wouldn’t admit it, but Jeong-hyeon had low expectations.
His turn was last anyway, and good gear wouldn’t reach him.
The small chest size dampened hopes further.
‘Probably jewelry.’
Jewelry had few class restrictions and was hugely popular.
“Open it.”
As Jin-ah grabbed the lid, everyone nodded.
Whether in games or reality, the moment of unveiling rewards was thrilling and tense.
Creak—
And when the chest finally opened.
“Huh?”
Only Jeong-hyeon tilted his head.
The others froze solid, speechless.
Ha-yul seemed unfazed, but reactions weren’t her thing.
“It’s a dagger?”
The Sea Guild hunters reacted that way for a simple reason.
The artifact inside was a jet-black dagger.
And the only one here using daggers was Jeong-hyeon.
‘...Can I just take this?’
As the artifact-less Jeong-hyeon and the others—who never imagined gear only he could use—hesitated,
“......Dagger.”
“Huh?”
Ha-yul suddenly reached in, grabbed the dagger, and handed it to Jeong-hyeon.
“C-Can I take it?”
He’d have been a bit miffed if no.
But Korean courtesy demanded at least one refusal.
Jin-ah, staring at him for a moment, nodded.
“No one else here uses daggers but you, Jeong-hyeon-ssi. You should take it.”
“Yeah, you take it, Jeong-hyeon-ssi.”
Even Cha-jin agreed readily.
Ha-yul, having handed it over, didn’t need asking, and Hee-jun pondered briefly before consenting.
Jeong-hyeon’s nominally last turn had activated.
The Sea Guild hunters probably wouldn’t yield an artifact lightly.
But Jeong-hyeon’s massive contributions through five waves were undeniable.
“Thank you. Never thought this would happen.”
Jeong-hyeon bowed deeply to the party and properly gripped the awkwardly held dagger.
‘Ooh, the feel is killer.’
But once in hand, gratitude faded; only the insane grip sensation dominated his mind.
Doil’s daggers fit perfectly, but this dark one obliterated all prior experiences with its intensity.
‘Like driving a foreign midsize sedan then hopping into a supercar.’
“Try throwing it.”
“Hm?”
As Jeong-hyeon admired it ecstatically, Jin-ah smiled.
“Artifacts have unique abilities. It might not activate, but trying helps.”
“Oh, right then—”
Jeong-hyeon nodded and hurled the dagger vigorously at the opposite wall.
Unlikely, but it felt like the wild soul within propelled it, tingling from fingers through his spine.
‘Th-This is gear power?’
He’d half-dismissed top gear as hype, but this changed everything.
How could he go back after this handfeel?
‘Effect? Magic enchant? Homing? Attack boost?’
Possible dagger abilities flashed through his mind.
But unlike the explosive first throw, nothing special followed.
No odd trajectory, no effects.
Thunk—
Even embedding in the marble wall showed nothing unusual.
Blade sharpness and balance were perfect, but just an amazing weapon—no more.
Jeong-hyeon scratched his nape awkwardly with his left hand and turned.
“Guess no special traits or anything.”
“Huh?”
“?”
But the party’s reactions were off.
No new monsters.
Jeong-hyeon grew puzzled too.
“......Right hand.”
“Hm? Huh? What?”
At Ha-yul’s calm voice, Jeong-hyeon looked down at his right hand unwittingly.
“What the hell?”
The dagger he’d just thrown was there.