A Dragon's Oath

Judging by their appearance, their levels weren't particularly high. However, as the crowd grew larger, Nitinger couldn't help but grow wary. There was no way the Avatar of Archisus had brought these people here without a reason. He had to have some sort of scheme!

Wait, wasn't there an Authority of Archisus that allowed him to sacrifice others for a power boost? Gasp. Don't tell me... is he planning to sacrifice all those people if things go south...? What a terrifying monster!

"???" Tae-hyun was bewildered. He hadn't even done anything yet, so why?

Is it because of the crowd gathering over there? They just look like onlookers.

From the looks of it, they were just players who had come to see where Nitinger was going. Although members of the Power Warrior Guild were scattered among them, they weren't combatants... To be frightened by something like that, Nitinger must have grown incredibly weak.

He's a dragon, not a person... but whatever, let's just go with that.

Fearing that his humiliation might spread to the clueless adventurers, Nitinger had acted quickly. He then cast a cautious glance toward Tae-hyun.

"Lord Archisus. I have cast a spell to block out the noise. I trust that is acceptable?"

"Ah. Of course." Tae-hyun agreed. In negotiations like this, the less information leaked to the outside, the better. The onlookers, completely in the dark about what was being discussed inside, would probably be dying of curiosity!

And a secret like this is a weapon in itself.

"Now, let us begin the negotiations." One of the Archisus Battle Angels spoke up. *Dum-dum!*

Negotiations! This was a true battle of wits with NPCs, a common occurrence for merchant players. An experienced merchant could squeeze out more and better rewards from an NPC. However, negotiations were fraught with danger. If you pushed too hard just because you held the upper hand, the negotiation could break down entirely! Walking that tightrope and extracting as much as possible was the true measure of a merchant's skill.

Although Tae-hyun didn't have a merchant class, his skills and stats gave him a negotiating ability that could put professional merchants to shame. A normal NPC would have been utterly swept away by the silver tongue of Archisus... But his opponent was no pushover. It was a dragon. In the history of Pan-On, no player had ever successfully concluded a satisfying negotiation with a dragon!

Hmm. This is my first time doing this, so I'm a bit lost. Even the usually bold Tae-hyun felt a bit stumped in this negotiation. What exactly should he demand? Sensing Tae-hyun's hesitation, several of his Archisus Battle Angels stepped up behind him to offer their master some advice.

"Heh-heh. If you show him a merciful heart, he will not forget this deed and will surely repay your kindness."

"Mmm!" Tae-hyun pondered the advice. Showing mercy... It didn't really fit the vibe of Archisus, but it was certainly one way to go about it...

"How dare you open your mouth, you insolent wretch!"

"A mere demon dares to try and mislead Lord Archisus?! Take this!"

*Crack! Crack!* The furious Archisus Battle Angels lashed their whips at a demon. The one who had just offered advice to Tae-hyun wasn't an Archisus Battle Angel, but a demon that the angels were dragging around!

"Urgh! So close. I almost corrupted that Archisus bastard!"

"Master, do not be deceived by that demon's words. You must not fall for his cunning tongue!"

"..." Tae-hyun nodded with a sour expression. No wonder the advice about mercy felt so out of character for Archisus—it had come from a demon, not an angel!

Having subdued the demon with their whips, the Archisus Battle Angel offered their own advice.

"Master. Dragons are nothing but arrogant reptiles who think they own the world if you leave them to their own devices."

"..."

"..."

Yong-yong and Heuk-heuk's faces contorted. *Hey...! We're standing right here listening to you!*

"When the opportunity arises, you must seize his heart, bind his soul, and enslave him! Just look at the Gold Dragon's case. Nothing is impossible. You just need to trick him well!"

"..."

Tears welled up in Yong-yong's eyes. Feeling a bit guilty, Tae-hyun tried to comfort him.

"No, no. You guys weren't tricked. It was just... a slightly clumsy contract."

"R-Right? Master? Our race wasn't tricked, right? There's no way a Gold Dragon would be scammed so easily..."

"Yes, yes. Just look at Heuk-heuk over there. At least you've got it better than Sadiq's beast."

"..."

Now tears were welling up in Heuk-heuk's eyes too!

Oops. Tae-hyun comforted Yong-yong and Heuk-heuk once more. These Archisus Battle Angels were surprisingly high-maintenance!

"Master, you must ThreatenNitinger!"

"No, Archisus! You must set Nitinger free!"

"You dare open your mouth again?!"

"Aaargh! I will corrupt you, Archisus!"

With angels shouting on one side and demons clamoring on the other, the noise was doubly chaotic. Tae-hyun sighed and spoke up.

"Guys. I appreciate your loyalty and support... but I'm not in a position to act all high and mighty against Nitinger."

The Archisus Battle Angels had a time limit, and Incarnation's Strike had a one-year cooldown... Since Nitinger was bowing his head first, Tae-hyun had to play along reasonably.

"We need to make an offer that Nitinger can actually accept. What I'm thinking of right now is the gold, silver, treasures, and items Nitinger possesses... What do you think?"

The first thing that came to mind when thinking of a dragon was, of course, a dragon's hoard. Mountains of treasure! It would easily exceed hundreds of thousands of gold. No, the amount of gold wasn't even the main point. There could be priceless Legendary items that couldn't be obtained anywhere else in Pan-On.

And above all, if some Orihalcon were to come out...

"Master. I do not think that is a good idea."

"Master, I also think that's a bit..."

"Master, I don't think that's the way."

The Archisus Battle Angels, Heuk-heuk, and Yong-yong all rejected the idea!

"!?" Tae-hyun was taken aback. Since the opponent was bowing down this much, he thought he could at least squeeze out this much...

"Master. Are you planning to slay Nitinger right away?"

"Not at the moment."

"Then I do not recommend it. Dragons are despicable, vile, and greedy creatures..."

"..."

"..."

"...Once their treasure is taken, they will harbor a grudge until the day they die. You will never be able to sleep in peace."

"Even if they handed it over through a negotiation?"

"Whether they gave it up through negotiation or of their own free will, dragons are despicable, vile, and gree—"

"Alright, alright. Stop cursing them. The kids are listening."

"...dy, so they will not care about the circumstances and will hold a grudge regardless."

Tae-hyun immediately understood what they meant. Even if a dragon was forced to hand over its treasure in an unfavorable negotiation, the player would become the dragon's target from then on. Whether through a direct assault or underhanded schemes, if a dragon persistently hounded him...

I'd probably have to quit the game.

"But if I only take items that won't make the dragon hold a grudge, I'm the one losing out. I can get those kinds of things elsewhere."

"Something else that won't make a dragon hold a grudge... For example, how about his body?"

"His body?" Tae-hyun was startled. "I mean, dragon meat is indeed a top-tier cooking ingredient, and the hide and claws are Legendary-grade materials, but..."

"..."

"..."

Yong-yong and Heuk-heuk quietly took a few steps back to put some distance between them. Even the Archisus Battle Angel looked flustered as they spoke.

"Master. I-I did not mean his meat. I meant something else."

"His heart? Surely he wouldn't give up his heart, would he?"

The demon standing nearby also tried to quietly slip away. The Archisus Battle Angel firmly gripped the demon's leash.

"...I meant making the dragon swear an oath. An oath to fight for you in times of danger, Master."

"!" Tae-hyun was surprised to hear that. In other words, they were telling him to secure a dragon summoning right?

That's actually not bad.

While the equipment possessed by a dragon was broken and impossible to obtain normally, a dragon summon was an equally rare opportunity.

Besides, I only recently crafted my Adamantium equipment...

A dragon summon might actually be better! Most importantly, it wouldn't incur Nitinger's grudge. Unless he was going to fight Nitinger to the death right now, it was better to stay on friendly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠terms.

Getting on the good side of a perfectly healthy dragon in Pan-On is an immense benefit.

Even befriending a noble NPC of a kingdom brought substantial benefits. It granted priority access to city facilities, unlocked exclusive quests and facilities unavailable to other players, and allowed various privileges like borrowing soldiers. But befriending a dragon?

Yeah. I was thinking the exact same thing.

Above all, Tae-hyun was in a situation where he needed friends! There was no need to add Nitinger to his list of enemies. That list was already full.

"What I want is..."

*Gulp!* The sound of the dragon swallowing was exceptionally loud. Nitinger stared at Tae-hyun with a tense expression. If he asked for his treasure...

"Your help."

"W-What do you mean by that? Surely you do not mean 'help' in the form of handing over my treasure..."

"I mean flying over to fight alongside me whenever I call for you."

-!!

Nitinger's eyes widened. Paying with physical labor! Of course, if his opponent had been an ordinary adventurer, making such an oath would have been a supreme humiliation. But to Nitinger right now, it sounded incredibly appealing. And honestly, getting away with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠just this much against Archisus was a massive victory!

I heard Archisus is an incredibly evil god who binds your soul if you make a mistake in the contract, but he's surprisingly generous!

Nitinger thought to himself. He had been a bit nervous because of what happened to the Gold Dragon, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠but if it was only this much...

"I-Is that all?"

"Hmm? Well, if you want to give me more, maybe some of your lair's wealth..."

"I shall assist you with all my might, Lord Archisus!"

Nitinger immediately cut him ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠off. Greed for his treasure blazed in his eyes. To protect his hoard, he might have actually cut off his own tail and handed it over!

Tsk. Tae-hyun tested the waters but quickly gave up. Seeing the dragon's reaction, it was clearly out of the question.

"Right. How about helping me about ten times?"

"N-No, ten times is a bit... I have my own life—no, dragon life—to live..."

Nitinger waved his front paws in a panic. Having to fly over every single time Tae-hyun called, up to ten times, was too much.

"Excuse me? Do you know how many cities you've destroyed?!"

"But those were not Lord Archisus's cities..."

"They were all cities I cherished. Cities I planned to take under my wing someday."

The sheer shamelessness of it! Hearing this from behind, the Archisus Battle Angels and demons nodded in agreement.

"Oh dear. If that's the case, it makes sense that he'd be angry."

"Even in the Demon Realm, you get cursed out for touching something someone else already claimed."

"You wretch! Still opening your mouth?!"

"Aaargh! I will never give up!"

Hearing the whispering behind him, Nitinger deeply regretted not bringing his own subordinates to back him up.