Not Bad Means Good

"No, Alexeos, wait...!" Tae-hyun tried to stop him. Surely they could find a better way through discussion and careful thought! But Alexeos had already made up his mind. He snatched the resurrection stone right out of Tae-hyun's hand and activated it.

-Avatar of Archisus. Meeting you was a plea... No, well... It wasn't actually pleasant... But in many ways...

"..." Alexeos was as brutally honest as any Red Dragon.

-Let's just say it wasn't bad?

"...If it wasn't bad, then it was good."

Creeeak! Craaaack! Rumble! A deafening roar echoed as the surrounding lair began to collapse. Alexeos, who had been a mere ghost dragon, was shattering the cavern as he reclaimed his physical form.

The voice of the Hungry Chaos boomed. Because they had used the resurrection stone, the Hungry Chaos was able to manifest. Spotting Tae-hyun, the Hungry Chaos narrowed its eyes.

If we actually had enough temples to warrant that kind of threat, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I wouldn't even feel this cheated! Tae-hyun thought.

-Foolish creature. I, Alexeos, shall never submit!

Whoosh! The moment he regained his physical body, Alexeos burned his own life force to stack powerful self-buffs! Since he was destined to die anyway, there was no reason to hold back.

-Avatar, mount me! Alexeos called out to Tae-hyun. In life, he had never allowed anyone to ride on his back, but now was not the time for pride. It was time to slay Pagroak, the Great Warrior of Hungry Chaos!

Gaining Alexeos's recognition and fighting atop him as a dragon rider was a monumental achievement. Just climbing onto his back was enough to trigger a level up! But Tae-hyun had no time to celebrate. The situation was far too urgent.

Ruuuumble! Alexeos soared into the sky, scattering massive waves of desert sand. The players who had been raiding Pagroak gasped in sheer terror as the Red Dragon erupted from beneath the earth. What on earth was that?!

Kim Tae-hyun ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was a player famous for clearing impossibly difficult quests. Time and time again, he had conquered quests deemed absolutely impossible for players of his current level. While his level and mechanical control were exceptional, his greatest strength lay in his ability to set the stage. Instead of blindly rushing in, he played smart, borrowing the strength of others and exploiting every single resource at his disposal. The list of NPCs whose power Tae-hyun had borrowed over his career easily numbered in the dozens.

Wondering 'What on earth is he going to pull out of his sleeve this time?' was always one of the greatest pleasures of watching Kim Tae-hyun's quests... but no one expected to witness something like this firsthand!

"What is that?!" Lee Se-yeon's guild members shrieked in shock. A Red Dragon! No matter how they looked at it, it was a genuine Red Dragon. Not some cheap knockoff like a wyvern or a drake, but a real, living dragon!

-Kroaaaaaaaar!

-Argh! Pagroak covered his ears and fell to one knee, reeling from the Dragon Roar. Stripped of his armor, Alexeos's assault was devastatingly fierce.

-Huuuuuuup!

Standing atop Alexeos, Tae-hyun immediately cast his buffs. Even if he couldn't cast high-level magic directly, his flames were far from ordinary. Beginning with Sadik's Flame, it was a devastating blaze infused with Sadiq's divine power! The moment those flames merged with the dragon's breath, its destructive power multiplied several times over.

-Archisus's Blessing! Archisus's Divine Territory!

-Magnificent, Avatar! Alexeos marveled. He had allowed Tae-hyun to ride on his head because their opponent was Pagroak, and the human was more than proving his worth. He had worried whether Tae-hyun could truly play the role of a Dragon Knight, but...

'Indeed, Archisus is a god who has mastered the art of exploiting others' strength! My worries were entirely in vain!'

There was no way a god who specialized in freeloading off others' power would fail to cooperate in a situation like this. In fact, Tae-hyun was issuing perfect directions, buffing with various skills, and even guiding the dragon's aim.

Fwoooooosh!

"Everyone, get back!!!"

"Breath!! Run for cover!!!"

Realizing what Alexeos was about to unleash, the players scrambled to escape. It was a level of destructive power that would instantly melt even the highest-level Paladin if caught in a direct hit! That was the terrifying reality of a Dragon Breath.

-Argh... Urgh... Aaaaaaargh! Pagroak shrieked from within the blinding white torrent of flames.

-You miserable dragon! I will never die! I am immortal!

-Avatar of Archisus! Behold! Just because he is a minion of the Hungry Chaos does not make him immortal! Alexeos roared, pointing a massive claw at Pagroak.

-Even the Hungry Chaos cannot linger in this realm indefinitely!

"So if we keep beating down his minion, the Hungry Chaos will eventually be forced to withdraw?" Tae-hyun muttered.

Pagroak, who had seemed to possess infinite resurrections, actually had a limit. If they kept pummeling him, his connection to the Hungry Chaos would ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fray!

-Exactly! And there is a second weakness. Dispel Magic!

Alexeos possessed magical prowess that was on an entirely different dimension compared to Tae-hyun. With a single Word of Power, he completely shattered the protective spells layered over Pagroak. Stripped of his magical enhancements, Pagroak staggered back in agony.

Whoosh! Alexeos swooped down to deliver the finishing blow, slashing with his massive talons. For a dragon, their colossal body itself was a weapon. A dragon's claw was sharper than almost any legendary sword in existence.

Clash! "!" But Pagroak somehow caught Alexeos's front claw. His physical resilience was monstrous. He had endured a Dragon Roar, a direct hit from a Dragon Breath, and a Dispel Magic spell, yet he still stood!

Squeeze! Pagroak gripped the dragon's claw with a vice-like hold, refusing to let go. Even the mighty Alexeos was taken aback by this absurd display of brute strength.

"Alexeos, let me help!" Tae-hyun immediately leapt down. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't dream of getting anywhere near Pagroak. But with Alexeos acting as the perfect tank, the story was completely different. He was free to deal as much damage as he wanted!

-Insignificant minion of Carbanog! Do you truly believe your pathetic curses will work on me? You cannot stop me! Pagroak sneered, brimming with confidence even while his hands were occupied. He utterly looked down on Tae-hyun. At best, the human could only use Carbanog's Authority! Such tricks didn't scare him. While the authority to turn others into rabbits was annoying, he could easily endure it with the power of the Hungry Chaos.

Shring— But what slid into Tae-hyun's hand was not the Spear of Karbanog. It was none other than the Demonic Sword Apophis.

-W-Wait... What is that? What is that hideous sword? Sensing the dark, ominous energy radiating from the Demonic Sword Apophis, Pagroak's confidence shattered into panic. Even Alexeos was startled.

-Wait, Avatar! What on earth is that sword? I have never seen such a weapon!

"Don't worry, Lord Alexeos. I am going to end Pagroak's life right here!"

-Wait, that vile sword looks like it's going to affect me too...! The Demonic Sword Apophis was a terrifying weapon that exerted a malevolent influence not just on its wielder, but on everyone in the vicinity.

"It's fine! You're already dead anyway!"

-Does that make any sense to you?! Pagroak tried to pull away in sheer terror, but Alexeos held fast. In the end, Tae-hyun's words made perfect sense. He was already dead anyway!

Splat!

-Aaaaaaaaargh! Pagroak shrieked ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at the horrifying sensation. Against this sword, neither defense nor HP mattered.

Slash, slash, slash! Tae-hyun swung the sword in a rapid frenzy. He couldn't afford to hold this weapon for long either. He had to end Pagroak now!

-Urgh! Fortunately, Pagroak was the first to collapse, unable to withstand the endless accumulation of catastrophic damage.

-That's it, Avatar! Finish him! But Tae-hyun could no longer afford to wield the Demonic Sword Apophis. He quickly sheathed it, drew his Dae-man-bul-gang-geom, and drove it deep into the enemy.

-Critical Explosion, Archisus's Third Attack, Blade Detonation!

Crack! Pagroak crumbled entirely. Alexeos slammed his massive talons down, pinning Pagroak beneath his colossal weight.

-Chaos... Counterattack of Chaos!

A flash of chaotic energy erupted around Pagroak as the skill took effect. Tae-hyun clicked his tongue at the absurdly broken authority that sealed skills without any conditions or saving throws. To think he could unleash such an overpowered skill while on the brink of death. When he was at full strength, he must have been truly...

-Necronomicon's Protection!

Lee Se-yeon had countered instantly. By sacrificing her nearby undead, she had forced them to absorb the curse in their stead. Tae-hyun stared in surprise. Whoa, she has a skill like that?

"Where did you learn that skill?!"

"Look ahead! Look ahead!!"

But Tae-hyun was already fully alert. As Pagroak lashed out with a desperate kick, Tae-hyun countered instantly with the Spear of Karbanog, tripping him up once more before driving his sword straight down.

-I... How could I! Lose to a mere minion of Carbanog! I refuse! Pagroak shrieked, but his HP was already completely depleted.

"Farewell! This is for Nekanet-sal!"