The Dead Dragon's Sanctuary

Was this not one of the trump cards they had prepared and prepared to target Tae-hyun? To think he would use it here! The executives were shocked and, at the same time, deeply impressed.

'As expected of Lord Su Ning. Such decisiveness!'

'I doubted him at first, but indeed, he is the only one who can lead the Guild Alliance!'

'He is growing step by step. Kim Tae-hyun, just you wait! You will regret having to face Lord Su Ning!'

Su Ning was growing. By facing a massive foe like Kim Tae-hyun, he was evolving to match him. Compared to the beginning, it was a complete transformation!

'Wait, was Su Ning always positioned like a shonen manga protagonist?'

When the Guild Alliance was first formed, he definitely felt like the ruler of Pan-On, the Emperor of Pan-On... How did things turn out like this?

"Intruder. Why do you bring that filthy wretch inside?"

As Tae-hyun's party dragged Do Dong-su along, tearing through, chewing up, and thoroughly enjoying the hidden dungeon, the Dragon-tooth Death Knight Adjutant could no longer bear it and finally showed itself. It was much larger than a standard Death Knight, with a darker skeletal frame and far superior equipment.

Tae-hyun muttered absentmindedly, "Oh. He looks way stronger than Golgol-i."

-Master. I think so too.

-Master. I agree. Shouldn't you have recruited a Death Knight like that instead?

-...

The two divine beasts were badmouthing Golgol-i right in front of his face! Since both were technically divine beasts, they didn't get along well with the undead Death Knight, Golgol-i.

-How dare you insult an honorable Death Knight like me? You half-grown dragon runts?!

-What is this lowborn Death Knight even talking about? Where did you even scavenge those bones from?

-Everyone, shut up.

Tae-hyun silenced his summons.

"Intruder. You possess the love of dragons. Though the fact that you are the Avatar of Archisus bothers me slightly, seeing you command two dragons proves you are indeed loved by them. Why, then, do you enter this cursed land and bring ruin upon yourself? Though the fact that you are the Avatar of Archisus bothers me quite a bit, this cursed land does not discriminate among intruders. Turn back at once."

'I think so too.'

Despite its imposing posture, its words mentioned "Archisus" unusually often. It felt like someone putting up a "Beware of Dog" sign on their front gate!

"Wait a minute!"

"Eek!"

"..."

This felt a bit unfair. Just because of his past reputation, simply speaking a word made his Infamy rise!

"W-Why... why do you call me, Avatar of Archisus! For your information, my soul is bound to my master, I possess no artifacts... and in any case, lying to me won't yield you anything! Keep that well in mind!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

The atmosphere suddenly turned freezing cold! Tae-hyun's party stared at him in unison. Their eyes clearly said, 'You really should have exercised some moderation.'

But Tae-hyun was not flustered. Adapting to rapidly changing situations was the mark of true skill!

"Fine. I am the Avatar of Archisus! If you don't guide the way, I will Archisus you!"

"Hiiiiieeeek!"

An achievement grand enough to trigger a level up!

Thud, thud, thud—

The Death Knight ran away without looking back. Seeing this, Tae-hyun was dumbfounded.

"N-No, don't run away!"

To think a semi-boss monster of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a Death Knight's caliber would flee from a single sentence. Tae-hyun was so shocked he didn't even register that he had leveled up from this.

"Hey! Chase him!"

"A-Are we allowed to chase him?"

"Of course we are! Stop talking nonsense and run!"

The players, though bewildered, moved in unison at Tae-hyun's command. Somehow, they felt like the villains here.

"Hey! Wait for me!"

Cain ran after them, carrying the flagpole to which Do Dong-su was tied. Because of the weight, his speed was slow.

"Intruder! Leave that filthy wretch behind! Do you intend to carry such a creature around while possessing the love of dragons?!" the Dragon-tooth Death Knight Adjutant shouted as he fled. He intended to make Tae-hyun stop. Though he didn't understand the situation, he assumed they wouldn't abandon a companion, which would buy him some time.

"Is that so? Cain, drop him."

"Okay!"

Excited, Cain hurled the flagpole backward. And he threw it with all the strength of his excitement!

Crash!

"Mmph! Mmph-mmph! (You bastard!)"

"Ah. Sorry. I got a bit too excited..." Cain apologized sheepishly. He had been so thrilled to shed the heavy load that he forgot someone was actually tied to it.

Tae-hyun's party abandoned Do Dong-su and resumed their sprint. A high-speed chase unfolding in the dark underground cavern!

"We threw away the filthy guy, so it's fine now! Let's talk!"

"Don't chase me!"

"Why not! I told you to stop! Halt!"

"Got you, you bastard!"

"How can you use Word Magic... A-As expected of one loved by dragons!"

"Now. Shall we have a chat?"

"A-Avatar of Archisus. I truly have nothing for you to take! Please let me go!"

"No, I told you, I have no intention of tricking you."

"Is that true?"

"It's true."

"But didn't you say you would 'Archisus' me earlier..."

"...That was just a joke."

"A j-joke... Whew. You startled me."

"Right. Anyway, since we left that filthy guy behind, there shouldn't be any issues between us, right? I'd like to meet your master."

There was only one reason Tae-hyun had desperately chased down the Death Knight ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Adjutant. Who else could be the NPC that summoned and controlled this adjutant? It was bound to be a dragon. To an ordinary player, a dragon was a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dangerous, high-level NPC to be avoided at all costs, but to Tae-hyun, dragons were friendly NPCs who gave great gifts. He had Yong-yong, Heuk-heuk, and his Speech skill... Under almost any circumstance, he could easily play the friend card!

'My time with Okenoas was wonderful, too.'

Okenoas, the ancient Sea Dragon near the underwater kingdom of Arantis! He was a truly kind dragon who had helped Tae-hyun level up his Word of Power skill and bestowed various gifts upon him.

"My master?"

"Yes."

"...Why? Could it be, Avatar of Archisus, that you intend to deceive my master...!"

"I told you, no."

"You plan to trick my master and make him your slave!"

"No, I don't. Look behind you."

"?"

The Death Knight Adjutant spotted the members of the secret society.

"They are... dragon worshippers."

"Exactly. I am someone who loves and respects dragons, which is why I travel with them. They respect me too. The reason I want to meet the dragon is out of pure respect."

-?

-???

Yong-yong and Heuk-heuk stared at him from the side, as if asking what on earth he was talking about. It was the first time in their lives they had heard such nonsense!

"Can we really afford to miss the chance to meet a dragon we respect?"

"He is absolutely right!"

"Lord Kim Tae-hyun is correct!"

The secret society members excitedly chimed in from behind. To see a dragon with their own eyes! It was a massive honor they would rarely, if ever, experience in their lifetimes.

"Are you truly not going to do anything?"

"Of course. We will only talk."

-...

-...

The two dragons and one god were utterly dumbfounded.

"Ohhh...!"

Everyone who entered gasped in awe. To think that from a moderately decent, ordinary ruins dungeon, they would actually enter a dragon's lair!

'Come to think of it, this is truly unimaginable...' one of the players thought to himself.

Would this have been possible if they hadn't met Kim Tae-hyun? Absolutely impossible. Do Dong-su would have just wandered off alone and died!

"But is it really okay to leave Do Dong-su behind?"

"It's fine. We're already inside."

The players were learning quickly.

-Only the Avatar of Archisus may enter.

A majestic voice echoed from the darkness ahead. The rest of the party stopped. A dragon was not a monster that players could hunt yet. Unless they were insane, no player would ignore a dragon's words. Besides, they had already obtained titles and received various bonuses, so everyone was fully satisfied!

Tae-hyun walked into the darkness.

With a sudden teleportation, Alexeos revealed himself.

"!"

-Are you surprised, Avatar of Archisus?

The massive dragon, Alexeos, appeared.

An immense magical power could be felt, but at the center of it, Alexeos's massive frame consisted of nothing but bones.

Tae-hyun asked with a bewildered expression, "Uh... a Bone Dragon?"

-Do not compare this noble self to such a trivial monster.

Alexeos rattled his bones in displeasure.

-A Bone Dragon is merely a summon raised by trivial necromancers using the rotten bones of a dragon. It is shameful to even attach the name of a dragon to it.

'A Bone Dragon is supposed to be a necromancer's ultimate weapon, though...'

If a Necromancer player could summon even a single Bone Dragon, almost any guild would scramble to recruit them. But to a dragon like Alexeos, a Bone Dragon was nothing but trivial.

-I am a Dragon Lich, one who bound his own soul to reject death.

'Oh...'

A Lich was an incredibly powerful boss monster. A dragon was an even stronger boss monster. If such a dragon became a Lich?

'He must be unimaginably powerful!'

"But why is someone so powerful staying in a place like this?"

-I expended too much power destroying the Asbian Empire. I cannot leave my lair.

'If the secret society members heard that, they'd probably die of grief.'

-By the way, those two dragons...

"Ah. They are a Gold Dragon and a Black Dragon."

Tae-hyun anticipated a positive ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠reaction. Since he was traveling with two dragons, surely Alexeos would be pleased?

-I dislike both of them. Red Dragons are the absolute best among dragons.

"...I think so too!"

-Master?!

-Master!?

-Indeed. Red Dragons are the absolute best.

Yong-yong and Heuk-heuk glared at Alexeos. Look at this guy, completely rotted away without even a scrap of skin left...

-Avatar of Archisus. Why have you sought me out like this? Surely you do not intend to trick me and make me your servant?

Just what on earth had Archisus been doing for dragons to immediately suspect him the moment they laid eyes on his avatar?

"Would I ever dare?"

-Indeed. I have bound my own soul, so I cannot even form a divine beast contract. Though they say the Gold Dragons fell for Archisus's sweet words and handed over their race's hatchling...

Yong-yong became dejected.

Tae-hyun tried to defend him. "Still, isn't being a divine beast of Archisus a pretty good thing? At least there's nothing to lose."

-There is nothing good about getting caught between gods. It is always the mortals who end up bleeding. In the end, did the gods not all abandon this land? There is a reason dragons remained neutral in the wars of the gods. Well, falling for Archisus's tricks was probably unavoidable...

"?"

-If Archisus sets his mind to it, is there any being who wouldn't be deceived? It is not the fault of the Gold Dragons. Their fate was sealed the moment they were targeted by Archisus.

"..."

-At any rate... Avatar of Archisus. State the reason you have come here. Since you have shown the sincerity to seek me out all the way here, and you carry the name of Archisus, I can bestow a small reward upon you.

'Jackpot!'

Judging by his tone, the dragon didn't seem to dislike him. Now, all he had to do was build up that favorability and squeeze out as much as possible!