The Art of the Deal with a Dragon Lich

When trying to squeeze as much as possible out of a dragon-like boss monster, it was best to give them a reason they could deeply empathize with. And Tae-hyun already had just the reason.

"Lord Alexeos! You went through all the trouble of destroying the wicked Asbian Empire, but now the even more evil Emperor Uipoatl has resurrected and is running rampant. Please grant me the power to bring down his empire once and for all!"

He was absolutely brimming with the desire to eat-and-run! His determination to use the Asbian Empire and Uipoatl as excuses to squeeze the dragon dry was palpable.

-What did you say?

"...?"

-Uipoatl has been resurrected?!

Alexeos cried out, his voice laced with shock.

What? He didn't know?

-That is impossible! That bastard and his lackeys were all struck down and buried deep beneath the sands! Who on earth would dare!

"I know, right? He's a truly wicked bastard!" Tae-hyun nodded in vigorous agreement. I don't know who did it, but they must be a really bad person!

-After all the effort we went through to bring him down... The surrounding lands must already be suffering under that tyrant's oppression.

Huh? Tae-hyun blinked in confusion. Ah. Alexeos doesn't realize that Uipoatl hasn't fully resurrected yet.

The battle between Uipoatl and Alexeos must have been incredibly fierce. Alexeos had become a Dragon Lich, unable to leave this underground cavern, while Uipoatl was also incomplete, unable to step foot outside his own palace...

Wait. This is actually a fantastic situation, isn't it? If neither of them could step outside? That made it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠even easier to exploit them!

-Are you listening to me, Avatar of Archisus?

"Ah, yes. I'm listening. Things have indeed been terrible around here lately."

-I knew it.

"But ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Uipoatl is exceptionally strong, and he has so many subordinates. I don't think I can do this alone. Is there any way you could help me?"

-Did I not tell you that I cannot leave this place?

"But surely there are other dragons besides you, Lord Alexeos?" Tae-hyun asked, his voice filled with anticipation.

If he could borrow even a single dragon, the destructive power would be astronomical. The memory of Yong-yong and Heuk-heuk unleashing their full-power Dragon Breaths upon being summoned was still vivid in his mind.

-Most of the other dragons are likely dead. The battle against Uipoatl was just that devastating.

"...!"

Tae-hyun was genuinely shocked. Was Uipoatl really that powerful of a boss monster in his prime? Strong enough to slay not just one, but multiple dragons?

Holy crap. I must absolutely make sure he never fully resurrects. If Tae-hyun got unlucky, even he could get instantly wiped out.

Ancient Empire, ancient mages, ancient paladins... why did everything become so ridiculously overpowered the moment the word "ancient" was slapped onto it? Tae-hyun grumbled inwardly.

"Then, Lord Alexeos, what can you do for me?"

-I shall bestow my blessing upon you.

"What else?"

-...I shall also lend you my Authority.

"And?"

-...I can lend you the armaments within my lair.

Lending them, not giving them! The greed of Red Dragons was legendary, and that hadn't changed even after he became a Lich. But Alexeos had no idea who he was dealing with!

"And what else?"

-What more could you possibly want!

"Come on, how can someone like me fight a monster like Uipoatl without proper backing?"

-You are the Avatar of Archisus! You will never be pushed back by that wicked tyrant.

Such useless faith in the Avatar of Archisus! It was a moment where he should have been touched, but Tae-hyun didn't care in the slightest.

"Ah, being the Avatar of Archisus isn't all that. The church was completely ruined, so we barely managed to revive it, and all the other churches just look down on us and bully us."

-What? That... Well, actually, that does sound plausible...

"Pardon?"

-Ah, no, it is nothing. It is the fault of the other churches for failing to understand Archisus's true intentions. Archisus is, without a doubt, a benevolent god.

Now that he was the one in a desperate position, Alexeos began to read Tae-hyun's expressions.

"Besides, I haven't even fully recovered my Authorities yet."

-Indeed, it must be difficult to obtain all those Authorities with a mere human body. Though, I see you have somehow managed to steal the Authorities of other gods in the meantime.

"...Who's to say I didn't receive them legitimately?"

-What? Did you... did you truly receive them? Really?

Alexeos was utterly shocked by the implication that the Avatar of Archisus had actually received other gods' Authorities without stealing them.

"...Well, I did steal them."

-I knew it! That filthy Black Dragon was indeed Sadiq's divine beast. I've always thought those Black Dragons played dirty since the old days.

-......

Heuk-heuk cursed inwardly. Just wait until I meet another Black Dragon. I'm going to tell on him!

Tae-hyun suddenly grew curious and asked, "By the way, the Black Dragon race seems to have signed a divine beast contract with Sadiq as well. Why is it that they only fear Archisus?"

-Well, the contract between the Black Dragons and Sadiq was an equal... actually, no. It might have been even more favorable to the Black Dragons. Back then, the gods and demons were in the middle of a massive war, so Sadiq was in a desperate position... Either way, it was a decent contract for both sides.

"And Archisus...?"

-Archisus's contract was completely one-sided and unfair. For a long time, rumors circulated that the Elder of the Gold Dragons had gone completely mad.

"......"

After a private conversation with Archisus, the Elder of the Gold Dragon race had signed the contract as if possessed. The other dragons had watched in terror, wondering, What on earth happened in there? Ever since, Archisus became a name that dragons actively avoided.

-Do not associate with Archisus! You might get tricked and have your very soul bound!

To think there was such a tragic backstory...

-......

Yong-yong let his wings droop. The tragic history of my ancestors!

-Sadiq is hardly a god to be feared. Ah... wait. Is the reason you came all the way here, instead of staying on the Central Continent, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to find an Authority?

"...!"

Tae-hyun was startled. He had been planning to ask about this anyway. One of his primary goals in coming to this empire was indeed to find an Authority of Archisus!

"Do you know where it is?"

-No... I avoided getting involved with anything related to Archisus as much as humanly possible...

"......"

-But I have heard rumors. They say there is a dungeon where Archisus hid his treasures.

"!"

Tae-hyun's eyes sparkled. Found it! As expected, rather than running around in circles looking for documents, it was much faster to track down someone who actually knew and ask them directly!

"Do you know the location?"

-Well... hrm. I was afraid that knowing the location would somehow link me to Archisus...

Just how much did he detest being associated with Archisus! Even Alexeos seemed slightly embarrassed.

-Wait a moment. I shall dispatch a Death Knight to investigate. Once they check, we will know soon enough.

"Is that really possible?"

-All the dungeons in this vicinity are connected to this place.

Ah. So that's how it is. It seemed the underground areas of all the surrounding dungeons fell under Alexeos's domain. If someone like Do Dong-su got on the dragon's bad side, he could simply invite them to the underground dungeon and slice them up! It was the most Alexeos could do, given that he was bound to his subterranean lair.

-Found it.

-Now that you are on your way to obtaining your Authority as the Avatar of Archisus, do you feel confident enough to face Uipoatl?

Alexeos probed subtly. He was clearly trying to find a way to cut down on the support he had to provide. But Tae-hyun was cold and calculating.

"I'm going to need a lot more support than that!"

-Very well...

Jackpot! What Tae-hyun had managed to squeeze out of Alexeos was nothing short of monumental.

It was a bit of a shame that there was a time limit, but this was more than enough. Besides, as long as he didn't get caught, there was no reason for the dragon to get angry!

Ah, what should I do first with this? I have so many options, it's almost a problem.

There were plenty of bastards to attack, plenty of territories to conquer, and plenty of dungeons to hunt in...

Oh, wait. Come to think of it, the next match of the Dungeon Conquest Tournament is coming up soon...

There were very few people in the world who could remain this relaxed right before the semifinals. Everyone else was already buzzing with excitement!

...I'm starting to feel a little sorry for the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠opposing team.

Even without resorting to his hidden trump cards, his clear time was bound to be drastically reduced with these buffs.

"Uh... is there nothing better? Something a bit more unique and powerful?"

Alexeos's armament set was undoubtedly an excellent gear set. High-level players would have equipped it the instant they laid eyes on it. However, it failed to satisfy Tae-hyun, who was already decked out in gear on par with top-tier rankers.

-I am an upright and honest dragon, so I do not possess many treasures.

"......" It was an excuse that absolutely no one would believe. He's definitely hiding something! Tae-hyun resolved to squeeze it out of him eventually.

Well, I can still put the armament set to good use. There were plenty of places in Tae-hyun's territory that desperately needed high-level equipment, from NPCs to players.

Although the truly precious treasures remained hidden, the support Alexeos provided was still immense. In truth, the blessing and the Authority alone were more than enough reward. The rest was just a bonus—a bonus that would prove highly useful in the future!

-Avatar of Archisus. Go forth and slay the tyrant Uipoatl.

"Understood, Lord Alexeos. I will make absolutely sure that Uipoatl never roams the outside world again!" He wasn't lying!

-What an incredibly obnoxious bastard!

-Indeed. Red Dragons are simply not worth associating with under any circumstances.

The moment they stepped outside, Yong-yong and Heuk-heuk immediately began venting their complaints. They had kept their mouths shut out of fear in front of him, but not anymore!

"Hmm. Still, we got some pretty decent stuff."

-?

-??

Tae-hyun had harvested absolutely everything he could possibly take from Alexeos's physical remains! It was akin to visiting a butcher shop and buying up all the unpopular cuts of meat for dirt cheap.

While Alexeos had refused to part with his eyes or heart, which were incredibly rare materials, Tae-hyun had still managed to secure his scales and claws.

-Y-You... don't tell me you're planning to turn those into essence and feed them to us!

"Huh? Oh... I was actually planning to craft some armor for you guys to wear. It'll help level up my Blacksmithing Skill, too."

-......

"But that's actually a great idea. I got plenty of them, so if there's any left over after crafting, I'll cook them up for you."

-Hey!!

Heuk-heuk snapped at Yong-yong. Why did he have to go and open his big mouth!

-H-How was I supposed to know he'd actually do it!

Flap! Ignoring the two dragons slapping each other with their wings, Tae-hyun walked out. His party was waiting for him.

"Tae-hyun!"

"The conversation went well, but... why does everyone look like that?"

"Did you know that the Choigang Jijon Mussang Guild has declared war on us?"

"...!"