The Art of the Dragon Knight

Heuk-heuk was lost in thought. When was the last time I spoke with Hakkaras? It must have been at least a few hundred years... Will we even be able to communicate? Dragons were, by nature, selfish creatures who cared only for themselves. Even if they were of the same color, one might get them to listen, but expecting anything more was foolish.

Yet, Kim Tae-hyun completely ignored Heuk-heuk's hesitation, acting as if the matter were already settled.

"Master..."

"Right. So you're confident?"

"No, well, it's not that..."

"Yes, yes. I get it, so you can stop bragging."

"..."

Heuk-heuk realized the truth. Tae-hyun wasn't asking whether it was possible or impossible. He was commanding him to make it happen, no matter what!

Yong-yong patted Heuk-heuk on the back with a look of pity. Heuk-heuk was deeply touched. For some reason, ever since they had arrived in the Asbian Empire, he felt himself growing closer and closer to Yong-yong.

"And, Lord Alexeos."

"What is it now?"

Alexeos groaned in disgust. If we've talked this much, shouldn't you hurry out and stop the danger? Why do you keep pestering me? Even in death, his wariness of Archisus was impossible to hide. But Alexeos did not yet know the golden rule: in front of Tae-hyun, one had to watch every single word.

"...Wow. Aren't you being a bit too harsh?"

"N-no... It's just that the world outside is in chaos, and there is very little this old body can do. I simply felt you were spending too much time here..."

"Do you have any idea how hard I'm working right now? While everyone else is bowing and scraping to the Emperor, I'm the only one risking my neck, partnering with a secret society to stand against him! Wow, seriously, wow. Just because you're a dragon doesn't mean you can treat me like this."

"No... I am sorry."

If Alexeos were still alive and had nothing to lose, even the Supreme Eloquence skill wouldn't have wrung an apology out of him. But currently, Alexeos was in a desperate position. Tae-hyun knew this, which was why he pushed so aggressively. After all, if not for Tae-hyun, there was practically no one else who could help Alexeos achieve his goals!

"I truly apologize."

"Hmph. Forget it. I knew it from the moment we met, when you showed how much you hated Archisus."

"No... It is not that I hate Archisus, but rather that I am wary of him. And it is not just me; any dragon with a shred of common sense and culture is wary of him..."

"Isn't that the exact same thing as hating him?! I have taken on the role of the Avatar of Archisus and saved this continent from so many dangers, yet to be treated like this... It's truly sorrowful..."

Tae-hyun turned his head away, looking utterly choked up. Yong-yong flapped his wings, attempting to soothe him.

"I am sorry. Now that I think about it, perhaps Archisus isn't so bad. It is likely just a case of bad rumors spreading..."

I feel like I've heard of this exact situation before, Yong-yong thought to himself. He recalled hearing stories of how the Gold Dragon elders had let their guard down in the exact same manner before being thoroughly swindled by Archisus...

"Sigh. What choice do I have? The continent is in danger, so I suppose I must endure once more."

"...Is there perhaps something you need?"

"Could you perhaps strengthen my Dragon Lich Transformation?"

"Are you out of your mind...!"

Alexeos was dumbfounded. The skill to transform into a Dragon Lich, Dragon Lich Transformation, was an absolutely monstrous ability. It was a cheat skill that could turn even Tae-hyun, who was severely lacking in magic skills, into a Lich that could rival Lee Se-yeon! It granted a sky-high maximum MP pool, an MP recovery rate that restored his mana in the blink of an eye, and access to all sorts of powerful Necromancer spells—all packed into a single skill.

Naturally, Alexeos hadn't handed this over lightly. He had sacrificed a significant portion of his own original power to bestow it. And now, Tae-hyun was asking to strengthen it even further? It was like trying to squeeze blood from a stone.

"Absolutely not! I cannot spare any more of my power."

"..."

Tae-hyun met his refusal with silence. Sometimes, silence carried far more weight than words.

"Would you... perhaps like another treasure from my lair?"

"..."

"I... I could alter the nature of the power instead. From what I can see, as the Avatar of Archisus, you are far closer to a warrior than a mage. I can grant you a power suited for a warrior, rather than that of a Dragon Lich."

"...!"

Tae-hyun's interest was instantly piqued. Honestly, when he had asked to strengthen Dragon Lich Transformation, he hadn't expected much. The skill was already incredibly broken! Having received it alongside the Hourglass of Time, which drastically reduced skill cooldowns, asking for an upgrade was practically highway robbery.

But changing the nature of the power?

When fighting Hakkaras, the Avatar of Archisus state is much better than being a Dragon Lich, Tae-hyun calculated coldly. While a Dragon Lich could lead an entire undead legion on its own, there were times when a legion simply wasn't enough. Hakkaras was a master of magic, and his black magic would undoubtedly be devastating. Against such an opponent, the Dragon Lich form didn't offer a particularly favorable matchup.

Besides, Tae-hyun had already teamed up with Lee Se-yeon. If he needed to command an undead army, he could just rely on her strength. It would be far more effective to remain in his Avatar of Archisus state, nimbly dodging the enemy's attacks while unleashing burst damage!

"Hmm... Well, I suppose it can't be helped. Shall we do that, then?"

"Very well."

"And you'll still let me take another treasure from your lair, right?"

"...You may take only one."

"Thank you!"

"But you are not allowed to look and choose."

"Wait, how am I supposed to choose without looking? I'll just take a quick peek. It won't even take five seconds."

"The power of Archisus is the power of luck. Absolutely not."

Tsk.

Alexeos wasn't an ancient dragon for nothing. He was wise and highly experienced! Any other NPC would have been completely taken for a ride, but because Alexeos was so clever, he only let himself get half-scammed.

"Then how am I supposed to choose?"

"I could choose for..."

"..."

"...No, I suppose not."

Tae-hyun clearly saw it—the way ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Alexeos's hollow eye sockets darted toward him to gauge his reaction before quickly looking away!

"Then let us have a third party choose. Someone who looks like they have the absolute worst luck..."

"Excuse me?"

"Ah, no. I mean... someone who looks the most impartial. Why not let that Black Dragon do it?"

He meant Heuk-heuk!

Since Yong-yong was the divine beast of Archisus and a Gold Dragon to boot, he naturally seemed like he would possess absurdly good luck.

Tae-hyun turned to Heuk-heuk and spoke in a solemn voice.

"Heuk-heuk."

"Yes?"

"I believe in you!"

"Wait, no! Please stop believing in me out of nowhere... It's too much pressure!"

Drooping his wings, Heuk-heuk reluctantly slunk into the depths of the lair.

"What did you pick?"

Tae-hyun stared with eyes full of anticipation.

Heuk-heuk held out a tiny silk pouch. The moment Tae-hyun saw it, his expression turned ice-cold. No matter how he looked at it, there was no way a good item could fit inside such a tiny pouch! For some reason, Alexeos seemed to be grinning—even though he was nothing but bones!

"Heuk-heuk. Do you... not have a brain? When you don't know what's inside, you're supposed to pick the biggest thing."

It was a fundamental rule of thumb! The larger the volume, the higher the probability of getting something substantial.

Heuk-heuk replied, sounding deeply wronged.

"Master, I had to choose while blindfolded!"

"What a cheap trick..."

Alexeos turned his head, pretending not to hear.

"Avatar of Archisus. Uipoatl will not wait for you forever. You must head to the Central Continent as quickly as possible, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠resolve the issue, and return..."

"Got it."

Having already milked the dragon for everything he could get, Tae-hyun let the words go in one ear and out the other.

What's inside this thing?

Open.

"......????"

Tae-hyun stared blankly at the few seeds resting in his palm. Was this really it?

What on earth is this...

"......"

Tae-hyun sensed that something was highly unusual about this. It didn't seem like a complete dud, but...

I'd prefer an item that's easy to use and straightforward...

He already had more than enough items whose effects and activation times were completely unpredictable! He could just plant it right away, but one detail left a bad taste in his mouth. It was the fact that the stats influencing this ancient seed happened to be the exact ones that Tae-hyun had raised to absurdly high levels.

Luck, Reputation, and Holy stats should be fine even if they're high, but Infamy... having high Infamy can't be good for this, right?

Tae-hyun's Luck, Reputation, and Holy stats were incredibly high, but his Infamy was also absolutely astronomical! This felt like a trap waiting to spring.

Well, I can't just not plant it... I'll have to plant it somewhere far away from my main territory.

Tae-hyun decided he would plant it on the outskirts of the Atali Kingdom, right near the territories of those disobedient noble NPCs who refused to listen to him. Since he had obtained it, he couldn't just let it sit in his inventory.

"Hurry up and leave, Avatar of Archisus!"

"Yeah, yeah."

Oh, this is much better.

Instead of transforming into a Dragon Lich, he could now use all of his Avatar of Archisus class ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠skills exactly as they were. It was a buff skill, not a transformation!

"I told you to hurry up and get out!"

"Ah, I'm going, I'm going."

"By the way, Master."

"...?"

"...Didn't we come here to find the Authority of Archisus?"

Yong-yong voiced his confusion. Their main objective in coming to the Asbian Empire was supposed to be locating the Authority of Archisus...

Yet, since arriving, all they had done was trick Uipoatl into giving them support, swindle Alexeos out of his power, raid local tribes, and attack mines to recruit subordinates...

"Ah. Right."

Tae-hyun readily admitted it. Somehow, he had simply run out of time to look for the Authority of Archisus.

"But Yong-yong, the Authority of Archisus isn't what's important right now."

It was an incredibly flexible statement coming from the Avatar of Archisus himself!

"T-then, what is important?"

"Obviously, the things with a time limit. We can always find the Authority later. Who else is going to take it? It's a completely useless item to anyone else anyway."

"..."

"We need to set sail and head back immediately. Everything should be fully prepared by now."

Tae-hyun spoke with absolute confidence. Anticipating this, he had already sent his companions ahead to the harbor to prepare for departure. By now, they should be completely ready to set sail!

However, Tae-hyun's expectations were spectacularly shattered.

"How the hell are we supposed to get him on board?! The moment he steps on, the ship starts collapsing and melting!"

"Should we try casting ice magic on his body?"

"Kuo! Kuooo!"

"Uh, I think he's telling us not to do that."

It was absolute pandemonium! The harbor of the Asbian Empire was more chaotic than a bustling marketplace.

Countless players who had come to sightsee in the Asbian Empire had gathered to watch the spectacle of them trying to load the ship.

"Whoa. What kind of giant is that? I've never seen anything like it."

"Is Kim Tae-hyun commanding that thing? As expected of Kim Tae-hyun."

"But why does the giant look so withered and exhausted?"

"Did he not get enough sleep?"

"It's Kim Tae-hyun!"

"What are you talking about? I just asked if he didn't get enough sleep. Why would he be withered because of Kim Tae-hyun? It's not like he's a member of the Guild Alliance."

"No, look over there! Kim Tae-hyun is actually here!"

Whoosh—

The moment Tae-hyun appeared, the massive crowd of players parted down the middle like the Red Sea. A path opened up automatically without him having to utter a single word!

Watching this, Cain gasped in admiration.

"Whoa. I want to do that too."

"I think that might be... a bit out of your reach, Cain..."

The sheer aura Tae-hyun exuded was on an entirely different level.

As Tae-hyun walked past with an easy, leisurely stride, a few players in the crowd began to whisper.

"The bounty... Can we claim it if we attack him now?"

"But I heard rumors that they don't actually pay out properly."

"Let's just hit him first and think later..."

To think Tae-hyun was within arm's reach! It felt like they could just land a single hit and run...

However, they had severely underestimated the surrounding crowd. While they might have been alone outside the city, this place was crawling with Tae-hyun's fans.

"Hey, guys! These guys are bounty hunters!"

"Stomp them!"

"?!"

The bounty hunters had assumed they would be the ones initiating the attack; they had never imagined they would be preemptively ambushed right in the middle of a safe zone!