Chapter 186
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 186
Chapter Title: Dracos
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"I see. The first hero party summoned by the goddess fought alongside the mother and died, and now you're in the middle of dealing with the hatchlings..."
The village chief stroked his chin after hearing Kim Jin-woo's story.
"You said two are left?"
A nod.
"And one of them has already evolved to the point where it's too hard to chase..."
In truth, it was Kim Jin-woo's blunder that caused the evolution, but he glossed it over, claiming that by the time we arrived, it had already progressed beyond what they could handle.
Honestly, I didn't like it, but it was the right call.
No need to voluntarily erode their trust.
Of course, the goddess, who knew the full truth, would dock a ton of points and mark me down.
"Could we get some help?"
"Of course we'll assist."
Whoosh—their faces lit up.
Hao Zifeng let out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness that guy hadn't done anything stupid.
'He's still someone who once led a guild.'
To me, he seemed like an unfinished egoist lost in his own hype, but even so, hadn't he just lost almost none of his guild members not long ago?
So he was acting rationally, in his own way.
Though his true nature still couldn't resist sneaking glances at the chief's daughter every so often.
"Morak."
"Yes, Chief."
"Bring out Dracos."
Dracos? As the others looked puzzled, the natives went off and returned leading some kind of beast.
"Whoa?!"
The people nearby jumped back in surprise, clearing a path.
It had a familiar face. A raptor-like form with the swift mobility of an ostrich—a monster.
"Skarba?"
Right, it was a Skarba. Players who'd caught a few on the way here and checked the corpses recognized it and gasped.
Strictly speaking, it was the same as a Skarba but different. A muzzle and reins were fitted around its mouth.
Dracostra were tamed from Skarba eggs stolen by Versh villagers when the fierce ones went out hunting.
'That's why they're incredibly fast.'
Of course, compared to wild Skarba that grew up in brutal competition where the slow ones got weeded out and died, they were slower—but still fast enough to keep up with mountain dragons.
Plus, their footsteps sounded just like a regular Skarba's, so they wouldn't attract packs.
'Faster than any horse, with agile turns.'
They were also sturdy with high combat prowess, making them top-tier mounts.
The downside? They ate a ton.
You had to feed them on time.
Fail that, and they'd even devour their owner.
"This is a Dracostra, our village's mount. We'll lend them to you."
"!!"
Now their eyes went wide.
"For real?"
"Whoa!"
Right—that was the reason we'd come to Versh Village. To secure mounts for chasing the mountain dragons.
"Mounts? Jackpot!"
"Yeah, this is gonna be fun!"
Shin Seo-yeon and Lee Sera bounced around in excitement.
Why get hyped over a horse when you could ride a dinosaur? Their faces were already beaming with childlike wonder.
As those two airheads and everyone else lit up with hope, joy, and curiosity...
"But there are conditions."
"?"
The thrilled players froze and turned to the voice.
The chief's daughter.
She had a stubborn, fiery look about her, but her stunning beauty kept drawing Kim Jin-woo's gaze.
Unlike the other natives, she had a sharp nose and exceptional looks. Her well-tanned bronze skin radiated health.
If there was a flaw, it was her modestly cute chest compared to the other women. Maybe that's why her temper was so foul.
"Dracos are our tribe's greatest treasure. Capturing and taming just one risks your life and takes days of hardship."
"So what do you want, pretty miss?"
At Kim Jin-woo's words, the chief's daughter lifted her chin with an arrogant smirk.
"Fulfill a request for our village, and we'll lend them."
"Huh?"
"What the hell?!"
The group erupted in protest.
"The mountain dragons are evolving right now!"
"We're short on time as it is—do village chores? Screw that!"
As complaints flew, Kim Jin-woo snapped out of it, composed his dumbfounded face, and spoke.
"Time is critical. Please cooperate considering the circumstances."
"No thanks."
"This isn't just for our benefit. We finish fast and head home happy; you eliminate a potential threat. Win-win, right?"
Kim Jin-woo tried to persuade her calmly, belatedly realizing dozens of lives hung on his shoulders.
"So? What now?"
"Pardon?"
"Will you do it or not? Just say that."
Kim Jin-woo's jaw dropped. So did everyone else's.
"What kind of bullshit is this?"
Kubara, the chief's daughter of Versh Village. She was the biggest headache in any negotiation here.
A realist who didn't buy into the goddess's oracles, she believed help came with strings attached—a sharp, no-nonsense personality.
"Ku, Kubara. The goddess herself said so."
"And? Does meat rain from the sky if we obey?"
The chief and shaman tried persuading her, but it fell on deaf ears. She was the village's most bullheaded.
"The situation is urgent. Please cut us some slack."
Kim Jin-woo tried again, humbling himself, but it was pointless.
"Then help us hard and finish quick."
Kubara exploited humility to squeeze more, and flipped the table if pushed hard.
"That's..."
"Fine, as village rep, here's the first request. Our communal outhouse is filthy. Clean it spotless."
Hah. Everyone's faces twisted in disbelief. They were suddenly on toilet duty.
"Come on, don't do this... We're not here just for us."
Kim Jin-woo kept trying, but Kubara wouldn't budge. No choice left for the group.
"The outhouse is at the end of the underground stream. Morak, guide them."
"Uh, yes."
"What the..."
"Ugh, damn it. I've never even cleaned toilets in school."
Resentment toward Kubara boiled over into curses, spreading to the village, then to Kim Jin-woo.
"Fuck, we shouldn't have let that guy handle it."
They blamed him for failing to negotiate.
That's why I didn't step in.
No reason to take the heat.
"Ah, shit. This right?"
"Dunno. I'm freaking out."
"Haha, hang in there, everyone."
"Dickhead, why not just kill 'em all and take the mounts?"
That was an option. But no need.
"You not going?"
As I stayed put while the group moved, Kubara stared me down.
"What, my words not clear? Need extra penalties to knock some sense in?"
The Chinese trailing me bolted to join Jeju Alliance. I smiled brightly.
"Nah, just something to do first."
"Something?"
I eyed the shaman.
"Mind if we pray a bit?"
"Of course. This way."
The shaman led us gladly to a small cave in the village corner.
The tunnel inside was neatly carved, widening into a 40-pyeong space.
Hummm—
A pale blue barrier blocked our path. The group gasped, finally getting why we came, eyes wide.
Stepping inside, the stone chamber scattered rainbow lights beautifully.
[Sanctuary <Whisper of the Wind> discovered.]
[Bonus stats +10 as reward.]
[A now-forgotten ancient being acknowledges you.]
Ancient zones almost always had sanctuaries. They were one of the few ways players got bonus stats.
"You came here knowing this?"
Lee Eun-jeong eyed me after seeing my group's reaction.
A nod.
"Comrade Min-jun seems to know everything."
"Heh, our Dickhead's pretty sharp."
"Then why hit him? Cherish him."
"Ah, that was a misunderstanding! I'm the victim!"
Shin Seo-yeon looked wronged, but Lee Eun-jeong wasn't buying it. Pure prejudice in her eyes.
Anyway, I placed [Ancient Blacklight Mushrooms] on the small goddess statue at the sanctuary's end.
One for each of us and the North Koreans who'd followed.
"That's the offering this time?"
"Pretty much."
Discovering a sanctuary gave bonus stats, but offerings yielded even better rewards.
'[Ancient Blacklight Mushrooms] repel beasts and satisfy hunger, so locals see them as a goddess's blessing and offer them often.'
For coming-of-age rites, they went solo outside the village to gather them, then offered with utmost gratitude.
Sure enough, a notification appeared.
[<Voice of the Herald> praises your efforts.]
A cluster of pure white light gathered, taking form. It split, shaping before each person.
"A bracelet...?"
It resembled reins: leather straps wound three times, rough and plain-looking.
But checking the item info made everyone's eyes bulge. Even I was surprised.
Upon mounting something, you instinctively wield Intermediate+ riding skills. +50% to all mount-related abilities; +200% skill acquisition. Consume mana for instant sprints.
[<Voice of the Herald> remembers your deeds.]
'Ahh, the goddess was in a good mood and gave extra.'
Seemed showing respect before her statue and watching my mouth helped.
'Popular gods don't sweat the small stuff, but minor ones do.'
Worked out for us anyway.
No more struggling or wasting time on mounts for the party.