Dragon Slayer (1)
At the far edge of this distant field map stood the infamous Dragon Lair, a death zone dreaded by all. Another player here? Sandro whipped around at the sudden voice, spotting a familiar ID he'd never met in person.
"Whoa, it really is you, Sandro! I saw a Red Drake that doesn't spawn around here and followed it on a hunch..."
"Ah... hello? Fancy running into a famous ranker out here. Nice to meet you—Sandro."
"OMG, I'm so thrilled! I've always wanted to meet you, and here of all places? I'm a huge fan!"
The woman, Rapunzel, wore an odd getup: robe armor paired with a bow. She might look like an archer at first glance, but she was a top healer ranker who'd held her spot for ages. What really made her famous, though, was her relationship with the current #1 ranker, Kaiser.
"What a coincidence. Who'd have thought I'd run into you right here?"
A lone healer like her wouldn't be out here solo. Sure enough, as the thought crossed his mind, another player emerged from behind a tree—Kaiser himself, the guy he'd bumped into during the field war with Taeseong.
"Feels like we just met, but here we are again. Good to see you, Kaiser."
"Yeah. Running into someone in a spot where you might not see another player for days? I'm glad too."
"Your advice last time was a huge help. Thanks a ton."
"Advice? Oh, right—the titan info I shared?"
"Yep. It gave me the idea to steal the titan Taeseong almost had."
"That? Come on, no need to make it sound like a big deal. You pulled it off because you're that good. Hearing Taeseong whiffed it made even me grin—word is, they slaved over that dungeon for three months straight to open it! Haha!"
An underground city instance that took that much effort? Made sense in Taitonic, with its massive maps, hordes of NPCs, and stingy quest hints.
"Haha! Hey, I'm a Thief by trade. Call it playing to my strengths. So, what brings you two here? Sightseeing the dragon?"
"Sightseeing? You think rankers have time for that? This is our hunting ground. We've been farming here together for over two weeks now."
"Huh? Hunting? Here?"
"Yeah, Sandro! Spots like this don't come often—great XP, and pretty safe too!"
Rapunzel spilled details without him even asking, the kind of honey pot most would hoard. Meeting him here probably helped, but it seemed she genuinely liked him.
The monsters roaming here—ogres, cyclopes—were "ferocious" enhanced variants at the map's edge. Tough to take down as big bruisers, but each dropped XP worth four or five elsewhere. Silence Forest was littered with them, so yeah, prime hunting ground. As long as mobs didn't pile up, like in any challenging field spot.
"Once you step inside the lair, mob aggro resets. Outside mobs can't follow in, and the green dragon doesn't aggro till deep inside. Makes the entrance a total safe zone!"
"True. Even mobs swarming isn't a big threat anymore, but a beholder dropping Silence still packs a punch. That's why we're still posted up nearby."
The forest's name came from those silence-casting monsters that sealed player magic. Paired with high-physical-defense heavies, it was a nightmare combo. No wonder few high-levels even dreamed of reaching the Dragon Lair.
"No surprise you two hold top ranks. Farming here keeps everyone else in the dust. And figuring this out yourselves? Impressive."
Veterans adapted to mob AI over time, predicting even new spots. But pioneering like this from scratch? Not just anyone could. Luck once or twice, sure—but rankers like them leveled everywhere first.
"Anyway, what brings you here? Haven't seen a single player in two weeks, and now you show up at the Dragon Lair?"
"Ah... just got curious about the dragon. Every Taitonic player dreams of seeing one up close, right?"
"You've had your Red Drake tamed forever. Only now you're curious? With sieges, field wars against Taeseong, and grinding levels on top—you're swamped, I hear."
"Huh? Oh, yeah..."
Kaiser and Rapunzel grinding like this was badass, worthy of praise. But bad news for Sandro. He'd banked on this place being player-free for a secret raid attempt. They were basically gatekeeping it.
Pre-raid tests were needed too, and sneaking those past them? Dicey.
"C'mon, that's a obvious fib. You got a quest too, right? Like ours?"
"Enough!"
Kaiser cut Rapunzel off too late—the key word was out.
"Quest?"
"What? Not here for a quest? Oops. Gonna get scolded again... Honey, sorry..."
"I swear, my Rapunzel drives me nuts sometimes. Why? You nail everything else, then pull this cute nonsense. Did you mess up or not?"
"I did..."
What the hell was this lovey-dovey scene? The same Kaiser who'd been curt and sarcastic with him was now cheesing it up with her?
"Uh... sorry to ask out of nowhere, but mind sharing your ages? You used casual speech from the jump, so I figured you were older. I'm 28, for reference."
"Offended by casual talk? My bad, then. I'm 36."
"Whoa, hyung! Nah, keep it casual—I'm good."
"I'm 25! Makes you oppa to me too. Cool if I call you Sandro-oppa?"
Twenty-five? An eleven-year gap? Talk about stealing the real thief title.
"Anyway! No quest, but you're here anyway? Obvious, then. Bold move, Sandro—eyeing the dragon already?"
"Nah, what? My level's not even close. And this thing's catching players now?"
"Your panic says otherwise. No need to deny—I'd be tempted too. But even with a titan, gutsy. Ah, Taeseong's cranking out titans, so you're rushing before they catch up?"
"..."
No point dodging when he nailed it. But leaking raid intel pre-start? Risky. They weren't enemies, but not full allies either.
"Could you... keep it secret? Low odds of success anyway, and I don't want interference."
"Secret? No need—I've got a proposal."
"Proposal? Outta nowhere..."
"Your Tu Mertus raid. Let us join. In return, we'll share this quest we've been sitting on."
(Kaiser: Checking the link. Think it over—it's no loss for you. Dragon Slayer(!))
Dragon Slayer: Linked Quest, One-Time Quest
* Quest Difficulty: SS
* To inherit the hero's power who vanquished demon lords and dragons in the God-Demon War, you must prove your worth.
* Subjugate the remaining dragon clan(!) to prove yourself.
* Quest Clear Condition: Subjugate Dragon(!)
* Quest Clear Reward: Acquire Special Skill (choice), Achievement (S)
An SS-difficulty quest he'd never even heard of! Fitting for the #1 ranker.
"What's this? Pick a special skill? And a guaranteed S-rank achievement?"
"Spot on. Clear it, and instead of random special skills, you choose one. You get the value."
Special skills—aka hidden ones—weren't game-breakers for balance. But choosing? Game-changer. Picking the perfect one, then maxing it to 8★ via his holy sword? Way stronger than random new skills.
"We just want the clear. Item loot rights as raid leader? We'd trust that."
"But that's too little for your effort—no items just to join? Feels off. Unless... Taeseong intel?"
"Hah! That again? If I was Taeseong-tied, I'd have squashed you at Belluta Coast. Thought my 'repay the favor' line was empty?"
"Oh... right, I did say that..."
Yeah—his tip let Sandro rally the guild for first clear. Without it, Levendas would've been Taeseong's. He'd started the favors; Sandro owed him.
"Truth? Clearing gives me an extra reward: titan rider path opens. Can't pass this up. Trust me now?"
"Hm... yeah..."
He hadn't guessed that, but it tracked. #1 ranker gets epic quests, chained rewards—especially dragon-slaying ones.
These terms? No loss for me.
Raids leaked intel = huge risk, especially backstabs. Even Phoenix didn't know. Burning Star solo was the plan, but short-handed. Top rankers like these? Welcome, if no betrayal.
"Deal. One condition: share the quest with everyone in the raid, not just me."
"Everyone? Tricky—hard-won quest, can't split to dozens."
"Dozens? Raid party? Misunderstanding—I'm not bringing a full attack force."
"Sandro? Then how?"
Rapunzel chimed in from the sidelines.
"Four guildmates. Me makes five for Tu Mertus. Share with just us five."
"Whaaat?"
"Impossible! Dragon with five? You messing with me?"
He'd figured Sandro was raid-ready, but not this. Fair—first Hydra raid took over 100.
"With you two, it's seven. I don't die easy, so no suicide runs. Your words back at ya: trust me enough for this?"
"Hm..."
#1 spot meant XP loss and item drops on death. But success? Rewards dwarfed it.
"Dunno your angle, but fine! Dragon shots don't come often. Seven-man... haha! Let's make legend!"
Kaiser extended a hand.
"Perfect. Let's become the first Dragon Slayers!"
"Dragon Slayer...? Honey, that gives me butterflies!"
Ignoring Rapunzel's excited squeal, Sandro shook Kaiser's hand firm.