Subjugating the Earth Dragon, Part 4

Chomp, chomp.

The donkey chewed on the mandrake with a vacant, stupid expression.

Witnessing this, the familiar old man turned pale, utterly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at a loss for what to do.

"..."

It was a truly ridiculous sight.

Yet, Adelia couldn't bring herself to laugh.

The mandrake's shriek was still tormenting her mind.

This is impossible.

She trembled uncontrollably.

And this was from being exposed to the mandrake's scream for a mere ten minutes.

Looking at Gaon under these circumstances, Adelia could only marvel at his capabilities with even greater shock.

How can he be perfectly fine after hearing that shriek?

How was such a thing even possible?

It was completely beyond Adelia's common sense.

The mandrake's power had exceeded all expectations.

Even though she had stuffed cotton tightly inside her earplugs, the scream had still pierced through her defenses.

Near the end, she had nearly fainted from a splitting headache.

Yet, Sir Gaon...

Adelia shifted her gaze toward him.

He looked completely unfazed.

Unlike her, who had ultimately succumbed to the pain and collapsed pathetically onto the ground.

He had even listened to the mandrake's scream with his bare ears, without any protection whatsoever.

Just how high is his mental strength?

A mandrake's cry shattered a person's mind.

An ordinary person would go mad or die from just brief exposure to the sound.

Yet, Sir Gaon had withstood such a horrific mental attack with absolute ease.

And that's not all.

The actions she had initially dismissed as mere eccentricities—buying seemingly useless junk like earplugs in the market—had all been part of a meticulous plan.

Sir Gaon knew everything from the start.

He knew that a top-grade mandrake grew in Labyrinth Village.

He knew its cry would lure the donkey.

He knew the donkey would eat the mandrake, causing its owner to show up late and turn pale with fright.

And he knew that through this, he could ensnare a highly capable guide...

...It means he orchestrated this entire situation from the very beginning.

So what if he had received revelations from the great Elders?

No, even with revelations, controlling a situation so perfectly was still mind-boggling.

Turning an uncertain future into reality was impossible without the seeker's own capability, no matter how clear the revelation.

Realizing this truth once again, a shiver ran down Adelia's spine.

Is that the foresight a Seeker of the Sword must possess...?

She had never imagined a Sword Master's insight could reach such heights.

When she realized that the figure she had vaguely admired from afar was actually far grander than she had ever imagined, her sense of awe multiplied tenfold.

...Why has she been looking at me with those eyes for a while now?

I quietly swallowed hard.

Adelia's gaze was incredibly burdensome.

It was the exact look of someone staring at a hero they had admired for a lifetime.

At this rate, she's going to start worshiping me like Lea de Karayan does...

At least with Lea, I actually saved her life.

I had no idea why Adelia was acting so blindly devoted.

Wait, hold on.

...Come to think of it, I didn't really save Lea either, did I?

"..."

As I'd thought before, I was definitely becoming more shameless.

Was this Ripley Syndrome?

Because I spent every waking moment pretending to be strong, I was starting to believe my own lies.

...Well, whatever. It's probably better for survival anyway.

Being shameless was far better than cowering in fear.

Shrugging it off, I dismissed the thought and looked back ahead.

"..."

Clop, clop.

The donkey ambled forward, leading the way.

Riding atop it, Dangno kept stealing glances at me, trying to gauge my mood.

He's completely intimidated.

A few hours ago, I had signed a contract with Dangno.

Knowing he didn't have any money on him, I had readily made him an offer.

"You know how much a top-grade mandrake is worth, right?"

"...Ah."

"If you don't have the cash on hand, you can pay it off in other ways."

"R-really...?"

Dangno took the bait hook, line, and sinker.

The contract terms I presented to him were as follows:

First, the price of the mandrake would be paid in installments, with interest accruing in the meantime.

Second, the debt could be offset by performing transport duties along the Silk Road or acting as a guide in Labyrinth Village.

Third and finally, he could not refuse any of my requests until the debt was fully cleared.

If it were anyone else, they could have just feigned ignorance whether the donkey ate the mandrake or not, but...

I knew the truth.

I knew the restriction Dangno had received as the price for his abilities.

As long as he was in debt, he could never run away from his creditor.

Therefore, Dangno can never escape my grasp on his own.

I had successfully bound Dangno, who usually vanished without a trace in the game.

This meant I could put him to good use even in the late game.

What I would need then was Dangno's special ability—specifically, his mysterious talent to safely travel to any destination.

And that ability is already proving its worth right now.

The proof was that we hadn't encountered a single monster on our way down to the middle layer.

Not even the common cave goblins.

We were passing through labyrinthine forks in the road without a single moment of hesitation.

At this pace, we'll reach the deep layer by today.

I wondered how the party that had spent three years wandering Labyrinth Village would react if they saw us.

They'd probably clutch the back of their necks and faint from high blood pressure.

Well, putting that aside...

As I let my mind wander, I suddenly recalled something I had forgotten.

...It should be about time for the Brickwoods to make their move.

It had been about half a day since the butler, Taylor, had come to find me.

Having taken the bait, the Brickwoods would soon start putting pressure on Durdamel's Golden Merchant Coalition.

So, I needed to quickly slay the Earth Dragon and return to Vertas.

Before our dear bald merchant leader, Mr. Durdamel, fell into even deeper trouble.

"Pick up the pace a bit."

A secret chamber within the Brickwood estate.

Characters carved along the walls emitted a faint glow.

Edmond Brickwood swallowed hard.

He could feel his hands ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠trembling as they held the crystal ball.

Communicating with the Holy Families always made him this tense.

"...Yes, Your Eminence."

A calm male voice echoed from the crystal ball.

Edmond Brickwood held his breath.

Since the Saintess's oracle was absolute, it was treated with the utmost secrecy.

For them to reveal the contents of such a sacred oracle to him meant...

...Something big is happening!

Edmond listened intently to the voice from the crystal ball.

Soon, the man on the other side delivered shocking news.

"T-the Seeker of the Sword?"

Edmond's eyes widened in shock.

But that surprise soon morphed into a slow, creeping ecstasy.

I knew it.

His hypothesis was correct.

The theory he had laid out to his butler, Taylor, not long ago was spot on.

The Seeker of the Sword... Yes, the Sword Master was the one who killed the Sky Dragon Bird.

And Durdamel, who had happened upon the carcass, had put forward a beggar named Gaon as a puppet.

All to sell off a highly valuable monster carcass without knowing any better.

Foolish bastard. Did no one teach you not to step into a game you can't handle?

Too much of a good thing is a curse.

Durdamel, who couldn't even grasp his own place, would ruin himself.

And he would do so under the charge of blasphemy.

Then, the merchant coalition he had spent his entire life building would be swallowed whole by the Brickwoods.

"Then, what of the Sky Dragon Bird's carcass...?"

"...!"

With those final words, the light of the crystal ball faded.

Edmond Brickwood stood in a daze for a moment before clenching his fists.

It's done...!

Everything was going according to plan.

Hurrying out of the secret chamber, he sought out his butler and barked an order.

"Taylor."

"Yes, my lord."

"Arrest Durdamel immediately. How dare he use a puppet to mock the Holy Families and us."

"...I will see to it at once."

Snap.

Edmond snapped his fingers as something came to mind.

A sly smirk spread across his face as he added to his instructions.

"Oh, and bring that beggar Gaon to me as well."

A cruel smile played on Edmond's lips.

Even if the boy was just a victim used by Durdamel, he couldn't escape the price of deceiving the Holy Families and himself.

...Above all, crushing filthy bugs to death had always been one of his favorite hobbies.

It was difficult to keep track of time in Labyrinth Village.

In tunnels where the sky was invisible, the boundary between day and night was blurred.

Therefore, a pocket watch was an absolute necessity for adventurers exploring the labyrinth.

Exactly two days have passed.

Checking my watch, I smiled with satisfaction.

Two days.

That was how long we had been in Labyrinth Village.

Thanks to Dangno's guidance, we had descended to the lower layer quickly and smoothly.

There were no collapsing ceilings, no sudden monster ambushes, and no traps targeting our ankles.

It felt almost like walking down a well-paved highway.

I really made the right choice picking Dangno as our guide.

When playing Lost Elder, there was no reliable way to summon Dangno.

You just had to rely on luck and hope to run into him by chance.

Could I have just pulled a mandrake and waited like this in the game?

No.

To endure that, your Mental Strength stat had to be absurdly high.

...Even the level 80 Adelia couldn't take it and collapsed, after all.

By the time you had the required stats, the game would already be in its final stages.

By then, Dangno would have long vanished, making it impossible to get his help.

But things were different now.

Since I was no longer bound by the game's limitations, I had successfully ensnared Dangno in my own way.

"..."

Yet, despite this great achievement, I couldn't bring myself to be entirely happy.

A single detail kept nagging at my mind.

...Why haven't I felt any vibrations for a while now?

Something was wrong.

Normally, the closer you got to the deep layer where the Earth Dragon resided, the more violent the tremors in the tunnels should become.

But since descending to the lower layer, I hadn't felt a single tremor.

Why had it suddenly gone quiet?

Even when we were in the middle layer, the ground had shaken so violently it felt like Labyrinth Village was experiencing an earthquake.

It was while I was harboring these doubts alone that it happened.

"We have arrived."

I stopped in my tracks at Adelia's words.

Before us, deep within the lowest depths of the deep layer, a wall loomed.

...No, it wasn't a wall.

Instead, it was a massive stone gate that exuded an overwhelming presence even under the dim light of the torches.

"Wait here."

Dangno nodded at my command.

As if they had no intention of going any further in the first place, they stopped a few paces behind us.

The area near the Earth Dragon's nest seemed to be a danger zone even for them.

As Adelia pushed the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠stone gate, a vast cavern revealed itself with the grinding sound of stone scraping against the floor and ceiling.

Rumble!

It was a grand space reminiscent of an ancient underground temple.

Intricate patterns were carved into the high ceiling, and blue torches burning on each pillar created an oppressive yet sacred atmosphere.

And right in the center of this temple...

The Earth Dragon.

A mountain-sized Earth Dragon lay coiled.

The primordial entity that had created Labyrinth Village.

An ancient beast said to shake the earth with its breath alone and alter the very structure of the tunnels with a single toss and turn.

The level 91 boss of Labyrinth Village had finally shown its face...

"...?"

For a moment, I doubted my own eyes.

What the fuck?

In the game, the Earth Dragon's level was 91.

Yet, the number floating before my eyes right now was 100.

A realm reached only by a select few transcendents in the world of Lost Elder.

...Whatever was happening, things were taking a seriously bad turn.

"..."

I slowly shifted my gaze.

Only then did I notice it.

A 'something' sitting cross-legged atop the massive body of the Earth Dragon.

Ah.

Finally, all the pieces fell into place.

Why the tremors had vanished the moment we reached the lower layer.

Why the Earth Dragon's level had suddenly bloated to 100.

"..."

Indeed.

That terrifying level didn't belong to the Earth Dragon.

The Earth Dragon was already dead.

...Slain by that level 100 intruder.

"Adelia—"

Boom!

Before I could even finish her name, a dark shadow flashed past my eyes.

With a deafening crash, Adelia's body was sent flying straight into the stone wall.

It happened so fast that I couldn't even react, freezing in place.

"Are you..."

A voice that sounded like it was tearing the air apart echoed.

I turned my eyes toward the 'thing' that had appeared before me.

Skin covered in dragon scales. A hulking, muscular build.

And slit, reptilian eyes.

An indescribable pressure bore down on me.

The aura easily eclipsed even that of the Sky Dragon Bird I had faced before.

"...Are you the newly chosen Seeker?"

A combative smirk spread across the half-human, half-dragon's face.

At the same time, messages that had been hidden until now began to pop up one by one.