Slaying the Earth Dragon, Part 6
Was it a success?
I stared intently at Pokryong, asking myself that very question.
At first, I had threatened to kill him. It was a bluff, pure and simple.
But...
...It seemed I had underestimated Pokryong's madness.
—My life? I'd throw it away a hundred times over!
Indeed.
Pokryong was a battle-maniac who lived to fight the opponent before him, even if it cost him his life.
There was no way a lunatic like him would tuck his tail and run just because of a single warning.
That's why I immediately pivoted. I had to offer him a 'better' fight.
It was a persuasion tactic that had popped into my head the moment I realized Pokryong was empty-handed.
To fight when both of us were in peak condition.
Pointing out that my body was currently in poor shape, and that he happened to have left his weapon behind.
By baiting him like that, I hoped to postpone the duel.
I'm just glad it worked.
Thanks to that, the worst-case scenario was avoided.
It meant we managed to avoid either of us ending up dead.
...Though, of course, the situation wasn't entirely resolved yet.
"Then... when will your body recover?"
At the Fire Dragon Sword Master's question, I racked my brain once more.
How could I delay this duel for as long as possible?
It would be best to postpone it indefinitely, so that the day would never actually come...
Ah.
Right at that moment, a brilliant idea struck me.
I immediately let the words slip past my lips.
"I will let you know as soon as my restriction is lifted."
A restriction.
A shackle placed upon oneself in exchange for obtaining extraordinary power.
Hearing that keyword, Pokryong nodded without a shred of doubt.
As if he had expected exactly such an answer.
"...I knew it was something like that."
Pokryong scratched the back of his neck.
Then, he suddenly threw something toward me.
"Take this."
Thud!
A small object fell at my feet.
Looking closely, it was a brilliant, translucent scale tinged with orange.
...A Fire Dragon's scale?
A Fire Dragon's scale.
It was a token of recognition that the Fire Dragon Sword Master bestowed only upon those he deemed strong.
A rare item that could only be obtained by surviving a battle against him, or if he acknowledged one's strength.
Among swordsmen, it was treated like the ultimate medal of honor.
After all, it meant that one of the only twelve seekers of the sword on the continent had recognized their skill.
...Because of this, there were even rumors of counterfeits being manufactured in the lawless city of Dawnguard.
But why give this to me...?
As if reading the question written on my face, Pokryong spoke up.
"It's not for you. It's for the swordsman sprawled over there."
"...?"
"I threw that strike with the intent to kill, yet she managed to block it in that split second."
His brow furrowed as he asked, testing me.
"She shows great promise. Is she your disciple?"
"None of your business."
"...Tsk, what a nasty attitude."
Step, step.
With those final words, Pokryong turned back without a hint of lingering attachment.
His footsteps gradually faded into the distance.
Heading deeper into the abyss, Pokryong's back was swallowed by the darkness until he vanished completely.
The tunnels of Labyrinth Village did not end at the deepest depths. The subterranean maze below connected to various parts of the continent.
To the Sisterhood of Midtemple, the corpse pits of Dawnguard, or the headquarters of the Shadow Society.
The place commonly known as the 'Abyss.'
A region where countless high-level monsters and dangers lurked.
It was no exaggeration to say it was a hundred times more dangerous than the uncharted wilderness.
Of course, for a powerhouse who feared nothing like Pokryong, there was no better highway.
Well, putting that aside...
I poked my head out and stared in the direction Pokryong had vanished.
...He's gone.
The sound of his footsteps had completely died out.
Now, the only ones left in the depths were Adelia, the Earth Dragon's corpse, and myself.
Once again, I had escaped by the skin of my teeth.
Letting out a deep sigh of relief, I hurried my steps.
...Toward Adelia, who was sprawled on the ground.
I still have a mountain of unanswered questions, but...
Why did Pokryong suddenly show up?
For what purpose did he kill the Earth Dragon and attack me?
Where on earth did the scenario start going off the rails?
Those questions kept swirling in my head, but there was a more pressing issue to address right now.
...First, I need to take care of Adelia. She's on the verge of death.
Adelia lay limp, looking as though she were dead.
I approached and checked her condition.
Was it a stroke of luck amidst misfortune? Though faint, her heart was still beating.
Of course, it was still too early to breathe a sigh of relief.
"L-Lord Gaon..."
Cough!
Just then, Adelia, who had her eyes closed, suddenly regained consciousness.
A mouthful of dark red blood spilled from her lips as she called out to me.
Frowning, I held up a hand.
It was a gesture telling her to stop talking and rest.
Understanding my intent, Adelia struggled to breathe as she collapsed back onto the ground.
...She's in terrible shape.
Not a single part of her body was unharmed.
Even to the naked eye, it was clear she had more than just one or two broken bones.
It felt like a miracle that she could even maintain consciousness in this state.
Did he say she managed to block Pokryong's attack? If she hadn't, she would have undoubtedly lost her life.
"..."
The sheer thought of it made my head spin.
I had almost lost Adelia.
Ultimate Auto-parrying only triggers when I am in danger.
I couldn't even protect my own people.
Right now, the only thing I could do was click Soul of the Sword Master and kill the enemy before me.
But that simple option alone wasn't enough to survive in this complex world that had become my reality.
I need to acquire more tools.
Tools.
Meaning, I had to master more skills that could expand my options.
I had already planned to do so, but this meant I had to accelerate my growth rate even further.
I can't afford to be complacent.
The timeline of Lost Elder had already deviated significantly.
The anomalies I introduced had changed too many things.
Meeting the Fire Dragon Sword Master was merely the starting point.
Therefore, I must grow faster than originally planned.
Swipe.
With that final thought, I cleared my mind.
Then, I rummaged through the backpack Adelia was wearing and pulled something out.
It was the chest containing the top-grade mandrake we had harvested earlier.
"Chew it thoroughly."
"...Pardon?"
"The moment I take it out, you must swallow it, dirt and all. Before it even has a chance to scream."
Flinch.
Hearing those words, Adelia startled.
Limp and devoid of energy, she tried to push herself up anyway.
"I-I am fine. I am perfectly..."
"You were just hit by a Sword Master."
"..."
"It is an injury you can never recover from at your current level. So eat it quickly, before your condition worsens."
I spoke flatly as I handed the chest to Adelia.
A mandrake.
As an herb used as the raw material for top-grade potions, its restorative properties were second to none.
Of course, it was an incredibly expensive item...
But compared to Adelia's life, it was dirt cheap.
Besides.
I could easily obtain this level of medicinal herb whenever I wanted.
"Hurry."
As I urged her once more, Adelia nodded reluctantly.
Gulp.
Swallowing the mandrake along with the dirt, she closed her eyes.
She then crossed her legs and began to meditate in silence.
Whoosh—
Pure white steam rose from Adelia's entire body.
At the same time, her wounds began to heal one by one.
Her broken bones, her torn muscles—everything steadily returned to its proper place.
"Ugh...!"
Naturally, it was accompanied by excruciating pain, but what could she do?
There was no reward in this world without a price.
For the sake of a swift recovery, she had to endure that level of agony.
And the effects of a mandrake don't just stop there.
A mandrake was a plant infused with mana.
Furthermore, the one Adelia consumed was a top-grade specimen grown in Labyrinth Village.
If she utilized it properly, she would be able to achieve even greater growth.
"Haa, haa..."
Rumble!
Sure enough, the energy radiating from Adelia's body began to grow stronger.
The white steam gradually transformed into a turquoise aura.
Adelia was absorbing the mandrake's mana and making it her own.
The reason I sought out the mandrake was partly to lure in the Tang Elder, but...
It was also to foster growth for both Adelia and myself.
Of course, I shouldn't consume the mandrake.
At least, not in my current state.
The efficiency is simply too low right now.
Not only were my physical stats scraping the bottom, but I hadn't even formed a mana circuit yet.
Even if I ate a mandrake now, I wouldn't be able to absorb even ten percent of its energy.
So, for now, I would save my share.
Until the day I could utilize one hundred percent of this top-grade mandrake's efficacy.
"..."
Before long, silence descended.
After panting heavily a few times, Adelia collapsed.
Judging by the soft, rhythmic breathing, she had fallen asleep.
It's only natural she passed out.
Absorbing the energy of a mandrake was no easy feat.
Even more so after taking a hit from the Fire Dragon Sword Master.
Still, I'm glad her body seems to have recovered.
I should let her sleep.
Once she woke up, we could head toward the exit of Labyrinth Village.
"Up we go."
I stood up and walked toward the center of the depths. Specifically, toward the corpse of the Earth Dragon.
"Let's see..."
My purpose in defeating the Earth Dragon.
It wasn't to earn a commission fee or fame.
As I had thought many times, utilizing the reward obtained from killing it would allow for massive growth.
I had almost suffered a major disaster due to the sudden appearance of the Fire Dragon Sword Master, but since we got through it safely, it was fine.
I only needed the Earth Dragon—or rather, its corpse.
"..."
But wait.
...How do I extract it?
Freeze.
Standing before the Earth Dragon's corpse, I looked up.
It was nearly the height of a ten-story building.
As expected of an imugi that had lived for thousands of years, its massive body was colossal.
I need to extract its heart...
The Earth Dragon's Heart.
An item that significantly boosts the consumer's physical abilities upon ingestion.
This was the reward I aimed to obtain through this mission.
I knew where the heart was located.
However, the prospect of piercing that thick hide and rummaging through the giant corpse left me feeling utterly lost.
"Sigh."
Letting out a sigh, I stood up.
"Well, let's just give it a shot."
...Or so I had resolved, just a few minutes ago.
"Fuck, I quit."
Clang!
I let out a heavy sigh and slumped to the ground.
The Feather Sword, which I had been using to hack away at the Earth Dragon's corpse, fell to the floor with a loud clatter.
I had busted my ass for thirty minutes, but there was absolutely nothing to show for it.
Extracting the heart from the massive corpse was no joke. Forget the heart, I couldn't even pierce the hide.
...I would have to ask Adelia to do it once she woke up.
Damn it, I just ended up covered in Earth Dragon blood for nothing...
Stamina has slightly increased. (2 → 4)
Strength has slightly increased. (2 → 3)
Level has increased. (1 → 2)
...Huh?
Well, I guess my struggles weren't entirely in vain.
Was it because my level was so low?
Just thirty minutes of hard labor had boosted my stats significantly.
I even leveled up thanks to this.
To think I could grow from just doing this.
If I had known, I would have done some bodyweight exercises while resting at the inn...
Step.
"...?"
Right at that moment, the sound of footsteps echoed from behind.
I whipped my head around.
A group of adventurers who looked somewhat familiar were staring at me with dazed expressions.
...Wait, who were they again?
Ah.
I remembered.
—Ah, I get it. Some rich brat brought his bodyguard to play explorer.
...They were the exact same adventurer party that had picked a fight with us a few days ago.
But these bastards...
The look in their eyes was highly unusual.