Chapter 341
Chapter 341
-----------------------------------------------------------------
>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 341
>Chapter Title: Tancred
>-----------------------------------------------------------------
Tancred.
The colossal ancient dragon worshipped by the Rock Fang Tribe that had made its home in Pointy Rock Mountain.
One of Pandea's guardians, bearing the glorious title of Mother of the Earth.
Anyone who beheld her scales, her tail, her wings, or her majestic maw would be awestruck by her presence.
'No way... Why is Tancred here...?'
Yet for some inexplicable reason, this Tancred was now bound in a red prison right before Kang Seol and Jamad's eyes, fleeing for her life.
Even though it would be hard to find a creature on the surface as powerful as her.
This was no trivial matter.
- Please! This isn't... just about helping me.
- ...What?
- It might just be about helping the world.
If the being imprisoned in the red cage was indeed Tancred, her words were astonishingly close to the truth.
How could safeguarding a guardian not be aiding the world?
Jamad approached the red prison.
"Did you... come looking for me? Tancred...."
Tantuinu spoke.
"All of Mother's attendants have been slain. Every last one. I'm the only one of her offspring left alive."
"No... how... Who would dare challenge Tancred's majesty?"
Krurruk...
The dragon's eyes in Tantuinu's possession brimmed with sorrow.
"We walked slowly into despair. Mother had grown frail, and the invader was overwhelmingly powerful. We... clung to the faintest thread of hope and came this way. Then... Mother sensed your presence."
"...What?"
"She detected your immense aura from the north and remembered you."
"......"
"Mother wanted to find you. She hoped you might remember her, that there might be hope."
"No... that's..."
Kang Seol fell into thought as he listened to their tale.
'This feels just like...'
It resembled the clichéd story of an old man on the brink of death seeking out a connection from his past.
The details might vary, but the emotion conveyed was always the same.
Desperation and loneliness.
'Our promise ends here. If the guardian of the earth is in this much danger, it's best to back off. But...'
Whether the endeavor would succeed or how difficult it might be was secondary. The first thing to consider was...
Whether this was something he could refuse.
Of course...
"...Kang Seol."
Jamad turned to look at Kang Seol.
"...As expected."
Kang Seol let out a deep sigh from the depths of his chest.
"Alright, I'll find a way."
"...Thank you, brother."
Jamad turned back to the dragon upon hearing Kang Seol's reply. Tantuinu uttered something shocking.
"The one pursuing us... is Azanik."
"......"
"The heavenly dragon Azanik."
Kang Seol felt an even greater weight on his chest.
The only being with the power and motive to push the earth dragon Tancred this far was undoubtedly him.
'Azanik... He survived. So that's where he's been hiding...'
Kang Seol had encountered Azanik in the past. Not just encountered—he had waged an epic bloodbath against him. The tale still lingered as legend, passed down orally in that region.
The battle between the master of the Winged Mountains and the dragon lord wielding the black spear—Azanik was one of the protagonists.
'Anyway, it's clear taking this on now would be suicidal.'
Facing a dragon without Tancred's aid was suicide.
Opposing Azanik was on another level entirely from battling the eastern evil dragon Hagrimu.
The meaning embedded in Azanik's name bordered on death itself.
"What do you want?"
Jamad asked the young dragon.
"...What?"
"Do you want to escape from him?"
"That's..."
Tantuinu's hesitation.
Kang Seol took note of it.
'Still hiding something. What is it?'
She nodded.
Jamad glanced back at Kang Seol, who nodded in response.
With that, they steeled themselves for the pursuit once more.
Eeejijik...
As Jamad watched Tantuinu shrink back into fairy form, his gaze settled on the red prison around her neck.
The one she served was begging for help.
He and his companion were the only ones who could provide it.
Jamad's eyes held a multitude of emotions. Kang Seol stepped up beside him.
"We need to revise the plan."
"You have a method in mind?"
Kang Seol scratched his chin and said,
"We head to the Underground Garden of Deep Slumber. There, we can—"
"I don't know where that is."
"...Right? Then..."
Kang Seol turned to Jamad as he spoke.
"Just follow me and trust me."
Siiik...
Their trust in each other was absolute.
Hardships would shatter before it.
"That sounds like music to my ears."
[You have acquired new information.]
[Sudden adventure 'Dragon's Ally' has occurred.]
Adventure 33-(Special) ‘Dragon’s Ally’
Dragons, the most mysterious creatures since the birth of this land.
One such dragon has come seeking aid. Who might dare claim the role of dragon's ally?
Yes, you.
You have discovered that the being bound in the red prison is Tancred. And that she sought out your party, not wandering aimlessly.
You intend to separate the unknown evil pursuing Tancred from her.
Even if the plan seems utterly absurd.
Goal: Make the pursuer abandon the chase.
Warning: This adventure is extremely dangerous.
Warning: This adventure's situation changes by the minute.
Remaining time 「Unknown」
......
Kwaaaaak!
"Find them!"
"They're nearby! No doubt about it!"
Unable to understand the orcs' tongue, Kang Seol's group climbed a tree to survey the situation.
"Why aren't we leaving immediately? They're already closing in..."
When Tantuinu asked, Kang Seol waved her off.
"Just watch. I need something."
"Hmm..."
It was only natural for Tantuinu to be flustered by their leisure in the face of overt pursuit.
The first rule of evasion was to put as much distance as possible between yourself and the pursuer.
'She's got reason to be confused. Tantuinu doesn't know this forest well.'
In contrast, Kang Seol was quite familiar with the Forest of the Sleeping Ones.
Earlier, upon arriving, a message had popped up.
[Mid-level Insight activates.]
[Dangerous tree.]
It came with choices.
[While wandering the Forest of the Sleeping Ones, you discover a suspicious tree. Its trunk seems as tough as steel, and its subtle movements feel ominous. What will you do?]
1. Leave the grove and find another path.
2. Run quickly past this spot.
3. Throw a stone to test it.
4. Climb the tree and cross over.
......
Knowing how to respond, Kang Seol was now perched atop the tree, observing below. Something amusing would happen soon enough.
"Here! Traces here!"
"This way!"
"They haven't gone far! There's blood!"
The orcs shouted.
They were clearly excited over the traces Kang Seol had deliberately left.
'Alright, let's get started.'
The Forest of the Sleeping Ones was a veritable nexus of life. Overbrimming with tropical vitality, everything here was enormous.
Animals, insects, trees, flowers—all of it.
Each possessed lethal, distinctive traits.
Take the tree he stood on, for example.
Tuk...
"Ugh... Careful! Tree roots on the ground..."
A sturdy root halted a running orc's foot. Or so the orc thought, tripping over his own.
But it wasn't.
"Kwaaaaaa!"
"Uwaaaaaa!"
The orcs' screams.
Kang Seol grinned.
"What? What's wrong!?"
"M-my ankle... Kugh..."
Kang Seol had traversed this forest extensively in the past, treating it like his own backyard.
He'd used mounts back then, but he knew the trees' appearances and what to watch for when passing them.
'You woke the ankle crushers, so you pay the price.'
The spot the orcs were crossing was ankle crusher territory.
They spanned a vast area, so Kang Seol had climbed and leaped branches the moment he spotted them.
Step into their domain, and your ankles shatter.
"Huh?"
"Vines are tangling! Cut them as we—"
Eeejijijik...
"Kwaaaaaa!"
"Uwaaaaak!"
"Vines... the vines... Uuup..."
The ankle crushers buried the fallen orcs—those with snapped ankles—in vines. Easier prey than expected.
'...For now, at least.'
The orcs cried out in their unintelligible language.
"Uuup... S-save... Uuuup."
"The vines are alive!"
"What!? Set it on fire!"
Chiiiiiik...
They tried igniting the vines with torches, but saturated with moisture, they only smoked without catching flame.
Kiiiiiiiiik-!
Instead, it seemed to enrage the ankle crushers thoroughly.
Hwiriririk!
"Kuhuk...."
Paaaaang!
It took less time to wipe out dozens of orcs than a lunch break.
"Good, we've bought some time for now."
"...Impressive. Wouldn't using your power have ended it faster?"
"I'm conserving strength due to concerns."
Tantuinu pursed her lips at Kang Seol's words.
His recent success had slightly boosted her trust, but not to full faith.
"Wait."
"Something else?"
Chiiik...
Kang Seol slid down the trunk, nearing the ground.
Eujik... Eujijik...
Orc corpses, cocooned in the trunk like pupae, were expelled.
"...Ghastly."
Drained of nutrients, they were mummified.
Sawdust-like residues spilled out with the bodies.
Kang Seol gathered them into a massive sack.
Nearly as tall as him.
Jamad, curious, asked,
"What is that?"
"Not exactly clean. Byproducts from the ankle crushers' meals."
"...You mean shit?"
"Kind of that vibe. No smell, not that filthy, but the process is similar."
Tantuinu grimaced and asked,
"Why collect such filth?"
Kang Seol smiled brightly.
"Some folks go crazy for stuff like this, even if it's gross. That's why."
"......"
It was also why he'd tackled the orc pack with ankle crushers instead of force.
'No telling what might happen... Better stock up.'
Fugitives' biggest delusion: overconfidence in shaking pursuers.
Kang Seol guarded against hubris.
No major issues until Azanik himself appeared, but contingencies happened.
'Hope I don't need to use it...'
Kang Seol stowed the sack in his inventory and scattered his senses.
Hwiririk...
Fududuk...
Shadows rose from his cloak, dispersing everywhere. They would be his eyes.
His crows.
Kaaak!
Kaaaaak!
Crows scattering throughout the Forest of the Sleeping Ones.
If nothing went wrong, the distance from pursuers would widen again.
If nothing went wrong.