Chapter 184
Chapter 184
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 184
Chapter Title: The Last Dragon (3)
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About 300 years ago.
A human coveted a dragon's treasure and entered its lair.
Normally, this would end with the intruder being torn apart by claws, incinerated by breath, or swallowed in a single gulp. But that time, things unfolded entirely differently. The intruder's father, a great magnate, had commissioned a certain barbarian to rescue his son.
The barbarian headed straight for the dragon's lair without hesitation. He ignored the protests of his young mage companion, who ranted that he'd lost his mind. No matter how mighty the warrior, facing a dragon was impossible—but he had his ace up his sleeve.
He had cleared this quest dozens of times already... in the game.
And sure enough, just like in the game, the thrill-hungry dragon didn't simply kill the fearless barbarian outright. Instead, it proposed a wager.
- If you withstand my breath head-on for 10 seconds, I'll spare your party, your life, and even the life of this vermin who dared covet my possessions. Of course, if you fail... well, you know what happens next.
'......'
The dragon's breath could evaporate an entire ocean. It was essentially telling him to die. Knowing the bet wouldn't stand as is, the dragon offered the barbarian one concession: he could choose any single item from its mountain of "treasures" to use as armor.
The barbarian selected the exact same "treasure" as in the game.
'......I'll take this shield.'
And with it, he truly endured the dragon's breath for 10 seconds, saving everyone's lives.
But the barbarian didn't stop there.
He knew the dragon hadn't gone all out, holding back to avoid damaging its hoard. He taunted it: Is that all you've got? I can take a much fiercer blaze. Then he proposed that if he withstood its full-powered breath for 10 seconds, it would grant him one wish.
And he truly endured the full blast for 10 seconds, earning the chance to make his wish.
Though by the end, the shield had nearly melted, leaving him gravely wounded, and the dragon didn't exactly honor the wish properly...
'Huff... huff... ugh... Soon, the great demon's legions will rampage... and destroy this world... Please, lend your strength to slay that great demon... Dragon...'
- ...I can't do that. Wish for something else.
...Still, what followed could be called a decent happy ending.
Following the game's choices to prevent more victims, the barbarian wished for the dragon to relocate its lair. The dragon graciously agreed and quietly departed for the Great Ancient Forest. The magnate, overjoyed that the barbarian had not only saved his son but eliminated the dragon threat, lavishly healed his wounds and bestowed rewards far exceeding the original promise.
This was the extent of what the barbarian—Kadim—knew of the dragon and the magnate's young master from his first playthrough.
But even after the wanderer departs, the torrent of time never stops, flowing ever onward in unpredictable directions.
Who could have foreseen it? The young master they had spared would unify the eastern continent, seek out the dragon once more, and become its friend...
The process went something like this.
After Kadim left, rumors twisted the tale: the young master who had barely survived became known unwittingly as "the man who drove off the dragon and returned." Hearing of his fame, people from all over came begging him to resolve their troubles.
He couldn't ignore their pleas. The intrepid spirit of the barbarian who stood fearless before a dragon had awakened something within him. Graduating from his reckless youth, he wracked his brains with newfound wisdom to aid the distressed. He gathered them as his own, helped even more people, and gained greater renown.
In an age of war, lofty fame is like a magnet. Before long, talent flooded in like the tide, and the young master naturally built a vast force.
By his thirties, his influence surpassed that of a minor kingdom's lord. By his forties, he had become the greatest powerbroker in the eastern continent. By his fifties, he unified the east at last, founding the Free City Alliance and ascending as its first leader.
Until his sixties, he devoted himself solely to his duties as alliance ruler. But upon turning seventy, he suddenly realized his time was running short.
A massive impulse seized his mind.
'......Before I die, I must apologize to that dragon. For barging into its lair on a whim and touching its precious treasures... I'm truly sorry...'
It was one of the last lingering regrets of a hero who had repaid every debt and achieved every feat.
Anyone else might dismiss it as senile nonsense... but this seventy-something was no ordinary man. He truly set everything aside, vanished from sight, and set off alone to find the dragon. Underpinning his bold resolve was the certainty that a millennia-old dragon would remember the incident like yesterday.
His only clue was that it had gone to the Great Ancient Forest. That he survived and found the lair there owed something to relics and magic tools he brought, but it was probably more accurate to say the gods guided him.
In any case, his hunch proved right. Though he had gone from fresh-faced youth to wrinkled elder, the dragon clearly remembered him.
- Why have you come crawling back, you wretch? Here for another petty theft?
'No, this time I've come to apologize for past transgressions.'
With little life left anyway, even the dragon's soul-chilling menace held no terror. He calmly laid out the treasures he'd brought as gifts of atonement. The dragon snorted derisively.
- I've seen mortals pull mad stunts on death's door before, but this level of insanity is new. What's the worthless name that will scatter like writing in sand?
'My name is Remillion. On behalf of we mortals facing death, I dare ask: what is the sacred name of one who stands unbowed by any storm, and even in defeat shines eternal like a heavenly star?'
- My sacred name is... Rrraaah-fuuuh-sstran.
'......I see. Tough to pronounce. How about just "Rapustran"?'
- ......
Thus began the bizarre friendship between a millennia-old dragon and a century-short human.
*
In the deepest heart of the cave, the passage descended toward the dragon's lair.
No scales had appeared yet, but its presence already crushed the entire tunnel. Remillion eyed Duncan, who trembled with arms clenched tight, with concern.
"If it's too much to bear, you can head back up and wait. It took me quite a while to fully adjust to his aura, even."
"N-no, sir! I-I'm Duncan Wheeled, the finest guide! Th-this much is nothing!"
He put on a brave front, but Duncan never loosened his grip. It was a pressure unlike Kadim's killing intent or a demon's magic— a fundamental, overwhelming gap between beings that made his bones and muscles ache repeatedly.
So he couldn't help but wonder.
'No way... that existence is... scared stiff..?'
It was unimaginable. This legendary monster, whose presence loomed even from afar, quaking in fear like him? And all because it lost to a mere human? In a way, it bordered on blasphemy.
Lilia was too weakened to come. Ilenia was clearly tense too, despite not as much as Duncan—evident from her silence, after all her dragon talk before entering the forest.
Among those seeing a dragon for the first time, only Kadim remained unfazed. Strictly speaking, this was his second encounter... so no one kept their cool on a first meeting.
The party soon reached the lair's entrance. Remillion warned in a low voice.
"Just to be safe, one more time: don't provoke Rapustran with any reckless words or actions. He's not some tame pet just because he's frightened. To powerless mice like us, a cornered cat is far more dangerous than a leisurely lion."
"......"
"That said, he's not evil at heart... but best to stay cautious. I'll persuade him step by step, and if it turns dangerous, I'll warn you right away. Just answer questions or back me up."
The party nodded grimly. Composing themselves, they entered one by one.
A vast cavern unfolded, its ceiling dizzyingly high.
It explained the long descent. Not just tall but sprawling—yet it felt less spacious than its size suggested.
Because treasures piled everywhere like mountains, leaving no room to step.
Gems and precious metals, dwarf-forged gear, fine wines and holy relics... The hoard glittered like the Milky Way, stinging their eyes. Even Yubik's warehouse—the Arena King's hoard that gripped a whole city—paled like a country bumpkin's shed next to this trove of worldly wealth.
Yet no one in the party gasped in awe at the sight.
Not even Duncan, the merchant most obsessed with riches. All eyes fixed on one spot.
There, amid the treasure piles, a scale-clad form shone brighter than any gem. A divine figure too vast for mortal eyes, impossible to believe belonged to a living creature. Its mere existence preached fate's cruelty, turned predator to prey, taught fear to the fearless.
Up close, it was clear: the presence they'd felt approaching was just a taste.
An unimaginable weight pressed down. Tendons slackened, muscles melted like rotten meat. Ilenia squeezed her eyes shut, sweating coldly; Duncan collapsed like a broken doll.
"Hah... huff..."
"......"
Even ignorant, they'd have realized instantly: this was the "strongest creature on earth."
The dragon lay curled in its golden-scaled bulk like a noble fortress. Sensing the intruders, it didn't even lift an eyelid. It merely bared its fangs in careless greeting.
- Begone, before I incinerate you.
Kurrrrumble...
Its voice shook souls; despite dry words, more menacing than any thug's threat. Even friend Remillion nearly lost composure.
"Ahem... Long time no see, Rapustran. First since I borrowed that fire back then, right? How's your health these days?"
- Shut your mouth, you worthless mortal... I don't know what nonsense you've come spouting, but don't think making you a dragon-friend means I won't kill you.
"Haha, your temper says you're still kicking! Anyway, open those eyes. You'll be shocked at the guest I brought."
Like a lunar eclipse ending to reveal the full moon, eyelids parted, nictitating membrane drawing back. Kadim met those cosmic eyes calmly.
"Long time no see, dragon."
The dragon, Rapustran, twitched its brow, trembling.
- ...You mud-clod pawn of a dull god. Still clinging to life, are you?
Sensing its irritation, Remillion jumped in hastily.
"Haha, you recognized him right away. Well, 300 years is long for us, not so much for you. But good news! He's agreed to help take down the 'World-Burning Cataclysm'!"
- ......
"Remember? He withstood even your full-powered breath. Last time with the 'World-Burning Cataclysm,' it ended regrettably due to unforeseen trouble, but this time it'll be different! With such a reliable ally, surely we can avenge that defeat..."
――――――― BOOM! ―――――――
A mountain-sized forepaw slammed the floor.
- ...Mention that mage one more time, and I'll crush you.
The ground cratered; treasures rained down. The party escaped becoming paste by a hair.
The dragon-kin was speechless. He tried regaining wits to persuade, but each pivot to the main topic lifted a paw—bad signs. Duncan, watching death rise and fall, fainted from tension overload.
Meanwhile, Kadim scrutinized the dragon.
One broken horn, intermittently quivering wings and back muscles, defensive crouch, deep scars peeling scales...
Remillion's "cornered cat" description was spot-on. It postured threateningly, but was clearly more shrunken than in old memories.
Oddly, Melissa didn't seem the cause.
Kadim asked bluntly.
"How'd you lose to Melissa, dragon?"
- ...Watch your mouth, you speck worse than dirt. If I'd unleashed my full power, that lowly mage would've been ash with the World Tree long ago.
"Then go prove it now. They say if you don't stop her, the rifts will collapse and the world ends soon."
- Shut it... I've had enough of falling for vermin tricks. Hunting that mage was the worst bargain of my long life.
"I see. Something prevented you from going all out? Like whatever carved those scars in your hide."
- ...!
His jab hit home; the dragon's eyes flickered. Kadim pressed.
"Tell me, dragon. What could make you—matchless on this earth—tremble in fear?"
A mere ant in size, yet the warrior's presence matched the golden behemoth. His steadfast gaze and resonant voice carried valor even gods couldn't ignore.
- ......
The last dragon glared piercingly at Kadim.
Then, spitting it out like chewed gristle, it began its tale.
*
After spilling its long tale.
- ...Even so, I can't help you. Kill or roast that mage yourselves now.
The dragon refused firmly once more.
Kadim recalled Remillion's pre-entry warning.
'......Don't provoke Rapustran with reckless words or actions.'
Mindful, he provoked plainly, stripping any sting.
"Coward to the bone, then and now. If the name 'dragon' is too grand, why not rename to 'golden basement lizard'?"
"......"
Ilenia felt her temperature plummet 10 degrees.
"......"
Duncan woke briefly, then fainted again.
- ......
Ten thousand flames of fury ignited in the dragon's pupils.
"......"
Remillion's vision went black.