Mugwort and Garlic
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Jeong Hyun-seop and Shin Yu-ra stared blankly at the Hero.
"The Hero… knows demon tongue too?"
"Y-Yeah, who would've thought."
The moment they entered the boss room, the Hero had muttered a few words, and the roaring lava dragon fell silent in an instant.
Even now, the two of them—transcending the boundaries of human and dragon—were actually conversing.
They knew the Hero possessed various abilities and vast divine power, even capable of bestowing it upon others, a power of absolute supremacy. But fluent demon tongue? And using it to chat with that terrifying lava dragon? It was completely unexpected.
"That's basically native speaker level, right?"
"Feels like he's been rolling around in the demon realm for a hundred years."
The watching paladins nodded vigorously in agreement with Jeong Hyun-seop's words.
They had prepared all sorts of countermeasures for a potential massive battle, but a dungeon monster tamed with just a few words? This was a first.
And the way it conversed like a person? It felt utterly alien, yet mystical and dreamlike.
Like a scene straight out of a fantasy movie.
The Hero, who had grown strikingly handsome lately, contrasted beautifully with the red dragon meekly bowing its head before him.
A Hero at max-level divine power, communing with gods—and now dragons too? Hard to believe, yet somehow convincing as it unfolded right before their eyes.
And so…
As everyone watched, immersed in this fantastical awe…
The lava dragon, which had been calmly conversing for a while, suddenly convulsed violently, as if seized by a fit.
Kuuuwaaaaa!
Boom!Kaboom!
Rumble rumble rumble…
Each twitch of the lava dragon's massive body sent tremors through the dungeon, as if it might collapse.
"Wha?! What the hell? Why's it suddenly freaking out?"
"Should we counterattack? Or not?"
"But the Hero's just standing there…?"
The flustered paladins hurriedly assumed combat stances, but seeing the Hero watch impassively with arms crossed, unfazed by the dragon's aura, and Irkalla cackling with laughter, they hesitated in confusion.
Then, the Hero approached Jeong Hyun-seop and the others, watching the dragon with a displeased expression.
He hesitated, then spoke up awkwardly.
"…Sorry to ask, but could you do me a favor?"
"Yes? Of course! Anything you say! What can we help with?"
The paladins were ready to throw themselves into the fray at a single command, even against that monstrous fire-breathing behemoth.
But the Hero's request was utterly unexpected.
"Um… could you prepare ten sacks each of mugwort and garlic?"
"Pardon?!"
Jeong Hyun-seop's eyes darted wildly at the Hero's request.
Entering the boss room revealed Balderus in his true form.
A sight I'd only witnessed two or three times across 998 regressions.
"I'm right here. Stop summoning me already!"
Finally recognizing me after my shout, Balderus shed tears of molten lava in emotion.
"Ahh! At last! The day I behold Your Majesty! Hueeeeng."
I blocked his joyful charge with divine power.
"Ah, don't come closer. You're too hot right now—you'd roast everyone here."
"Y-Yes, Your Majesty! I'll stay right here."
"So. Why'd you come to Earth? Why seek me out?"
"Why, you ask…? It is only natural that this Balderus follows wherever Your Majesty treads! Out of pure loyalty to—"
"Sigh… Fine, whatever. Now what? You knew crashing the preview traps you in a dimensional rift, right?"
"I… only learned that after intruding on the preview…."
Balderus's head drooped like wilted spinach at my scolding.
The penalty for preview intrusion included getting stuck in a dimensional gap.
Unable to return or enter the preview dimension, trapped between cracks.
The only escape: Designate dungeon coordinates to force a rift open continuously.
Whether that causes a massive dungeon explosion? Not the intruder's concern.
But I couldn't let Balderus choose that. Not with all those people outside ready to defend the Dragon God, their lives at stake.
"Sigh… You fool."
"F-Forgive me!"
"There is one way to get you out without collapsing the dungeon."
"What? There's a method? Teach me, I beg!"
Irkalla perked up curiously.
"…Why? Planning to use it when you invade from the underworld?"
"No! Just curiosity."
Irkalla waved it off emphatically, but as half of the underworld's ruler, she might use it for future invasions.
I pondered, then settled on a method she'd never replicate.
Perfect for someone who couldn't handle spicy food at all.
"Balderus. You good with spicy stuff?"
"Spicy, Your Majesty…? Food laced with pain-inducing spices for the tongue?"
"Yeah. To get you out safely, you'll have to eat it."
"Pardon? What do you—?"
Balderus covered his elongated maw with a foreclaw, lava dripping profusely.
"I may be a fire-breathing lava dragon, but my tongue is delicate! Ancient dragons like me prefer Earth's buttery, milky Western fare. I can't handle spicy!"
"Then rot in that rift forever."
"Ah… No, but still, spicy…."
"Oh ho, eating spicy food enables dimensional travel?"
"As if. We're trying it because you're not humanoid."
"What exactly do you plan to feed me?!"
The lava dragon's heat cooled rapidly; its complexion paled visibly.
"Mugwort and garlic."
"Pardon?!"
"What's that?"
Balderus and Irkalla gaped at me in unison.
"An application of local ancient legends. Here, tales persist of otherworldly beings trapped in dungeons who ate mugwort and garlic to become Earth humans."
"Such a legend exists?"
"Ooh! So if I eat that… Ah. So that's the spicy food…."
"Exactly."
Balderus's eager expression plummeted.
Irkalla burst into uncontrollable laughter at the sight.
"What a face! Kyahahaha…."
"A-Are there no other ways?"
"Nope."
"Kuhueeek!"
Suddenly, Balderus rolled on the ground, wailing unbecomingly.
"How can this beee! I came all this way to another dimension! Kuhueek! I can't refuse… but I hate spicyyy!"
"……."
"Kyahahaha! Kyahaha!"
Irritation surged in gradients.
Why follow me and cause this mess? You'd both be fine if you stayed in the demon realm.
I wanted to snap, but held back.
I knew too well.
Balderus's unwavering loyalty. So I just scowled wordlessly.
A sigh escaped, but we had to try this to extract him from the rift.
Left alone, the system would eventually return him to the demon realm, but the dungeon's durability teetered amid his thrashing.
"Keep wrecking the dungeon and I'll just leave."
"!! Hic. Sniff."
Balderus snapped to attention.
Yet his tail still twitched, betraying inner turmoil.
"I'll get the mugwort and garlic. Wait here."
And that's how I ended up asking Jeong Hyun-seop for ten sacks each.
Whether eating mugwort and garlic would truly permit Balderus Earth entry? Unknown.
But legends of bear and saber-tooth tiger monsters turning human via a similar project suggested possibility.
Not proven for dragons, though.
Ten sacks arrived in the dungeon.
Balderus huddled miserably in the cramped space, sobbing as he ate.
"Keuuk, keuuk… So. Spicy. Keuuk. Your Majesty…."
"You're the promoted First Legion Commander now. Suck it up."
"Y-Yes… Keuuk."
After devouring ten sacks amid tears, Balderus looked up.
No visible change.
"Can I leave the dungeon now?"
"Wait a bit."
"Yes…."
An hour post-mugwort-and-garlic, I invoked divine power.
Divine Endowment (Active)
The Hero Kwon Mu-hyuk can bestow divine power upon himself and others using his divine power. Capable of amplification, conversion.
A massive orb of divine power gathered around me, swirling with golden lightning storms like an Existence Oath.
Kwarrr rumble.
I hurled the orb at Balderus.
"Your Majesty?!!"
Kwarrr rumble BOOM!!
Kuuuwaaaak!
The erupting divine power annihilated the dark energy in Balderus's lava, shedding his molten shell.
Splat! Splat!
Falling lava filled the floor, true to a lava dragon's lair.
"This damage! Everyone, out of the boss room!"
"Gyaah, it's hot!"
Jeong Hyun-seop led the paladins to evacuate.
"I'll protect you, my cute devotee."
"Th-Thank you, Irkalla…."
Irkalla shielded Shin Yu-ra and herself with a circular barrier.
Earth's gods or underworld goddesses—Irkalla seemed to favor Shin Yu-ra specially.
As I glanced their way, Balderus's lava fully sloughed off.
"Ugh… What is this?! Again…?!"
I tossed the dismayed white dragon a blanket from my inventory for dungeon naps.
Lava Dragon Balderus's constitution has been improved, switching affiliated dimension from Demon Realm to Solar System.
Holy White Dragon Balderus's inter-dimensional travel restrictions have been lifted.
Thud!
With the dimensional barrier gone, Balderus crashed limply to the ground.
Still mighty in level and power, but shocked by the mugwort, garlic, and his return to white scales, he fainted.
I led the white dragon out, escorted by Irkalla, Jeong Hyun-seop, and the paladins.
Outside, cheers and awe erupted for the Hero who tamed the dragon alive.
Then,
On the hunter bus back to Seoul, Irkalla asked me.
"So, why the mugwort and garlic in the end?"
"……."
"!!"
Sunset highway racing by, Balderus's scream echoed through the bus.
"Your Majeestyyy!!!"