Clearing the First Nightmare Difficulty
“I shall execute those detestable creatures in a single blow, for they dare to disturb Master’s rest.”
“…….”
I alternated my gaze between the Blood Hounds growling as they approached and Cardia, who stood with her eyes shining triumphantly, her attention fixed solely on me. ‘Can she really wipe them out in a single blow?’ These were monsters that even S-class hunters struggled against. And there were a hundred of them at once. No matter how much of a dragon she was… wait, if I thought about it, wasn’t a dragon itself a “non-standard” existence that had never appeared in the Tower before? If that was the case, wouldn’t it be fine to trust her and leave it to her? Even at this very moment, Cardia was staring at me with eyes like a puppy wanting to be praised.
‘Right. Let’s trust her!’
I opened my mouth to her. “Go! Go and wipe them all out!”
In an instant, the corners of her mouth curled up in a seductively ecstatic way.
“As you command!”
BOOM!
The next moment, Cardia’s figure “vanished” from before my eyes. No, it would be more accurate to say she was so fast that I couldn’t see her. Before the pack of Blood Hounds could even react, a red flash appeared right in the middle of them. Cardia’s crimson eyes, facing the horde of monsters, burned bright red.
“How dare such lowly creatures disturb Master’s rest!”
WHOOSH!
Flames of crimson lotus bloomed around her.
“Pay for your sins with your lives!”
KRAAAAAA-BOOM!
A flash of light, with enough force to dye the entire city red, swept across the battlefield. A hot gale shook the ruins. The Blood Hounds screamed. Or rather, they tried to. But the sound never manifested. Before they could even perceive their own deaths, they were erased by the crimson flames. Soon, the surroundings fell silent.
“…….”
The pack of a hundred Blood Hounds didn’t even leave a trace behind. It was as if they had never existed in the first place. I stood there, mouth agape, and muttered, “Does this… make any sense?”
The next moment, Cardia, who had approached me, threw herself into my arms. Squish!
“Whoa?!”
Cardia was panting, rubbing her head against my chest. “Hmph… hmph, hmph!”
Her soft, red hair, which gave off a fresh and sweet scent, tickled my chin. As my mind reeled, I felt blood rushing to my lower body. My crotch went hard in an instant.
“Master….” Cardia murmured in a pleasant voice. She was rubbing her face against my chest like a puppy craving praise.
“Ca, Cardia.”
“Yes.”
“You did really well.”
For a moment, her crimson eyes wavered. “Is that truly so?”
“Yes.”
Cardia wore an expression of happiness, as if she possessed the whole world. She hugged me even tighter, her crimson eyes curved like crescent moons.
“Hehe….”
I tried to calm my excitement as I gently patted her back. The next moment, a status window popped up.
Crimson Lotus Dragon Cardia is very satisfied.
That was when it happened. Ding! A new message appeared.
The 1st-floor boss monster is appearing.
Dragon-Blooded Ogre appearance imminent.
At the same time, a massive vibration began to echo from across the ruined city. Thump. Thump. Thump. If a giant dinosaur were to appear, would it feel like this? The ground shook, and the debris of collapsed buildings rattled.
“……Crazy.”
The existence approaching us had a massive body that looked at least 10 meters tall. Red lava flowed all over its body, and its arms were large enough to crush boulders.
Dragon-Blooded Ogre
Rank: A+
Feature: Mutant Ogre infused with the energy of an active volcano
Every time it exhaled, hot heat erupted. ROOOAAAR! Its roar instinctively made my whole body stiffen. However, Cardia, who was in my arms, showed no particular agitation.
“Master.”
“……Yeah?”
She looked up, her crimson eyes sparkling. “Give the order to this maiden…!”
For a moment, I couldn’t help but chuckle. ‘Right. If it’s her.’ I opened my mouth again. “Go!”
Cardia whispered, “As you command.”
BOOM!
The next moment, a red flash exploded, and Cardia’s figure shot out like lightning. The Dragon-Blooded Ogre spotted her too. “Grrr…?” It stopped in its tracks. Its massive body began to tremble. “No way?! Does it recognize a Calamity-class existence?” The Dragon-Blooded Ogre was looking at Cardia with eyes filled with terror. As if it had encountered an existence it should absolutely never meet.
‘Oh… I guess it’s real. Even as a boss monster, does it recognize a Calamity-class beast?’
Cardia emitted a chilling glare and muttered, “A mere degraded creature dares to threaten Master?”
The next moment, the red flash moved again. It was too fast. It was impossible to follow with the naked eye. The Dragon-Blooded Ogre screamed. KRAAAAR! The red flash rotated around its body at a maddening speed. Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash! The giant Dragon-Blooded Ogre’s body being torn into thousands of pieces happened in the blink of an eye. Red blood and lava splattered everywhere. But even that didn’t last long. The crimson flames burned away all the remains. I stared at the scene with a dazed face.
“…….”
This was the power of a Calamity-class dragon! The Crimson Lotus Dragon, Cardia. That was when a new message appeared before my eyes. Ding!
◈ Subspace Pocket
◈ 50x Highest-Grade Magic Stones
◈ Title: 'Harborer of Calamity'
“……50 Highest-Grade Magic Stones?”
I doubted my own eyes. Just one Highest-Grade Magic Stone was worth billions of won. And there were 50 of them? Even a simple calculation resulted in an astronomical amount. On top of that, the Subspace Pocket. It was an item called the legend among legends even among hunters. A thing that only existed in theory. “This is insane!”
The next moment, the monster byproducts scattered around began to shine in unison. And WHOOSH! They were all sucked into the Subspace Pocket located at my waist. Ding!
Subspace Pocket activated automatically.
Current Storage Capacity: 50t
“50 tons?!”
Meanwhile, Cardia had already approached right in front of my nose. “Master.” She smiled brightly and threw herself into my arms. “Masteeeer!!”
“Whoa!”
Fluffy! Along with the soft sensation, her red hair tickled my face. Cardia rubbed her cheek against my chest with a blissfully happy face. “Praise.”
“Right, you did really well.” I chuckled and stroked her hair. It was soft. Truly, impossibly so. Cardia made a pleasant humming sound. “Hmm….”
Her appearance was so adorable that laughter leaked out before I knew it. The message that followed brought my mind back to reality.
Would you like to set your clear history to private?
Caution: Even if set to private, the 'record' itself will remain.
“…….”
Nightmare difficulty. First human to clear. If this were revealed to the world under my name? It would be absolute chaos. The Association, guilds, the country. And the whole world would try to find me. On top of that, if Cardia’s existence were known? ……I didn’t even want to imagine that. “YES.”
Ding!
Clear history has been set to private.
The moment I let out a sigh of relief, RUMBLE! A massive gate of light appeared in the center of the ruined city. A return portal. It was the gate signaling the clearing of that area of the Tower. I could finally return to reality. Just then, Cardia grabbed my hand tightly. “Are you returning?”
“Yes.”
Her gaze wavered slightly. Excitement. Expectation. And a bit of nervousness. I asked cautiously, “Are you scared?”
She blinked for a moment, then smiled brightly and answered, “Not at all. Because Master is by my side!” She grabbed my hand even tighter and smiled with her eyes. This is very bad for my heart, isn’t it?
***
Just before leaving the Tower. I fell into deep thought. Seoul, South Korea, where the Hunter Association is based. Countless guilds and awakeners. And the Calamity-class dragon, Crimson Lotus Dragon Cardia, standing by my side right now. ‘It would be best not to get caught if possible, right?’ Even at this moment, Cardia was looking at me with expectant eyes by my side. It felt like if she had a tail, she would be wagging it.
“Cardia.”
“Yes, Master.”
“For the time being… I think it would be better not to reveal your existence to people.”
In an instant, Cardia’s crimson eyes widened. “……!” Soon, her crimson eyes were filled with moisture in an instant. “Masteeeer……!”
“Huh?”
“Don’t tell me, you are… trying to protect this maiden……!”
“…….”
No, wait. Is now the time to cry? The existence that was slaughtering high-level monsters without leaving a single one behind just a moment ago was now shedding tears out of being overwhelmed with emotion. “Master… is so worried about this maiden……!”
“N-no, that’s not it.”
“Waaaaah……!”
Tears flowed down her snow-white cheeks. I looked at her with a dazed face and thought, ‘The gap is insane!’ ……What kind of roller coaster is her emotional range? I cleared my throat lightly and stroked her hair. “That’s right.” Cardia’s shoulders trembled.
“I’m your master, so isn’t it natural that I want to protect you?”
In an instant, Cardia’s face turned bright red. WHOOSH! Small flames bloomed around her, and the terrain under her feet melted in an instant. “Ma, Master……!”
I broke into a cold sweat. This girl is truly dangerous. In many ways.