Chapter 146
Chapter 146
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 146
Chapter Title: A Bet with a Dragon
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Whoosh-!
The wind roared past his ears.
Do-jae reached into his subspace and activated his Golem Armor.
Click-.
The Golem Armor enveloped his face.
With the helmet on, the stinging in his eyes and the loud howl of the wind lessened considerably.
"This is incredibly fast, isn't it?"
Do-jae said to Harkes, who was sitting behind him with his legs crossed.
The Giant Horse's back was so wide that riding it like a normal horse was impossible.
"It is the fastest of all land creatures. We were slowed in the forest, but at this speed, we should reach the north in about fifteen days."
Do-jae nodded.
Indeed, they had moved slowly through the rainforest, avoiding grass, trees, and hidden monsters, but the moment they reached the open plains, the horse had begun to run at an incredible speed.
Its speed was comparable to a car on a highway.
It looked to be moving well over 100 km/h.
"Fifteen days... That's too long."
Do-jae said, gripping the Giant Horse's mane tightly.
It was fast, but the ride was far from comfortable.
"It cannot be helped. This creature needs rest, does it not? We must hunt monsters to feed it. Fifteen days is the minimum; it could take even longer."
"Hmm... It's a waste to spend so much time just traveling... Isn't there another way?"
Living creatures naturally required proper rest.
They needed to replenish their energy through meals and also had to sleep.
He wondered if it would be better to travel by golem instead.
As long as it had mana, a golem needed neither rest nor food.
It could move endlessly.
Do-jae weighed which would be faster: riding a golem or the Giant Horse.
"Even if the golems run at full speed, carrying a Titan... Hmm... It might be about the same, or maybe a little faster..."
If he used the four black golems to carry only himself, he could probably arrive faster than the Giant Horse.
The speed would be less than half, but he could spend every moment traveling.
But if he had to carry this Titan, Harkes, he couldn't be sure.
It might even take longer.
After pondering for a while, Do-jae posed a question to Harkes.
"Do you happen to know any dragons around here?"
A dragon could use 'Teleport' magic to cross vast distances in an instant.
If so, he wouldn't have to strain his back on the jolting Giant Horse, nor would he have to sit uncomfortably in the embrace of this hulking Titan.
"A dragon, you say? I have never heard of any race being acquainted with dragons. Those ferocious beasts..."
"No... I don't mean being friendly with one. I'm asking if you know where a dragon might live. Is there a dragon's lair nearby?"
"Ah, hmm... I did read in an ancient text that one resides in this area."
"Oh, where would that be?"
"I believe I heard that a vicious gold dragon lives in the Parkin Mountains over there... But why do you ask?"
Harkes seemed to answer Do-jae's nonchalant question without much thought, but then his voice grew tense as he asked.
Again, Do-jae replied casually, as if it were nothing.
"Why else? I'm going to meet it."
Thud-!
"Kiiiing!"
The Giant Horse, which had been running smoothly, abruptly slowed and came to a halt.
Do-jae, who was nearly thrown off, managed to avoid falling by gripping the mane tightly.
"M-Meet it? Are you mad? Do you even know what a dragon is...?"
"Yeah, I know all about them. I happen to know a dragon myself."
"That is absurd. I have never seen a dragon myself, but the stories about them are widespread. They are vicious creatures who look down on all other life forms as if they were insects, coveting gold and treasure... Yet their power is so immense that no race can stand against them. And you say you are acquainted with such a being?"
"Hmm... The one I know is a bit different. Lazy and only likes to play games. Well, the powerful part is true."
Do-jae crossed his arms and nodded.
He recalled his conversation with Briareus.
***
Time rewound a little.
To a point not long after he had returned from the United States.
"Do-jun."
Do-jae called out to Briareus, who was sitting blankly, staring at his smartphone.
Somehow, in just a few days, he had managed to get the guild members wrapped around his finger, to the point where no one cared whether he was slacking off or doing whatever he pleased.
Neither Young-jin nor Ji-yoon could handle him, and he only seemed to listen to Eun-hee and Jeong Hoon-hyeon.
At the very least, he perfectly completed his assigned tasks, so one could say he wasn't being a burden to the guild.
"What?"
"Come with me to a dungeon for a bit."
"What? No way. I already finished my assigned dungeon this morning. It's a pain."
Briareus slumped back in his chair, stretching out.
Do-jae knew well that Briareus wouldn't grant his request with just a simple ask.
So, he had already given Young-jin a task in advance.
"Really? That's a shame... I got a nice item for you."
"Why would I need an item? Items are for weak races like you."
"No... not that kind of item. This kind."
"What is it?"
Do-jae showed Briareus his smartphone screen.
Briareus, who had been squinting at Do-jae's screen, shot up and snatched the phone away.
"You! This...!"
Briareus tapped the screen a few times, then began to tremble.
"You were the one who bought out the auction house...?"
Do-jae had bought up all the important items in the game Briareus was playing.
He had discovered that Young-jin also played the same game from time to time, and had him find out Briareus's level and class to buy up all the items he currently needed most.
*'Hmm... how about this? These are materials for equipment that Do-jun absolutely has to craft at his level, so they're always in short supply. If you buy them all up, he'll have a hard time progressing to the next stage because he'll have to farm them himself.'*
Young-jin's prediction was spot on.
Briareus's face had twisted with greed.
"If you just spare me a little time, I can give them all to you."
"Kuh..."
Briareus stared intently at his smartphone, contemplating.
Then, he looked at Do-jae and nodded.
It seemed he had chosen the easy way out over farming them himself.
"Follow me."
Do-jae led Briareus to a dungeon he had secured beforehand.
As for securing dungeons, Jeong Hoon-hyeon had already prepared a list for Do-jae without even being asked.
With new guild members taking over the neutralization work, things had become much more convenient for him.
"There's nothing but weaklings in here. By your standards, maybe D-rank?"
"That's right. I didn't bring you here to clear the dungeon."
With a bored expression, Briareus launched a fireball at an approaching monster.
Boom-!
The orc, which had been approaching with its nose twitching, was instantly roasted whole and collapsed to the ground.
"Then what are we doing? Hurry up. Don't you know my phone doesn't get service in here?"
Briareus urged him on, waving his smartphone.
Do-jae let out a deep sigh and said.
"Hoo... It's nothing much. I want to fight you."
"Fight me? All of a sudden?"
"Yeah. In here, we can fight at full power without causing any damage to the outside world."
"Hehehe... Full power, you say..."
Briareus let out a sly laugh.
He glanced at his wrist and then spoke.
"It's no fun just fighting. How about we make a bet?"
"A bet?"
"Yep. It's boring if there's nothing on the line. Won't the fight be more exciting if we both have something to lose?"
It was obvious what Briareus wanted to bet.
Do-jae thought for a moment, then smiled and opened his mouth.
"Alright. What's the wager?"
"If I win, you take this off. And I won't do any more guild work."
"That's two things."
"So it is. Then you can bet two things as well."
"...If I win, you have to help me, no matter what. You have to fight Gellahan."
Do-jae looked Briareus straight in the eye, emphasizing each word.
In contrast, Briareus seemed unconcerned.
"Is that it? That's only one thing."
"This one thing is enough."
"Alright. Hehehe, this should be fun. Any conditions for the fight?"
Briareus cracked his knuckles and loosened up.
Do-jae also began to stretch and warm up.
"None. You can even manifest in your true form. The winner is the one who forces the other to surrender."
***
Swoosh-!
Small meteors rained down from the sky.
Clad in his Golem Armor, Do-jae lightly dodged the meteors.
The meteors exploded on impact, creating massive craters in the ground.
KABOOM-!
"You slippery bastard!"
"Is that all you've got, Do-jun?"
"I am Briareus!"
Briareus didn't stop, relentlessly pouring all sorts of magic down on Do-jae.
Flames erupted from the ground, and lava flowed, only to be hardened by a tempest, then covered in white snow from which icicles sprouted.
Do-jae dodged or deflected every spell, closing the distance to Briareus.
"Looks like there's a limit to what you can do in a human body, huh?"
"Shut up!"
Though annoyed, Briareus didn't stop casting.
In his polymorphed human body, he couldn't use Dragon Tongue magic, so there was a delay between his spells.
Powerful area-of-effect spells, in particular, took even more time.
Swish, swish-.
"Perfect Barrier!"
As Do-jae closed the distance in an instant, Briareus cast a defensive spell.
The 'perfect barrier' was shattered to pieces by Do-jae's Black Scale, making a mockery of its name.
"You're not actually trying to kill me, are you?"
"Yeah, don't worry."
Briareus shouted as he flew into the sky, taking advantage of the moment the Perfect Barrier had briefly halted Do-jae's advance.
Do-jae had said he wasn't trying to kill him, but his actions suggested otherwise.
Fwoosh-!
Flames erupted from the Black Scale.
He had coated the blade with fire magic.
He launched the flaming blade, now extended to three meters, toward Briareus.
Whoooosh-!
The roaring flames cut through the sky at incredible speed and struck Briareus.
Fortunately, he had managed to cast another barrier just in time to block it, but the penetrating flames still managed to singe the hem of his clothes.
"So you really want to do this, huh?"
"I told you. Let's go all out."
"Fine. If that's what you want...!"
A brilliant light erupted from Briareus's body.
The light began to expand, growing larger and larger.
The monsters watching from a distance, too afraid to approach, were seized with terror and fled even further away.
Soon, Briareus had completely returned to his original form.
Kuuuoooo-!
He immediately opened his massive jaws and let out a Dragon Roar.
Do-jae's temples throbbed painfully from the sound.
He gripped the Black Scale tightly and grinned.
"Alright. Let's do this again!"