Chapter 150
Chapter 150
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 150
Chapter Title: The Dragon's Game
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Screeeech-
"I shall wait here."
Deeper in the mountains.
When the lone door at the base of the cliff opened, Harkes stopped.
"Alright. I'll go alone."
The door was far too narrow for a Titan to enter.
It was a door just large enough for a human to pass through.
"I'll ask about you being a human later."
"Got it."
Thump- Thump-
Stepping inside, he found a passageway.
There wasn't a single light, but thanks to his keen senses and the Nerves of the Golem, he could walk through without bumping into anything. Fortunately, the passage wasn't very long.
"Was it dark? It is because I rarely use the door."
"Not at all. More importantly, this place is incredible."
Do-jae was purely amazed by the sight unfolding before him.
Though his aesthetic sense was practically zero, even Do-jae was left speechless by the magnificent atmosphere of the place.
"Hoh. So you truly are human? Humans have a suitable sensibility. They know how to appreciate beauty, but they don't look into the blood and tears carved within."
Herteias walked over to an ornament and tapped it.
"How much gold do you think went into this statue?"
He was pointing at a statue of a Balrog, a Grade 1 monster.
It was well over five meters tall, and if you included its outstretched wings, it was impossible to even imagine how much gold had been used.
"It seems like a tremendous amount of gold was used."
"Wrong. Not as much as you think went into it."
Herteias placed his hand on the Balrog's claw.
A moment later, the gold began to melt and drip down, following his glowing red palm.
"Do you see? What's inside isn't gold, but a real Balrog. That's how I could erect a gold statue identical to its actual size. Even for dwarves, creating something as lifelike as this would be impossible."
"..."
"800 years ago, I visited Briareus's lair. His lair also had quite a few decent decorations. But the fool tried to create something from nothing, so he ended up with a pile of insignificant things, lacking in both size and detail. Kuhahaha! What good is a great memory? You have to know how to use your head."
Herteias gazed at the Balrog statue with satisfaction.
There were many other dynamic statues that seemed to be breathing, and he realized they had all been made in the same way.
Of course, it wasn't just monsters; there were also statues of dwarves, elves, Titans, and even humans, all with vivid expressions.
Seeing that, he could understand just how solipsistic the dragons' way of thinking was.
"Hey, dwarves!"
As Herteias shouted, dwarves popped out from somewhere.
Hairy dwarves, reminiscent of Oson Ironhammer, gathered before Herteias, holding various tools.
They all knelt in unison, and one white-haired dwarf stepped forward and spoke.
"Faigo Sandstone, eighth-generation descendant of Torion Sandstone, greets you."
The dwarves, terrified, bowed their heads low toward Herteias.
Watching them, Do-jae felt pity for the dwarves who had lived as the dragon's slaves for eight generations.
"Has that much time passed already? Anyway, fix this properly. And has anything changed in all this time? You haven't even finished half of what I told you to do before I woke up! Are you all struggling so desperately to be exterminated?!"
"F-f-forgive us! The Sandstone clan will complete the task with all our being!"
"I'll let it slide since my friend's guest is here. I'll give you one year. Finish it all within a year. If you understand, then get the hell out of my sight!"
Fwip-!
The dwarves hastily departed.
Do-jae wondered if Briareus had a similar personality.
Judging by his usual behavior, he was probably less severe than Herteias.
He seemed like the type who would find it too bothersome to even give orders.
"Follow me."
After confirming the dwarves had started working, Herteias began to walk somewhere.
Do-jae glanced at the dwarves once more before following him.
***
Thump-.
Thud-.
Herteias packed various items into a backpack.
From red orbs that seemed to be mana stones to dried food and a spare set of clothes.
And finally, he tucked a short, 30-centimeter-long staff into his robes.
"From now on, call me Heltein."
"Heltein, you say?"
"That's right. Heltein is the name I've used most often during my games."
Do-jae felt like he had seen the name ‘Heltein’ somewhere before.
He slowly searched his memory, trying to recall where.
"A Study on Mana Storage Organs and Racial Characteristics..."
"Hoh? You've read that book?"
"Yes. I read it with great interest. I learned a lot from it, too."
"It couldn't have been easy to understand. The more I see of you, the more I like you, human."
Herteias was quite pleased.
Do-jae thought it was a good thing he'd read that book, figuring he had scored some more points.
That way, he could better coax this dragon and use him more easily.
"More importantly, why are you choosing to act through a game? I told you that the one I'm trying to face is Gellahan."
Do-jae was dissatisfied with Herteias's decision to enjoy a game.
The dragons' games, which he had learned about through Briareus.
It was a kind of play where they set up a specific situation and entered the world accordingly.
They would live among not just humanoid races like humans, elves, and dwarves, but also species treated as monsters, like orcs and goblins, without discrimination.
As beings at the pinnacle of all life, with long lifespans and perfect memories, they enjoyed these games to shake off the emptiness and boredom of their dragon forms.
It was like watching a movie.
And to avoid breaking the movie's setting, they would never use their true dragon power within the constraints of the game, even if severely injured, unless they were truly on the verge of death.
The game was about complete immersion—no, feeling as if they had perfectly become a new living being.
He didn't know to what extent Herteias would enjoy his game, but if he was going to operate within its framework, he would undoubtedly place restrictions on himself, which is why Do-jae asked.
"Has Gellahan done anything wrong to me?"
"Pardon?"
"I have been in a deep slumber for the past 500 years. The most important thing to me is sleep. Did Gellahan disturb that sleep? Or did those Apostate bastards disturb my sleep? If anything, it was you who woke me."
"I am truly sorry about that. However, didn't you react that way because you know what kind of beings Gellahan and the Apostates are, Lord Herteias?"
"I know. Even while I slept, I could tell what was happening in the outside world. But they did not disturb me. They did nothing to me, so why should I care? And even if they are god-like, they are beings of the mortal plane. Gaia herself does not move, so there was no need for me to move either."
Do-jae clenched his fists, trying not to be obvious.
He knew they were a self-righteous and selfish race, but he was dumbfounded by how little they cared about anyone but themselves.
Ultimately, it was because most dragons were like this that the long conflict known as the Hundred Years' War had occurred.
Even if the continent faced near-annihilation, it was, in the end, just a squabble among the beings of the mortal plane.
"I understand... In that case, may I ask what kind of game you intend to play?"
"Heltein was a great mage, so great that he even served as a court wizard. This time, I will enjoy myself as his descendant, the great mage Heltein."
"Teleportation is a magic humans cannot use. I asked you to use teleportation..."
"You are ill-informed. With precise coordinates and a detailed magic circle, even humans can use it. It is only because that is so difficult that there is almost no information on teleportation. The great mage Heltein can do it."
It was an answer that could be twisted to mean anything.
In any case, Do-jae didn't expect much from Herteias beyond teleportation, so he decided to be satisfied with this.
"Thank you. I'll be in your care."
Do-jae began to think about how he would handle this difficult dragon in the future.
The easiest idea was to get Herteias actively involved in combat to provoke his anger or make him feel his life was in danger.
Then, not wanting to die, wouldn't he use his original power?
"The descendant, Heltein, is a naive young man who has lived deep in the mountains, studying only the research materials left by his ancestor, the first Heltein. He doesn't know much about the world. You should know that from now on."
Quite a detailed backstory.
Do-jae let out a deep sigh, making sure it couldn't be heard.
***
"Hah... hah..."
"Chief, why don't we rest for a bit?"
"No. We must go as quickly as possible."
The gray elf Sarieta took the hand of Hamar, who was twice her size, and stood up.
Having walked without rest, Sari's feet and legs were swollen, and sweat poured from her body.
Not yet fully detoxified, she continued to move toward some destination.
"The village is already gone... Nothing will change even if we go there."
"That's true. But we have to go. This isn't just a problem for our village. You saw on the way here, didn't you? What happened to the Tubalun Kingdom... Something is happening to the entire continent. To find out what, we must go to Lady Elatra."
"...I do not understand. But I trust and will follow you, Chief."
"Thank you, Hamar."
Sari and Hamar.
And the few surviving gray elves continued their journey without stopping.
At that same time.
Another group was heading from the eastern part of the continent toward the center.
"I can't help but worry about the village."
"Father, this isn't just a problem for our village!"
A group of about twenty dwarves were traveling on small horses befitting their height.
It had been three days since they left their village, Herden.
"Oson, I think we should go back to the village."
"Father! Trust the villagers! Now is the time for us to venture out into the continent. I, Oson Ironhammer, wish to contribute to the peace of the continent, staking the name of Ironhammer!"
Oson and Fuson were leading the group from the front.
That day.
After the massive monster raid, Fuson had been able to return to the village safely.
Fuson himself was a strong dwarven warrior, and the village's best warriors, including Oson, had plunged into the monster horde to rescue him.
Afterward, they had driven out all the monsters with powerful weapons made with their outstanding technology, successfully protecting the village.
However, Oson's village, Herden, was the only one they had managed to protect.
Countless other dwarven villages had been invaded by monsters, and a significant number had been wiped off the map.
"I understand. I, Fuson Ironhammer, understand you well. I, too, wish to save the continent! My son! I am sorry for being such a worthless father!"
"Not at all! Let us hurry to Lady Elatra's shrine! If we go there, we will be able to find out what is happening on the continent!"
Oson slapped the horse's rump hard.
The other dwarves also spurred their horses, and the group picked up their pace toward the center of the continent.