Encounter with the Unknown (3)

Judging by the racket outside the gate, the fight was still raging. Bang Su-hwan and Ha Se-na were probably struggling to hold off the Eldritch.

The Eldritch was the kind of monster even high-rank hunters had trouble with. If things went wrong, the two of them could end up in serious danger.

I can’t drag this out.

I had to settle it as fast as possible. I took a step forward.

"The terms of the bet are…"

The dragon opened its maw wide.

"Cut."

It had been spoken in an utterly ordinary voice, yet the cave rang with it like a bell.

My right wrist suddenly felt numb.

I looked down.

Blood pattered onto the floor.

Only then did I understand what had happened.

My right hand…

It had been severed clean off at the wrist.

"Ghk!"

I clamped my left hand over the stump and tried to stop the bleeding. Cold sweat burst out all at once, and the world in front of me blurred.

The cave spun. I dropped to one knee, then slowly lifted my head.

When the hell did it…?

It had happened so fast I hadn’t even seen it.

No, wait. Did it even move in the first place?

The dragon simply sat there in its throne, looking down at me with perfect calm.

I hadn’t sensed even the faintest hint of an attack.

This isn’t physical force.

Why did dragons stand at the very top among monsters? It wasn’t just because of their superb bodies. There was also their overwhelming magic, their ability to fly, and their spiritual nature.

But the crown jewel of all that was… power.

Dragons possessed unique powers, and one of them was the force of command words. The instant they spoke, reality itself obeyed. What was known as dragon language.

The dragon had spoken, and my wrist had been severed. It was a miracle no human could ever hope to imitate.

The only way to resist dragon language was to possess mana stronger than a dragon’s.

My severed wrist lay on the floor.

Only then did reality finally sink in, and I swallowed hard.

Dammit.

I’d expected this to be hard. Dragons weren’t the kind of beings you could take lightly.

What could I do to win without ever fighting the dragon head-on? That was the solution I’d come up with: a bet.

But a bet wasn’t something you made by yourself.

It only became a bet once the other side agreed to it.

If he refuses, it’s useless.

The one who’d chopped off a man’s wrist looked utterly unbothered.

"Stop making trouble and get out."

My wrist, rolling across the floor, looked like a scrap torn from a dead monster’s corpse.

…

My pulse quickened, my heart hammering hard enough to hurt.

If I wasn’t careful, I could tumble straight into panic.

I’m scared. I’m terrified…

Gooseflesh prickled up the back of my neck.

It was fear unlike anything I’d ever felt in my life.

It felt like I was standing before a wall so vast it had no end.

I want to run.

When I thought about it, there were plenty of other ways out. Finding Ha Se-na’s item wasn’t the only way to catch Quarter. I could recruit other comrades. I could go back and make excuses to Ha Se-na. I could compromise. I could settle for a half-measure.

But I didn’t want to.

In my first life, I’d spent my whole existence running away. I’d hidden in a factory, pretending not to know what I truly wanted, and lived day after day in meaninglessness.

And somehow I had the feeling that if I backed down now…

I’d go back to the way I was before…

Right.

I’d decided to become a hero, hadn’t I?

There was no way I could imagine a hero fleeing in terror, crying for help like a cornered rat.

I clenched my left fist and swayed as I forced myself back to my feet.

Don’t give up. The fight starts now.

I slowly straightened up, then took another step forward.

"I’ll explain again. The terms are something we both agree on—"

"Cut."

My left hand flew backward as though something had bitten it clean off.

This time, the severed chunk went all the way up to my elbow.

"Khk!"

I grimaced and ground my teeth.

A searing pain, enough to make my hair stand on end, ripped through my spine. Hot blood poured down like a faucet turned on full.

…Ugh.

My left arm, cut off at the elbow, landed in the dirt and dust.

I’d lost both hands, but I still didn’t kneel this time.

I’ve still got two legs.

And so I kept going, with nothing but the space ahead of me in my sights.

My mouth had gone bone-dry. Sweat dripped from my forehead in steady beads.

"…It’s a decision we make together."

"Come any closer, and I’ll cut off your neck."

The dragon said it as casually as if it were discussing the weather.

I flinched for a moment, then took one more step.

Maybe this was arrogance. But if I had Regeneration, I could grow my arms back.

However…

If my neck gets cut off, or my heart gets blown apart…

then I’m really dead.

Even so, I didn’t stop.

Taking another step, I opened my mouth.

"One round. No dragging it out. Let’s keep it clean and simple—"

The dragon threw its mouth open wide.

"Kuaaaah!!!"

A monstrous torrent of flame exploded from its jaws.

One of the dragon’s basic techniques, and one of its deadliest. Breath mixed with raw energy and hurled out with brutal force. Dragon Breath.

"Khh!"

I spread my feet front and back and braced myself.

The temperature of Dragon Breath was said to exceed five thousand degrees. It was hot enough to rival the surface of the sun.

Anything struck by it would vanish without a trace. A human would be reduced to blackened ash, bones and all.

But…

"Graaah!!!"

I stared straight ahead, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠eyes wide open, and glared at the dragon.

The reward I’d earned from that fire disaster last time finally proved its worth.

Sylvion Albatrion Daisy attribute permanently maintained.

Wyvern Pipi’s attribute was fire.

And on top of that, I’d been given a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hero’s privilege.

So right now…

No matter how fierce the flames are, I can withstand them!

Mana charged with resistance to fire wrapped around my entire body.

"Aaaagh!!!"

I didn’t fall.

I didn’t step back.

I held on. And on. And on again.

The ferocious Dragon Breath gradually weakened.

Smoke curled up from every inch of my body. The hunter-grade protective gear I wore was scorched in several places, but my skin hadn’t melted.

"Ohh."

The dragon’s eyes gleamed with admiration.

"What are you?"

The dragon, which had treated me like nothing more than a bothersome fly until now, looked at me with genuine curiosity.

"Cough."

When I coughed, a haze of gray ash spilled from my mouth and scattered into the air.

I straightened my chest and lifted my head.

Then I met the dragon’s eyes head-on.

"Choi Yongki. That’s my name. Remember it."

The dragon fell silent for a long moment.

If it wanted to, it could kill me whenever it pleased.

After an endless stretch of silence, the dragon finally spoke again.

"Why are you going this far?"

"My comrades are waiting for me outside."

I turned my head toward the gate.

I could hear shields colliding and voices chanting spells, faint and distant.

It was Bang Su-hwan and Ha Se-na, fighting Eldritch like ghosts ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠trapped in the hell of Mugan.

They were probably waiting there without moving an inch until I came back out.

I lifted my gaze again.

"My comrades are out there fighting because they trust me. If the leader backs down, that’d be pretty pathetic."

I said it like a poser full of swagger, but the truth underneath was different.

I can’t betray the hearts of the comrades who chose to trust me.

"That’s my reason."

The dragon rose from its throne.

Volcanic ash and sand cascaded from the ceiling in a torrent.

"A human who understands nothing. That only makes you more interesting. Fine. I’ll humor you."

Good.

Only after losing both hands and enduring flames hotter than five thousand degrees did I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠finally get the dragon to accept.

"What are the terms of the bet?"

What should I choose?

I racked my brain at once.

"If I endure your Breath, I win. If I can’t…"

"Rejected."

There was a wall right at the start.

"Why?"

"I just watched you endure it. It’s too obvious. Not fun."

By watching the words someone repeated by habit, you could tell a lot about them.

The dragon wasn’t human, but…

The word it used most often was…

Fun.

Maybe, as the strongest living creature, it had grown bored coiled up and sleeping inside this cave for so long.

In that case…

"Then I’ll move your emotions."

"My emotions?"

"If you burst out laughing, or frown, or look in pain, or get angry… anything. If you show any reaction at all, I win. How about that?"

"Hmm."

It wasn’t as easy as it sounded.

Even seasoned comedians didn’t find it easy to make people laugh.

And I wasn’t exactly talented at physical comedy or cheap wordplay.

But…

"Now that’s…"

The dragon gave a slow nod.

"Interesting."

It continued, "And if you lose?"

"I’ll give you my life."

"Hmph. I have no interest in the life of someone like you."

"Then I’ll grant you three wishes. I’ll do anything you want."

"I don’t particularly like the idea, but… having you guard this gate for the rest of your life instead of Eldritch wouldn’t be a bad deal."

The dragon gave a slow nod.

"Very well. I accept."

And just like that, the bet was set.

I met the dragon’s gaze.

"What’s your name?"

"Lucian Arterion Rose."

That was an absurdly grand, absurdly long name—almost as grand as Pipi’s.

"Good. Rose. From now on, I’m going to move your emotions."

I closed my eyes, then opened them again.

Ding.

Alusia has been activated.

I spread both hands and drew an orange magic circle in the air.

"What are you trying to do? I have no use for brainwashing magic…"

Rose was clearly disappointed.

Alusia wasn’t a spell meant only for harming people.

If you use it well, there’s nothing it can’t do…

The magic circle was sucked into Rose’s eyes.

"Mm…?"

Rose stiffened.

Its mouth hung open wide enough to show all its sharp teeth.

Like a projector in a movie theater, images flashed across those huge golden pupils—its past.

From the day Rose hatched as a hatchling, freshly emerged from its egg.

Learning from other dragons how to hunt ogres and orcs.

Laughing brightly while holding a bouquet of flowers it had received as a gift to celebrate becoming independent.

And finally, the moment another dragon closed its eyes and died, with Rose standing faithfully beside it until the end.

The dragon that had stayed with Rose through half its life looked strangely similar to it.

At last…

"…Big brother."

A single tear slipped from Rose’s eyes.

I didn’t know what story it carried. Either way, Rose was surely remembering some aching old memory.

And through Alusia, it would’ve felt even more vivid.

Joy, sorrow, pain, and even the ecstasy of happiness… a storm of emotions swept through it.

Rose lowered its head, then slowly curved its mouth upward.

It looked exactly like someone who had cried their heart out and felt strangely relieved afterward.

"I have lost."

Dragons were a proud race.

So Rose accepted the result cleanly, without complaint.

"What do you want? I’ll grant you three wishes."

I held up one finger at a time.

"First, leave Manjanggul."

Rose didn’t seem like it would cause trouble immediately, but the very fact that a dragon was staying in the cave was enough to make Jeju Island’s citizens miserable.

"Hmph. Fine. What’s the next one?"

"Second, someday—when I call for you, come running no matter what."

"Tch. You really are a nuisance. And the last one?"

I pointed toward the gate.

"The last wish is going to belong to someone else."

A precious comrade. The person who had guided me here.

It was Ha Se-na’s turn to appear.