Chapter 64
"......Dragon hunting, huh."
Karono doubted his own ears.
Dragons were entities known as the strongest on the continent. The accepted wisdom was that even hunting a single one required at least a hundred knights forming a hunting party.
"That's madness."
"I don't think so. Someone will slay a dragon here in less than half a year. I'm just speeding things up a bit."
Karono stared at Adel with eyes that screamed, What the hell are you talking about?
"You haven't received any god's blessing."
"It's laughable for someone even his own father abandoned to expect one from a god."
"Didn't you reject them yourself? Any swordsman who can wield sword aura would have gods lining up for him."
"None. Not a one."
Karono cut him off curtly at Adel's question.
He's right—he never had a blessing even in his past life.
The man called the Liberation King, who conquered Cratel and built the information guild Tensha, wielded power that made him one of the continent's pillars. Gods grew stronger with the fervor of their followers, and with countless slaves devoted to him, Karono was the ideal contractor.
Yet he never contracted with any god until the end.
Though even without one, he outclassed those with low-tier god blessings by a mile.
Thinking back now, his refusal might have been like Muel being born with the fairy's blessing—perhaps Karono was innately fated as a dragon slayer.
A life where he had to kill dragons, deemed the noblest of mortal creations made by gods. No god would look kindly on him.
Kalderet spoke coldly.
He gazed toward the distant roar echoing from afar.
Garon snorted at Kalderet's jab but couldn't deny the ancient god's lofty pride.
"I'll lend you this for a bit. Should suit you fine."
Fwoosh---!!
In that instant, red flames rippled along Adel's arm gripping Karono's shoulder, seeping into his body.
"Gasp......?!"
Karono involuntarily sucked in a breath at the scorching heat surging from his heart.
As Garon's karmic flames settled within him, his eyes trembled with a fullness he'd never known.
Karono swallowed dryly without realizing it.
"......This is a god's blessing."
Enveloped in Garon's blessing, Karono clenched his fist at the blazing energy coursing through his body. A colossal power he'd never felt before. He felt like he could take on anything—not just a dragon.
"Sharing your blessing...... this absurd power...... Who are you?"
He stared at Adel with trembling eyes.
"Just a hunter."
Adel chuckled at his words.
Clank.
He slung the bow from the ground over his shoulder and said,
"So let's hunt."
Rumble---
The ground began to tremble faintly.
"Draw your sword, Karono."
It was uncanny. Despite coming from a mere 14-year-old boy, Karono gripped his sword hilt without hesitation at Adel's command.
"What the hell is going on...... The arena's a mess. Unbelievable. Slaves should serve their purpose as entertainment."
Someone approached from the arena entrance. The white-haired old man was wrinkled but exuded murderous intent from his eyes. No explanation needed—his aura wasn't human.
It was Durka, Cratel's master.
"One loach turning the whole city to mud. Better clean it up before it gets worse."
"This a mud puddle? Feels more like shit to me."
Adel smirked at his words.
Boom---!!!
Dismissing Durka's words as worthless, Adel drew his bow with full force. The Lion Bow's arrow pierced Durka's head with a sharp whistle.
"Kyaaak---!!"
"Run!!"
"Yes! Fight more!! Fight!!"
The deafening crash sent spectators fleeing in chaos, while others cheered louder.
Whoosh---!!
Durka swept his hand, and the spectators behind him vanished like smoke.
"Noisy."
The black smoke absorbed into his body, and his half-blown-off head began regenerating.
"Yeah. Spot on."
Kalderet eyed Durka as Adel replied.
"Durka never existed. Just a puppet Shan made."
Adel glanced at the half-vanished spectators.
"They know this is the dragon's city. That's why this lawless slave haven never gets attacked by any kingdom."
"Exactly."
"Maybe you can't grasp it because you're a god. No mortal rolling in shit prefers death—they can't accept it easily."
Adel nocked another arrow.
"Me neither. Death's hard to swallow anytime, but if I go, it better be one I can accept."
"To survive. I'm not judging Shan's right or wrong."
"All I can do is give him an acceptable death."
Bang---!!
Adel's arrow flew again.
"The law of the jungle. The eternal truth from the beginning of time. It binds even gods."
Kwang---!!
The arrow nailed Durka's head once more.
"That's why I'm a hunter. The weak get hunted—that's all."
His half-gone head shattered completely this time.
"This time, I'll hunt them before they devour me."
Durka's headless corpse slowly rose. A voice emanated from the body despite the missing head.
"......"
Watching the scene, Karono swallowed dryly.
Did he really come here to hunt a dragon?
If it came from an ordinary boy, he'd laugh it off—but Karono felt chills, not amusement.
But he couldn't know. Adel's true prey wasn't some mere dragon.
Splat---!!
Durka's body exploded outright.
Fwoosh......!!
Dark red blood and flesh splattered the ground, forming a magic circle. Its rings multiplied: one to two, two to four, four to sixteen.
"Sixteen magic circles? Even for a dragon, that many overlapping......"
Karono muttered in a trembling voice.
Garon's power surged into Karono's greatsword, as if guiding him.
"......Shut up."
At that moment, Karono gripped his greatsword tighter. The rampaging flames calmed, condensing until only the blade glowed red.
"Don't order me around. I'm not your contractor. If you're lending power, do it quietly. Don't try to control me."
Garon couldn't hide his shock.
Kalderet chuckled at the sight.
Yes, Karono. That's how you do it. Not some leashed dog gobbling handouts—but a hound that hunts on its own will.
Adel knew the black dragon before him was mere sacrificial fodder for the Liberation King's birth.
From now on, you'll hunt far more dragons.
A dragon slayer who felled one in his past life—this time, Adel would forge him into a hunter whose name alone terrified all dragons.
Slash--!!
Flap--!!
Through the overlapping magic circles, Shan revealed his true form—a massive black dragon looming before them.
Back in his true form, Shan looked down on them without a care.
"We'll see who vanishes."
Adel stepped forward.
Twitch.
The air between Adel and Shan rippled, as if space itself split.
The ancient dragon, wise from ages, instantly sensed the fleeting anomaly.
And realized something had gone terribly wrong.