Chapter 90
Chapter 90
Chapter 90: Squama One (4)
Translation: godtl
With the fall of Drahel, their leader, the situation at the poisoned supply route was swiftly resolved.
The vicious heat of Laevateinn had not only cleared the thick miasma that had shrouded the supply route—
Screeeech!
Crrrrackle!
—but also affected the remaining Dragonkin and monsters.
"They've weakened! Wipe them out!"
"Prioritize the ones with burns first!"
Thanks to this, the players easily dispatched the burned monsters and secured the poisoned supply route.
Watching this unfold, Si-mun gave a satisfied nod.
'It'll be over soon.'
This arena's objective was Defense.
Since the core mission was preventing Drahel's forces from crossing the poisoned supply route, clearing out the remaining stragglers would soon mark their victory.
"Your Eminence."
Just then, the Dark Elf—Dayna, who had finished recovering—approached Si-mun.
"Dayna, how are you feeling?"
"Thanks to you, I'm perfectly fine. But more importantly..."
She couldn't hide her awe as she stared at the scorched remnants of Drahel.
"I never dreamed you'd dispatch a Draconic like Drahel so effortlessly."
"I got lucky. Just happened to have the perfect counter."
"You're probably the only one who'd call killing a Squama One member 'luck.'"
Her tone was deadly serious—whether genuinely or exaggeratedly so.
Seizing the moment, Si-mun asked something that had been on his mind.
"By the way, Dayna—what exactly is this 'Squama One'?"
The system message had mentioned it too.
The fact that defeating one granted an achievement suggested it wasn't just any ordinary title.
After all, achievements like these were usually reserved for raid bosses or hidden bosses.
Dayna answered immediately.
"Your Eminence, you're aware of what a Draconic is, correct?"
"Of course."
A Draconic.
A Dragonkin who had attained enlightenment and awakened.
In the rigid hierarchy of Dragonkin society, it referred to those who had transcended their innate status through awakening.
'Kind of like an evolved species, but not quite.'
There was a clear distinction, though.
An evolved species was a Dragonkin who had ascended to an entirely new form through "evolution," while a Draconic was one who had reached the pinnacle of their existing lineage through "awakening."
Either way, their commonality was obvious.
"They're exceptional even among Dragonkin, especially in combat prowess."
"Precisely. I expected you'd know."
Nodding at his answer, Dayna continued.
"Squama One is a secret order composed exclusively of such Draconics."
"A secret order?"
"Yes. A group that exists solely for the Dragon Realm and its kin. Though in truth, it's rife with factional infighting for personal gain."
A faint sneer curled her lips as she glanced at Drahel's blackened remains.
"Anyway, Drahel was a member of Squama One. Just a low-ranking one, not even worthy of a title."
"A title?"
"Indeed. True Squama One members—the elite Draconics—each bear their own epithet. For instance, somewhere around here..."
Her gaze shifted.
Toward the towering mountain that seemed to pierce the gloomy sky.
As if looking beyond it, Dayna spoke in a slightly heated voice.
"...there's the Undefeated Sargas."
"Undefeated? That's his epithet? Sounds grandiose."
"It is. But it's no lie. He truly has never known defeat."
A Dragonkin who had never lost a single battle.
The epithet was well-earned.
'Definitely not someone to take lightly.'
Moreover, considering that Dragonkin were the supreme race in the Galaxy Arena, the epithet "Undefeated" was downright terrifying.
But.
That was all.
Si-mun wasn't particularly intimidated.
'It's not like I've used my full strength in this battle anyway.'
There was his Dragon Body Transformation, for one.
And wasn't there also the Death Eye—a perfect counter against Dragonkin?
Even if Drahel was merely a low-ranking member of Squama One.
Si-mun hadn't gone all out in their fight either.
However.
"That bastard... He's truly a monster."
Dayna's face darkened infinitely as she spoke of Sargas.
'Why is she so tense?'
Contrary to her usual composed demeanor, Dayna was visibly shaken beyond necessity.
Yet Si-mun couldn't even crack a lighthearted joke to ease her tension.
Why?
Because Dayna had unknowingly clutched his arms in a death grip.
And between her faintly trembling embrace—
'Is that a scar? From the shape, it looks like a laceration...'
An unusual scar rested there.
Soon after.
"Honored one."
As if having resolved herself.
With both fists tightly clenched, she turned to Si-mun with solemn eyes.
"Might this lowly one dare to make a request of you?"
Blinking at her sudden gravity, Si-mun—
"Go ahead."
—nodded in permission.
Dayna retrieved something from within her tight leather armor.
With a metallic clatter—
'An iron chain?'
It was a broken shackle.
She extended it toward Si-mun.
"I realized long ago that you are a Player. Truthfully, I've been waiting. For someone like you to appear."
At her words—
-Wait, I just got uncensored, but what the hell is this situation?
-Everything here just got uncensored. But was Dayna saying stuff like this before?
-No way. Normally it's just "Disgusted to meet you weaklings, never see you again!" followed by a bad ending, right?
-First time I'm seeing this too.
Viewers who'd just witnessed the Galaxy Arena's censorship lift erupted in furious confusion.
Naturally, Si-mun too—
'What is this? In my past life's addicted supply routes, there was never any route like this.'
—was wide-eyed at Dayna's unprecedented behavior, something he'd never seen across both lifetimes.
"The truth is, the reason I've been ambushing Dragonkin here isn't for any other purpose. It's for vengeance and salvation—for my kin."
Her voice burning with intensity, she locked eyes with Si-mun.
"Honored one, I beg you—please help me."
With her plea—
[Dark Elf Dayna is requesting a quest.]
—a message flashed before Si-mun's eyes.
He swiftly opened the quest window.
[Toward the Black Smeltery] - Hidden Quest
Rescue her enslaved kin imprisoned there.
Entry Requirement: Platinum-rank or higher.
Rewards: Dark Elf faction reputation, 10,000 Achievement Points, Black Smeltery component (?)
Si-mun's lips parted slightly as he read.
No wonder—
'Huh? They're offering 10,000 Achievement Points just for this?'
Ten thousand Achievement Points.
This was the kind of reward you'd only see from quests issued by Constellations themselves.
Which meant—
'This quest's difficulty must be absolutely insane.'
Of course.
From the start, Dark Elf Dayna was someone even Diamond Players scoffed at.
For her to plead for help like this, it couldn't possibly be anything ordinary.
'Well, it is a Hidden Quest, so that makes sense.'
Hidden Quests.
Even among quests, these were exceptionally rare.
Famous for their extreme difficulty matching their legendary rewards, they were the type players actively avoided once the official Arena began.
And on top of that.
'The Black Smeltery, huh...'
The Black Smeltery.
Wasn't that the place he'd been continuously entering through the preceding Arenas?
'This is a quest I can't refuse.'
The fact that even the Constellations had mentioned it only doubled his curiosity.
Si-mun accepted the chain Dayna held out.
"I'll help you, Dayna."
[You have obtained the entry item 'Slave Chain of the Black Smeltery.']
[You have cleared the achievement 'First Hidden Quest Accepted.']
[You have earned 2,000 Achievement Points.]
As the messages floated up—
"Ah!"
Dayna let out a short sigh and plopped down onto the ground.
She must have been anxiously worried that Si-mun might refuse.
-OMG...... Did Dayna just slump down?
-Today's full of rare sights, seriously lol.
-Is the CEO watching? If you're seeing this precious moment, throw in some big donations!
-Insane lol. Did you bet AP on this or something lol.
-You throw in some, you bastard!
The chat flared up at the unprecedented situation.
Then.
[You have successfully cleared the Arena 'Poisoned Supply Route.']
[The Arena will now conclude.]
Perhaps all remaining enemies had been eliminated.
With the announcement of the Arena's end, the players' bodies began to fade.
Dayna, having already composed herself, returned to her usual cold expression and looked at Si-mun.
Of course, her gaze was now far gentler than before.
"Then, O noble one, may you remain in good health until we meet again."
With Dayna's farewell—
Poof.
Si-mun's body was enveloped in light and vanished.
Back in his room, Si-mun was greeted by a flood of system messages.
[You have overwhelmingly cleared the Arena 'Poisoned Supply Route.']
[Due to prior announcements, your performance, and all members surviving, your clear rewards have significantly increased.]
[The bound trait 'Philosopher's Stone' has distributed a portion of experience points.]
[Your level has increased by 18.]
[The Philosopher's Stone has leveled up by 12.]
[You have obtained 'Dragonium Bundle' as a clear reward.]
The most eye-catching part was, of course, the level increase.
"Holy shit! 18 levels?!"
The number was so staggering that a curse slipped out.
Gaining 18 levels at once was something beyond belief.
And on top of that—
'The Philosopher's Stone leveled up by 12, and I gained 18 levels?'
This was the result of sharing experience with the Philosopher's Stone bound to him.
'If I were a regular player, this would've been a 30-level jump in one go.'
The sheer amount of experience was enough to make him laugh incredulously.
It was a reward befitting a Special Arena.
Of course, it wasn't entirely incomprehensible.
"The 40% increase from upward matching, my contribution in the Arena, and all 20 members surviving—it all adds up."
With these conditions combined, the experience made sense.
Naturally, Si-mun invested all 18 remaining stat points into Transmutation Power.
Perhaps because his main stat had just crossed into triple digits?
'It's not as drastic as when I surpassed 101, but I can still feel myself getting stronger.'
Though not as pronounced as when he'd broken past 101,
he could distinctly feel the difference in how Transmutation Power circulated through his circuits.
As Si-mun was about to close his status window, he noticed the level at the top and smiled.
"Exactly level 80."
His base level had been 62, and with the 18-level increase, it was now 80.
'If the next Arena goes like this, I'll hit level 100 in no time.'
Then he'd probably take his Promotion Match soon, followed by the Platinum Debut Match.
'It hasn't even been that long since my Gold Debut Match. Feels like the Galaxy Arena's pushing me to Platinum fast.'
Having accurately grasped the Galaxy Arena's intent, Si-mun cheerfully opened his inventory.
Then, he retrieved the rewards from this Arena.
"Whoa! This is pretty heavy!"
The package was labeled as Dragonium, but what came out was more like a bulging sack.
An ordinary person would've been knocked straight to the ground by the weight.
Si-mun carefully set the hefty sack down.
"By the way... Dragonium?"
It was an item name he'd never even heard of in his past life.
He quickly opened the sack to examine the Dragonium's information.
[Dragonium]
Grade: S
An ore composed of high-level Dragon Power.
The description was brief, but Si-mun wasn't disappointed.
'Dragon Power? It's made of Dragon Power?'
Kiiing.
He immediately activated Odin's Eye, and naturally, its trait, the Death Eye, opened as well.
[Dragonium's information has been updated.]
[You are the first on Earth to appraise 'Dragonium.']
[You have earned 2,000 Achievement Points.]
With the notifications, the Dragonium's info window changed.
[Dragonium]
Grade: S
An ore composed of high-level Dragon Power.
Possesses excellent hardness, strength, and energy conductivity.
Can only be handled by those who wield Dragon Power.
As he checked the updated info—
—Oh my, oh my. Look at this?
The Philosopher's Stone, which had been silent until now, finally spoke up.
—They've been making something very interesting, haven't they?
"Judging by your tone, you didn't know about this either?"
—Exactly. There isn't a single ore across multiple dimensions that I don't know. But this? First time seeing it.
Even the Philosopher's Stone was unfamiliar with it.
Considering the info window's contents, there was only one answer.
"It's an ore created by the Dragonkin. And in secret, at that."
—Seems like it. Hey, oppa, touch it for me.
Following the stone's request, Si-mun picked up a chunk of Dragonium—
—Kyah! Dragon Power in this form... No, is this even possible?!
After examining it for a while, the stone muttered in awe.
—With specs like these, it could easily rival Mithril, don't you think?
"Yeah."
Si-mun nodded lightly.
"I already got the sense from the description and grade that it's on par with Mithril."
After all, Mithril Ore also had a similar info window and an S-grade rating.
His expression grew more serious.
"And the fact that they gave this as an Arena reward means..."
—That the ugly-ass Drag bastards were hauling around this Dragonium, doesn't it?
Since Arena rewards were usually related to the Arena's content.
At the stone's words, Si-mun rested his chin on his hand.
'If we add Dayna's story to this, then this must be a material used in the Black Smeltery.'
Moreover—
The line in Dragonium's info window: "Can only be handled by those who wield Dragon Power."
It didn't just mean that only those with Dragon Power could wield items made from it.
'It also means only those with Dragon Power can process it.'
Thinking this far—
'I can kinda guess why the dwarves in my past life were so dragon-like.'
It made sense now why the dwarves from his past life had such draconic features.
'They must've been subjected to something by the Dragonkin to handle Dragonium.'
As for what exactly happened between the Dragonkin and the dwarves—
Hadn't the previous Special Arenas already made that clear?
Just then—
"Hm?"
A faint vibration registered in Si-mun's senses.
He turned toward the source—the living room table.
There—
Bzzzt. Bzzzt.
His phone, left alone on the table, was vibrating insistently.
Checking the screen, he brought it to his ear.
—Si-mun-nim. I apologize for calling so late, but I have urgent news. Are you available to talk?
A deep, weighty voice.
"Yes, Jin-uk-ssi. Go ahead."
It was Park Jin-uk, the Night Hunter.
—There's someone who insists on meeting you, so I reached out immediately.
"Me?"
Normally, Jin-uk would've handled it himself—that was the whole point of their partnership.
If Jin-uk was contacting him like this, it couldn't be just anyone.
"Who is it?"
—The owner of the Black Market.
Si-mun's expectations weren't wrong.