Dragon Knight (1)
Suzuki continued to train. I focused less on mana and more on raw power and agility. I battered my body every single day, sharpening and honing my skills. But unfortunately...
“Slow…” It was painfully slow. My mana grew way too fast, which made my strength and speed feel sluggish in comparison.
A week passed like that.
Strength Lv.32 ▶ Strength Lv.33
Agility Lv.28 ▶ Agility Lv.29
In the first week I pumped my mana up fifteen levels, but in the second week strength and agility only rose one point each. I had to remember how sweet Elena’s milk had made me grow back then.
“This won’t do…” I knew about regression. It only resets the timeline. It doesn’t change my talent. The moment I hit a wall, I’ll just be stuck in place. Even if I repeat regression, I won’t grow any further.
“That’s why I made up my mind.”
Why did I have to explain the reason for coming to catch the Black Imugi in such grand terms?
The white dragon’s wings fluttered. I was riding on Isilia’s back, heading toward the Eastern Cliff Cave.
Strength or agility wasn’t enough for me to fight the Black Imugi head-on, but since I might gain something from a real fight, I figured I’d try it.
“I might even die, though?”
“Die? What a load of crap.”
“Yeah, you’d just love to watch me die. That way I’d have no one to drag under the Submission Oath. So forget about revenge and live a long, long dragon life instead.”
“Exactly. I wish you’d just hurry up and die already.”
Isilia poured out curses at me. Sometimes she was obedient, sometimes she rebelled. I couldn’t tell what was real anymore. The only clear thing was that she hated me with everything she had. Unlike Elena, Isilia actually loathed me. It wasn’t the hate from the Submission Oath, but pure hatred for Pluto who took her mother away.
We arrived at the Eastern Cliff Cave.
Kugung—!
“You filthy bastards! Do you know who I am and still dare to attack?!”
The Black Imugi was already rampaging inside the cave. Players were hunting it together.
Dwarves. A party made up entirely of dwarves swung their axes at the Imugi.
“The warrior of the Black Beard Clan, Kongo, will cut off the snake’s head!”
“There’s no tree that ten strikes won’t fell. There’s no neck that ten strikes won’t sever!”
Whooosh!
The dwarves dodged the swinging axes as the Black Imugi darted around wildly. Then it reared up, opened its massive jaws, and unleashed a massive breath.
Frhaaaraa—!
Breath laced with poison. The dwarves rolled their lithe bodies away from the range.
“Craaaaaak! Nice and effective!”
Some even tanked the direct hit by taking it on the body.
They seemed like a pretty famous dwarf party, but the look on their faces didn’t scream that they were legends or anything.
“Today’s a lost cause.”
The Black Imugi was being raided. The dwarves coordinated perfectly, leaving fresh scratches on the Imugi.
—Like flies, those dwarf brats…!
The dwarves were still full of vigor while the Black Imugi was growing weaker and weaker. The Imugi fought back fiercely, but the outcome of the hunt wouldn’t change.
I watched the raid quietly.
The Black Imugi lunged with its jaws wide open, like it wanted to swallow the dwarves whole. The dwarves scattered like cockroaches in every direction. The Imugi, now a poor target, started chasing one single dwarf after another. The excluded dwarves quickly climbed onto its back and hacked away at it with their axes.
It was surprisingly organized. They clearly had experience. But I didn’t recognize any of them.
Isilia spoke up.
“For dwarves, they fight decently. The Imugi is half-dragon, so it won’t be easy for them.”
“Yeah.”
The dwarves’ raid was reaching its peak. The Black Imugi grew slower and slower, covered in countless wounds.
Kwoong—
The massive body collapsed, unable to support itself. The dwarves raised their weapons, savoring the victory.
“Hoo! Hoo! Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!”
“As expected, raiding the Imugi is way more efficient than regular hunting!”
“Cool, cool! Want a drink with today’s bonus coins?”
“Good. But how do I even use the shop…?”
Leaving behind the Black Imugi dissolving into powder, the dwarves chatted among themselves.
Do they not see us? They were discussing how to use the shop.
“I heard that a shirtless martial arts user who’s been sleeping with someone went to rob the shop. What happened to him?”
“The whole building’s empty now. He probably got punished.”
“So he got caught, huh. Ugh…”
“To use the shop, you have to bet your life, right…?”
“Nothing we can do about it. Those reptile kids probably don’t have the brains to think.”
The dwarves were cursing the dragon ruling the shop.
Shimmering beards swayed, and axes caked in blood lost their shine.
“Then what do we do? Can’t drink anymore?”
“If I can fight a dragon, I can drink, right?”
“The Black Imugi is scared, and now I have to face the dragon? I’d rather give up on the drink!”
“But isn’t it a bit chilly? No, colder than a cold wind… even a chillier shiver…”
One of the dwarves who were huddled together looked up and spotted us.
“H-h-hey!”
“Humans, huh. Scared of humans now? The Black Beard Clan must be pretty weak.”
“It’s not about humans! Those horns—those are dragon horns!”
One dwarf pointed at Isilia and fainted.
He couldn’t overcome the fear burned into his racial genes.
“Dr…”
“Ra…”
“Gon?!”
Kuhahahaa!
Like the aura of a conqueror. Isilia’s mere presence drove the dwarves into a near-death state.
“G-g-get your weapons ready!”
“We’ll avenge our countless comrades!”
“You wanted to drink, right? As soon as I catch that chick, I’ll go drink immediately!”
The dwarves scrambled to form up in panic, bodies trembling but refusing to back down. Their tired frames were burning with spirit and determination. I wanted to praise that courage.
“But who’s this human? Why is he with the dragon?”
“I’ve heard something like that.”
One dwarf continued, as if he knew something.
“The dragons apparently enjoy playing games. This man is probably being used as a mount by the dragon.”
“So the dragon’s just using humans as well. Our win rate just got higher.”
It was a positive enough comment that I felt respect for the dwarves.
I wanted to know the exact rate.
“How much did the probability increase?”
“About 0.03%.”
The dwarf answered naturally, as if he was used to my questions.
I asked again.
“So the current win probability is…?”
“0.03%.”
Utterly grim. Ninety-nine point nine percent chance of total annihilation.
‘Idiots.’ I had to stifle a laugh while watching. Muscular dwarfs, scared out of their wits, just spouting nonsense without using their brains. What a sight, even money wouldn’t let me watch this.
“Uh… even if only a few of us survive…”
“You’re suggesting we run away? With the dragon right in front of us?”
“I can’t do that! My friend died because of that chick’s breath!”
I glanced at Isilia. Maybe she remembered something.
But to my surprise, Isilia yawned loudly as if she was bored.
Isilia said coldly,
“How many of the people I killed do you think there are? No matter how great I am, I can’t possibly remember them all.”
“…”
“So dragons aren’t that smart either, huh. They’re insanely stupid.”
Isilia’s reaction to “stupid” was like a lit fuse. It was the trigger button.
“You little shit! How do you remember all that?! You remember every single ant you killed?”
“I don’t remember. But you can’t compare me to that. You’re a dragon.”
“You don’t treat dragons like dragons normally, but only when it suits you? You really are going to die by my hand. Make sure to remember that. Okay?”
Treating dragons like dragons…
I thought I was being treated properly, but apparently that was just my delusion.
What is a dragon? The ultimate being, the source of magic, the top predator, and a mount. A dragon is a mount. Bigger, faster, and stronger than any transport.
I smiled.
“You want me to treat you like a dragon?”
“…”
“Really, that smile is seriously unpleasant. Don’t smile like that.”
Isilia frowned. Her gaze held deeper contempt than Elena’s jealous hate for acting.
‘I like this look of hers better.’
Better than the smug Isilia pretending to be happy while raiding the shop. That was the dragon I wanted. Maybe I could feel a thrill every time I rode her later?
“No, answer the question. You want me to treat you like a dragon?”
“If you say you want me to? Will you show me proper manners?”
Isilia snorted.
“You calling that manners? Pluto would be laughing his ass off right now. A guy with nothing but sex on his mind, thinking he knows what courtesy is?”
Every time Isilia hissed that, the dwarves flinched.
She was spitting out lines that didn’t match her image at all.
“Fine. Since that’s what you want, from today on I’ll treat you properly like a dragon.”
To control Isilia’s Submission Oath, I needed to manipulate her emotions. I used the grand word “manipulate,” but in reality it was simple. Just make her see me in a positive light, in other words, make her like me.
“Isilia-nim.”
As soon as I used the honorific, Isilia yelped in shock.
I stroked her bare white arms, alternating between looking at mine and hers.
“U-uuuuh! S-scales! Scales appeared!”
“…”
“Goosebumps. That’s the right word. Isilia-nim.”
“Ugh… I feel like I’m going to puke…!”
Isilia started to genuinely hate me. I learned something new today: there are multiple kinds of hatred.
“First, let’s deal with those dwarves. Will you handle it yourself, or should I…?”
“…”
“K-khuh!”
Every time I raised my voice, Isilia shot me a glance. The look said, “Is this okay?”
And she said,
“Y-yes, you handle it.”
Her face was flushed red. She must have been expecting exactly this kind of relationship.
It felt foreign and awkward, but I forced myself to endure it.
Hold on. For the sake of the fun to come.
“Y-you reptile bastard! What are you all happy about while we’re standing right in front of you?!”
“I’ll give you dragon jerky right now! Dragon jerky would be the best side dish!”
“Ugh, I-I’m getting out of here! Suicide!”
The dwarves shouted and fled. A massive party of thirteen. More than enough manpower to hunt a Giant Lava Worm.
“Pluto’s Hand activated!”
I extended black hands toward the dwarves. Fist after fist struck them, and those who couldn’t dodge or block were sent flying to crash onto the ground.
“Life Force drained!”
“Kwaaaak!”
Life Force in excess. I drained it, swung the hands, drained it again, and swung them again. From the dwarves’ perspective, it must have felt incredibly frustrating. Invisible hands just kept coming and never stopped.
One after another the dwarves fell.
As I said, I was basically unbeatable on the 2nd floor right now.
“I didn’t expect you to have the guts…”
Even after killing them all, there was no way they’d level up.
‘I came to catch the Imugi but failed. I’ll have to come back tomorrow.’
“Annoying…”
I killed all the dwarves.
As expected, neither stats nor skills grew.
Isilia came up to me and patted my shoulder.
“G-good job.”
Her face was bright red, and she was clearly embarrassed.
Should I continue the roleplay here? Or should I end it?
On her face flushed red with embarrassment, Isilia’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
“…”
“Thank you, Isilia-nim.”
Let’s continue the roleplay. Since we came out here just to cheer her up.
—Isilia-nim, you’ve been looking really tired lately.
Elena had told me about her.
Just last night. Since we’re all under the same roof, she must be feeling something I don’t know.
‘I’ll just guess.’
I don’t know why she’s tired, though.
‘Don’t use mind-reading….’
“I couldn’t ask because it seemed related to your mother.”
“…”
“This is all because I haven’t been tormenting you enough.”
“Uhuuuh… good, good. When dealing with me, be more polite from now on.”
‘…She’s tired? What a load of bullshit.’
Once I lowered myself to her level, Isilia looked confused.
When I saw her giggling, a familiar feeling of blood boiling rose inside me.
‘I’ll torment you a lot more.’