71
Chapter 71
Misfortune struck the Lycanthrope once again.
This time, the immense Misfortune I had been waiting and waiting for, the kind that leads to death, occurred.
No, wait, is this right?
Didn't he die way too pointlessly compared to what I expected?
I was so dumbfounded that I couldn't even speak.
Well, I can't speak anyway, but still.
To think that a guy with such a sturdy body would die just by getting crushed by an object falling from the sky... Even if he was hit by a Dragon's egg, isn't this too nonsensical?
First of all, that object is definitely an egg.
No matter how you look at it, it looks like an egg.
There's no way Feces of that shape could exist.
Anyway.
Since it's not just any other monster, but a Legendary-grade Dragon's egg, it could be incredibly hard, beyond imagination.
But even so, it would just be hard.
It's not like it has high power or attack damage.
So I thought it would be normal for the Lycanthrope's body to be completely fine even if it took a direct hit from that egg.
If so, is he pretending to be dead?
No, that's absolutely impossible.
Setting aside the fact that his Mana flow has calmed down, the Helper is no longer displaying his information. There is also no possibility that he is using a Camouflage skill that can deceive even the Helper. Because the Lycanthrope was under the effects of the Skill Seal Curse.
"He's definitely dead...."
The Vampire muttered as she examined the Lycanthrope's corpse crushed under the egg.
She, too, acknowledged the Lycanthrope's death.
"...And this thing that just fell from the sky is a Dragon's egg. Seeing that it was abandoned during Flight, it must be an Unfertilized Egg."
So that really was a Dragon's egg, just as I guessed.
Thank goodness it wasn't Feces.
That could have been a bit gross.
But an Unfertilized Egg?
You mean an egg that hasn't been fertilized?
Hmm. I suppose that's only natural.
Any creature with a proper mindset wouldn't have ruthlessly abandoned a Fertilized Egg in a place like this.
Before hearing what the Vampire said, I had a brief misunderstanding.
I thought Dragons were a trash species that just laid eggs anywhere and abandoned them.
I raise my kids to be strong! So I abandon them! The strong ones will figure out how to survive on their own!
I thought they were beings with that kind of mindset.
But it wasn't that; they just threw it away because it was an Unfertilized Egg.
"We were truly lucky. Is this also thanks to your skill, Teddy Bear? The more I get to know you, the more amazing you truly are."
"Uoooh! Our Gom-jjang is the strongest! He controlled a Dragon to take care of the bad Wolf!"
"Woooong! Woong!"
The Vampire sent me a look full of awe, while the Fox and Tosuni made a huge fuss and praised me.
I didn't control a Dragon, you brats.
Though it is true that the Lycanthrope met his end because of my skill.
"Anyway, it makes sense that the Lycanthrope died instantly. To be hit by an Unfertilized Dragon Egg of all things, there's no way he could have survived."
What does that mean?
Do you die instantly unconditionally if you get hit by an Unfertilized Egg?
When I tilted my head and looked up at the Vampire, she immediately added an explanation.
"Ah. Did you not know, Teddy Bear? An Unfertilized Dragon Egg is called death descending from the sky. Because a falling Unfertilized Egg sucks the life out of any living creature it collides with. For creatures vastly lower in status than the Dragon that laid the egg, like this Lycanthrope or us, you can assume all life force is immediately absorbed without any chance to resist, resulting in instant death."
Oh wow, what a terrifying story.
So that's why the Lycanthrope died.
As expected, there was no way he'd die instantly just from being hit by a hard object.
In any case, I need to keep a close eye on the sky from now on.
So that I don't get hit by an Unfertilized Dragon Egg.
"That's why many people simply hide first if they see a Dragon flying in the sky. Of course, unless you have exceptionally terrible Luck, you wouldn't die from getting hit by an Unfertilized Dragon Egg. I understand the chance of an Unfertilized Egg being produced is lower than one might think, and on top of that, the probability of getting struck by that Unfertilized Egg is even lower than getting struck by lightning."
The Vampire stroked the Unfertilized Egg.
Then, she continued her explanation.
"For your information, the Dragon species does not abandon an Unfertilized Egg just anywhere. If possible, they drop it on the heads of creatures on the ground."
Aha.
So it wasn't just a simple coincidence that the Unfertilized Egg fell right on the Lycanthrope's head.
Dragons naturally had a habit of dropping an Unfertilized Egg on top of creatures' heads.
The reason it happened to be on the Lycanthrope's head was probably because Luck found us at the exact same time Misfortune struck the Lycanthrope.
But why would they have such a habit in the first place?
Are they taking out their anger because they are mad an Unfertilized Egg was produced?
Nah, there's no way that's it.
Having the same question as me, Tosuni and the Fox asked the Vampire.
"Woong, woong?"
"Why would they go out of their way to drop Feces... no, an egg on a creature's head?! Are they just mean and wicked jerks?!"
"That is because an Unfertilized Egg that absorbs a creature's life force has a very low chance of miraculously becoming a Fertilized Egg. Ah, but it's not like Dragons do this specifically expecting that outcome. It's known that the probability of it turning into a Fertilized Egg is so abysmal that it's practically safe to assume it won't gain life."
"Woooong?"
"Eh? If they don't even expect anything, why would they do that?!"
"I don't know the specifics of that either. If I were to guess, it might be the first and last bit of small warmth they offer to the egg they laid."
Even if it's just a guess, I feel like that is the correct answer.
They would probably feel a bit uneasy about just throwing it away.
Even if it's a lifeless egg, the fact remains that it is an egg they laid.
However, just because it absorbed an opponent's life force doesn't guarantee it becomes a Fertilized Egg.
In the end, this is also a game of probability.
The world really is overflowing with things that rely on Luck.
After listening to the Vampire's explanation.
I stared intently at the massive Unfertilized Egg once again.
Currently, the Helper isn't displaying any information about this egg.
Did it fail to become a Fertilized Egg?
No, wait, I can't be certain yet.
It might just be that information doesn't pop up while it's in an egg state.
There was also the possibility that it miraculously gained life with a stroke of Luck, but information wasn't displaying because it hadn't hatched yet.
"Ah. And I hear an Unfertilized Dragon Egg is considered a delicacy, so it wouldn't be a bad idea to take this opportunity to eat it. You won't be able to crack it now because it's too hard, but I know it softens over time, so you'll be able to eat it eventually."
"Woooong?!"
"I-I only eat vegetables, so I won't eat it!"
The Fox waved her hands in fright, thoroughly startled.
To think she won't even eat an Unfertilized Egg.
She really is an extreme vegetarian Fox.
With a face full of worry, the Fox added.
"And you guys shouldn't eat it either if possible! I'm not trying to force my eating habits on you, but what if that Dragon from earlier comes back to scold us?! What if it gets super mad that we ate its egg?!"
"Do not worry. It doesn't matter how we handle this egg. Like I said before, this egg was abandoned by the Dragon. There is absolutely no chance the Dragon will return to check if any changes occurred to the Unfertilized Egg."
"Are you sure about that?!"
"Yes, I can be certain about this at least. Not only do Dragons harbor zero expectations for an Unfertilized Egg to change into a Fertilized Egg, but even if it luckily becomes a Fertilized Egg, they wouldn't acknowledge it as their child anyway. Since an Unfertilized Egg that gains life never hatches into a complete Dragon, it's treated as an entirely different species rather than kin by the Dragons."
After the Vampire gave her answer.
She turned her head, looked straight at me, and asked.
"So, Teddy Bear, what are you going to do?"
Bear?
I tilted my head.
What do you mean, what am I going to do?
"I am asking if you are going to eat this egg or not. I will follow your decision. The ownership of both the Lycanthrope's corpse and this egg belongs entirely to you, after all."
Ahh. So that was the question.
I pondered for a moment, then soon shook my head.
Shake-shake bear.
Let's not eat it for now, just in case.
Even though the probability is abysmal, it might have luckily gained life.
If it did gain life, I plan to raise it.
Wouldn't it be reassuring to have a child with Dragon blood?
Since it's treated as an abandoned child, I feel a sense of kinship too.
"Are you saying you won't eat it?"
Nod-nod.
"Then are you just going to abandon it?"
Shake-shake.
"You won't eat it, nor will you abandon it... Hmm... From the looks of it, you seem to harbor expectations that it might have gained life."
Nod-nod-bear-bear-bear.
"Understood, then I will just take it for now as you wish."
The Vampire summoned a larger Bat Swarm.
The Bat Swarm wrapped around the egg in an instant and lifted it.
Ah, for your information.
There was no longer any need to worry about how to escape the Mud Prison.
Thanks to the Unfertilized Egg falling, an escape route was created on the ceiling.
Then before we go out...
Shall we farm the Lycanthrope's corpse?
***
Me, the Vampire, and Tosuni.
The three of us amicably shared the Lycanthrope's flesh, organs, and blood.
We didn't eat the flesh and organs raw.
Because I used the cooking ability belonging to the Gourmet skill for the first time in a while.
The Fox obviously didn't eat with us.
Because she follows a principle of not eating meat.
So I gifted her the Lycanthrope's pelt.
Perhaps because she doesn't mind slaughter even if she doesn't eat meat, the Fox thankfully accepted the gift without any resistance.
"Fuhihi! I'm a Wolf Fox!"
We didn't eat the Lycanthrope's head.
Unlike the body, which became flat because its life force was drained the moment it was crushed by the Unfertilized Egg, the head was in a perfectly fine state, and I just gave this to the Vampire as a gift. She seemed to want to take it as Spoils of War.
Will she receive some sort of reward if she takes it to where her kin are?
Or is it just for honor?
I don't know the reason, but it's not of much use to me anyway, so I generously gave it away.
And, the Lycanthrope's Mana Stone.
This became my share by unanimous consent of everyone.
Because everyone noticed that the Lycanthrope died due to my Misfortune Breath.
It was only natural that the Mana Stone went to me, who made the greatest contribution.
[Rapid Fire Dragon Teddy Bear lv.32]
└ Pw.96 (+17)
└ Rnk.Superior (Limit Breakthrough possible upon reaching lv.30)
[Consumption Mana: 16,650/17,720]
Ohh. I leveled up 4 times with just one Mana Stone.
This was a massive level up.
Reaching level 30 seemed incredibly difficult, but I surpassed that and became a whopping level 32.
I thought the quality of the Mana Stone might have dropped because the Lycanthrope's life force was absorbed by the Unfertilized Egg, but it was a needless worry.
I plan to do the Limit Breakthrough once we return to the Dungeon.
I really want to do it quickly, but I have to hold back.
It's not so urgent that I absolutely have to do it right now, and I can progress quickly in the Dungeon anyway by receiving a special Buff.
***
We originally planned to stay the night around here.
Because we judged that moving at night would be dangerous.
We had canceled that plan.
Because the work finished quickly thanks to the Guardian Stones.
I thought if we hurried back as fast as possible, we could barely return before it got dark.
However, that plan also fell through.
Because our time was delayed due to encountering the Lycanthrope.
Now that we even finished our meal, it was slowly starting to get dark.
Of course, that didn't mean we planned to sleep outside again like our original plan.
Because we have the Vampire by our side.
They say a Vampire's vision isn't restricted even in the dark.
I didn't know because Ailee always slept soundly at night.
Anyway, it was safe for us to just follow along, trusting and relying solely on her.
"We've packed all the luggage, so let's go now."
The Vampire said as she took the lead.
Beside her, a massive Bat Swarm was carrying all our luggage.
It's really comfortable having the Vampire around.
Isn't this transportation totally sweet?
Miss Vampire.
Would you like to get a job as my personal Porter while we're at it?
Haha, just a bear-joke.
On our way back like that.
The Fox suddenly stuck close to the Vampire and started talking.
"Vampa-jjang, Vampa-jjang!"
"Hmm? Vampa-jjang? Is that perhaps what you are calling me?"
"That's right! Friends usually call each other by nicknames like this...! If you don't like it, I'll stop...."
"...I don't dislike it, so call me whatever you want. But why did you call me?"
"Ah! I have something I'm curious about! That's why I called you!"
"Something you're curious about?"
"Didn't you say earlier there's a miracle where an Unfertilized Egg turns into a Fertilized Egg?! I'm curious if such a miracle has ever actually happened even once before!"
"Of course there is. Even if the probability is very low, considering how long this continent and Dragons have existed, do you really think it hasn't happened even once? I am not certain, but I know such a miracle has occurred at least more than ten times."
"Ooooh! Were they born as Dragons?! Or a different species?!"
"What were you listening to earlier... Didn't I say there are no cases of them being born as complete Dragons? The ones born through the miracle of an Unfertilized Egg are all mutants. I've heard there were occasionally those who possessed no Dragon traits whatsoever."
"Hoee... Mutants...!"
"Your eyes seem to have suddenly changed at the word mutant."
"Hearing they are mutants makes me even more interested! I hope our Al-jjang is born safely too!"
"Do not get your hopes up too much. The chance of a miracle happening is very low."
"I'm still going to expect it! Uhihit! I'm curious what kind of mutant will be born! Do you happen to know what kind of guys the Dragon mutants have been so far?!"
"First of all, I remember their descendants somewhat clearly. Wyverns, Drakes, Basilisks, Lizardmen, and so on... These species are the descendants of Dragon mutants. Because it's said that their Ancestors were born through the miracle of an Unfertilized Egg in the distant past. And besides the ones I just mentioned, there must be quite a few who don't show any Dragon traits at all but are descendants of Dragon mutants... I actually used to know quite a lot of the species names of the first-generation Dragon mutants, but I can't really remember their names now. The only one that comes to mind right now is one passed down in legends."
"Hoeeee! Who is the one passed down in legends?! Are they still alive now?!"
"I don't know if they are still alive. The species name was, hmm... I recall it was the Blue Dragon. For reference, it is said to have been a mutant much stronger than most Dragons. Of course, I have never actually seen it myself."
Bear-trudge, bear-trudge.
While listening to the Fox and the Vampire's conversation, I, who was walking side by side with them, slyly glanced at the Unfertilized Egg being carried by the Bat Swarm.
I hope our Unfertilized Egg also safely gains life and is born as an incredibly strong guy.
Just as I was having those thoughts.
[??? lv.?]
└ Pw.?
└ Rnk.?
Huh? What the, why is information suddenly popping up?
It definitely wasn't displaying information earlier, though?