84
Chapter 84
The Little Yellow Dragon soared high into the sky.
He quickly got the hang of it and began to freely navigate the skies.
"Yooong!"
He was consistently executing clean turns as well.
In the past, he would occasionally make mistakes while turning and fall, but now there was no sign of him crashing at all.
What a relief.
I was worried that his Flight skills might drop once we stepped outside the Dungeon.
"Look at me, everyone! I'm flying super well!"
He was like a fish in water.
The Special Training was definitely worth it.
But watching him now, it seemed like he flew much better than when he was inside the Dungeon.
Maybe it was because the sky outside was so vast and wide open?
Well, whatever the reason, I could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
There was no longer a need to start the Special Training all over again.
"Our Dragon Baby is flying incredibly well!"
"Kuooo! So cool, our baby!"
"Woooong, woong!"
Ailee, Jjokkomi, and Tosuni.
The three of them cheered for the Little Yellow Dragon flying through the sky.
The Werewolf Fake Doll that had followed us out observed our Action, then started clapping as well.
For the record, the Puppeteer Doll didn't come out with us.
A Dungeon Master couldn't just leave their post completely unattended.
Doing so would result in the Dungeon's Annihilation.
"Dragon Baby! Don't fly too far away! Be careful, you never know what kind of dangerous monsters might be lurking around!"
"Understood!!!"
Ailee had spoken the exact words I wanted to say.
As expected, Ailee was just as thoughtful as I was.
It happened right when everyone was enjoying the Little Yellow Dragon's Flight together.
...Huh?
Did I just feel a very faint trace of unfamiliar Mana nearby?
I checked the expressions of my companions standing next to me.
They still had their heads raised, completely focused on watching the Little Yellow Dragon's Flight.
It seemed they hadn't noticed the unfamiliar Mana.
Was I the only one who felt it?
I immediately looked around.
Then, I discovered the spot where the faint, unfamiliar Mana was drifting from.
"Ribbit...."
What's up with that frog?
Hiding its body in the bushes.
I saw a frog poking just its head out.
It was a frog roughly the same size as me.
By the looks of it, it seemed to have partially blocked the flow of Mana emitting from its body using some kind of skill.
Seeing as it couldn't block it completely, it didn't seem to be a perfect Camouflage skill.
[Lake Frog lv.40]
┗Pw.160
┗Rnk.Rare
[Domain: Water]
┗Rank - Rare
Despite its appearance, it's quite a strong guy.
But it's not actually that strong, is it?
It is stronger than us, though.
But it was far below Tosun's Mom's level.
The distance between the frog and us wasn't that far.
Tosun's Mom's Flag should have affected that area.
Did the Flag lose its effectiveness because it was old?
Or was it just a monster with a lot of guts?
It was highly likely the latter, as there was no way the Flag had already deteriorated.
The Flag didn't completely block the approach of monsters weaker than Tosun's Mom.
It merely released Tosun's Mom's aura to scare them off.
No matter how many Flags were set up, a fearless monster could still approach this place even if it was weaker than Tosun's Mom.
Well, whatever.
It wasn't a big deal.
Even though the frog was stronger than us, and even with Fox away, we currently had the Werewolf Fake Doll by our side. I couldn't gauge the exact level of the Werewolf Fake Doll, but it was definitely stronger than that frog.
Plus, we couldn't just assume the frog was an enemy yet.
The criteria for deeming someone an enemy were as follows.
Was it our prey or not?
Or did the opponent hold hostility toward us, or were they friendly?
For now, the frog hadn't been designated as prey.
We didn't really need any prey right now anyway.
In other words, if it showed a friendly attitude towards us, we could potentially become friends.
"Ribbit......."
The frog had its head raised.
It was similarly captivated by the Little Yellow Dragon flying in the sky.
It looked completely mesmerized by the sight.
Then it slowly lowered its head, and suddenly locked eyes with me.
"R-ribbit!?"
It instantly hid its body back into the bushes.
Soon after, the aura of its Mana faded into the distance.
It seemed to be running away in a hurry.
Eventually, the trace of Mana the frog had been emitting vanished completely.
...What was that guy's deal?
***
The next morning.
Fox returned with the transport Fake Dolls who had gone to collect the Natural Mana Stones.
Seeing that it took quite a while, it seemed the Fake Dolls' Speed was on the slower side.
"I'm back!! I worked hard guiding the way, so praise me a lot!"
"Yongyong! Good job, Mama! Pat, pat!"
"Hehe!"
The Little Yellow Dragon patted Fox's head with his tail.
The picture felt a bit weird....
"Ah, right!"
Fox made a face as if she just remembered something and looked at me.
"Gom-jjang! Some weird guy was lurking outside the Dungeon!"
A weird guy?
When I tilted my head, Fox immediately added.
"It was a guy that looked like a frog!"
A guy that looked like a frog, huh....
Could it be the same guy who was hiding in the bushes yesterday?
I think its species name was Lake Protein.
Or was it? Was it a different name?
Well, it's not important so it doesn't matter.
More importantly, why did it come back again?
"That frog, it seemed like it had some business with our Dungeon!"
Then you should've asked her why he came.
How could you just look at him and pass by?
I sighed inwardly, turned my body, and started walking.
Let's go outside the Dungeon first.
We'll find out what business he has with us once we go out and check.
*
Leaving the Puppeteer Doll, Tosuni, and the Little Yellow Dragon inside the Dungeon.
I brought Ailee, Fox, Jjokkomi, and the Werewolf Fake Doll outside the Dungeon with me.
As soon as we came out, we saw a frog.
The guy was pacing around not too far from the Dungeon Portal.
[Lake Frog lv.40]
┗Pw.160
┗Rnk.Rare
[Domain: Water]
┗Rank - Rare
So it wasn't Lake Protein.
Well, it was similar, so that's fine.
Unlike yesterday, the frog wasn't hiding today.
It was openly revealing itself.
Holding a large Wooden Box in both of its hands.
"Ribbit?"
The frog spotted us.
It gave us an awkward smile and greeted us.
"H-hello, ribbit."
"Hello!"
Fox accepted its greeting.
I guess they didn't even greet each other earlier.
Ailee asked the frog a question while keeping her guard up.
"Who are you?"
"I am a Lake Frog, a loyal servant serving the Master of the Lake, ribbit."
"The Master of the Lake...?"
"They are the one who rules over perhaps the largest lake on this continent, ribbit."
"Hmm. Was there a lake nearby?"
"It is not nearby. It is quite a distance from here, ribbit."
Nod.
Ailee gave a small nod of her head.
Then she asked another question.
"So, what business do you have with us?"
"I came to give you a gift, ribbit."
"Huh? A gift?"
"That's right. The Master of the Lake sent a gift for you all, ribbit."
"Why send us a gift...?"
"The Master of the Lake wishes to establish friendly relations with your Dungeon. Thus, they sent a gift as a token of maintaining a good relationship moving forward, ribbit."
Hmmmm.
Ailee groaned softly.
She was staring at the box with eyes full of suspicion.
I was also full of suspicion.
Because it seemed like that frog and this so-called Master of the Lake had some other ulterior motive.
It didn't seem like they were sending a gift simply because they wanted to be friendly with us.
Ailee continued to bombard the frog with questions.
"How did you know there was a Dungeon here?"
"Yesterday, I saw a golden-colored monster flying up around here. So I came to scout the area and discovered that there was a Dungeon, ribbit."
"Finding the Dungeon for the first time means you knew nothing about us before, right? Then why does the Master of the Lake want to establish friendly relations with us?"
"The Master of the Lake is interested in the golden monster they saw yesterday. Also, I observed you all yesterday and reported that you seemed quite skilled, so they said they wanted to form a friendly relationship, ribbit."
"You observed us yesterday?"
"That's right. And then I even made eye contact with that Teddy Bear over there, ribbit."
The frog had already figured out that the Little Yellow Dragon belonged to our Dungeon.
Since it ran away after making eye contact with me yesterday, it shouldn't have seen the scene where the Little Yellow Dragon was with us. Hmm, it must have secretly observed us again from a distance where it was hard for me to detect its Mana aura. By using some kind of skill that improves its eyesight.
"Just accept the gift for now. Take your time to think it over and decide whether or not to maintain a good relationship with us after receiving it, ribbit."
Click.
The frog opened the box it was holding.
It seemed to want to show us the contents first.
The inside of the box was filled with pink ores.
"The gift sent by the Master of the Lake is a Natural Mana Stone that only comes from our lake, ribbit."
"...This is a Natural Mana Stone? This is the first time I've seen a Pink Natural Mana Stone."
The suspicion in Ailee's eyes deepened.
A Mana Stone emitting a pink light.
That Mana Stone contained almost no Consumption Mana.
It was a Mana Stone made up of Reinforcement that aids in growth.
While Ailee was looking at the frog with distrust, Fox suddenly chimed in and made a fuss.
"Gasp! This is a super precious Natural Mana Stone!"
What, does Fox know about this Mana Stone?
Seeing her talk, it seems it really is a Natural Mana Stone.
So the frog wasn't lying.
"You can get stronger if you eat this! We definitely have to accept it! It's really hard to get!!"
Just as I guessed before, Natural Mana Stones that can help you Level Up really did exist.
It seemed Fox used to Level Up by consuming this kind of Natural Mana Stone in the past.
"I don't know if it's okay to accept this... It won't be dangerous, right?"
"Don't worry! It's not dangerous at all! It's good stuff!"
"Hmm... If the baby Fox says so, then well...."
Ailee glanced over at me.
She must be asking what my opinion was.
Nodding bear.
Let's just accept the gift for now.
Since Fox said it isn't dangerous.
In the end, Ailee reluctantly accepted the box with an uncomfortable expression.
Alright, frog.
Now tell us your real purpose.
You didn't just give us a gift because you wanted to establish friendly relations, right?
I know everything, punk!
Hurry up and reveal your ulterior motives!
You were planning to buy our favor by giving us such a good gift first, and then reveal your real purpose!
"I'll be taking my leave now, ribbit."
After handing over the gift, the frog immediately turned around and left.
...Huh.
It really just gave the gift and that's it?
*
The next morning.
I exited the Dungeon with the Little Yellow Dragon to give him some hunting practice.
Just then, I heard a familiar voice.
"Hello, good morning, ribbit."
In front of the Dungeon.
The frog had come to visit again, holding another box.
"The Master of the Lake has sent another gift today, ribbit."