Chapter 45: After Savoring the Victory

BOOM!

The Earth Dragon’s neck was severed by Marcel’s blade and fell to the ground, and its massive body lost its strength, collapsing to the floor.

In that state, silence flowed as if time itself had stopped.

About five seconds passed—had they realized this scene was reality, not a dream?

“We did it…!”

Starting with Marcel’s joyful cry, all time began to move again.

“We did it! Deneb! Ms. Verdi!”

“Waaah!”

Marcel, who had lightly descended from atop the dragon’s body, and Deneb, who had been waiting from a distance, embraced each other.

The two’s hug continued until Verdi, who had been launched into the air by the dragon, landed softly.

“Ms. Verdi!”

“You’re safe—what a relief.”

The two spotted Verdi and quickly ran toward where she stood.

Toward the two, whose excitement still hadn’t settled, Verdi gave a faint smile and raised her thumb.

“It’s thanks to you…”

At that moment, Marcel couldn’t contain the emotions spilling over, and finally burst into tears.

With his own hands, he had finally subjugated a High-Rank Gate’s Demon Beast—among them, the dragon race, called the strongest.

Marcel had barely survived the Dark Moon incident, but it had planted a trauma he would never forget.

The fear of death.

The terror that entering a Gate might repeat that nightmare.

He could have quit being a Hunter and lived another life, but for Marcel, who had devoted his entire life solely to Hunter work, did he have any knowledge of other trades? He tried, but ultimately failed.

In the end, the compromise he chose was subjugating Low-Rank dungeons with extremely low death rates, or working as a Porter where safety was guaranteed inside Gates.

In the current situation where the number of High-Rank Hunters had drastically decreased, Marcel—an A-Rank Hunter who should have been praised—lived being ignored by other Hunters. But he couldn’t fight back. Because they weren’t wrong.

Now, with the End Cave incident following the Dark Moon incident, the number of High-Rank Hunters had plummeted, and the world desperately needed their power.

Because B-Rank and above Gates were still springing up like mushrooms.

Yet the A-Rank Hunter who should have closed those Gates had run away, unable to overcome his past trauma.

But finally, today.

Thanks to a girl’s help, he could overcome it.

“Just a moment ago, my legs were trembling with the dragon right in front of me… but seeing you, Ms. Verdi, standing against the Earth Dragon, it snapped me back to my senses. I had to fight. If I didn’t step up now, there would be no more chances… Thinking that, my body seemed to move on its own.”

Even up to the moment he severed the Earth Dragon’s neck, Marcel couldn’t completely escape that trauma.

But he had managed to forget it, even if only for a while.

“Ms. Verdi… It’s all thanks to you, Ms. Verdi.”

Marcel repeated the words he’d said, bowing his head.

If Verdi hadn’t been there.

If that saintess hadn’t been there, he would never have been able to stand up again.

That was why Marcel wanted to call Verdi a saintess and praise her.

‘But she’d hate that.’

From being together until now, he’d learned that Verdi seemed to really dislike that kind of treatment.

Standing out or unnecessary attention.

So instead, he expressed his gratitude as sincerely as possible.

“Wipe your tears.”

“Ah, yes…”

Come to think of it, he was the only full-grown adult here—what was he doing crying in front of kids?

As he thought that and quickly wiped his tears away.

“I hate to break the mood, but.”

Verdi spoke. Her gaze was turned elsewhere.

Deneb and Marcel also turned their heads that way.

There lay the Earth Dragon’s corpse, its neck severed while still trapped in the pit.

“We caught the Demon Beast, so we should collect the Magic Stone, right?”

Normally, the boss would be the priority, but with a dragon, it’s a different story.

A dragon’s Magic Stone fetches a high price regardless of rank.

Nothing compared to the Magic Stone a B-Rank Gate’s boss would have!

A gentle-looking smile began to tinge with greed, little by little.

But Deneb and Marcel didn’t notice it.

* * *

While the two collected the dragon’s materials, I came alone to where the Earth Dragon’s head had fallen.

But…

“Grrrr…”

Whoa, its head’s cut off and it’s still alive.

As expected of the dragon race—tough vitality, huh.

“Kreuk…!”

“Whoa…”

Whether it noticed me getting close, the Earth Dragon let out a ragged breath.

But that was it. The bastard was already on the verge of death. It was strange it was even alive with just a head left.

I carefully approached where the dragon’s eyes were.

Dragon-type Demon Beast materials fetch a high price no matter the body part.

Even the flesh. I’d heard rich people were really into dragon meat?

Of course, among them, the ones that commanded a price on a whole different level were the eyes.

There were plenty of other parts, but eyes were usually just two. Though this bastard had six.

Dragon eyes were the best material for making Hunter equipment.

Sell four, and use two for those two, maybe?

Selling the Magic Stone should pay off the debt too.

[ Mana Sword Lv.3 ]

It was the moment I climbed onto the Earth Dragon’s face to dig out the eyes that would make money.

[ Human. ]

“…?!”

I flinched in surprise.

A voice rang out. It wasn’t Marcel’s, nor Deneb’s.

The boiling voice was close to a roar.

On edge, I quickly looked around, but there was no sign of a person.

Which meant…

“Did you speak?”

I lowered my head and turned my gaze to the Earth Dragon, which was nothing but a head.

[ Yes. ]

It was the Earth Dragon. The dying bastard had spoken in human language.

Its mouth didn’t move, but when the words came out, I could see its eyes give off a very faint light.

‘A talking Demon Beast!’

I’d seen Demon Beasts that looked similar to humans, but I’d never seen those kinds use human language.

They used their own language, like natives. The Demon Beasts I’d seen in Dark Moon were the same.

How much would it sell for? That thought came to mind first, and I felt like I wanted to keep it alive and take it somehow, but unfortunately, that didn’t seem possible.

This bastard was about to breathe its last. And even if I saved it, unless its appearance was similar to a human, way more people would freak out at the sight of a dragon.

“What, you want me to save you?”

How do you save something with only a neck left? Could an S-Rank healer manage it? Not that there’d be a healer who’d save a Demon Beast.

[ No, I am expressing gratitude. ]

But the wyrm’s answer completely defied my guess.

“Gratitude?”

Expressing gratitude to the Hunter who killed it?

[ Yes. Since I was transferred here, I had been living without my sense of self. ]

“…Transferred?”

At the unexpected word from the Earth Dragon’s mouth, my interest piqued, so I dismissed the Mana Sword in my hand and pricked up my ears.

[ Yes. I originally lived in a larger nest with my pack. Not in a cramped cave like this. ]

“For someone who says that, you moved like the terrain was familiar.”

[ The dragon race lives for eons. Compared to you humans, that is. Three years is a short time for me, but for you, it wouldn’t be that short, would it. ]

“Three years…”

At that word, I recalled the events of the past three years.

Death and failure. Blame and despair.

…Yeah, it wasn’t a short time.

From when I was destroyed to when I stood back up, it took exactly three years.

[ A mage appeared at our nest. That mage killed all my comrades. ]

I was lost in sentiment when the Earth Dragon spoke.

“…A mage?”

[ Yes. That bastard was very strong. Even when we all attacked at once, we were no match. ]

There was someone that strong? More than that, how did it get to the nest? Three years ago was when I was in my prime. I hadn’t heard of a Gate opening where dragons gathered.

“What did that mage look like?”

It said mage. So it might be someone I know.

I couldn’t say I was on good terms with other mage-type Hunters, but I knew most of their faces.

Though I’d never seen a mage who used teleportation.

[ It was wrapped in pitch-black shadows, so I couldn’t see its form, but its shape was human. ]

“Hmm… I don’t know who that is either.”

Nothing but that it was human and used teleportation magic.

Above all, wiping out the dragon race, the strongest species, and alone at that, meant it was an incredibly strong bastard…

As far as I know, I’m the strongest among mage-type Hunters. That’s not arrogance — it’s just the truth, so what can I do?

Of course, if we’re talking about raw skill, there are plenty of bastards stronger than me, but if you limit it to mages, there really isn’t anyone.

Close? Even if they’re close, no one can match Incantationless Casting.

If it came down to a one-on-one duel, I’m confident I’d win no matter what.

Ah, well, maybe there’s someone who could beat me in terms of scale.

Anyway, enough of the strongest debate. Even I can’t be sure of victory against multiple dragon-kin.

If there were a mage that strong, word should have gotten out by now, but I’ve never heard of such a mage.

[ That mage spared only me and teleported me here. Though I was as good as dead. ]

‘Hmm, so that’s how it was.’

No wonder there was a dragon in a B-Rank Gate.

[ Now I can go to my kin. So I offer you my thanks, human. ]

“If you wanted to die, you could’ve just killed yourself.”

Isn’t that nonsense? If you really wanted to die, you could’ve bashed your head in or done something — any means — and tried to kill yourself long ago.

[ Until your comrade cut off my head, I was being controlled. I had my reason, but my body wouldn’t obey me. So even if I wanted to die, I couldn’t. ]

“Controlled…”

I’ve never seen an Awakened One who tames Demon Beasts. But a dying bastard probably wouldn’t lie.

I’ll trust it for now.

“But how can you talk? I’ve never heard of a Demon Beast speaking.”

[ While I was under control, I was injected with human knowledge. ]

Injecting knowledge into a Demon Beast… It’s not like they’re running experiments…

More and more questions are piling up. Just what kind of bastard is this?

“Were you the only one teleported?”

[ All my other kin were dead, and when I opened my eyes, I was alone. ]

“Did you run into any other Demon Beasts?”

[ Yes. I killed them all. Though it wasn’t my intention. ]

So that’s why there were no other Demon Beasts in this wide cave except this one.

Over three years, this bastard, while being controlled, killed every Demon Beast in this place all by itself.

Fitting for a dragon, the strongest of the Demon Beast species.

‘Then the boss must still be alive.’

Since it never leaves the Boss Room, they probably never ran into each other.

Besides, if the boss had been defeated, the entire dungeon interior would have vanished, but it’s still here, right?

‘Ah, right.’

We were competing over the boss, weren’t we.

I’d completely forgotten while dealing with the Earth Dragon.

The original goal was to ignore all the Demon Beasts in sight, reach the Boss Room first, and claim the boss, but this Earth Dragon ruined every plan.

Of course, we got a bigger haul than killing the boss… but still, it’s a shame. Even if I ran now, it’d probably be too late.

According to this bastard, the only Demon Beasts left in this Gate are the Earth Dragon and the boss, and we already took down the Earth Dragon.

Since this lizard killed all the Demon Beasts before the Hunters even arrived, the other teams could have reached the Boss Room without any interference.

In other words, we indirectly benefited from finding the Earth Dragon first.

I turned my gaze toward the Earth Dragon’s carcass.

There, I could see Marcel and Deneb cheerfully gathering materials.

‘…It’s a shame, but I can’t help it.’

We missed the boss, but we got more than that in return, so this raid could be called a success.

[ Human, I give you a warning. ]

“You still have something to say?”

You’re pretty tenacious. I thought you’d die soon, but you’re still alive.

[ Be careful. That mage didn’t teleport only me. Humans were teleported too. ]

“What?”

…Humans? Teleported humans?

[ Not long after I was teleported here, humans appeared. ]

“Well—”

Because the Gate opened.

I was about to say that, but a thought suddenly struck me, and I swallowed my words.

Not long after?

When exactly did this Gate open?

From what I remember, Crescent started recruiting Mercenaries exactly yesterday.

A Dungeon Break usually takes about a week. And unless the Earth Dragon was lying, it was teleported three years ago.

But if humans appeared not long after that…

“They teleported people in *before* the Gate even opened?”

[ That’s right. And all of those humans… ]

I swallowed hard at the Earth Dragon’s next words.

Somehow, I had a feeling I knew what it was about to say.

[ Died. ]

I’d hoped my guess would be wrong, but damn it, it wasn’t.