novel[11th Round] Dragon's Nest
| ← Ch.190 | Ch.192 → |
Ice Dragon King Sleyas, a dragon with an ice attribute that made its nest in a frozen oasis placed within the middle of the vast desert that was the Southern Continent.
Its home could be said to be the whole central part of the South Continent. The stronger the dragon, the larger the area it controlled. Dragons couldn't build nests in other's territory, so they either had to find land without an owner or steal some away. Therefore, there was a formula that dragons with large territories were strong.
"Hero, think about it again. Ice Dragon King Sleyas is the strongest dragon. Even you, whose combat power has exceeded 30 billion, will have a hard time against it."
"The strongest?"
"R-right. Don't stare at it. Its eyes are scary!"
It wasn't just Thief E; all the natives of the Fantasy Continent thought so. Ice Dragon King Sleyas, who took the vast desert of the Southern Continent as its territory, was said to be the strongest among all dragons. As proof, all dragons in the Southern Continent except the Ice Dragon King used the land adjacent to the coast for their nests.
"We can't discuss the strongest without the Dragon King Noebius."
My dear friend whose territory was the entire Central Continent. As a result, the remaining Five Great Disasters weren't fighting each other in territorial wars, and the dragons couldn't even come near the plains of the Central Continent.
...That was until about a hundred years ago. As the Dragon King Noebius disappeared five hundred years ago, the dragons who noticed stepped out onto the Central Continent one by one. Many young dragons couldn't find nests in the Central Continent and instead wandered around in human cosplay. That was why 99% of the Dragon Slayers, boasting they had successfully hunted dragons, had made their achievements in the Central Continent.
Not just dragons. There were almost no powerful monsters in the Central Continent. This was because the strong beings who admired the spirit of the Dragon King Noebius gave up their territory and left for other lands. It was no exaggeration to say that all except monsters with limited movement, like the cannibal trees, were missing. Therefore, the Central Continent generally had lower levels and skills than the others.
Noebius, the Dragon King. A single dragon had changed the ecosystem of the continent!
"Isn't the Dragon King a bad dragon? Classifying him as a dragon is an insult to the entire race of dragons."
"Ileana."
"Oh! You're calling me ri-"
"That's why you're Thief E."
"What does that mean?!"
Appearance and ability were irrelevant; there were only two cases where I would remember someone's name correctly. Either my grudge was so deep that forgetting was impossible, or there was an accident. I've heard so much about the infamous ones, such as Demon King Pedonar and Dragon King Noebius, that their names stuck in my mind, but most of the others were filtered out.
In other words, they were extras I didn't need to worry about. They were encounters that lacked presence enough that I would forget it when I looked back.
"We're almost there."
I had a 3D map of the Fantasy Continent stored in my head, but it wasn't as accurate as GPS in the desert. There weren't any landmarks to differentiate all the sand, after all.
But there was a way.
"Meeeee..."
Medusa began to hesitate to move forward. The survival instincts of a monster were activated, evidence that we were growing closer to the nest of Ice Dragon King Sleyas. The heat of the desert was still the same, but the weather would change drastically soon.
Wheeeeiiing!
Riding on the Medusa that was forced to move forward, a cool chill came over us for a moment as if I had opened a refrigerator.
"Meee..."
The Medusa completely stopped. I held the reins that could end his life, but he thought it was the same to die even if he moved forward. So he refused the order and stopped.
"I can't help it."
I let go of Medusa's reins and stepped free of the saddle. Just as smart horses come when being called, the Medusa wouldn't run away even if I released his reins without tying them. He knew he couldn't live the moment he left my sight.
Should I say that he has been tamed like livestock?
"Ugh...you are going here..."
Thief E remained restless as she frantically followed me.
"Let's see how big the ice kid is."
On the other hand, the First Spirit was laid back. It was reminiscent of an old couple lying on the sofa and watching a late-night movie.
Something was standing in our way.
Rolling...rolling...
Ice carved into human form moved in front of us.
Ice Golem. Noebius didn't have such a complicated security system, but most dragons set up something to protect their nests. Guards, Golems, Traps, Mazes, Illusions, Magic...
Since the dragon's breath exerted overwhelming power, strong dragons rarely used it but instead focused on becoming so proficient in magic that they were called pioneers of magic. The same went for the golems that were popular in the Northern Continent. If a human-made golem was at a toddler's level, the dragon's golem was at the level of a track and field athlete.
Of course, the one which was developed jointly by Sage and Engineer A served as an exception. It was very unfortunate that it wasn't a combining robot, though...
"Ah...I should take this opportunity."
It was brutally destroyed the other day, but it was still alive in my heart. The design was also flawless. Captain Fantasy! Sage, who had been upgraded in the entrance exam center, would develop a better golem.
There were many trips I had to take to the Northern Continent.
"Visitor. If you are not an unauthorized intruder, please present your password or pass."
One of the golems spoke politely. It was a slender-looking handsome man that looked like it might break if touched between its 4th and 5th lumbar vertebrae. It was an appearance that reflected the taste of Ice Dragon King Sleyas.
...So this lizard was very uncooperative to me.
"It snows even in the desert."
"Your password has been verified. Welcome to the sanctuary of Ice Dragon King Sleyas, the keeper of the Southern Continent and the noblest dragon in the world."
The ice golems stood aside. It didn't matter if I broke through head-on, but there was no reason to waste the knowledge of the 1st playthrough. Contrary to its poor appearance, the Golem's stats were quite high.
? Race: Ice Golem
? Level: 3852
? Job: Watcher (Watch → Five Senses↑)
? Skill: Ice MAX Recovery MAX Resistance SS Five Senses SS Agility SS...
? Status: Surveillance, Alert, Standby
There were at least five hundred of these guys. It seemed that the abilities of the entrance exam center were not all-around. Level and skill should grow proportionally, but they failed to enter the Transcendental Realm and stopped at Level MAX.
Instead, it feels that the level had gone up more, huh?
"I want to measure the combat power of those golems, but it's a pity that the measurement of Hero's combat power hasn't been completed yet. It just exceeded 50 billion."
Hadn't she given up? Thief E, her face trembling with anxiety, suddenly gave in to curiosity and looked truly disappointed when she saw the Ice Golems.
"Well...then..."
There was nothing to be wary of after passing the Ice Golems. After passing through the main gate of earthen fortifications made by freezing desert sand, what unfolded before us was a luxurious hot spring facility. It was an interior that called to mind the Olympian gods of Greek mythology. Though instead of white marble, soft sand was shaped into bricks and then frozen.
There were, of course, facility managers to greet us.
"Hero. Please change your clothes in the changing room. You can use the closet with the same number on this key."
An elf, which was normally hard to find in the Southern Fantasia Continent, handed me a key and explained. Wearing a necklace, earrings, bracelets, and anklets made of pure gold, her naked body was covered with a long, pure white cloth. All the facility managers were women.
"...Right."
I felt something strange. I knew from the 1st playthrough that there were luxurious hot springs facilities and elves here, but how did that elf know that I am a hero?
This was a little strange.
"So, you come with our kind. You have to part from each other for a while. As the hero may already know, please understand that there are separate male and female changing rooms and hot springs. Don't worry too much, though. You can meet in the lounge, and we'll prepare accommodations for you."
"Oh, I get it."
Thief E, who was slightly mesmerized, hurriedly replied. As she watched her kind working in the nest of Ice Dragon King Sleyas, she had an indescribable expression on her face. Elves were known to be extinct on the Southern Continent. Although very few live among the human clans, they were mostly slaves sold on the black market from the Central Continent.
The only natives to the Southern Continent were her family, as far as anyone was aware.
"Illidan, see you later. Ah! And don't try to try on the clothes provided here by yourself, leave them to the receptionist. If you try to take it off clumsily, you could end up with a catastrophe of them being ripped off in a public place."
I spoke in a relaxed tone. These elves had mistaken me for a hero who had already used the hot springs. If so, I also needed to play along with the rhythm here.
Only for now.
"Drug hero, is it your own experience?"
The First Spirit asked. Even the crowned spirits that inhabited my groin and armpits were ready to listen with their ears pricked up. I answered honestly, not hiding it.
"It was a tragedy. However, it wasn't a bad experience because I was able to spend hot days with the elves here who fell in love with the countless scars and muscles I acquired from chasing after my colleagues and the holy spear."
Of course, my reputation plummeted as it was discovered. My female colleagues, who showed me their insignificant underwear because of their carelessness and stabbed at me, seemed to want me to become a monk or a eunuch, but how could I stay a hero if I gave in to such absurd demands?
I am an ordinary human who conforms to the principles of yin and yang. I am not a social misfit.
"Hmm. Drug hero, do you think it's normal for a female in love to lose her temper when the male she likes sleeps with other females?"𝙛rℯ𝐞𝑤𝚎𝗯𝓷o𝐯e𝗹 - 🅽🅽novel
"There was no such thing."
The hero, who had been ignored like an insect, couldn't acknowledge that he was popular with the opposite sex and was so offended.
? Cheer: Cadet Kang Han-soo, cheer up! There's a saying that it's fun to reminisce about past pains, right? However, I would like you to be a little more considerate of women's buttocks.
Miss Trainee Teacher, I love you if only you're not an old man! I love you~!
? Firm: I'm sorry. We have a teacher-student relationship! At least...do not cross this line until Cadet Kang Han-soo graduates and becomes a member of society.
So, at the crossroads to the men's and women's locker rooms, we parted.
But I couldn't get in right away.
"Excuse me, hero. The Flower Spirit sitting above your head is also female, so she cannot enter the men's locker room."
The elf looked at the First Spirit as she spoke. This wasn't an issue I had to deal with.
"Cute elf lady. It's a bit embarrassing to say this, but I'm not a woman. I'm neutral, and forcing the culture of the human race on the spirits is absurd. What do you think I would do if I saw a human male naked?"
What would you do? Sniff them, of course. The First Spirit, wearing a mask of pretense, spoke like a noble goddess. It felt just like this on the first day I met this perverted spirit. Even more so now, she had become powerful with my modifications.
? Race: First Spirit
? Level: 1064
? Job: Godmother (Child = Dignity↑)
? Skills: Dignity ZZ Hallucination Z Hypnosis Z Seduction Z
? Status: Addiction, Obsession, Strict, Severe, Serious
All of the Transcendental Realm Skills she possessed were mental skills. There was no way an ordinary elf guarding the men's locker room entrance could stop her secret attacks.
"My mistake. Please come in."
Completely persuaded, the elf stepped aside.
I went into the changing room as I could hear the muttering of relief from the First Spirit, who relaxed her posture from pretending to be noble.
"Phew! It's a huge relief. I thought I was going to die."
As if agreeing with her words, the other spirits nodded in unison. I was stunned.
"You won't die if you step down for a while."
"Drug hero, you can say that because you are the perpetrator. You do not know how the victims, who are addicted to you, feel."
"Oh, right."
I never wanted to know.
I changed clothes in the spacious changing room, but I didn't put anything in the closet. I kept them all in the Skill Warehouse and wrapped my body with the cloth provided by the hot springs. The elf made a slightly surprised expression as I left the changing room.
"Hero. You are very good at putting on clothes."
"Because it's not my first time."
I answered the elf halfheartedly and left the changing room.
A full-fledged hot spring was revealed before me.
"Huh...I thought so..."
All the heroes summoned to the Southern Continent were gathered here.
| ← Ch. 190 | Ch. 192 → |