Chapter 27. Subjugation of the Earth Dragon (4)
Crunch, crunch—
The donkey was munching on a mandrake with a dumb expression.
A familiar old man, witnessing the scene, stood frozen with a pale face, not knowing what to do.
“……”
It was a truly ridiculous sight.
But Adelia couldn’t bring herself to laugh.
The mandrake’s scream was still tormenting her.
‘No way…’
Shiver, shiver—
Her whole body trembled.
All of this from being exposed to the scream for just ten minutes.
Because of that, when she looked at Gaon again, she was even more shocked by his abilities.
‘How can he be fine after hearing that?’
How was such a thing possible?
Adelia simply couldn’t understand it.
The power of the mandrake was beyond imagination.
Even with cotton tightly packed inside her earmuffs, the scream had pierced through and assaulted her senses.
Near the end, she had nearly passed out from the pain that felt like her head was splitting apart.
‘But Sir Gaon…’
Swish—
She glanced over at Gaon.
He was completely unscathed.
Unlike her, who had collapsed pitifully to the floor, unable to endure the pain.
He had even heard the scream without any protection at all.
‘Just how strong is his mental fortitude?’
The mandrake’s cry could destroy a person’s mind.
A normal person would go mad or even die from brief exposure to it.
Yet Gaon had endured such a terrifying psychic assault effortlessly.
‘And that’s not all.’
At first, she had thought his actions were mere eccentricities.
Like when he bought earmuffs and other seemingly useless junk at the market…
But it turned out everything had been part of Gaon’s careful plan.
‘Sir Gaon knew everything all along.’
That the upper-class mandrake grew in the Labyrinth Village. That its cry would attract the donkey.
That the donkey would eat the mandrake, and the pale-faced owner would arrive too late.
And through that, he could bind a skilled guide into a contract.
‘…He orchestrated all of this from the beginning.’
So what if he received a revelation from the great Elders?
Even with divine guidance, orchestrating everything this perfectly was insane.
Revelation alone wasn’t enough—if the Seeker lacked the ability, none of it could come to fruition.
The moment Adelia realized that, a chill ran through her body.
‘So this is the insight a true Sword Seeker possesses…?’
She had never imagined that the insight of a Swordmaster could reach such a level.
The vague admiration she once felt was now replaced by overwhelming awe.
‘…Why is she looking at me like that?’
Gulp—
I quietly swallowed.
Adelia’s gaze on me was getting intense.
It was the kind of look one gives to a hero they’ve admired for a long time.
‘This is almost as extreme as Karayan worshipping me…’
Well, at least I saved Karayan’s life once.
But Adelia? I had no idea why she was acting so blindly devoted.
‘Wait a second.’
…Come to think of it, I didn’t actually save Karayan, did I?
“……”
Like I said before, I feel like I’m getting more and more shameless.
Is this the Ripley syndrome?
Maybe pretending to be strong for so long was starting to fool even me.
‘…Well, whatever. Better this way than being scared.’
It’s probably better to act shameless than to panic.
Shrugging my shoulders, I brushed it off lightly.
Then I looked forward again.
“……”
Step, step—
The donkey was wandering ahead lazily.
Riding on it, Dangno kept sneaking glances at me.
‘He’s completely intimidated.’
A few hours ago, I made a contract with Dangno.
Knowing he didn’t have any money on him, I made him an offer.
—You know how valuable a high-grade mandrake is, right?
—…Yeah.
—If you can’t pay in cash, you can repay it in other ways.
—R-Really…?
Dangno took the bait instantly.
The contract I offered him had the following terms:
The cost of the mandrake would be paid in installments, with interest.
He could substitute payment by working as a guide or on Silk Road transports.
Until the debt was repaid in full, he could not refuse my requests.
‘If it were someone else, they might’ve just claimed ignorance about the donkey eating the mandrake…’
But I knew something.
Dangno had received a magical restriction in exchange for his powers.
Once in debt, he could never run from the creditor.
‘Which means Dangno can never escape my grasp.’
I had successfully captured Dangno, who mysteriously disappeared in the game’s later stages.
Now, I could continue using him effectively even in the late game.
Back then, what I needed was Dangno’s special ability—his uncanny skill of guiding people safely to any destination.
‘Even now, that ability is working wonders.’
We hadn’t encountered a single monster on our descent to the mid-levels.
Not even a common tunnel goblin.
He guided us through every fork in the road without a second of hesitation.
‘At this pace, we’ll reach the deepest level today.’
I wondered how those parties who’d wandered the labyrinth for three years would react to this.
Probably collapse clutching their necks in shock.
‘Well, anyway…’
As I mulled over various things, a thought suddenly came to mind.
‘…It’s about time the Brickwood guys made a move.’
It had been half a day since Butler Taylor visited me.
The bait I left should’ve led the Brickwood family to start pressuring Durdamel’s Golden Guild.
I had to hurry up, take down the Earth Dragon, and return to Veritas…
Before our dear bald-headed guild master Durdamel ended up in deeper trouble.
“Let’s speed up a bit.”
A secret room in the Brickwood mansion.
Mysterious letters engraved on the walls emitted a faint light.
Edmon Brickwood swallowed dryly.
His trembling hands clutched a crystal orb.
Communicating with the Holy Family always made him tense.
[Edmon Brickwood.]
“…Yes, honored one.”
[A divine revelation has descended upon the Saint.]
The calm male voice echoed from the orb.
Edmon held his breath.
A saint’s prophecy was absolute—and strictly confidential.
Yet if they were sharing such sacred content with him…
‘…Something’s going on!’
Edmon listened closely.
The voice from the orb delivered shocking news.
[The Sword Seeker has slain a dragon.]
“A-A Sword Seeker?”
His eyes widened in disbelief.
But soon, that shock transformed into pure elation.
‘I knew it.’
His theory had been correct.
The hypothesis he’d told Taylor was right on the mark.
‘So it was the Sword Seeker—the Swordmaster—who killed the Celestial Dragon.’
And Durdamel, who happened to find the corpse, had used Gaon as a scapegoat.
Selling the monster’s body for money, not knowing the implications.
‘Fool. Doesn’t he know not to meddle in matters beyond him?’
Excess leads to disaster.
Durdamel, unable to grasp his own limits, would now face ruin—
—branded as a heretic against the Holy Family.
And the merchant guild he built over a lifetime?
Brickwood would devour it whole.
[We’ll dispatch a team from Middle Temple. It’ll take some time.]
“What about the dragon’s corpse…?”
[Once the divinity is gone, it’s no different from a normal monster. Dispose of it as you wish.]
“…!”
With those words, the orb’s light faded.
Edmon stood still for a moment, then clenched his fist tightly.
‘It’s all going according to plan…!’
Everything was proceeding perfectly.
He rushed out of the secret chamber and issued orders to his butler.
“Taylor.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Arrest Durdamel immediately. How dare he mock the Holy Family and us with a puppet!”
“…It will be done at once.”
Snap—
Recalling something, Edmon snapped his fingers.
Then, with a sinister grin, he added:
“Oh, and bring that vagrant Gaon to me as well.”
Grin—
A cruel smile formed on his lips.
No matter how much of a victim Gaon was, having deceived the Holy Family and himself meant only one thing—
He would pay dearly.
…And most of all, crushing filthy bugs like him had always been one of Edmon’s favorite pastimes.
Time was hard to track inside the Labyrinth Village.
In the tunnel where the sky wasn’t visible, day and night blurred together.
So adventurers always carried a watch.
‘Exactly two days have passed.’
I checked the time and smiled in satisfaction.
Two days.
That’s how long we’d been in the Labyrinth Village.
Thanks to Dangno, we had descended quickly and safely to the lower levels.
No collapsing ceilings. No surprise monsters. No ankle-snapping traps.
It felt like strolling down a smooth, paved road.
‘Choosing Dangno was the right move.’
When I played as Roel, there was no guaranteed way to summon Dangno.
I just had to rely on luck and hope for a chance encounter.
‘Can’t I just pull the mandrake and wait, like now?’
No.
You need an insanely high mental stat to endure that.
‘…Even level 80 Adelia fainted from it, after all.’
By the time you have those stats, you’re already in the late game.
And by then, Dangno would’ve vanished, making his help impossible.
But now things were different.
No longer bound by the game’s constraints, I had successfully tied Dangno to my side.
“……”
But despite this big win, I couldn’t fully enjoy it.
One nagging thought wouldn’t leave me alone.
‘…Why haven’t I felt any tremors lately?’
Something was off.
The closer we got to the Earth Dragon’s lair, the stronger the tremors should’ve become.
But since arriving in the lower levels—not a single quake.
Why did everything suddenly go quiet?
Even in the mid-levels, it had felt like the whole place was shaking from earthquakes.
That’s when—
“We’ve arrived.”
Step—
At Adelia’s words, I came to a stop.
Before us, deep within the labyrinth, a wall came into view.
…No, it wasn’t a wall.
Under the dim torchlight, a massive stone gate loomed, exuding an overwhelming presence.
“Wait here.”
Dangno nodded.
He hadn’t intended to go any further, anyway, and had stopped several steps behind us.
The dragon’s nest was clearly dangerous—even for them.
As Adelia pushed open the stone gate, the grinding of earth and ceiling echoed, revealing a vast space within.
Grrrrind—!
A grand chamber reminiscent of an ancient underground temple.
Intricate patterns adorned the towering ceiling, and blue flames burned atop pillars, creating a holy yet oppressive atmosphere.
And in the very center of this sanctuary…
‘The Earth Dragon.’
A colossal beast, coiled like a mountain.
The ancient being that created the Labyrinth Village.
Said to shake the ground with its breath, and alter the tunnels with its movements.
The level 91 labyrinth boss had finally appeared…
“…?”
【Lv. 100】
At that moment, I doubted my eyes.
‘What the hell.’
In the game, the Earth Dragon was level 91.
But the number floating before me now was 100.
Only the most transcendent beings in Lost Elder reached such heights.
…Whatever this meant, something was seriously wrong.
“……”
Swish—
I slowly turned my gaze—and then saw it.
Sitting cross-legged atop the Earth Dragon’s corpse was… something.
‘Ah.’
Everything made sense now.
Why there had been no tremors since we arrived.
Why the Earth Dragon’s level had suddenly jumped to 100.
“……”
That’s right.
That absurd number didn’t refer to the Earth Dragon.
The dragon was already dead.
…Killed by that Lv. 100 monster sitting above it.
“Adeli—”
BOOOOM!
Before I could even finish her name, a black shadow shot past my eyes.
With a thunderous crash, Adelia’s body was hurled into the wall.
It all happened so fast, I couldn’t even react—I just stood frozen.
“You…”
A voice like tearing through the air filled the chamber.
I turned my eyes to the “something” before me.
Skin covered in dragon scales. A hulking, muscular frame.
And those vertically slit, reptilian pupils…
GRRRRRR—
An indescribable pressure crushed me.
It was strong enough to completely overwhelm even the Celestial Dragon I’d faced before.
“You… are the new chosen Seeker?”
Grin—
The half-human, half-dragon smirked with amusement.
At the same time, hidden messages I hadn’t seen until now began to appear.
Ding!
〔A portion of hidden messages is revealed.〕
…
〔Causality is being distorted.〕
〔The encounter with the Violent Dragon’s Swordmaster has been accelerated.〕
