Chapter 10
“Good boy, good boy, good boy.”
I patted the dragon’s head as we slowly descended.
Once we landed, I climbed down from its back.
“So, dragon—what are you gonna do now?
Heading back home?”
“Kyui, kyui.”
The dragon shook its head side to side.
“I see! Well, I’ll come get you again later,
so head back to where you came from for now.
I’ll come pick you up, promise.
But, uh… if my dad says I can’t keep you as a pet,
you might have to live free-range, okay?
Don’t hate me for it!”
The dragon gave a small kyui! and nodded,
then flew back into the massive hole leading down
to the dungeon’s deepest layer — the 70th floor,
its boss chamber.
Everyone around me watched in stunned silence,
barely breathing.
They had thought it was a natural disaster —
until the legendary Black Knight descended
from the back of a massive dragon.
There were few people left in Japan
who hadn’t seen the videos of the Hero Party.
Black Knight had been all over the news lately —
a household name.
Sure, there were plenty of impostors online,
but the guy descending from an actual dragon?
No question — that was the real deal.
Everyone who saw it knew immediately.
Some livestreamers even shouted,
“This isn’t a natural disaster — it’s man-made!”
as they broadcasted the event.
The first to move was the Guild Master,
the head of Japan’s Explorer Management Association.
His main office wasn’t far from the blast zone
where the dragon had appeared,
so he noticed the disturbance immediately.
In his younger days,
he’d ranked in the single digits among explorers,
a veteran who had survived countless deadly missions.
Though he couldn’t match the Hero Party’s power,
as a retired warrior turned guild master,
he prided himself on his strategy, experience,
and leadership —
he wouldn’t lose to the younger generation that easily.
He rushed to the scene right away.
By the time he arrived,
a large crowd had already formed,
circling around the Black Knight from a distance.
People were standing around,
chatting, recording videos, making calls:
“I’m near the Black Knight right now!”
“I came to see him live!”
Their posts flooded social media.
And soon, the internet was in chaos again:
“Wait, is the Black Knight actually a Dragon Knight?!”
Even I — the Guild Master — could tell at a glance.
That presence, that aura…
he wasn’t just some random cosplayer.
He was real.
Cold sweat ran down my face as I shouted,
“Everyone, please evacuate immediately!
I am the Guild Master—make way!”
I pushed through the crowd,
forcing a path forward.
Finally, I stood before the Black Knight,
who had his arms folded across his chest.
“Are you… the Black Knight, sir?”
I asked, wiping my brow.
“…”
No reply.
“…”
We stood there, staring at each other in silence.
(Inside the armor)
Who is this old guy?!
Am I not allowed to come topside
with my dragon pet or something?!
Sweat poured down inside my full plate armor
as I desperately tried to think of an excuse.
Meanwhile, the Guild Master’s thoughts raced.
Did I offend him somehow?
Has he come to destroy Japan? Or conquer it?!
Neither spoke a word —
the air between them was thick with tension.
