Chapter 14 : A Wild Dragon Appeared (2)

Ddung ddang ddung ddang –

The lively Dwarf Village.

“Ugh, I’m so tired of sawing.”

“Hey, Bold! Are you planning to break the saw again?”

Tarunga scolded the grumbling Bold.

Bold whipped his head toward Tarunga.

“Chief! It’s time now, isn’t it?”

“What time?”

“Dinner time!”

“Not yet.”

“But I’m the cook, so I need to get ready early!”

Bold really does make good ramen.

Tarunga’s eyebrows twitched as he answered.

“I know you’re just making excuses, but I can’t help it. Go and cook something delicious. Bold will prepare the meal. Everyone, finish up what you’re doing, and let’s eat!”

Tarunga replied to Bold, then shouted loudly so all the other Dwarves could hear.

“Ramen! Ra-myeon!”

“I want Odong-tong Myon, with long noodles and otter meat!”

“Everything else about it is fine, but it has these square pieces that look like cut-up orc leather. That part’s not so good.”

“You fool, that’s for making broth.”

“No, you’re supposed to eat those.”

“Why would you eat them? They taste bad.”

“Taste bad? Why do I like them then?”

“I’m telling you, you’re not supposed to eat those.”

The Dwarf Village was buzzing with noise.

Tarunga was pleased by the lively scene.

The Balanca Mountains were off-limits.

When they decided to settle here and left, everyone in the tribe had anxious faces.

It was the same when they began building the village.

The only time smiles blossomed on the villagers’ faces was thanks to the precious new bonds they’d made.

‘It’s all thanks to meeting the Giant.’

May this peace never be broken.

While Tarunga was lost in thought, Bold headed toward the stream.

He held a large ladle in his hand.

He was going to draw water for the ramen.

“Hoorooru ssan, hoorooru papp ssam, delicious ramen~”

He was humming a tune as he dipped the ladle into the stream.

“Huh? Why did it suddenly get dark?”

A shadow fell over Bold’s head.

It was nowhere near sunset yet…….

Bold naturally looked up.

“U-ugh, uahhh—”

Startled, Bold fell back on his rear by the stream.

“D-d-d-d-d-dragon!”

He screamed at the top of his lungs.

Up in the sky.

A massive, black flying creature was blocking out the sun with its wings.

By then, the other Dwarves had also spotted the dragon.

“D-dragon!”

“It’s Balangkaar! Balangkaar has appeared!”

“Ahhh—! It’s the Mad Dragon. R-run, run!”

Panic.

The Dwarves were in chaos.

Then, a voice echoed in their minds.

‘Pathetic little dwarves, who gave you permission to build your homes on my land?’

The energy in the voice sent chills down their spines.

The Dwarves froze as if turned to ice.

“Even though I already warned you once, not only did you refuse to leave, you’re digging up the land and cutting down trees.”

Brrrr.

Bold’s body trembled.

He had to run.

At the very least, he had to get the children to safety.

But exposed to the dragon’s power, his body refused to move.

“You ignored my warning, so you must be ready to pay the price. Prepare yourself. Face the wrath of the ruler of the Balanca Mountains, the Black Shadow, the Lord of the Abyss, the Lord of Karma Flames, Balangkar von Berkaizer Manut Baldur Balkan!”

The dragon roared in fury and opened its jaws.

A massive force began to gather around the dragon.

Bold couldn’t even lift his head, but he realized it.

‘It’s about to unleash its Breath.’

No.

He’d barely escaped the magical fire to get here.

He’d just started to see smiles on his people’s faces.

No, it couldn’t end like this.

He couldn’t die so meaninglessly.

God! Where are you, God?

If you sent us here with your Oracle, shouldn’t you protect us?

Help us, please, help us!

“Giant—!”

Bold suddenly shouted the name that came to mind with all his strength.

Just like when he had struck down the Orc Shaman.

He wished once more for a giant hand to appear and save the village.

Suddenly.

At that moment, a massive hammer appeared, stabbing through the air.

Swish—

[You have obtained the Dimensional Mission [Light Dragon Invasion]]

[Please check the mission details immediately!]

“Damn it!”

There was no time to check the mission details.

Suho flung open the freezer door.

A black, dog-sized something was floating above the Dwarf Village.

That thing was definitely the Mad Dragon Balangkaar.

Gooooo—

He could feel the mana surging in Balangkaar’s jaws.

The force was so strong, he could sense it even from outside the freezer.

‘It’s the Breath!’

If he left it alone, the Dwarf Village would be wiped out, leaving not even a trace.

‘I have to stop it!’

A stream of pitch-black flame was condensing in the dragon’s mouth.

Suho grabbed the hammer and aimed it at the dragon.

Gwarurururururu—

The Breath was unleashed at that moment.

‘Too late.’

The best would have been to strike before it fired the Breath, but he’d failed.

Next best thing.

He had to stop the Breath from hitting the Dwarf Village.

Suho pushed the hammer head right in front of the dragon’s mouth.

The Breath struck the hammer, twisting and veering off, melting the mountain slope instead of the village.

The dragon was startled, but it didn’t stop the Breath.

‘The hammer is melting!’

The Breath was powerful.

The hammerhead melted away in an instant.

Suho tossed aside the hammer, now just a handle.

“Hold on, please!”

Instead, he thrust his palm in front of the dragon’s mouth.

Chiiii—

Smoke rose from his palm.

He felt a burning pain.

‘Kugh—but… still…’

But there weren’t any holes, nor was his hand melting away.

‘I can withstand it!’

It was thanks to [Flame Resistance] exceeding 50.

Some time passed.

The Breath ended.

The dragon looked at him in disbelief and asked,

“What are you? How can you block my dark Breath?”

The dragon muttered, then as if realizing something, spread its wings wide.

“I see! You must be one of the evil gods that tried to destroy the world in ancient times, who disappeared after losing the war against the gods! Today, the great Black Flame Dragon, Lord of the Abyss, Balangkaar, will pass judgment on you!”

“This crazy…”

What nonsense.

No wonder it’s called the Mad Dragon.

Suho thought as he racked his brain.

The dragon didn’t seem ready to end the fight.

He had to subdue it.

Decision made, Suho swung his hand.

Pararak—

The dragon flapped its wings and dodged Suho’s hand.

‘It’s fast!’

Suho swung again.

Each time, the dragon dodged neatly.

Even with Suho’s precise hand movements, supported by his keen senses, he couldn’t catch the dragon.

At some point.

Goooo—

Once again, a strong force swirled in the dragon’s mouth.

‘Damn, it’s going to fire again.’

Suho swung his hand madly.

Startled by the force, the dragon moved quickly, and the Breath was canceled.

But his hand kept missing.

‘If I could just catch it, I could do something.’

With a difference in size, if he could just grab it, he could slam it down.

But he couldn’t catch it.

Then, suddenly, the bracelet on his wrist caught his eye.

‘The Spider Silk Bracelet! That’s it!’

Suho channeled mana into the [Spider Silk Bracelet].

[Spiderweb Shot] activated.

Shushushuk—

Spider webs spread out in the air.

“What!”

The startled dragon twisted its body to evade.

“Caught it!”

Suho fired another web.

Shushushuk—

Shushushuk—

He fired two more times.

Finally, the web wrapped around the dragon’s wings.

Thunk—

The dragon crashed down.

“A net, of all things!”

The dragon thrashed violently.

But the web didn’t break.

‘With a difference in size, it’s not going to break so easily.’

Suho rejoiced.

“You evil god!”

Meanwhile, the dragon began charging its Breath again.

Instead of breaking the web, it aimed to attack Suho’s hand.

Suho reached out.

‘If it can’t fly, it’s easy to catch.’

He grabbed the dragon’s neck in one swift motion.

“Kh—khurk! L-let go of me!”

The dragon gasped, struggling for air.

The Breath it had been charging fizzled out.

“Now, what should I do with you?”

Kill it, or not?

While Suho was pondering, the dragon began to thrash wildly.

It opened its jaws, trying to bite the back of Suho’s hand.

‘Let’s beat it up first.’

Suho lifted the dragon.

If he slammed it into the ground a few times, it’d calm down.

Or maybe pass out.

But he couldn’t do that.

‘If I slam it down, the village will be destroyed, won’t it?’

If he slammed it like this, the Dwarf Village would be shattered.

Even if he aimed for an empty spot, the shock would be too much.

Suddenly, a good idea struck him.

‘This thing can’t cross dimensions, can it?’

Suho pulled the dragon with all his might.

As if trying to toss it out of the freezer.

Thunk.

The boundary between the freezer and the room.

His hand stopped in midair.

As expected, the dragon was blocked by the dimensional wall.

“Khuek.”

The shock of hitting the dimensional wall was delivered straight to the dragon.

It screamed in pain.

“That’s it. A few more times should do it.”

Judging by the looks, it was pretty sturdy.

If he didn’t do it right, it wouldn’t even pass out, let alone die.

Suho shoved the dragon back into the freezer.

Then, with all his strength, he yanked it out again.

Bang!

“Khuek! You, you bastard!”

As expected, once or twice wasn’t enough.

Suho repeated the motion.

Bang!

“How dare you—”

Bang!

“Kruk— you dare—”

Bang bang bang!

“S-stop! Stop it!”

Bang bang bang bang bang!

“Stop! Please, stop!”

Suho was about to stop there.

But with the momentum, his hand moved one more time on its own.

Thunk.

Something felt off.

“Huh? What’s this?”

Then, a message popped up before Suho’s eyes.

[— Due to — [???] — — — is applied]

[Abnormal — detected. Penalty will be imposed.]

[Balangkaar’s — is temporarily —]

[You can increase your exchange level to —]

Drip—

Lines of incomprehensible text filled his vision.

Before he could make sense of it, Suho realized something amazing had happened right in front of him.

“Why is this here?”

In Suho’s hand, now outside the freezer.

A pitch-black, dog-sized dragon was dangling by the neck, hanging limp.