Chapter 59: The Rewards of the S-Rank Dungeon Have Improved

Deep within the mountain valley.

A red spiral-shaped portal came into view.

An S-rank Dungeon.

Around the dungeon stood people who appeared to be sent by the Association.

Three men and two women dressed in suits.

Using the Gold Dragon’s Eye, I saw that they were C-rank and B-rank Hunters. At that level, they could probably hold off A-rank Hunters.

“Stop right there.”

“Who are you?”

The Association-affiliated Hunters took combat stances, wary of me, so I raised my hand and tapped the mask covering my face.

“Dokkaebi-nim?”

“The mask looks different.”

“Is it someone else?”

I was wearing the mask Steelon made for me, so maybe they didn’t recognize me.

“How can I convince you? Should I just subdue everyone and enter the dungeon?”

“I will contact the Director.”

“Do as you please.”

I waited briefly while they made the call.

The phone call didn’t take long, and a Hunter who had been explaining the situation approached me and handed over a cellphone.

I took it and held it to my ear.

“Yes, I’ve switched the call.”

“That’s a voice I know.”

“Can you really verify by voice alone?”

“There’s no one else who could clear an S-rank dungeon alone besides you. Next time you meet one of our staff, just say ‘Strawberry.’ It’s like a secret code.”

“I will.”

“But are you alright? Maybe you should rest for a day.”

“I’m fine.”

“True, you know your body best. Contact me when you’re done. I’ll buy you the meat you missed yesterday.”

“You sure you can handle me eating a lot?”

“Eat as much as you want. Hmm, I have a meeting soon, so I’ll go ahead. Leave the China side to me and focus on the dungeon.”

“Understood.”

I ended the call and handed the phone back to the Association staff.

“Just say ‘Strawberry’?”

“Yes, confirmed.”

The staff’s expressions instantly changed.

They looked at me as if seeing a celebrity, their eyes full of wonder.

One of them stepped forward and bowed deeply.

“Thank you so much for yesterday!”

“Huh?”

“My wife was at the scene of the incident. If it weren’t for Dokkaebi-nim, something terrible would have happened. Thank you for saving her!”

“…Don’t you resent me?”

It was because I was there that the incident happened. If I hadn’t been there, it wouldn’t have occurred.

“Why would we resent Dokkaebi-nim? The bastard who took civilians hostage thinking he had immunity is the one at fault. You did nothing wrong.”

“That’s right. I heard you even sprayed potions on us.”

“More importantly, there were no casualties, right? You don’t have to worry about that.”

Their praise touched my heart somehow. When Mr. Yoo Baekjun was saving people, maybe he felt something like this too.

I thought I had to make sure not to put these people in more danger, and I had to try even harder.

Above all, starting the day with someone’s words of thanks felt different.

“Wait a little longer. I’ll get you out of here quickly.”

I smiled lightly and stood in front of the dungeon.

Before entering, I checked the dungeon information.

[Wyvern King’s Nest (S)]

• Hunt the Wyvern, ruler of the skies.
• Possesses strong magic resistance.
• Wyvern King 0/1
  Reward: S-rank Magic Stone, S-rank Skillbook.

After confirming, I stepped into the dungeon. Then, a message I’d never seen before appeared.

[Strong dimensional power interferes.]
[Dungeon composition and rewards have changed.]

What’s this?

Beep!

Beep!

The chirping of birds suddenly jolted me awake. My head throbbed like I had just thrown up after drinking.

“Ugh.”

I tried to use magic to calm my nausea, but the magic wouldn’t activate.

Instead, I felt even more dizzy.

I needed another way to solve this.

“…Anne, summon.”

Shuaak!

With a flash of white light, Anne, cloaked in black, appeared.

[Master, did you call?]

“Just a potion to clear my head.”

[One moment.]

Anne placed her hand on my chest, then took something out and poured it into my mouth.

It felt like drinking sweet juice.

As the liquid slid down my throat, the queasiness instantly faded. After a little more time, the headache cleared completely.

“Wow. I feel alive. Thanks.”

[I only did what I was supposed to.]

“Do you know why this happened to me?”

[It’s because of mana depletion.]

“…Mana depletion?”

[Yes.]

So she placed her hand over my heart to check if I had mana or not.

Then what I drank was a mana potion.

“What if this happens again? What if you and the mana potion aren’t around?”

[Mana depletion usually resolves over time wherever mana exists. So don’t worry too much.]

“Oh.”

[Then I’ll return. I have some work in progress…]

“Okay.”

I sent Anne back and stood up.

I lightly checked my body condition.

Magic worked properly, my stamina was fine, and there were no injuries.

“Then…”

I looked around.

The dense forest typical of dungeons.

Normally, I’d head straight to hunt the Wyvern King, but the message from when I entered the dungeon flashed in my mind—
‘Dimensional power is interfering.’

To check it out, I used the Gold Dragon’s Eye.

[Nest of the Corrupted Dragon (?)]

• Defeat the dragon corrupted by the power of the Black Dragon God.
• It will be easier if you receive help from a special race living in the forest.
• Corrupted Dragon 0/1

Egg (SSS), ???…

Reward: 30 S-rank Magic Stones, Dimensional Tavern Pass, SS-rank Skillbook, 5 S-rank material selection boxes, Dragon’s reward.

The rewards had changed.

Seeing the Dimensional Tavern Pass reminded me of what Rose said in the Dimensional Tavern.

“Deal with the first Apostle as quickly as possible. Then we can help you more.”

Is this what she meant by ‘help’?

“The rewards are insane.”

What caught my eye most was the Dragon Egg.

Could I raise it?

There was no dragon raising in games, so I was a little hopeful.

Well.

I’d find out after getting the reward.

“Let’s finish this quickly and head back.”

Using detection magic, I spread mana in all directions. I sketched the terrain in my mind and identified living creatures moving around.

There were many creatures a little ways off.

Those containing mana.

Some had sharp senses and noticed my detection magic, turning their gaze toward me.

“They’re coming.”

Seeing their rapid movements, I prepared Absolute Barrier.

Soon, something flew at me.

Two arrows without even a sound hit the Absolute Barrier.

Chak!

The two arrows cracked the barrier.

“The power’s immense.”

The opponent stayed hidden and shot arrows in succession. Blocking them wasn’t a problem, but it was close to wasting mana.

If I kept blocking like this, their numbers would only increase.

I had to finish this before then.

I needed to see if the opponent was one of those special races who could receive help or if they weren’t.

Using detection magic, I located the enemy and teleported close.

A blonde woman stood on a thin branch.

Tall with blonde hair, her striking features and elongated ears stood out.

“Elf?”

[Human?]

The elf’s ears twitched slightly.

A powerful gust of wind suddenly arose, blocking my view.

Leaves scattered in the gust, swirling wildly.

“The structure’s different.”

It was a magic unlike any I knew.

A bit closer to nature.

Though I wanted to contemplate this peculiar magic more, now was not the time.

Using mana from the Dragon Heart, I created a gust of wind in the opposite direction.

The sudden disappearance of the wind caused leaves to fall to the ground in a shower.

Then, dozens of elves aiming their bows at me appeared.

[Using Gold Dragon’s Eye.]

[High Elf Irelin of the Warm Forest (S)]

Daughter of the High Elf queen leading the Warm Forest.

• Full of caution.
• Overall stats: S
• Potential: SSS
• Items: World Tree Bow (SS), Ironwood Arrow (SS), Wooden Quiver (S).
• Skills: Swift (SS), Aimed Shot (SS), Quick Strike (SS), Sixth Sense (SS)… Spirit Contract (S).

Found an S-rank.

“If I recruit her, will the other elves follow?”

That would increase the number of people active in the Dragon Lair. It would be a big help for tackling other forests I’ve postponed.

Even if they’re not a special race, I should think about recruiting them.

[Surrender with your hands raised.]

“What did I do to deserve surrendering?”

How shameless, coming into an elf forest. Just show your sneaky intentions quickly. What business do you have here?!

“We came to hunt the dragon.”

My words made the elves hesitate.

Especially Irelin’s eyes trembled.

“You came to hunt the dragon?”

“Yes.”

Then the ground shook.

Kugugugung!

Though I only felt a faint vibration, the mana coming from far away was intense.

Sticky and disgusting, you could say.

“Is that the corrupted dragon?”

[…The dragon has awakened.]

[Princess, there is no time. We must move to the destination quickly.]

An elf behind whispered, and Irelin glared at me.

“You really came to kill the dragon?”

I had a cheat key for this moment.

“Praira, summon.”

Shuaak!

White light faded, revealing the cute-looking Praira. She held herbs in both hands, as if she’d been gathering them.

[Master?]

“You don’t believe me. Can you explain for me?”

“Hello, I’m Praira.”

Irelin’s eyes widened.

“You… what? Why is the energy of the World Tree…?”

“Ah, we have a World Tree at home. The Master made it for us.”

“Made a World Tree?!”

The elves around looked at me in disbelief.

I seemed to have eased their hostility for now.

“Shall we talk while moving? Seems like we’re in a hurry.”

“Ah… Let’s move first. I’ll take responsibility for this human. Let’s take them along.”

“Understood.”

Irelin looked at Praira, then shifted her gaze to me.

“You can keep up?”

“Of course.”

Irelin turned and kicked off the ground, running forward like she weighed nothing. With light leaps, she dashed through the forest.

“Shall we go too?”

Using Fly Magic, I followed the elves with Praira.

Praira put some herbs in my mouth as we flew side by side.

[Cold attribute comprehension increased.]

…

After finishing all the herbs, Praira finally spoke.

“Did I do well? I just said my name…”

“You did great. Without you, the conversation would’ve dragged on.”

“Hehe. Then give me a present.”

“I’ll buy you one when we get back.”

I made a promise with Praira and refocused on flying.

The deeper we went into the forest,

the surroundings grew darker, and the sticky, disgusting feeling intensified.

When we arrived where the elves stopped, there was a troll the size of a villa.

Not a typical troll, but a black-skinned troll carrying a gigantic tree on its shoulder.

Behind it, hundreds of orcs gathered in a horde.

A stark contrast in numbers compared to the elves.

“Of all places… here…”

“Princess… There’s no chance of victory. We should retreat now.”

“We will buy time.”

I watched the despairing elves and moved forward.

“If I wipe them out, will they believe me?”

Gathering all the mana in the Dragon Heart, I reached toward the sky and drew a magic circle.

Woooong!

A wide-area magic I learned from Jessica.

“Meteor Strike.”

A giant meteor shot from the magic circle and crashed down onto the trolls and orcs.

Kwahaaaang!