V53C2P3 – Dragon Hunt

Weed mercilessly spewed his breath towards where the Hermes guild members were gathered.

“Agh!”

“It’s a breath!”

“Weed… he attacked!”

The poison breath that fumed out from the bone dragon’s body struck the cl.u.s.tered Hermes guild members. The Hermes guild members would have reacted accordingly in normal circ.u.mstances, but they were made mindless by Kaybern’s attacks! Weed’s corrosive breaths shrouded over the Hermes guild members. Groups of users that were recovering from their wounds also fell victim.

According to combat achievement, you have been granted 1 stat to use at your discretion. >

< Cold-blooded murderer Ginggen has perished.

You have accomplished an amazing deed.

Your reputation among the civilians is increased. >

< Petty robber Krolin….. >

< Weapon looter Benjo….. >

…

…

…

< You have gained a level.>

A level up with just one breath! Hermes guild members over lvl 500 were swept away by the hundreds.

‘As expected, this is terrific. Very pleasing.’

A rabbit punch worth going down in the history books of Royal Road! Kaybern who was fighting at ground level glanced at Weed. It was not certain, but the black dragon’s atrocious glare had become much more temperate. Humans and the bone dragon. Without a doubt, his hatred leaned more towards the humans. Weed thought to himself that this would be the perfect window of opportunity to b.u.t.ter him up.

– Oh almighty being. I wish to a.s.sist you with these wings of mine in slaughtering those greedy humans!

‘Life is all about connections.’

The stronger one shall be my ally! If the Hermes guild were stronger, he would have attempted to land the final blow on the black dragon. Weed rattled his jaw bone.

– Of course, the almighty and omniscient Kaybern-nim will never need the help of such a pathetic being as myself. However, I could not just stand by and watch idly while Kaybern-nim battled alone. I will fight for you until my bones crack and my ligaments wear away. Please, allow me to partic.i.p.ate in hunting down those humans.

Kaybern was a dragon who loved flattery, and he did not make complex a.s.sessments.

– Alright. If that is what you want, so be it. You will be rewarded for your service.

‘Reward from a dragon!’

The word excited Weed. He visualized vividly all the treasures stacked inside Kaybern’s lair. He could be rewarded with useful treasures if he continued to hunt down the Hermes guild and increase his friendliness and contribution.

‘Whatever I can get… There are lots of magic-imbued accessories under the dragon’s possession. They say swords and armor are expensive but, the rare accessories are the things that earn you a fortune. I could very well use it myself instead.’

Kaybern opened his coal-black mouth.

– Be grateful. As soon as I obliterate all the humans under me, I will kill you.

– I beg your pardon?

– I will be gracious enough to kill the humans first. If it gets tedious I might decide you kill you before that happens.

“…..”

As expected from the inconsiderate, heinous black dragon! Dragons in general offer fair conditions, but Kaybern was indeed the dark dragon.

– You don’t like that? Then do you wish to die first?

– No. The al…mighty being.

The black dragon was impossible to negotiate with in the first place.

***

With the permission of Kaybern, the joint operation with Weed began.

– Absolute zero.

Freeze!

The dragon’s magic burst upwards and froze the land in a 50 meter radius. That alone had significant effect on the Haven imperial army but Weed followed up on his a.s.sault. The bone dragon, with his wings spread wide, plunged rapidly for the opportunity at the final strike.

– Kuoooh!

– You have killed the infamous treacherous knight Oka.

Reputation increased by 283!

– You have killed the villain Frolemite who was wanted in the freedom city of Somren.

Reputation increased by 352!

Infamy decreased by 291!

You can collect your bounty at the freedom city Somren.

< Agility increased by 1 with rapid movements. >

Weed also displayed destructive force as the bone dragon. He sought out the wounded users on ground level from the sky, revolving in midair like an acrobat and avoided magic attacks. He spread poison and occasionally used his front and rear legs and also his tail in battle. The dark dragon Kaybern fought close-by and targeted the wounded in coordination.

– Kill Weed!

Whenever the knights charged towards him, he maneuvered to the side and pa.s.sed them onto Kaybern.

“Fire the arrows.”

“Kill Weed first!”

The Hermes guild members detested the sly Weed at least a hundred times more than Kaybern.

“Weed-nim! We have returned.”

“If we die, we will die together! This is our loyalty!”

The voices of Pale and Surka could be heard. They got away successfully but had returned after witnessing Weed jump into battle. Weed landed near Pale and the other Central continent users. Within a 200-meter distance, the Hermes guild members were present, but they were under attack by the draconic warriors.

– I have a good plan in mind. If we succeed, there will be great profit, but I cannot guarantee your lives. Will you still fight with me? The responsibility for dying is up to you all.

His words were like explaining the dangerous conditions of a contract. Pale and his comrades did not care about losing their lives while fighting together, and the Central continent users also had returned with resolve of death.

“Yes. We are alright.”

– You are certain? You cannot nag me to take responsibility later.

“Of, of course.”

– Alright, then let us begin busting up the Hermes guild.

“What?”

– Users capable of shooting arrows in midair or brave enough to jump right into enemy frontlines please hop on.

The time that the Central continent users had spent with Weed was short. But, their observations from back in Garnav plains made them believe that he could make pork Katsu with beans.

“Wow. Let’s get on!”

“The honours of riding on top of Weed-nim’s back…”

“Are we going to be on broadcast too? It’s my first time since back in the early days of Royal Road.”

“Awesome. Truly awesome.”

Over a thousand Central continent users boarded on top of Weed’s body. Users were comprised of level 400 to 500, a.s.sessed to be a considerable force. Weed spoke out an overdue thought, as he was about to take flight.

– I repeat, I cannot a.s.sure your lives. Archers must grab tightly onto my body and never fall. If you do, it is on you.

“…..”

– Warriors, I will drop you all off mid air at Kaybern’s attack location. Landing is your part of this plan and fight to the death.

“……”

The bone dragon, expressway to death! He said he will not be responsible for their lives, and they were truly on the verge.

“Is he trying to kill us?”

“Weed-nim. How come you are unloading us on top of enemy lines?”

The Central continent users did not know the reasons and were doubtful, but they could see wounded Hermes guild members gathered up. They were behind in the lines trying to recover after having survived Kaybern’s AOE magic attack! Weed added:

– Chances at survival are slim now that we are back once again. the Hermes guild will also get wiped out by Kaybern, so think of this as an opportunity. You will get to pick up some spectacular gear before dying.

The plan was to jump into enemy lines, kill Hermes guild members on the brink of death and looting their spoils. Hence, the last haul strategy!

– Let’s go. To change our living standards!

“Wahhh!”

Weed swooped steeply to the ground. The archers fired arrows of their own accord and the Central continent users leapt off at suitable spots. They used this opportunity created by Kaybern to finish Hermes guild members.

“I, I got one!”

“This is the stuff. Yes!”

The Central continent users were blinded by greed and sc.r.a.ped the spoils. A third of them died by focus fire the instant they landed, but places that have been swept by Kaybern’s magic, there were many wounded. Even the users that were reluctant in this plan appreciated the results. In the battlefield of Kaybern and Hermes guild members, they accurately pinpointed the most suitable locations.

“This way, Weed-nim!”

“Take us for the next ride!”

Python and Seasoned Crab also fought valiantly and died, each grabbing several items in the process. Weed dropped off Central continent users that were quite known into areas with the major Hermes guild members.

“I appreciate it.”

“See you all later. Ahahahaha!”

Users were plummeting from the sky. While Weed and the Central users were making profits, Kaybern did not cease to rest. With unwearying stamina and magic, he took down the Hermes guild members. The Central continent users falling from the sky also became targets on occasion.

– Arcane Roar.

– Summon Evil spirit.

– h.e.l.lfire Trail.

The land scorched each time Kaybern used magic. The Hermes guild did not retaliate with magic or defense spells, taking even more damage. Soon after, Kaybern had offered a large enough sacrifice and activated another ultimate spell under a different type of dark magic.

– Gates of h.e.l.l, open!

A dark-red h.e.l.l gate appeared in the sky. Even though the sun was bright, the sky became as dark as night.

“Kraaagh!”

“Humans. Delicious humans!”

Demonic soldiers tore through the gate and began the human hunt. Some users got sucked into the gates of h.e.l.l like they were swept away by a tornado. The gate of h.e.l.l was active for 10 minutes. Thousands of demonic soldiers began hunting and the Haven imperial army and the Central continent users died rapidly. Weed was a bone dragon, drawing less attention from the demonic soldiers in comparison and therefore was safe to continue to attack the Hermes guild. Though, his worries were growing as to the dragon’s combat strength.

‘If this turns out into a magic spell war… I don’t think I can manage.’

Even if Hestiger and the desert warriors were to return, it would be difficult to overcome the dragon.

‘Under normal conditions, I think I would need to be over level 1000 to kill it. Let alone levels, I need to improve on equipment as well.’

He must be able to withstand several dragon magic spells and the attacks of the demonic soldiers. Even in these odds, there are no beings without a weakness. He needed precise a.n.a.lysis in order to defeat Kaybern.

‘What kind of weakness could he have? Or how do I need to fight for me to come out ahead in this battle?’

He needed to pay attention to the appearance as well as the style of combat. Weed decided to sneak in closer to Kaybern. 500 meters. He could see him clearly and in full view. He checked out the lengths of the joints and the range of motion. 400 meters. He observed meticulously all the scales covering his body. The body of the black dragon was st.u.r.dy like an impregnable fortress, but he could see deep, old scars.

(To be continued…)