Episode 192

1.

The Forbidden Mountains were so vast that it was no exaggeration to say they covered nearly ten percent of the continent. As such, the people had a saying: "You can just hunt monsters at the edge of the continent. The dragon won't know about anything that far out."

Yet humans still lived in fear of dragons that had not shown themselves for thousands of years. These days, it was widely believed that the outskirts of the range were safe, drawing many hunters to the area, but reality was not so simple.

Gold Dragon Cassius. She was the Dragon Lord, an ancient dragon whose lifespan was nearing its end. She knew everything, from the humans entering the Forbidden Mountains to the monsters living there, to what was happening across the continent. It was not because the Dragon Lord's power was that overwhelmingly superior.

"Lord, a darkness is settling over the continent. The Empire has fallen, the Temple has rotted to its core. Humans have lost the courage to stand against evil, while evil itself openly slanders the good and expands its domain."

She was not the only dragon. There were other dragons of different species living in the Forbidden Mountains. Their total number was small enough to be counted on two hands—that was how few dragons remained on the continent. Yet they all roamed the continent for their own amusement, dropping by from time to time to bring her news.

That was how she knew. Yet she did not intervene.

"Do not forget our duty."

"But…"

"The Demon Invasion. That is the one and only condition under which we may intervene in the affairs of the continent."

The other dragon fell silent. They could not intervene.

Some dragons came to her and spoke of humanity's crisis and the end of the continent, while others sided with the Allied Forces, enjoying the conflict as a different form of entertainment. Good and evil. Why would human notions of good and evil matter to dragons?

Losing oneself in the amusement and becoming biased was an experience most dragons, with their long lifespans, had at least once. This was not a big problem. No matter who ruled the continent, in the eyes of dragons, they were all just humans.

There was only one time they would step forward: when demons from the Demon Realm crossed over with the intent to destroy, annihilate, and erase the continent. Things had not gone that far yet. Judging by the current situation, it seemed that possibility might arise for the first time in thousands of years, yet Cassius did not lose her composure.

"Humans have always repeated the same history. When one empire fell, another was founded. When evil plunged the continent into despair, a light of hope would rise from within and save it. There was even a time when humans ended a Demon Invasion with their own strength, when even our intervention had seemed insufficient. Humans are that kind of being. They may seem weak, insignificant, and greedy, but their potential is so boundless that even we cannot dare to measure it."

So she simply watched. Until the day she died. She even buried her regret at not being able to see how this fascinating conflict would end. Then she discovered something. Something even more interesting than the current state of the continent.

A hatchling!

For someone who knew every dragon on the continent, the existence of a hatchling was like a child falling from the sky. Had someone secretly given birth to a hatchling without telling anyone? Even that suspicion vanished the moment she saw it with her own eyes.

Golden scales. A dragon with scales that only she, the sole remaining Gold Dragon on the continent, could grant with her will had appeared before her. She immediately left her lair and, for the first time in hundreds of years, headed for the outskirts of the range.

There, she saw the hatchling again, confirming that she had not been mistaken. And there were humans with it. Her interest was piqued. A hatchling of unknown origin, the humans with it, and one human who was even more intriguing.

For the first time, Cassius felt a desperate longing in her heart.

'If only I could live just a little longer.'

No one knew better than a dragon like her how impossible that was. So she grew impatient. Until the day she died, until the very moment of her death, this was the most incandescent moment of her tens of thousands of years of life.

* * *

They talked for a very long time.

"Dragons are a lot more curious than I thought."

"For a race that believes it knows everything, the unknown is more than enough to ignite their academic passion."

"Well, that's true."

Thanks to that, they grew quite close, and the initial tension vanished as they spent a comfortable week together. The imperial princess and the others were able to take a break from the Holy War, resting in the well-appointed lair, while Hwangdo was fascinated to meet one of his own kind for the first time. It was a moment of mutual good fortune.

"Why did you name him Hwangdo?"

"It's short for golden dragon."

"It would be best not to say that so honestly in front of other dragons."

Cassius took even remarks like that in stride, her tone light and joking. It was a clear sign that she had lived a long time without harboring contempt for the human race.

"The time is near."

"You're taking it more calmly than I expected."

"I do feel a bit of regret now. If I had just a little more time…"

"Yeah. If I could, I'd take you to my world."

Her regret sounded sincere. Kim Buja showed even more regret than she did. He meant it as well.

'If I had a dragon with me, I wouldn't even need to spend money on Hwangdo. Getting to 8-star would be a breeze.'

If he just leveled up Gold Maker, he might have found a way somehow. In any case, leaving their mutual regrets and the brief, wondrous time they had shared behind them, the appointed hour approached.

"I don't see any other dragons. Didn't you say there were a few?"

"They did not tell me the exact time. That is the natural order, the rule among dragons."

"You don't have any regrets? No matter how you look at it, dying can't feel that liberating."

"Seeing Hwangdo now, I do regret leaving it as just a joke."

"Left what?"

"The half-dragon."

"…You were serious about that?"

"It is not too late even now."

"Sorry, but I have no desire to become a widower."

Buja also found himself saying things he normally wouldn't. It had been a time full of wonder and curiosity for him as well. Dragons, which he had been familiar with since childhood. Dozens, hundreds of types of dragons he had experienced across countless games. And now he had met the real thing.

Of course, he knew it was wrong to judge all dragons based on Cassius alone. In fact, listening to her stories, he had learned that Cassius was a special case. Even so, she was still a dragon.

Most dragons looked down on humans like insects and, even while enjoying their games, displayed behavior that bordered on hatred for humans, but he had also confirmed that a minority of dragons, like her, did not shy away from humans. This was the end of such a dragon.

How does a dragon die? It was a final moment one could not witness unless they became a Dragon Slayer. And even then, it might be different from a natural death.

Grrrr—

Her human body reverted to that of a massive dragon. Her body, enormous enough to fill an entire corner of the vast lair, made the imperial princess and the others stand far back and simply watch. As Kim Buja watched, Cassius suddenly laughed and spoke.

"I will give you a gift."

Her will pierced his mind. At the same time, a sword floated up in front of Kim Buja. It was clearly a masterpiece, and it slid smoothly into his hand.

"I cannot intervene in human wars, but I can at least give a friend something that might help. If you are worthy of it."

Buja, of all people, knew exactly what she meant. Over the course of that week, he had already told her every little detail about his class, Gold Maker.

'Soul Harvest. She's going to die anyway. If I'm lucky, I can take something from her.'

He swallowed hard. Until now, he had never once been nervous when doing anything related to probability.

'What if I fail?'

'Eh, I'll probably fail, right?'

He might have thought that much, but he had never prayed for something to succeed no matter what. Because even if he wished for success, there was no guarantee that something destined to fail would succeed. He might say he hoped for success, but he always kept the possibility of failure in mind.

The reason was simple. If he failed, he could just try again. Or he could give up and move on. But for the first time, he was reluctant to accept failure, just like Cassius.

'I have to get this in one shot, no matter what.'

The option of refusing never even crossed his mind. He had no reason to refuse, and he should not. He did not think it was cruel or inhumane. This was Cassius's choice. Her choice, and her gift.

An extra ten percent chance. Would Kim Buja be able to pierce through that and plunder some part of her? This was the only way for the dying Cassius to see her will fulfilled—her decision to watch his journey from within his very being, even after death.

Guided by Cassius's mana, the sword moved unerringly toward her heart.

"You must strike precisely. And feed the damaged heart to the hatchling."

Facing death, Cassius was calm. Kim Buja thrust just as calmly.

Thud—

The sword pierced her tough hide. At the same time, he drove it in with all his strength.

Jolt—

The vibration of her massive body, trembling in pain, shot up the blade, and he felt his own body twist in response. Even so, Cassius did not let out a single scream. Mana burst forth. The inside of the lair began to shake in a storm of mana.

It might explode. But she did not let it.

Wooooom—!

Even as her life ebbed away, Cassius gathered the spreading mana back in so that the gift she had prepared wouldn't become a bomb that sent them all to hell. For someone who had lived tens of thousands of years, her death did not take long. A dragon with a pierced heart died just as quickly as a human.

Her movements stopped, and even before death fully claimed her, the luster of her scales faded, and her skin sagged.

Death. Only then did Kim Buja's hand fall away from the sword. His whole body was drenched in dragon blood, but he didn't even think to wipe it off, just stared blankly into space.

Seeing him so dazed, the imperial princess came up behind him and wrapped him in her arms, patting his back comfortingly.

"It's okay."

It had been a very short time. A week. They had only just met, and she was not even human. Even so, this was possible. He could be sad, and he could feel a friendship that transcended species.

'How must he feel, having been the one to kill her with his own hands?'

The imperial princess tightened her embrace, trying to comfort him. Of course, Buja was too preoccupied to even notice.

'Holy shit. Jackpot.'

[You have achieved the achievement: 'Dragon Slayer (L)'.]

He could only stare, dumbfounded, at the waves of holograms flooding his vision.

* * *

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