Chapter 80: Chapter 80

[Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 80: The Defense of the Dragon’s Lair (1)

"Dragon’s Power!"

An orc shouted the name of one of the quest rewards while charging forward.

At first, I thought it was Arik, the one who defied me earlier, but it turned out to be another orc.

As soon as he started running, his skin turned red, and his entire body burst into flames.

Is that the Dragon’s Power?

"Ugh, cursed power!"

"Defend with your shields!"

The paladins, who had stayed calm while blocking my attacks, began to falter.

What the hell?

Is the Dragon’s Power stronger than my attacks?

"Graargh!"

The flaming orc let out a guttural groan as it charged toward the holy barrier.

When its body collided with the barrier, I expected resistance, but instead, the orc passed right through it without any hindrance.

What?

It just went through?

"Rrrgh…"

"The vanguard must hold the line!"

Seeing the barrier breached, the paladins grew visibly shaken.

The front line raised their shields in unison, trying to suppress the orc, but the orc ignored them entirely and leaped into the air.

With both hands raised as if in celebration, it shouted mid-air:

"Glory to Drakia!"

Boom!

The orc’s body erupted in a massive explosion, its flames engulfing the paladins in a fiery wave.

"Arghhh!"

"Quick, heal them! Heal them!"

"Such cursed power…!"

The explosion inside the protective barrier left the paladins burning and writhing on the ground.

Even the holy barrier visibly weakened.

"Phoenix! I’ll amplify you—wipe them out!"

[Got it!]

As I boosted the phoenix’s power, it unleashed a fiery wave that swept through the inferno.

A hellish blaze consumed even the paladins’ armor.

Watching it all, a question crossed my mind as I fired lightning into the chaos.

The dragon here is named Drakina.

So why did that orc shout “Glory to Drakia”?

Drakia is the dragon god of Kevrian.

It doesn’t seem like a mistake... Could there be some kind of bloodline connection?

[Die!]

I guess the phoenix was annoyed because its earlier attacks were deflected.

It kept unleashing fiery wing attacks in a frenzy.

As my mana drained rapidly, the Dragon Heart activated.

The phoenix has the highest mana consumption by far.

Good thing I’ve got a backup battery.

"I sense a dragon’s power."

"Huh? An orc can sense that?"

"Whose power is it?"

"It’s from a dragon I know."

"I asked, whose power is it?"

Arik suddenly yelled at me in anger.

What’s wrong with this guy?

He ran up to me and grabbed my arm.

I was about to shake him off when I noticed his desperate expression.

Is this guy really an orc?

"You’re not an orc, are you?"

"I… I am an orc!"

But then, he averted his gaze.

This guy’s so suspicious.

"Why do you want to know?"

"I must know, for the sake of my master!"

"Fine… but first, let’s take care of them."

The paladins were still scrambling after their barrier shattered.

This was the perfect chance to wipe them out.

When I shook off Arik’s hand, he didn’t try to stop me again.

"Grow, Yeoui."

I enlarged Yeoui and infused it with lightning.

The electrified sword pierced through the enemy ranks.

Boom!

The blackened bodies of paladins split in two, their upper halves futilely praying.

"Minerva… bless us…"

That’s probably not even your real god.

Once I’d killed every last paladin, my experience bar had only gone up by 60%.

I just wiped out a thousand paladins, and that’s all I get?

Leveling up is tough.

As I finished the massacre, Arik came running back, drooling as he approached.

Gross.

When he tried to grab my arm again, I yanked it away.

Then, with a serious expression, he asked,

"They’re all dead. Now tell me."

"After thinking about it, I’ve decided not to tell an orc."

"Why not?!"

"Why would I share that with a suspicious orc like you? That other orc’s use of Dragon’s Power was weird, you don’t act like an orc, and everything about this situation is sketchy. If you tell me your true identity or provide some useful information, I might consider it."

Arik growled and fell silent, but the other monsters seemed to be watching his every move.

The weaker side will talk eventually.

I don’t have any penalties for dying, so if this fails, I can just restart.

Even though the paladins didn’t give much experience, it was still decent progress for the time invested.

I gained 60% of a level in less than a day.

While I monitored my experience bar, Arik stared at me, growling softly.

The silence was strange and tense.

I spoke to the phoenix, now back inside me.

"Phoenix, did you notice anything unusual when you chased them earlier?"

[Just a massive cave stretching on endlessly. But there were way too many paladins, and outside the cave, I sensed overwhelming holy power—far greater than theirs.]

If I couldn’t break through the barrier of a thousand paladins, and the outside is even worse…

"Why don’t they just charge in with that kind of power?"

"They’re trying not to wake the dragon."

Arik, silent until now, finally spoke.

"Not wake the dragon?"

"When a dragon is evolving from hatchling to adult, it focuses entirely on its evolution. Normally, it won’t wake up no matter what. But if an enemy too powerful arrives, it might awaken."

"But even if it wakes up, won’t it lose if they bring their full strength? Charging in seems like a better option."

"They’re worried the dragon might escape. And… judging by their movements, they intend to capture Drakina alive. That’s why they’re being cautious."

So much for pretending to be an orc.

Arik was now speaking fluently.

The mission details came to mind at the mention of capture.

‘She was captured alive by the holy warriors of the Sacred Empire and burned at the stake.’

"Okay, but what about you? Shouldn’t you wake the dragon already? Isn’t this a time to run?"

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

"Drakina is at the most critical stage of evolution. For the next two weeks, she must conserve all her energy. And even if she wakes up, as a hatchling, she won’t stand a chance against the Holy Knights of the Roman Empire. Escape would also be nearly impossible."

"Once she evolves into a full dragon, can she escape?"

“It’ll likely be more possible than now…”

Arik trailed off at the end of his sentence.

Well, just looking at it, the situation seems hopeless.

We’ve been given two weeks, but I’m guessing the paladins will be storming in nonstop during that time.

Hmm… so what should I do?

I glanced at the back door.

A massive iron gate tightly shut.

I’ve never even seen the dragon’s face, and we’re not exactly comrades with any sense of loyalty.

There’s no reason to invest SP and raise my stats to protect someone I’ve just met.

This time, I’ll skip spending stat points and stick with my current abilities.

Let’s see how far I can go, and if I die halfway through, I’ll just start over from the beginning.

After slaughtering the paladins, my strength and agility increased by 2 points each.

I’ll need to make good use of this ability absorption.

I need to save every bit of SP I can to gain soul smuggling.

Not having a death penalty is a huge advantage here.

“Alright. I’ll hold the line for now, so you do whatever you need to do.”

“Grrr… understood.”

“If you’re curious about the dragon’s power, give me some information. Got it?”

At that, Arik sharply turns his head away.

Ugh, look at this rude jerk.

As if I’d tell him anything first.

The thirsty one digs the well, but now that I think about it, I guess I’m also the thirsty one.

There are a few things I’m curious about, after all.

For one, why did the orc shout "Drakia" as he died?

Drakia is the dragon god who disappeared from Kevrian.

Was he involved here too?

But just as the paladins keep chanting Minerva, the neutral faction here must’ve also forgotten Drakia.

Weird.

Maybe it’s just confusion between Drakia and Drakina?

And then there’s the dragon’s power.

How did it pierce the divine barrier?

Not even my lightning could break through it.

Even if the orc charged suicidally… hmm.

I’m curious about this power.

And the identity of this orc.

He seems to know a lot, and the fact that he can discern divine power means he’s no ordinary orc.

Could this guy actually be a dragon in disguise?

Hmm… but what he said bothers me.

He mentioned that Drakina was evolving from a hatchling to a dragon, so she couldn’t intervene.

Hmm.

Anyway, I’ll just hold on for now.

Asking first puts me at a disadvantage.

Patience is key.

“Minerva will… deliver the wrath of the gods.”

A paladin collapsed and died.

As I burned his corpse, his magic dispersed once again.

“What a nuisance.” Sёarch* The NôᴠelFirё.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

There were ten invasions over the past ten days.

Although the numbers were fewer than a thousand, the paladins and priests were much stronger.

The priests would provide blessings from the rear while the paladins charged in with glowing weapons and shields, making them quite formidable.

Determined to save as much SP as possible to level up my soul mediation, I didn’t use spirit projection, even in near-death situations.

Because of that, I was in danger several times, but each time, a monster would sacrifice itself to save me.

This time, a goblin rushed in to break the barrier.

“Grrr…”

Arik slumped to the ground as if all his strength had left him.

That guy didn’t even do much, yet he was the first to collapse after every battle.

I glanced at him and checked my level.

The ten days of battle raised my level by 2.

By Earth’s time, that’s one day gone, and a 2-level increase isn’t bad.

I could return to Earth now, but there’s nothing much to do there.

Since I agreed to stay for two weeks, I decided to stick it out until then.

“Apostle of the gods.”

While I was idly browsing the soul mediation window, Arik approached me.

His face was resolute.

Even the drool he usually let drip was gone.

“What?”

“Tell me why you possess the power of a dragon.”

“I told you, I don’t trust you.”

“How many times have I saved your life?!”

“I didn’t ask you to save me… and those monsters sacrificing themselves saved me, not you.”

“That’s all because I used my power!”

“Oh, really? Explain it in detail, then.”

When I asked back, the orc clammed up.

His eyes darted around.

“In four more days, Drakina will awaken, but there aren’t many self-sacrificing troops left to protect her. If you keep dodging my questions, I might decide not to fight.”

The monsters who shouted “Long live Drakia!” as they blew themselves up.

There weren’t many of them left now.

Aside from Arik, there were only two orcs and one goblin.

“Grrr…”

“Aren’t you annoyed at having protected her this long for nothing? Just spill it first. I’ll tell you my part too, and I’ll give you my full support.”

“What do you want to know?”

Hmm.

I’m curious about this guy’s identity, but Drakia and the dragon’s power come first.

“Why do they shout ‘Long live Drakia!’ when they self-destruct?”

“What?! You know of Drakia?”

“Yeah. The dragon god, right?”

“This is unbelievable… Yes, that’s right.”

Suddenly, Arik grabbed my shoulders.

The armor of Hephaestus creaked under the pressure.

This orc sure is strong.

“Yes… Drakia is indeed the dragon god! But why does everyone ask who Drakia is?!”

“Who said that?”

“Other dragons and monsters have all said so. It’s been so frustrating…”

Shaking his head, Arik sat down.

“You asked why they shout ‘Long live Drakia!’ when they self-destruct? It’s because the ‘dragon’s power’ is a divine authority of the dragon god. On this planet, only Drakina, the rightful heir of the dragon god, can grant it.”

“Oh, I see. Then why does it break the divine barriers?”

“That… I’m not sure. We just sent it in as a last resort, and it worked… or rather, it passed through.”

Arik trailed off, unsure.

Ugh, what a useless guy.

At least some of my questions were answered.

It seems the neutral faction forgot about Drakia, but Drakina’s family still remembers.

And these guys don’t know much about the dragon’s power either.

“Well, since you’ve answered me, explain your magic.”

“Hmph. Fine…”

I thought about holding out a bit longer, but Arik’s teary eyes looked so pitiful.

Not that there’s much to explain anyway.

It’s just magic derived from the dragon heart of Arkardian.

As I was about to answer—

Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.

The sound of drums echoed loudly.

Along with it came an immense divine power from the far end of the cave.

Wow.

This is incredible.

Arik, trembling from head to toe, turned his frightened face toward the entrance.

“Grrr… A hero…”

“A hero?”

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]