‘Wow! Dragon Fear scroll!’
I almost said that out loud. It was that shocking of a reward. This was a scroll I didn’t even manage to get in the game.
But it was not time to be happy yet. Since it is such a strong skill, it might have a significantly high requirement. What would I do if I had something like ‘Magic over 1,000’ as a requirement?
I wanted to quickly check the information.
But I held back. There would be no good letting the other members know about this. If it is a skill I can learn, I needed to make my hidden card.
Thanks to the healing potion, my injuries were pretty much healed.
The other members seem to be feeling better as well.
We could see the exit not too far away. If I really wanted to, I could instantly leave the Demon Cave.
But I needed to go grab Shione before we did that.
“Let’s leave the hall first.”
“Yes.”
We didn’t have a reason to put our shields up. The monsters started to run away as I stood in the front.
“Why are they acting like this?”
“I think it might be because of the Bone Dragon’s blood.”
The smell was still very pungent.
But I don’t think it will last very long. As time went on, the blood started to become faint. Just like how the corpses of monsters disappear quickly in a Demon Cave, the blood must follow the same rule.
“Let’s hurry over.”
We quickly headed out of the hall.
Outside the hall were a total of 16 members. Other than Shione, the other 15 were the ones who could not overcome the terror of the Dragon Fear and could not take part in the attack.
They will receive the punishment for that once we leave the Demon Cave. The bishop will take care of the means to punish them.
But at this point, they were all healed. The Dragon Fear disappeared once the Bone Dragon died.
But Shione’s face was still pale. She must have used up a lot of strength to use mind control on close to 90 members.
“Can you move?”
“Yes.”
Shione bit down on her lips as she stood up. However, she still had issues moving around.
I gave her my back.
“Get on.”
“Hwi Ram-nim needs to open a path.”
“Just get on. I will explain later.”
Shione quietly got on my back.
I started to run in front of everyone else.
It wasn’t as strong as before, but the Bone Dragon’s blood still had some effect. The monsters looked like they would attack us before slowly moving away.
A path to the exit was created just like that.
“What is going on?”
I could hear Shione’s voice in my ear.
“Bone Dragon’s blood……”
I maintained my speed and shortly answered.
While we did that, we all arrived at the exit.
“Let’s hurry up and get out of here.”
I had Shione move to another member. I then waited until all of the members safely exited the cave.
The effect of the Bone Dragon’s blood seemed to wear off at that moment. The monsters were slowly closing the distance before finally launching their attack.
Grroooooooowl-
To be honest, I had no plans to leave like this anyways.
I needed to raise my level. In order to do that, I need to go look for a large herd of monsters.
With that being the case, why would I throw away all this valuable experience?
It wasn’t like there was a really high leveled monsters that would cause me any issues.
I also recovered from my injuries and had no issues with my stamina.
My nausea from the Bone Dragon’s blood was gone as well. There was also no more baggages like Shione to protect.
I just need to casually dance around.
‘Then shall I have some fun?’
I first threw a couple fire marbles around.
The monsters whose morale was pushed down were attacked by my Drake’s TBSA. I even used my still high mana to launch a Bladestorm as well.
There were around 3,000 monsters left.
But the battle was not long. I completely killed all of the monsters in less than 20 minutes.
Once I killed the last monster, I even heard a wonderful noise.
<Your level has increased.>
I put away my twin blades and took a deep breath.
I was now used to this sight of being surrounded by the corpses of monsters. If I join the Demon Cave Clearing Squad one more time, I should be able to hit level 300.
‘But the Dragon Fear scroll.’
Since nobody else was here, I should be able to safely inspect the scroll.
[Dragon Fear Scroll]
Dragon Magic. A strong mind control magic to instill a strong sense of fear or force a movement.
Restriction: Magic 70, Level 300, basic stats totaling 1,500
My eyes instantly opened wide.
‘Wow! Why are the restrictions so low?’
I thought the magic restriction would be really high, but it is just 70. The biggest number was the total amount of points I have in my stats, but I was already past that level.
‘I just need to raise just two more levels.’
Then both my magic and level will meet the restriction.
I wanted to quickly try it out. What kind of impact will it have on the monsters?
Will I be able to have the same effect that the Bone Dragon had?
I’m sure that’s not possible. I would be satisfied even if it had just half the effect.
‘Anyways, I should head out now.’
I threw my body into the portal.
***
‘Did it work?’
I opened my hand.
[Jewel of Creation: Creation Index 76]
I combined two jewels with creation indexes of 47 and 51. I was pretty satisfied with the results.
‘Check Skill.’
[Jewel Alchemy: Intermediate level 4, 98%]
Intermediate level 5 is right around the corner. Once that happens, I should be able to get a high luck index with Jewels of Luck, and if I raise it even further up, I should be able to use the Jewel of Reinforcement as well.
‘Should I do it once more?’
I had used it nine times continuously. My focus was a bit scattered.
Still, I was planning on trying it one more time before I heard a knock.
Knock Knock.
“Come in.”
The door opened and Shione came into the room.
This was a residence inside the Athena Temple.
Temples usually never provided a residence like this for outsiders.
I just got this special perk for continuing to participate in Demon Cave Clearing Squads.
All of the services were the best. Living here made me feel like I was the emperor or something like that.
In addition, Shione personally took care of some things like my maid. It might be because of the after effect of the Mind Control, but getting serviced my Shione like this felt pretty good.
Of course Shione has not used the mind control on me since then.
Even still, I could feel my heart shake from time to time. It was especially the case when Shione’s beautiful face came into view.
Like right now.
Shione really suited the completely white priest outfit the best.
“I brought some Canaba Tea over. It will warm your body and clear your mind.”
“Thank you.”
I took a sip of the Canaba Tea.
It tasted a bit like papaya tea, both sweet and refreshing. The fragrance felt like it was clearing my head.
“Have the rewards and punishments been determined for the squad members?”
“I know another meeting is happening tomorrow about it. The bishop-nim will let us know when the decision is made.”
“We need to take good care of the members who were sacrificed in the battle with the Bone Dragon.”
That wasn’t it.
We also needed to clearly distinguish between the members who were able to overcome the Dragon Fear and those who could not.
I’m sure they will do it right since I told them enough times.
“Yes. When should we plan the next Demon Cave Clearing to begin?”
We’ve barely come out for a day and she’s already talking about the next one.
In addition, we’ve been continuously clearing Demon Caves until now. We rested only about an average of three or four days before going into another one.
By now, there should be three or four Demon Caves getting ready to open at the same time. There should be at least two that are ready to enter as well.
I held back from answering for a bit.
Once I did that, Shione must have felt something weird as she quickly consoled me.
“We should be able to complete the map with about 5 more pieces. I know it is hard but please help us a little more.”
Of course I will help until the end. I had a just as important reason to enter compared to the Athena Temple or Shione.
The use of spirit energy that was the specialty of the Orthodox Church of the Sun.
In order to gain that, I needed to find the Church of the Sun, and I needed to complete the map for that to happen.
But I had no reason to rush it.
To be completely honest, the hunting became harder and harder as we continued with the clearing.
Even this past Demon Cave resulted in a lot of casualties. If I didn’t know the critical weakness of the Bone Dragon, I doubt we would have successfully completed it.
It will only continue to get harder from here.
I mean it was obvious. It has to be much harder to hunt level 500 monsters when you are level 300 than hunting level 200 monsters when you are level 100.
If we continue clearing squads like this, we will face a failure at some point.
We needed time to prepare.
I also had something to do right now. I had originally planned to do this when I was level 250.
I needed to go to the Dwarf Village and get the final quest to become an Expert Blacksmith. OF course I have one more thing to do as well.
“I will rest for about 1 year.”
“What? Why all of a sudden?”
I don’t need to tell her about the Dwarf Village. It is not normal for a human to go to the Dwarf Village, and I might even need to mention the Jewel Alchemy skill.
I had enough other reasons to push the Demon Cave Clearing back.
I put my lips close to Shione’s ear and whispered as quietly as I could. This was something only Shione needed to know.
“I plan on visiting Arlington.”
Shione’s face instantly turned pale. She knew what I meant by Arlington.
Shione responded in a just as quiet voice.
“Why all of a sudden……?”
“I can’t always stay under the Ameri Kingdom’s banner. Your grandfather needs to come back out as well. I plan on discussing that issue. Priest-nim, please send someone ahead to inform them in advance. Only then will there be no misunderstanding.”
I could read the concern in Shione’s eyes.
It was an expected response. It was the same as saying I was going to go against the Ameri Kingdom.
“I am just saying we need to prepare. You cannot expect any type of future if you do not prepare. Isn’t the reason priest-nim is putting her life on the line to clear Demon Caves following the same logi?”
Shione still was not able to say anything. The concern in her eyes did not diminish either.
It wasn’t like I didn’t understand Shione’s concern. In Shione’s point of view, she could think that I was asking for some information. For example, something like where Shione’s father Harrison was hiding right now.
If I was a spy in the Ameri Kingdom who was hiding their identity, wouldn’t there be nothing more dangerous than this?
However, I don’t need information like that. The Royal Roader draft plan included all of the information including his location.
Of course there was a chance the information was wrong.
“Do not worry. I do not plan on asking priest-nim for more information. But I am a bit disappointed in your father. I would have expected him to try to approach me at least once by now.”
“My father has passed ……”
Shione stopped there. She read my smiling expression as ‘I know everything.’
“Since your father is not making the first move, I have no choice but to go visit him myself. All priest-nim has to do is let him know that someone named Kang Hwi Ram will come to visit him. That is enough.”
Shione finally seemed to settle down after that.
“But 1 year to do that……?”
“Of course I have other reasons as well. Lately, I feel like we are reaching the limit of my abilities. If we continue like this, we will end up being completely decimated at some point.”
Shione had to agree to this as well. The last three clearings were all extremely close calls.
In the Demon Cave before this one, only 14 people managed to come back alive. There were many dangerous situations that it was thankful that all of us did not perish.
But Shione thought a bit differently than I did.
“Will the situation change from taking 1 year off?”
Normally, not much will change. At most, we would be able to select the members and train together to develop their teamwork.
But I am different. In 1 year, I could definitely increase my strength. Of course it was a way to increase my strength without raising my level.
I just need to tell Shione one of those methods.
“I gained some information that Shadow Foxes were found. If I can hunt them and make an armor out of them, the Demon Cave Clearing will become much easier.”
“Ah, Shadow Fox!”
The Shadow Fox Leather Armor surpasses even the Gaia Armor Set that the Athena Temple treats so dearly.
Shione lightly nodded her head as if she approved.
But her concern was not completely lifted.
“Will it be possible?”
Shadow Foxes were known as monsters that were impossible for people to hunt. It would be the same situation even if level 400 hunters went in a herd.
The Shadow Fox was something only the Dwarf and Elf races could hunt.
Unfortunately, the Elves do not hunt the Shadow Foxes, and the Draves as a tribe prefer metal armor over leather armor, so they do not put their lives on the line to hunt Shadow Foxes.
Either way, that is how difficult it is to hunt a Shadow Fox.
But it was possible for me. I know the method to do so. I also have abilities that are comparable to an Elf or Dwarf.
“My hobby is making the impossible possible.”
I said it like a joke.
But Shione did not laugh. She must be worried about what would happen if I did not return.
“I will return in 1 year at the latest. Priest-nim should take it easy and relax for that time. IT is better to take it slow and be certain than to rush it and fail.”
“Will you promise …… to return?”
Shione’s eyes were starting to tear up.
At the same time, I could feel my heart sink. I had not felt the Mind Control for a long time.
But I didn’t mind it. This was a clearly visible use of it. I guess I can say it was her way of showing just how much she didn’t want me to go?
I started to laugh and joke with her.
“Depends on how priest-nim does.”
Shione finally started to smile as well.
<Dragon Fear (3) >
‘Wow! Dragon Fear scroll!’
I almost said that out loud. It was that shocking of a reward. This was a scroll I didn’t even manage to get in the game.
But it was not time to be happy yet. Since it is such a strong skill, it might have a significantly high requirement. What would I do if I had something like ‘Magic over 1,000’ as a requirement?
I wanted to quickly check the information.
But I held back. There would be no good letting the other members know about this. If it is a skill I can learn, I needed to make my hidden card.
Thanks to the healing potion, my injuries were pretty much healed.
The other members seem to be feeling better as well.
We could see the exit not too far away. If I really wanted to, I could instantly leave the Demon Cave.
But I needed to go grab Shione before we did that.
“Let’s leave the hall first.”
“Yes.”
We didn’t have a reason to put our shields up. The monsters started to run away as I stood in the front.
“Why are they acting like this?”
“I think it might be because of the Bone Dragon’s blood.”
The smell was still very pungent.
But I don’t think it will last very long. As time went on, the blood started to become faint. Just like how the corpses of monsters disappear quickly in a Demon Cave, the blood must follow the same rule.
“Let’s hurry over.”
We quickly headed out of the hall.
Outside the hall were a total of 16 members. Other than Shione, the other 15 were the ones who could not overcome the terror of the Dragon Fear and could not take part in the attack.
They will receive the punishment for that once we leave the Demon Cave. The bishop will take care of the means to punish them.
But at this point, they were all healed. The Dragon Fear disappeared once the Bone Dragon died.
But Shione’s face was still pale. She must have used up a lot of strength to use mind control on close to 90 members.
“Can you move?”
“Yes.”
Shione bit down on her lips as she stood up. However, she still had issues moving around.
I gave her my back.
“Get on.”
“Hwi Ram-nim needs to open a path.”
“Just get on. I will explain later.”
Shione quietly got on my back.
I started to run in front of everyone else.
It wasn’t as strong as before, but the Bone Dragon’s blood still had some effect. The monsters looked like they would attack us before slowly moving away.
A path to the exit was created just like that.
“What is going on?”
I could hear Shione’s voice in my ear.
“Bone Dragon’s blood……”
I maintained my speed and shortly answered.
While we did that, we all arrived at the exit.
“Let’s hurry up and get out of here.”
I had Shione move to another member. I then waited until all of the members safely exited the cave.
The effect of the Bone Dragon’s blood seemed to wear off at that moment. The monsters were slowly closing the distance before finally launching their attack.
Grroooooooowl-
To be honest, I had no plans to leave like this anyways.
I needed to raise my level. In order to do that, I need to go look for a large herd of monsters.
With that being the case, why would I throw away all this valuable experience?
It wasn’t like there was a really high leveled monsters that would cause me any issues.
I also recovered from my injuries and had no issues with my stamina.
My nausea from the Bone Dragon’s blood was gone as well. There was also no more baggages like Shione to protect.
I just need to casually dance around.
‘Then shall I have some fun?’
I first threw a couple fire marbles around.
The monsters whose morale was pushed down were attacked by my Drake’s TBSA. I even used my still high mana to launch a Bladestorm as well.
There were around 3,000 monsters left.
But the battle was not long. I completely killed all of the monsters in less than 20 minutes.
Once I killed the last monster, I even heard a wonderful noise.
<Your level has increased.>
I put away my twin blades and took a deep breath.
I was now used to this sight of being surrounded by the corpses of monsters. If I join the Demon Cave Clearing Squad one more time, I should be able to hit level 300.
‘But the Dragon Fear scroll.’
Since nobody else was here, I should be able to safely inspect the scroll.
[Dragon Fear Scroll]
Dragon Magic. A strong mind control magic to instill a strong sense of fear or force a movement.
Restriction: Magic 70, Level 300, basic stats totaling 1,500
My eyes instantly opened wide.
‘Wow! Why are the restrictions so low?’
I thought the magic restriction would be really high, but it is just 70. The biggest number was the total amount of points I have in my stats, but I was already past that level.
‘I just need to raise just two more levels.’
Then both my magic and level will meet the restriction.
I wanted to quickly try it out. What kind of impact will it have on the monsters?
Will I be able to have the same effect that the Bone Dragon had?
I’m sure that’s not possible. I would be satisfied even if it had just half the effect.
‘Anyways, I should head out now.’
I threw my body into the portal.
***
‘Did it work?’
I opened my hand.
[Jewel of Creation: Creation Index 76]
I combined two jewels with creation indexes of 47 and 51. I was pretty satisfied with the results.
‘Check Skill.’
[Jewel Alchemy: Intermediate level 4, 98%]
Intermediate level 5 is right around the corner. Once that happens, I should be able to get a high luck index with Jewels of Luck, and if I raise it even further up, I should be able to use the Jewel of Reinforcement as well.
‘Should I do it once more?’
I had used it nine times continuously. My focus was a bit scattered.
Still, I was planning on trying it one more time before I heard a knock.
Knock Knock.
“Come in.”
The door opened and Shione came into the room.
This was a residence inside the Athena Temple.
Temples usually never provided a residence like this for outsiders.
I just got this special perk for continuing to participate in Demon Cave Clearing Squads.
All of the services were the best. Living here made me feel like I was the emperor or something like that.
In addition, Shione personally took care of some things like my maid. It might be because of the after effect of the Mind Control, but getting serviced my Shione like this felt pretty good.
Of course Shione has not used the mind control on me since then.
Even still, I could feel my heart shake from time to time. It was especially the case when Shione’s beautiful face came into view.
Like right now.
Shione really suited the completely white priest outfit the best.
“I brought some Canaba Tea over. It will warm your body and clear your mind.”
“Thank you.”
I took a sip of the Canaba Tea.
It tasted a bit like papaya tea, both sweet and refreshing. The fragrance felt like it was clearing my head.
“Have the rewards and punishments been determined for the squad members?”
“I know another meeting is happening tomorrow about it. The bishop-nim will let us know when the decision is made.”
“We need to take good care of the members who were sacrificed in the battle with the Bone Dragon.”
That wasn’t it.
We also needed to clearly distinguish between the members who were able to overcome the Dragon Fear and those who could not.
I’m sure they will do it right since I told them enough times.
“Yes. When should we plan the next Demon Cave Clearing to begin?”
We’ve barely come out for a day and she’s already talking about the next one.
In addition, we’ve been continuously clearing Demon Caves until now. We rested only about an average of three or four days before going into another one.
By now, there should be three or four Demon Caves getting ready to open at the same time. There should be at least two that are ready to enter as well.
I held back from answering for a bit.
Once I did that, Shione must have felt something weird as she quickly consoled me.
“We should be able to complete the map with about 5 more pieces. I know it is hard but please help us a little more.”
Of course I will help until the end. I had a just as important reason to enter compared to the Athena Temple or Shione.
The use of spirit energy that was the specialty of the Orthodox Church of the Sun.
In order to gain that, I needed to find the Church of the Sun, and I needed to complete the map for that to happen.
But I had no reason to rush it.
To be completely honest, the hunting became harder and harder as we continued with the clearing.
Even this past Demon Cave resulted in a lot of casualties. If I didn’t know the critical weakness of the Bone Dragon, I doubt we would have successfully completed it.
It will only continue to get harder from here.
I mean it was obvious. It has to be much harder to hunt level 500 monsters when you are level 300 than hunting level 200 monsters when you are level 100.
If we continue clearing squads like this, we will face a failure at some point.
We needed time to prepare.
I also had something to do right now. I had originally planned to do this when I was level 250.
I needed to go to the Dwarf Village and get the final quest to become an Expert Blacksmith. OF course I have one more thing to do as well.
“I will rest for about 1 year.”
“What? Why all of a sudden?”
I don’t need to tell her about the Dwarf Village. It is not normal for a human to go to the Dwarf Village, and I might even need to mention the Jewel Alchemy skill.
I had enough other reasons to push the Demon Cave Clearing back.
I put my lips close to Shione’s ear and whispered as quietly as I could. This was something only Shione needed to know.
“I plan on visiting Arlington.”
Shione’s face instantly turned pale. She knew what I meant by Arlington.
Shione responded in a just as quiet voice.
“Why all of a sudden……?”
“I can’t always stay under the Ameri Kingdom’s banner. Your grandfather needs to come back out as well. I plan on discussing that issue. Priest-nim, please send someone ahead to inform them in advance. Only then will there be no misunderstanding.”
I could read the concern in Shione’s eyes.
It was an expected response. It was the same as saying I was going to go against the Ameri Kingdom.
“I am just saying we need to prepare. You cannot expect any type of future if you do not prepare. Isn’t the reason priest-nim is putting her life on the line to clear Demon Caves following the same logi?”
Shione still was not able to say anything. The concern in her eyes did not diminish either.
It wasn’t like I didn’t understand Shione’s concern. In Shione’s point of view, she could think that I was asking for some information. For example, something like where Shione’s father Harrison was hiding right now.
If I was a spy in the Ameri Kingdom who was hiding their identity, wouldn’t there be nothing more dangerous than this?
However, I don’t need information like that. The Royal Roader draft plan included all of the information including his location.
Of course there was a chance the information was wrong.
“Do not worry. I do not plan on asking priest-nim for more information. But I am a bit disappointed in your father. I would have expected him to try to approach me at least once by now.”
“My father has passed ……”
Shione stopped there. She read my smiling expression as ‘I know everything.’
“Since your father is not making the first move, I have no choice but to go visit him myself. All priest-nim has to do is let him know that someone named Kang Hwi Ram will come to visit him. That is enough.”
Shione finally seemed to settle down after that.
“But 1 year to do that……?”
“Of course I have other reasons as well. Lately, I feel like we are reaching the limit of my abilities. If we continue like this, we will end up being completely decimated at some point.”
Shione had to agree to this as well. The last three clearings were all extremely close calls.
In the Demon Cave before this one, only 14 people managed to come back alive. There were many dangerous situations that it was thankful that all of us did not perish.
But Shione thought a bit differently than I did.
“Will the situation change from taking 1 year off?”
Normally, not much will change. At most, we would be able to select the members and train together to develop their teamwork.
But I am different. In 1 year, I could definitely increase my strength. Of course it was a way to increase my strength without raising my level.
I just need to tell Shione one of those methods.
“I gained some information that Shadow Foxes were found. If I can hunt them and make an armor out of them, the Demon Cave Clearing will become much easier.”
“Ah, Shadow Fox!”
The Shadow Fox Leather Armor surpasses even the Gaia Armor Set that the Athena Temple treats so dearly.
Shione lightly nodded her head as if she approved.
But her concern was not completely lifted.
“Will it be possible?”
Shadow Foxes were known as monsters that were impossible for people to hunt. It would be the same situation even if level 400 hunters went in a herd.
The Shadow Fox was something only the Dwarf and Elf races could hunt.
Unfortunately, the Elves do not hunt the Shadow Foxes, and the Draves as a tribe prefer metal armor over leather armor, so they do not put their lives on the line to hunt Shadow Foxes.
Either way, that is how difficult it is to hunt a Shadow Fox.
But it was possible for me. I know the method to do so. I also have abilities that are comparable to an Elf or Dwarf.
“My hobby is making the impossible possible.”
I said it like a joke.
But Shione did not laugh. She must be worried about what would happen if I did not return.
“I will return in 1 year at the latest. Priest-nim should take it easy and relax for that time. IT is better to take it slow and be certain than to rush it and fail.”
“Will you promise …… to return?”
Shione’s eyes were starting to tear up.
At the same time, I could feel my heart sink. I had not felt the Mind Control for a long time.
But I didn’t mind it. This was a clearly visible use of it. I guess I can say it was her way of showing just how much she didn’t want me to go?
I started to laugh and joke with her.
“Depends on how priest-nim does.”
Shione finally started to smile as well.
Dragon Fear (3) End
‘Wow! Dragon Fear scroll!’
I almost said that out loud. It was that shocking of a reward. This was a scroll I didn’t even manage to get in the game.
But it was not time to be happy yet. Since it is such a strong skill, it might have a significantly high requirement. What would I do if I had something like ‘Magic over 1,000’ as a requirement?
I wanted to quickly check the information.
But I held back. There would be no good letting the other members know about this. If it is a skill I can learn, I needed to make my hidden card.
Thanks to the healing potion, my injuries were pretty much healed.
The other members seem to be feeling better as well.
We could see the exit not too far away. If I really wanted to, I could instantly leave the Demon Cave.
But I needed to go grab Shione before we did that.
“Let’s leave the hall first.”
“Yes.”
We didn’t have a reason to put our shields up. The monsters started to run away as I stood in the front.
“Why are they acting like this?”
“I think it might be because of the Bone Dragon’s blood.”
The smell was still very pungent.
But I don’t think it will last very long. As time went on, the blood started to become faint. Just like how the corpses of monsters disappear quickly in a Demon Cave, the blood must follow the same rule.
“Let’s hurry over.”
We quickly headed out of the hall.
Outside the hall were a total of 16 members. Other than Shione, the other 15 were the ones who could not overcome the terror of the Dragon Fear and could not take part in the attack.
They will receive the punishment for that once we leave the Demon Cave. The bishop will take care of the means to punish them.
But at this point, they were all healed. The Dragon Fear disappeared once the Bone Dragon died.
But Shione’s face was still pale. She must have used up a lot of strength to use mind control on close to 90 members.
“Can you move?”
“Yes.”
Shione bit down on her lips as she stood up. However, she still had issues moving around.
I gave her my back.
“Get on.”
“Hwi Ram-nim needs to open a path.”
“Just get on. I will explain later.”
Shione quietly got on my back.
I started to run in front of everyone else.
It wasn’t as strong as before, but the Bone Dragon’s blood still had some effect. The monsters looked like they would attack us before slowly moving away.
A path to the exit was created just like that.
“What is going on?”
I could hear Shione’s voice in my ear.
“Bone Dragon’s blood……”
I maintained my speed and shortly answered.
While we did that, we all arrived at the exit.
“Let’s hurry up and get out of here.”
I had Shione move to another member. I then waited until all of the members safely exited the cave.
The effect of the Bone Dragon’s blood seemed to wear off at that moment. The monsters were slowly closing the distance before finally launching their attack.
Grroooooooowl-
To be honest, I had no plans to leave like this anyways.
I needed to raise my level. In order to do that, I need to go look for a large herd of monsters.
With that being the case, why would I throw away all this valuable experience?
It wasn’t like there was a really high leveled monsters that would cause me any issues.
I also recovered from my injuries and had no issues with my stamina.
My nausea from the Bone Dragon’s blood was gone as well. There was also no more baggages like Shione to protect.
I just need to casually dance around.
‘Then shall I have some fun?’
I first threw a couple fire marbles around.
The monsters whose morale was pushed down were attacked by my Drake’s TBSA. I even used my still high mana to launch a Bladestorm as well.
There were around 3,000 monsters left.
But the battle was not long. I completely killed all of the monsters in less than 20 minutes.
Once I killed the last monster, I even heard a wonderful noise.
<Your level has increased.>
I put away my twin blades and took a deep breath.
I was now used to this sight of being surrounded by the corpses of monsters. If I join the Demon Cave Clearing Squad one more time, I should be able to hit level 300.
‘But the Dragon Fear scroll.’
Since nobody else was here, I should be able to safely inspect the scroll.
[Dragon Fear Scroll]
Dragon Magic. A strong mind control magic to instill a strong sense of fear or force a movement.
Restriction: Magic 70, Level 300, basic stats totaling 1,500
My eyes instantly opened wide.
‘Wow! Why are the restrictions so low?’
I thought the magic restriction would be really high, but it is just 70. The biggest number was the total amount of points I have in my stats, but I was already past that level.
‘I just need to raise just two more levels.’
Then both my magic and level will meet the restriction.
I wanted to quickly try it out. What kind of impact will it have on the monsters?
Will I be able to have the same effect that the Bone Dragon had?
I’m sure that’s not possible. I would be satisfied even if it had just half the effect.
‘Anyways, I should head out now.’
I threw my body into the portal.
***
‘Did it work?’
I opened my hand.
[Jewel of Creation: Creation Index 76]
I combined two jewels with creation indexes of 47 and 51. I was pretty satisfied with the results.
‘Check Skill.’
[Jewel Alchemy: Intermediate level 4, 98%]
Intermediate level 5 is right around the corner. Once that happens, I should be able to get a high luck index with Jewels of Luck, and if I raise it even further up, I should be able to use the Jewel of Reinforcement as well.
‘Should I do it once more?’
I had used it nine times continuously. My focus was a bit scattered.
Still, I was planning on trying it one more time before I heard a knock.
Knock Knock.
“Come in.”
The door opened and Shione came into the room.
This was a residence inside the Athena Temple.
Temples usually never provided a residence like this for outsiders.
I just got this special perk for continuing to participate in Demon Cave Clearing Squads.
All of the services were the best. Living here made me feel like I was the emperor or something like that.
In addition, Shione personally took care of some things like my maid. It might be because of the after effect of the Mind Control, but getting serviced my Shione like this felt pretty good.
Of course Shione has not used the mind control on me since then.
Even still, I could feel my heart shake from time to time. It was especially the case when Shione’s beautiful face came into view.
Like right now.
Shione really suited the completely white priest outfit the best.
“I brought some Canaba Tea over. It will warm your body and clear your mind.”
“Thank you.”
I took a sip of the Canaba Tea.
It tasted a bit like papaya tea, both sweet and refreshing. The fragrance felt like it was clearing my head.
“Have the rewards and punishments been determined for the squad members?”
“I know another meeting is happening tomorrow about it. The bishop-nim will let us know when the decision is made.”
“We need to take good care of the members who were sacrificed in the battle with the Bone Dragon.”
That wasn’t it.
We also needed to clearly distinguish between the members who were able to overcome the Dragon Fear and those who could not.
I’m sure they will do it right since I told them enough times.
“Yes. When should we plan the next Demon Cave Clearing to begin?”
We’ve barely come out for a day and she’s already talking about the next one.
In addition, we’ve been continuously clearing Demon Caves until now. We rested only about an average of three or four days before going into another one.
By now, there should be three or four Demon Caves getting ready to open at the same time. There should be at least two that are ready to enter as well.
I held back from answering for a bit.
Once I did that, Shione must have felt something weird as she quickly consoled me.
“We should be able to complete the map with about 5 more pieces. I know it is hard but please help us a little more.”
Of course I will help until the end. I had a just as important reason to enter compared to the Athena Temple or Shione.
The use of spirit energy that was the specialty of the Orthodox Church of the Sun.
In order to gain that, I needed to find the Church of the Sun, and I needed to complete the map for that to happen.
But I had no reason to rush it.
To be completely honest, the hunting became harder and harder as we continued with the clearing.
Even this past Demon Cave resulted in a lot of casualties. If I didn’t know the critical weakness of the Bone Dragon, I doubt we would have successfully completed it.
It will only continue to get harder from here.
I mean it was obvious. It has to be much harder to hunt level 500 monsters when you are level 300 than hunting level 200 monsters when you are level 100.
If we continue clearing squads like this, we will face a failure at some point.
We needed time to prepare.
I also had something to do right now. I had originally planned to do this when I was level 250.
I needed to go to the Dwarf Village and get the final quest to become an Expert Blacksmith. OF course I have one more thing to do as well.
“I will rest for about 1 year.”
“What? Why all of a sudden?”
I don’t need to tell her about the Dwarf Village. It is not normal for a human to go to the Dwarf Village, and I might even need to mention the Jewel Alchemy skill.
I had enough other reasons to push the Demon Cave Clearing back.
I put my lips close to Shione’s ear and whispered as quietly as I could. This was something only Shione needed to know.
“I plan on visiting Arlington.”
Shione’s face instantly turned pale. She knew what I meant by Arlington.
Shione responded in a just as quiet voice.
“Why all of a sudden……?”
“I can’t always stay under the Ameri Kingdom’s banner. Your grandfather needs to come back out as well. I plan on discussing that issue. Priest-nim, please send someone ahead to inform them in advance. Only then will there be no misunderstanding.”
I could read the concern in Shione’s eyes.
It was an expected response. It was the same as saying I was going to go against the Ameri Kingdom.
“I am just saying we need to prepare. You cannot expect any type of future if you do not prepare. Isn’t the reason priest-nim is putting her life on the line to clear Demon Caves following the same logi?”
Shione still was not able to say anything. The concern in her eyes did not diminish either.
It wasn’t like I didn’t understand Shione’s concern. In Shione’s point of view, she could think that I was asking for some information. For example, something like where Shione’s father Harrison was hiding right now.
If I was a spy in the Ameri Kingdom who was hiding their identity, wouldn’t there be nothing more dangerous than this?
However, I don’t need information like that. The Royal Roader draft plan included all of the information including his location.
Of course there was a chance the information was wrong.
“Do not worry. I do not plan on asking priest-nim for more information. But I am a bit disappointed in your father. I would have expected him to try to approach me at least once by now.”
“My father has passed ……”
Shione stopped there. She read my smiling expression as ‘I know everything.’
“Since your father is not making the first move, I have no choice but to go visit him myself. All priest-nim has to do is let him know that someone named Kang Hwi Ram will come to visit him. That is enough.”
Shione finally seemed to settle down after that.
“But 1 year to do that……?”
“Of course I have other reasons as well. Lately, I feel like we are reaching the limit of my abilities. If we continue like this, we will end up being completely decimated at some point.”
Shione had to agree to this as well. The last three clearings were all extremely close calls.
In the Demon Cave before this one, only 14 people managed to come back alive. There were many dangerous situations that it was thankful that all of us did not perish.
But Shione thought a bit differently than I did.
“Will the situation change from taking 1 year off?”
Normally, not much will change. At most, we would be able to select the members and train together to develop their teamwork.
But I am different. In 1 year, I could definitely increase my strength. Of course it was a way to increase my strength without raising my level.
I just need to tell Shione one of those methods.
“I gained some information that Shadow Foxes were found. If I can hunt them and make an armor out of them, the Demon Cave Clearing will become much easier.”
“Ah, Shadow Fox!”
The Shadow Fox Leather Armor surpasses even the Gaia Armor Set that the Athena Temple treats so dearly.
Shione lightly nodded her head as if she approved.
But her concern was not completely lifted.
“Will it be possible?”
Shadow Foxes were known as monsters that were impossible for people to hunt. It would be the same situation even if level 400 hunters went in a herd.
The Shadow Fox was something only the Dwarf and Elf races could hunt.
Unfortunately, the Elves do not hunt the Shadow Foxes, and the Draves as a tribe prefer metal armor over leather armor, so they do not put their lives on the line to hunt Shadow Foxes.
Either way, that is how difficult it is to hunt a Shadow Fox.
But it was possible for me. I know the method to do so. I also have abilities that are comparable to an Elf or Dwarf.
“My hobby is making the impossible possible.”
I said it like a joke.
But Shione did not laugh. She must be worried about what would happen if I did not return.
“I will return in 1 year at the latest. Priest-nim should take it easy and relax for that time. IT is better to take it slow and be certain than to rush it and fail.”
“Will you promise …… to return?”
Shione’s eyes were starting to tear up.
At the same time, I could feel my heart sink. I had not felt the Mind Control for a long time.
But I didn’t mind it. This was a clearly visible use of it. I guess I can say it was her way of showing just how much she didn’t want me to go?
I started to laugh and joke with her.
“Depends on how priest-nim does.”
Shione finally started to smile as well.
<Dragon Fear (3) >
‘Wow! Dragon Fear scroll!’
I almost said that out loud. It was that shocking of a reward. This was a scroll I didn’t even manage to get in the game.
But it was not time to be happy yet. Since it is such a strong skill, it might have a significantly high requirement. What would I do if I had something like ‘Magic over 1,000’ as a requirement?
I wanted to quickly check the information.
But I held back. There would be no good letting the other members know about this. If it is a skill I can learn, I needed to make my hidden card.
Thanks to the healing potion, my injuries were pretty much healed.
The other members seem to be feeling better as well.
We could see the exit not too far away. If I really wanted to, I could instantly leave the Demon Cave.
But I needed to go grab Shione before we did that.
“Let’s leave the hall first.”
“Yes.”
We didn’t have a reason to put our shields up. The monsters started to run away as I stood in the front.
“Why are they acting like this?”
“I think it might be because of the Bone Dragon’s blood.”
The smell was still very pungent.
But I don’t think it will last very long. As time went on, the blood started to become faint. Just like how the corpses of monsters disappear quickly in a Demon Cave, the blood must follow the same rule.
“Let’s hurry over.”
We quickly headed out of the hall.
Outside the hall were a total of 16 members. Other than Shione, the other 15 were the ones who could not overcome the terror of the Dragon Fear and could not take part in the attack.
They will receive the punishment for that once we leave the Demon Cave. The bishop will take care of the means to punish them.
But at this point, they were all healed. The Dragon Fear disappeared once the Bone Dragon died.
But Shione’s face was still pale. She must have used up a lot of strength to use mind control on close to 90 members.
“Can you move?”
“Yes.”
Shione bit down on her lips as she stood up. However, she still had issues moving around.
I gave her my back.
“Get on.”
“Hwi Ram-nim needs to open a path.”
“Just get on. I will explain later.”
Shione quietly got on my back.
I started to run in front of everyone else.
It wasn’t as strong as before, but the Bone Dragon’s blood still had some effect. The monsters looked like they would attack us before slowly moving away.
A path to the exit was created just like that.
“What is going on?”
I could hear Shione’s voice in my ear.
“Bone Dragon’s blood……”
I maintained my speed and shortly answered.
While we did that, we all arrived at the exit.
“Let’s hurry up and get out of here.”
I had Shione move to another member. I then waited until all of the members safely exited the cave.
The effect of the Bone Dragon’s blood seemed to wear off at that moment. The monsters were slowly closing the distance before finally launching their attack.
Grroooooooowl-
To be honest, I had no plans to leave like this anyways.
I needed to raise my level. In order to do that, I need to go look for a large herd of monsters.
With that being the case, why would I throw away all this valuable experience?
It wasn’t like there was a really high leveled monsters that would cause me any issues.
I also recovered from my injuries and had no issues with my stamina.
My nausea from the Bone Dragon’s blood was gone as well. There was also no more baggages like Shione to protect.
I just need to casually dance around.
‘Then shall I have some fun?’
I first threw a couple fire marbles around.
The monsters whose morale was pushed down were attacked by my Drake’s TBSA. I even used my still high mana to launch a Bladestorm as well.
There were around 3,000 monsters left.
But the battle was not long. I completely killed all of the monsters in less than 20 minutes.
Once I killed the last monster, I even heard a wonderful noise.
<Your level has increased.>
I put away my twin blades and took a deep breath.
I was now used to this sight of being surrounded by the corpses of monsters. If I join the Demon Cave Clearing Squad one more time, I should be able to hit level 300.
‘But the Dragon Fear scroll.’
Since nobody else was here, I should be able to safely inspect the scroll.
[Dragon Fear Scroll]
Dragon Magic. A strong mind control magic to instill a strong sense of fear or force a movement.
Restriction: Magic 70, Level 300, basic stats totaling 1,500
My eyes instantly opened wide.
‘Wow! Why are the restrictions so low?’
I thought the magic restriction would be really high, but it is just 70. The biggest number was the total amount of points I have in my stats, but I was already past that level.
‘I just need to raise just two more levels.’
Then both my magic and level will meet the restriction.
I wanted to quickly try it out. What kind of impact will it have on the monsters?
Will I be able to have the same effect that the Bone Dragon had?
I’m sure that’s not possible. I would be satisfied even if it had just half the effect.
‘Anyways, I should head out now.’
I threw my body into the portal.
***
‘Did it work?’
I opened my hand.
[Jewel of Creation: Creation Index 76]
I combined two jewels with creation indexes of 47 and 51. I was pretty satisfied with the results.
‘Check Skill.’
[Jewel Alchemy: Intermediate level 4, 98%]
Intermediate level 5 is right around the corner. Once that happens, I should be able to get a high luck index with Jewels of Luck, and if I raise it even further up, I should be able to use the Jewel of Reinforcement as well.
‘Should I do it once more?’
I had used it nine times continuously. My focus was a bit scattered.
Still, I was planning on trying it one more time before I heard a knock.
Knock Knock.
“Come in.”
The door opened and Shione came into the room.
This was a residence inside the Athena Temple.
Temples usually never provided a residence like this for outsiders.
I just got this special perk for continuing to participate in Demon Cave Clearing Squads.
All of the services were the best. Living here made me feel like I was the emperor or something like that.
In addition, Shione personally took care of some things like my maid. It might be because of the after effect of the Mind Control, but getting serviced my Shione like this felt pretty good.
Of course Shione has not used the mind control on me since then.
Even still, I could feel my heart shake from time to time. It was especially the case when Shione’s beautiful face came into view.
Like right now.
Shione really suited the completely white priest outfit the best.
“I brought some Canaba Tea over. It will warm your body and clear your mind.”
“Thank you.”
I took a sip of the Canaba Tea.
It tasted a bit like papaya tea, both sweet and refreshing. The fragrance felt like it was clearing my head.
“Have the rewards and punishments been determined for the squad members?”
“I know another meeting is happening tomorrow about it. The bishop-nim will let us know when the decision is made.”
“We need to take good care of the members who were sacrificed in the battle with the Bone Dragon.”
That wasn’t it.
We also needed to clearly distinguish between the members who were able to overcome the Dragon Fear and those who could not.
I’m sure they will do it right since I told them enough times.
“Yes. When should we plan the next Demon Cave Clearing to begin?”
We’ve barely come out for a day and she’s already talking about the next one.
In addition, we’ve been continuously clearing Demon Caves until now. We rested only about an average of three or four days before going into another one.
By now, there should be three or four Demon Caves getting ready to open at the same time. There should be at least two that are ready to enter as well.
I held back from answering for a bit.
Once I did that, Shione must have felt something weird as she quickly consoled me.
“We should be able to complete the map with about 5 more pieces. I know it is hard but please help us a little more.”
Of course I will help until the end. I had a just as important reason to enter compared to the Athena Temple or Shione.
The use of spirit energy that was the specialty of the Orthodox Church of the Sun.
In order to gain that, I needed to find the Church of the Sun, and I needed to complete the map for that to happen.
But I had no reason to rush it.
To be completely honest, the hunting became harder and harder as we continued with the clearing.
Even this past Demon Cave resulted in a lot of casualties. If I didn’t know the critical weakness of the Bone Dragon, I doubt we would have successfully completed it.
It will only continue to get harder from here.
I mean it was obvious. It has to be much harder to hunt level 500 monsters when you are level 300 than hunting level 200 monsters when you are level 100.
If we continue clearing squads like this, we will face a failure at some point.
We needed time to prepare.
I also had something to do right now. I had originally planned to do this when I was level 250.
I needed to go to the Dwarf Village and get the final quest to become an Expert Blacksmith. OF course I have one more thing to do as well.
“I will rest for about 1 year.”
“What? Why all of a sudden?”
I don’t need to tell her about the Dwarf Village. It is not normal for a human to go to the Dwarf Village, and I might even need to mention the Jewel Alchemy skill.
I had enough other reasons to push the Demon Cave Clearing back.
I put my lips close to Shione’s ear and whispered as quietly as I could. This was something only Shione needed to know.
“I plan on visiting Arlington.”
Shione’s face instantly turned pale. She knew what I meant by Arlington.
Shione responded in a just as quiet voice.
“Why all of a sudden……?”
“I can’t always stay under the Ameri Kingdom’s banner. Your grandfather needs to come back out as well. I plan on discussing that issue. Priest-nim, please send someone ahead to inform them in advance. Only then will there be no misunderstanding.”
I could read the concern in Shione’s eyes.
It was an expected response. It was the same as saying I was going to go against the Ameri Kingdom.
“I am just saying we need to prepare. You cannot expect any type of future if you do not prepare. Isn’t the reason priest-nim is putting her life on the line to clear Demon Caves following the same logi?”
Shione still was not able to say anything. The concern in her eyes did not diminish either.
It wasn’t like I didn’t understand Shione’s concern. In Shione’s point of view, she could think that I was asking for some information. For example, something like where Shione’s father Harrison was hiding right now.
If I was a spy in the Ameri Kingdom who was hiding their identity, wouldn’t there be nothing more dangerous than this?
However, I don’t need information like that. The Royal Roader draft plan included all of the information including his location.
Of course there was a chance the information was wrong.
“Do not worry. I do not plan on asking priest-nim for more information. But I am a bit disappointed in your father. I would have expected him to try to approach me at least once by now.”
“My father has passed ……”
Shione stopped there. She read my smiling expression as ‘I know everything.’
“Since your father is not making the first move, I have no choice but to go visit him myself. All priest-nim has to do is let him know that someone named Kang Hwi Ram will come to visit him. That is enough.”
Shione finally seemed to settle down after that.
“But 1 year to do that……?”
“Of course I have other reasons as well. Lately, I feel like we are reaching the limit of my abilities. If we continue like this, we will end up being completely decimated at some point.”
Shione had to agree to this as well. The last three clearings were all extremely close calls.
In the Demon Cave before this one, only 14 people managed to come back alive. There were many dangerous situations that it was thankful that all of us did not perish.
But Shione thought a bit differently than I did.
“Will the situation change from taking 1 year off?”
Normally, not much will change. At most, we would be able to select the members and train together to develop their teamwork.
But I am different. In 1 year, I could definitely increase my strength. Of course it was a way to increase my strength without raising my level.
I just need to tell Shione one of those methods.
“I gained some information that Shadow Foxes were found. If I can hunt them and make an armor out of them, the Demon Cave Clearing will become much easier.”
“Ah, Shadow Fox!”
The Shadow Fox Leather Armor surpasses even the Gaia Armor Set that the Athena Temple treats so dearly.
Shione lightly nodded her head as if she approved.
But her concern was not completely lifted.
“Will it be possible?”
Shadow Foxes were known as monsters that were impossible for people to hunt. It would be the same situation even if level 400 hunters went in a herd.
The Shadow Fox was something only the Dwarf and Elf races could hunt.
Unfortunately, the Elves do not hunt the Shadow Foxes, and the Draves as a tribe prefer metal armor over leather armor, so they do not put their lives on the line to hunt Shadow Foxes.
Either way, that is how difficult it is to hunt a Shadow Fox.
But it was possible for me. I know the method to do so. I also have abilities that are comparable to an Elf or Dwarf.
“My hobby is making the impossible possible.”
I said it like a joke.
But Shione did not laugh. She must be worried about what would happen if I did not return.
“I will return in 1 year at the latest. Priest-nim should take it easy and relax for that time. IT is better to take it slow and be certain than to rush it and fail.”
“Will you promise …… to return?”
Shione’s eyes were starting to tear up.
At the same time, I could feel my heart sink. I had not felt the Mind Control for a long time.
But I didn’t mind it. This was a clearly visible use of it. I guess I can say it was her way of showing just how much she didn’t want me to go?
I started to laugh and joke with her.
“Depends on how priest-nim does.”
Shione finally started to smile as well.
Dragon Fear (3) End
