Chapter 142. Kagoshima Dragon Raid (5)

It is something no one could have imagined. The Legendary grade isn't something that appears just because the dungeon is difficult; it's an item that randomly appears by breaking through an extremely low probability.

One in the United States, one in South Korea. These were the only Legendary items that existed in the world, and they possessed performance of a different caliber, reflecting their rarity. For example, the [Book of Annihilation] held by the United States is said to have turned all the monsters within a 1km radius to dust in an instant...

Of course, Legendary items weren't without their drawbacks. For instance, they were immune to appraisal skills, and as a result, there were cases where their usage, like Jung Hasseong's [Sword of Sunset], couldn't be determined. However, even considering such points, there was no doubt that these items were treasures that could dramatically elevate someone's status.

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that had finally come to the Pyromancer who had always been treated as second-rate.

'I expected something epic because it's an S-rank gate, but to think such an item would pop up!'

However... Unfortunately, the members of the Imabari Guild had made some kind of contract before coming here.

Contract Contents

1. Upon completing the raid, Kim Giryeo may select one item dropped by the monsters of the so-called [Kagoshima Gate] and receive it.

At that time, he thought he'd be lucky if he ended up with just a Dragon's Eye. But the reality was even worse. A Legendary weapon, which hadn't even dropped during the Nuckelavee incident, appeared here. What on earth is he supposed to do about this?

"You're telling me I have to hand over the Legendary item I just got...? Are you asking me to just walk away and pretend I didn't see something like this?"

Ito thought with trembling hands. The knight's oath is indeed a solemn promise, but there is one way to break it.

The death of the contract partner! This is the most common reason for the breach of a knight's oath.

The members of the Imabari Guild's faces changed in an instant upon discovering the legendary weapon, which they had thought only existed in fantasy. Joy, anxiety, greed. When they realized that the once-in-a-lifetime luck before them could slip away in an instant, thoughts that they would never normally have thought about surged without hesitation.

The hunters from Japan suddenly changed their demeanor. Immediately afterwards, Ito slowly moved his hand with the red ring on his face forward with a stern face. By this point, it seemed even Giryeo had sensed something was wrong, as he hesitated and spoke up in confusion.

"Ito-san?"

But no answer came. After a few seconds of hesitation, Ito finally gathered his magic and launched an attack.

"...!"

As expected of an S-rank hunter, the completion of the spell didn't take long. Soon, the spot where Giryeo had been standing was engulfed in intense flames. Boom! An unannounced explosion erupted in the air, accompanied by a fierce heat rising from the ground.

"He dodged."

However, Ito's first ambush ended in failure. As expected of a fellow S-rank, Kang Changho used his unique reflexes to rescue Giryeo from the skill range.

"What are you doing!"

As Giryeo, having narrowly escaped the crisis, asked in shock, Ito answered with difficulty.

"I know this is a terrible thing to do. B-But... But I Don't you think it's unfair for you to take the Legendary item without shedding a single drop of blood?"

"Legendary?"

"This gate was resolved through Japan's sacrifices. Look! Just look at the damage our guild suffered from the dragon...!"

Hearing this, Giryeo belatedly examined the greatsword they had obtained.

"Wait, hold on. I understand what you're saying, but I'm not going to choose that!"

"In any case, he wasn't interested in anything other than the Dragon's Lung. Let alone an item that required risking his life—he would naturally decline it. Thus, Giryeo hastily spoke.

"So, let's not do this and just..."

But at that moment—

Whoosh!

Red flames swept past him, grazing his side.

Boom!

The deafening roar followed immediately after. It seemed they weren't aiming to hit him directly but instead to block his escape by collapsing the wall behind him.

"Don't let him leave the dungeon. Everything must be buried here!"

"Hunter Ito!"

"What are you all standing around for? At this rate, we could lose the Legendary item because of a single word from him...!"

As Moritake Ito gave a chilling command, the remaining hunters, visibly tense, began channeling their magic. With four S-ranks gathered on their side, how could they possibly be defeated?

"Four against two. No, if you only count those capable of fighting, it's practically four against one."

But at that moment, Kang Changho, who had been standing at the back, observed the situation and finally shouted at the Japanese hunters.

"Wait a minute, judging by how things are unfolding, it looks like you're all trying to break the knight's oath."

Sssrk

. Kang Changho raised both hands as if surrendering.

"I'll cooperate. I'll help you kill Kim Giryeo, so let me go."

He should correct this. Strictly speaking, this was a fight of about 5:1.

***

Calm down. Wait, do I really look calm right now?

'Kang Changho, you b*stard.'

I came all this way to help with the raid, and now I'm about to end up dead. All because an unexpectedly good reward dropped. I never thought something like a Legendary item would appear, so I'm at a loss on what to do in this sudden situation.

Whoosh—!

At that moment, a harsh wind sound suddenly came from the front.

"Are you all insane? How can you say you're going to kill that hunter? Kim Giryeo helped us!"

It seems that there are differing opinions even within the Japanese raid team regarding this matter. In particular, Iori, one of the S-class hunters, was furious, saying that everyone was ungrateful.

"Keugh!"

However, Iori was soon knocked down by his comrades. Japan had a distorted structure, with four S-rank hunters in a single guild. Yet, there was a clear hierarchy among them, even within their ranks.

"Moritake!"

The Guild Master of the Imabari Guild personally took down the internal opposition. He trapped his comrade in a vortex of flames, inducing unconsciousness through oxygen deprivation to prevent any resistance. After activating the skill, Ito broke into a cold sweat, his expression contorted in pain.

"Sorry, Iori... but this is a matter that concerns not just our guild, but the national interest as well! When you consider the value of the Legendary item, there really was no choice..."

Anyway, is there some kind of rule on this planet that you have to be a patriot to use fire magic? I have no idea how to calm this guy down.

"Thanks to you, I'm having a really fun time."

By the way, Kang Changho, who was standing next to him, had just been rejected in negotiations. The Japanese hunters wanted to deal with the remaining Koreans as well, since making noise outside would lead to serious trouble.

"Keugh."

"Ugh..."

"How did the situation end up like this?"

Fortunately, they haven't actually killed anyone, so they're still hesitating.

However, this hesitation wouldn't last long. The splendid appearance of the Legendary item was more than enough to blind the eyes of the humans.

'Well, there's even talk outside that if the Legendary had shown up a little earlier, the Hawaii Dungeon Break would have been safely resolved.'

I was busy thinking about how to survive in this gate. And at that moment, I faintly heard someone's voice in my mind.

'— That's how hunters fight each other. People are different from monsters, so they often hide their abilities.

— This awakener is hiding something... Once the opponent thinks that, friction doesn't occur easily.

Right... As Yoonseung once said, showing off your strength is a pretty good strategy on Earth. Since magic is still in its infancy, the opponent can't predict what kind of spells might be cast. Meanwhile, if the enemy acts like they have some E-rank card, most people will instinctively pull back.

'Showing off.'

I racked my brain for a bluff. And at that moment, my eyes landed on the infinite power cores that were buried in the ground. I had used up most of my energy when I subdued the boss, but there was still a little mana left.

To be exact, enough to revive the binding spell I had placed in this room once!

"Ugh!"

"Kaagh!"

I didn't think long. As soon as I realized that there was still power left in my magic tool, I reactivated [Binding].

Mouth, nose, throat, chest. Those primitive fools would struggle significantly with their casting, just from having their airways constricted.

"E, euph!"

"Ugh!"

"Heupht!"

It was fortunate that this happened to be the spot where I had faced the boss. Once a core is inscribed with a spell, it can't be used for anything else, so if this weren't the location, I wouldn't have even been able to attempt the binding.

It was fortunate that this happened to be the spot where I had faced the boss. Since the core cannot be used for other purposes once the spell is engraved, if it weren't for this location, I wouldn't have been able to attempt the binding.

'Damn it.'

But what can I do about it? As I mentioned, the mana left in the core is minimal. In other words, this binding will only last for about 60 seconds. So then...

"... These people."

With things as they are, I've got no choice but to talk my way out of this...!

"So, you really thought you could kill me if you just joined forces, huh?"

It's all or nothing now. After a short deep breath, I started to struggle. I chose an extremely arrogant tone so as not to let anyone know that I was scared.

"Does Japan not know that the binding force follows the user's awakening level?"

"...!"

"The core is simply a tool to sustain an already activated skill. I assumed even you would know something this basic."

By the way, this is a complete lie. Such a limitation might apply to Earthlings, but I can manipulate the activation conditions at will because I understand the very structure of magical formulas.

"Hunter Ito, let's see if you can calculate this. I'm an Awakened who has already pinned the boss of this dungeon down..."

However, I didn't reveal the secret of my magic. Instead, I actively took advantage of the opponent's ignorance.

"Is my awakening level really lower than yours?"

"Euph!"

Good. The reaction is coming. The faces of the S-rank hunters bound by the threads of light gradually turn pale.

"How long do you think it will take for me to crush all your skulls?"

I threatened them, saying that I could kill everyone here if I wanted to. Honestly, it's like a yellow egg mushroom—having no actual power but putting on a show with its flashy appearance, like a poisonous mushroom without any poison.

"E, euph...!"

The remaining time on the magic is 24 seconds. But now that I think about it, will a mere 60 seconds of threats really make them change their attitude?

Cold sweat pours down my back. For a moment, I thought it was a good plan, but as the magic's duration dwindles, my anxiety intensifies. If I fail to scare them off and avoid the fight, I'm done for.

"How did things turn out like this?"

As the situation escalated, my mind naturally began to wander toward escapist thoughts—just like when I was surrounded by reporters at the stone wall. I couldn't help but reflect on the past, going over each moment one by one.

'Is this the price I have to pay for daring to challenge a dragon with my status? No, more than that, if only I hadn't brought the contract with me, acting like an F-rank could actually make calculations...'

But at that moment, one word stuck in my mind.

"Wait, a contract?"

Why are the Japanese hunters acting like that? It's because of the [Knight's Oath], they're afraid of losing ownership of the legendary item.

But on this side, I really wasn't interested in that sword. With my F-rank strength, I couldn't even lift it, so why would I be foolish enough to risk jealousy and try to touch it in this situation?

"Ah!"

Until now, I had been so flustered by Ito's surprise attack that I couldn't think clearly, but now that I've calmed down, a very simple solution to this conflict becomes clear.

"Yeah. That would be fine, but what have I been doing all this time?"

I took large strides toward the fallen hunters. Seeing this, Ito noticeably tensed up, but I simply brushed past him and stopped at a different spot.

I then turned to look at the members of Imabari's guild and spoke in a flat, emotionless tone.

"Ito-san, then can I take the longsword that fell here?"

"This is the easiest way to nullify the effect of the contract.

"What I wanted wasn't your greatsword, but the reward that Hunter Iori acquired."

The oath was canceled due to the condition being met!

Ito opened his eyes wide in surprise, clearly not expecting this. But while they were distracted by the Legendary item, the item I chose was no slouch in terms of rarity either.

[Epic] grade.

Except for Ito's greatsword, this was probably the best reward. I picked up Iori's sword, which had been lying on the ground, and by transferring the item, our contract was dissolved.

~Crack!

At the same time, the restraints that had been binding the hunters were shattered.

"Cough, cough!"

"Keugh."

I expected that once the transaction was over, they wouldn't attack anymore, but somehow, they were still tense, their bodies brimming with energy. After all, they had just tried to kill someone, so it was only natural for them to feel uneasy about the situation. This was the moment to drive the point home.

"I'd love to kill all of you, but..."

If I underestimate them here, they might come running again to cover up the attempted murder. I did my best to maintain my bluff after calculating.

"I'll let it slide just this once. Japan still needs to leave some personnel to manage the gate."

Dammit- Anyway, my mana never increases, but my acting skills just keep getting better every day.