“Look at the height of the walls. How can they live in such an enclosed place?”
“The weaker the creature, the more anxious they are. They can’t rest easy unless they rely on a facility like that.”
“Hahat, it doesn’t mean anything.”
The snow was shining under the cloudy sun.
Flap.
Three half-draconians with wide wings were crossing the walls of Frontier. The soldiers at the guard posts had their bodies wrapped in yeti leather and reflexively fired their bows, causing the security chief to scream.
“Leave them!”
The shout was too late. All six arrows fired into the sky were returned intact and struck the soldiers.
“Dammit!”
They had reflexively fired their bows. Their constant training had become poison. The security chief was red-eyed at the deaths of the young soldiers and hurriedly struck the bell. It signaled an enemy attack but the interior of Frontier was surprisingly quiet. There were few agitated people. It was because Duke Steim announced in advance that the enemy would soon come.
Hundreds of thousands of residents had already locked their doors and stayed at home. Additionally, there were thousands of residents gathered in the square to wait for the half-draconians. All of them prayed for Laden’s victory. They wished for Laden to set an example to these vicious invaders, yet the moment the invaders appeared in the square, the residents’ prayers stopped. Just like a rabbit froze in front of a tiger, all the residents were terrified of the half-draconians.
It was a difference in species. The half-draconians who appeared in the sky had the same appearance as a human except for the wings on their back, but they still gave off a suffocating pressure.
‘W-What…?’
‘Laden… Sir Laden is in danger!’
Even ordinary people who didn’t know about combat had this idea. It was a type of intuition. In the early hours of the morning, three half-draconians gradually descended to the newly made stage and dominated the city with just their presence.
“Bah, how annoying.”
“I wonder if this is the right place.”
The half-draconians frowned at the sight of the people in the square—some had collapsed in place while others were shaking. The people who saw them snorting and retracting their wings also frowned.
‘Cheeky guys.’
‘I would step out if I could.’
There was something special about the hometown. The players who chose Frontier as their starting city and had been active there for years were very upset by this. Yet no one could do so. It was because it was meaningless to challenge NPCs with a much higher level than Hao when they couldn’t even reach Hao.
In the first place, there was the warning from Duke Steim. Last night, Duke Steim announced the situation and firmly hammered it into Frontier’s soldiers and residents. It was Laden’s job to drive out the half-draconians so no one should get in the way…
They didn’t know what the punishment would be if they ignored the warning so the players decided to watch rather than act recklessly.
“I’m Jad. I serve Helena, the legitimate descendent of Bunhelier.”
“Bunhelier?”
“Is he talking about Evil Dragon Bunhelier?”
Buzz buzz.
There was a disturbance once one of the three half-draconians stepped forward and introduced himself. From the perspective of the people who were overwhelmed by the half-draconians, they couldn’t refute the claim that the half-draconians were descendants of a dragon. Maybe it was the truth. If it was true, they were filled with a vague anxiety about how humans could fight against the half-draconians.
It was a moment when the efforts of the former emperors of the Saharan Empire, who declared the half-draconians to be vicious and uncivilized, were lost. Hundreds of years of falsehoods were shattered the moment the half-draconians appeared in the world.
“The reason Helena sent us here is to give you a chance. Prove that you have the power to make us happy. Then all of you will survive and enjoy the glory of being our slaves. However, if you turn out to be garbage that doesn't even have the power to bring us pleasure…”
He stopped talking and looked around at the people in the square. The golden pupils that were colder than snowflakes resembled those of reptiles.
Chill.
The half-draconians were descendants of a dragon. It was the pupils that convinced people. To the residents of Frontier, who were silent with fear, Jad proclaimed, “…As promised, we will kill half of you and leave only the ones that suit our taste to enslave. It will be much more efficient.”
The low-grade half-draconian warriors were moving to Jad’s side when a human climbed onto the stage. It was Laden. Frontier’s strongest person, who was trusted and envied by the people.
“…Ah.”
The residents lamented after seeing Laden’s appearance. Originally, they planned to fervently cheer Laden on but they were forced to remain silent once they faced reality. Laden’s body seemed relatively small in front of the half-draconians who boasted an ideal body ratio and muscles optimized for combat. Just based on the difference on the surface, the half-draconians completely overwhelmed Laden. Therefore, the residents couldn’t support Laden. They felt like they would just be pushing Laden to his death.
Eventually, one of the residents shouted courageously, “Laden! Run away! You don’t have to sacrifice yourself alone!”
They wanted a hero’s victory but they didn’t want the hero to be a pawn. This fervent feeling swelled like a fever. All the residents tried to pull Laden off the stage but Laden was consistent in his silence. He was wearing barbed armor and didn’t hesitate to open his mouth despite facing three half-draconians alone, “What will happen if I give you death instead of happiness?”
“Kukuk!”
It was a question that could only be answered with a laugh. However, the half-draconians didn’t doubt their ears. They already had experience with frightened humans stating ridiculous things.
“Don’t worry, it won’t happen.”
Jad answered on behalf of the laughing low-grade warriors and Laden shook his head.
“I’d love to hear the answer.”
“Hrmm…”
Jade turned his attention to one of the low-grade warriors standing beside him. His name was Praba. He visited here yesterday morning as the envoy.
“Praba, what do you want us to do if you die during the confrontation?”
“Spit on my body that has turned to ashes. This isn’t a single-digit knight of the empire. I’m not going to be killed by an unknown soldier in a small kingdom.”
The empire was no longer the center of the world—Helena realized the change and declared her independence. However, the half-draconians who followed her hadn’t realized the change yet. They were still thinking about the empire. They regarded humans as inferior creatures apart from a select few from the empire.
Jad nodded when he heard Praba’s answer and smiled happily. "I see. You don’t have to worry about the consequences if you kill our people. We won’t retaliate and will feel joy at the reversal.”
“Then you have to change the contents of your promise.”
“…?”
Jad’s gaze shifted from the stage. He saw an old man. His clothing wasn’t fancy but he seemed to be the master of the land based on the guards around him. It was as expected.
“I am Duke Steim, who was entrusted to this land by the great King Grid.”
The person involved in the conversation was the ruler of Frontier.
Jad stared at him. “Your king is great? Be aware of your words.”
“……”
“So what does it mean to change the content of the promise?”
“If our representative wins against your representative, it means we are stronger. If we win, you must be the ones enslaved, not our people. Isn’t that a fair bet?”
“…You are crazy.”
Jad was annoyed. They might be terrified but it was too much to act this crazy. At this point, it crossed the level beyond cuteness.
“Where the hell do you, these low-grade creatures, have such confidence? Sigh.”
Jad’s nature meant he wanted to slaughter every human straight away. However, the things the half-draconians needed were the economy and manpower of Frontier. He wouldn’t be able to endure Helena’s wrath if he destroyed this place. Jad barely suppressed his anger and glanced at Praba.
“How long are you going to let that person make fun of you? Come on, let’s start the event.”
“U-Understood.”
Praba noticed that Jad’s irritation had reached the peak and hurried forward. As if declaring that there would be no more conversation, he took off his coat and proceeded to transform. His role was to terrorize the humans of Frontier. He had to be as destructive as possible. Praba’s shoulders widened and his chest became bigger. The hands and feet at the end of the long arms and legs more than doubled due to the sharp, blade-like claws protruding from them.
"Kyaaack!”
"H-Hik!"
Frontier’s people screamed as Praba’s entire body was covered with black scales and he spread his wings. Praba smiled at the commotion and opened his mouth. Subsequently, a black Breath was shot. The wooden boards that made up the floor of the stage couldn’t withstand the shockwave of Breath and were torn apart. It was a blow that proved the blood of a dragon was flowing through the veins of the half-draconians.
Laden blocked it with the Holy Light Shield. It was one of the two shields that Grid had made for Laden prior to this battle.
‘As expected, a Breath was fired.’
Laden had gained experience with the virtual half-draconian by fighting it hundreds of times. Praba charged forward as expected and Laden confidently recovered the Holy Light Shield and took out the second shield. Praba’s kick collided with the shield.
“…?!”
Praba’s eyes widened. It was really confusing that the golden shield easily blocked the Breath and then another blocked his kick.
‘What are those shields?’
Praba used the rebound from the shield to spin rapidly and flick his tail.
‘Use that shield to block this!’
The tail of a half-draconian could move freely at any angle. The moment Laden blocked the tail with the shield, Praba’s tail would move around the shield and stab Laden in the heart. However, that didn’t happen. Laden didn’t block Praba’s tail with the shield. Rather, he stepped on the tail and jumped up to hit Praba’s head with an iron bar. Wasn’t it a movement that showed he fought against the half-draconians many times?
Praba was surprised by Laden’s movements that seemed to read the trick of his tail. However, he soon dismissed it as a coincidence. If Laden was accustomed to fighting against the half-draconians then he never would’ve dreamt of breaking the scales of a half-draconian with a thin iron bar.
‘You should be prepared to retreat when fighting against me! Haha!’
A heavy blunt weapon was needed to crush the scales of the half-draconians. It couldn’t be cut with a sword, let alone a thin iron bar. Praba raised his arm to stop the iron rod.
“……!”
There was a loud sound and Praba’s heart jumped significantly. It was because scales fell from his wrist at where the iron bar hit.
“What…?!”
The dismayed Praba hurriedly pulled back his arm but Laden’s actions were one step faster. The moment that Praba’s wrist was hit, a sharp thorn protruded from the end of the iron bar and pierced Praba’s skin that was revealed after the scales were lost.
“Kuaaaack!”
The unexpected pain caused a scream to emerge from Praba’s mouth. He clutched his drooping arm and retreated, firing a Breath at Laden only for Laden to pull out a golden shield.
“This… Dammit!”
The Breath was blocked by the shield again. Praba’s tail protruded through the smoke and struck Laden’s side, but the armor with hundreds of barbs absorbed most of the shock.
“Cough!”
Laden coughed up a handful of blood but he didn’t slow down. He charged straight forward and swung the iron bar at Praba’s thick neck. The scales that broke and scattered like glass filled Praba’s vision. Praba got a chill down his spine as he wildly waved his fist and punched Laden’s chest.
However, it didn’t stop Laden. The fist struck Triple Layers and Laden started bleeding from the mouth and nose, but his momentum still didn’t slow down. A sharp thorn pierced Praba’s throat. The people of Frontier cheered and Jad’s face hardened.
