91-Episode 91: The Emperor's Awakening and the Ore Dragon

The sign of the storm dragon has left this dragon peak.

What does this mean?

That thing is out hunting for anyone who might be trespassing where we live.

Escaped?　No way.

That is the incarnation of a merciless storm, there is no way that thing is going to escape, even in the face of the gods.

But the fact is that the noise the lower class dragons are making shows no sign of abating.

........something is happening.

And the buzzing and abominable feeling that is stirring in your chest still shows no signs of disappearing.

It's a very good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

You're going to be able to find out more about the fact that you're not going to be able to get your hands on any of them.

There's nothing better than me going out....

Hmm, it's been several hundred years since I've been sent out in person.

I'm sure the problem will be solved soon enough, but it does trouble my wings.

This is some consolation to me, intruder.

Don't break me so easily, will you?

You're not going to be able to do that.

Yeah, we've gotten used to fighting dragons, haven't we?

After Bahamut disappeared, we resumed our dragon hunt again.

I'll use my auxiliary magic to support everyone, and when my strength and magic power runs out, I'll use my recovery magic to help them recover and return to fighting dragons again.

It's a good idea to get as much experience as possible in fighting dragons by fighting them continuously.

This will make everyone's dislike of dragons disappear quickly.

This was because Liliella and the others were overly afraid of the dragons, even though they already had enough power.

That was evident from the battle in the town the other day.

''If it's a high level dragon, well, it's not hard to understand, but I think it's overly cautious to be frightened by a dragon of the lowest level, a green dragon, no matter how much.''

It's good that you don't underestimate your partner, but it's also dangerous if you become more unsympathetic than necessary.

It's actually just a big lizard that flies around and spits out breath.

And that's when I noticed a new hand coming towards me from the back of the Dragon Peak.

''This speed........is that him!

The good guy came at just the right time.

I used my flight magic to float higher than everyone else and called out to Liliella and the others with my loudspeaker magic.

''Everyone, there's a new guy coming now!

The moment he announced that, a terrific sound rang out in Longfeng.

''What!　What!?

The sudden sound that rang out alerted Gyro-kun and the others.

''That was the sound of the enemy hitting the defensive wards I deployed!

And just a few moments later, you hear something huge fall to the ground.

What now?

Guys, look what happens when you see what's down there.

Saying that, he points to a huge object that fell to the ground.

''........What is that thing?　It's green and glittery, but...

I pointed to a huge green object that glistened in the sunlight.

'It's an emerald dragon,'

The Emerald Dragon?　What's that?

I've never heard of a dragon.

Oh, you gyros don't know about emerald dragons?

They're dragons that are made of jewels all over.

''Jewel!''

Hearing the word "jewel", Megri-san stared at the emerald dragon with sparkling eyes.

Ah, come to think of it, it was said that gemstone dragons are easily targeted as ornaments, so they should be designated as protected dragons.

Ore dragons are called living mines, so over-hunting was very common, just like mithril dragons.

If that's the case, even in this era, the hunting of emerald dragons is probably still prohibited as a protected species, so it's not surprising that people don't know about them.

Especially since there are many cases where some protected demons that are able to collect valuable materials are deliberately treated as extinct and not only their habitat but also the information itself is kept secret.

These are dragons, just like mithril dragons, whose bodies are covered in rare ore scales.

There are dragons like that...

And he's not the only one.

I pointed upwards, guiding everyone's gaze, and I saw a red and yellow silhouette in the sky.

''That's a gemstone dragon just like the emerald dragon, isn't it?''

Based on the colors, I'm guessing a ruby dragon and a topaz dragon?

That's a jewel in the ministry.

Mr. Megri looks at the two dragons happily.

It's not an object of fear anymore, it's more of a look at a treasure.

Yeah, yeah, it was a good decision to allow these guys to get close.

Once people see the value of ore dragons, they will not be unnecessarily afraid of them.　

There's still some time before they arrive, so I'll just explain it to them.

Saying that, I landed on top of the emerald dragon on the ground to check if it was alive or dead.

Yeah, it's a near-death experience, so let's finish it off.

I'm not sure if I'm right or wrong, but I'm not. The only thing to keep in mind is that their strength depends on the value and purity of the gems that make up their bodies.

Purity?

Yes, the higher the purity of the ore, the better the ability of the mineral dragon. So if you're careless because you won easily in the past, you could be fighting a high-purity ore dragon this time and have a big problem, so be careful.

Yeah, you got it, bro.

Gyro-kun and the others nodded with a divine face.

''The slaying of ore dragons is so fruitful that sometimes inexperienced adventurers and poachers fail to measure the opponent's strength and get wiped out.

Well, the only people who mess up like that are really immature and in a hurry for money or overconfident in their own abilities.

If you get greedy and put your hands on them carelessly, you'll get burned very badly.

Well, I think it's probably best if we just stay out of the way.

"Ugh, what a shame.

Huh?　Why would you do that?

You just have to keep your guard up, okay?

I shouldn't have done that. I scared him.

We need to properly teach them the power of the mineral dragon and tell them not to be so scared.

For example, the Emerald Dragon is a dragon that uses powerful wind magic by instinct and is also known as an assassin's dragon because its magic muffles sound and charges at you faster than the wind.

''Ah, assassin dragon!''

Mr. Norbu freaks out when he hears those two names.

It's okay, it's just a name.

This emerald dragon is also around that sharp peak about 5km away. From there, without a sound, it closed the distance in an instant and attacked me. It took about 3 or 4 seconds, I think.

I hadn't noticed that at all...

Well, that's the way emerald dragons fight.

''I mean, how can you get here from so far away in just a few seconds?　What kind of crazy speed is that?

Don't worry, it's only fast enough for humans to recognize it.

It's best to use exploration magic to detect the approach of the opponent and use defensive magic to intercept them, but if your magic search range is limited, you'll be right under their noses by the time you feel their reaction.

Isn't that a complete first kill?　How could you possibly detect it with reconnaissance magic if you can get to it from that far away in a flash?

No, a wizard can do it.

No, no, no.

For some reason, Mina says don't be reckless and denies it with a pat on the back and a wave of her hand.

Eh?　If you're a magic expert, you can detect them by hundreds of kilometres, and even Mina-san, who is in training, would be good enough.

It's a good idea to use defensive magic to intercept them.　Isn't that the wrong attack magic?

Oh, Mina, you make a good point.

Emerald dragons are easy to intercept as long as you take countermeasures, so they aren't an opponent to be feared.

Yes, as a countermeasure against the Emerald Dragon's attack, you should deploy a defensive magic that locks the attacker in place. That way, the attacking Emerald Dragon will destroy itself by hitting the defensive magic like it's going to hit the ground at high speed from you.

Simply put, it's like building an invisible wall between you and your opponent.

That's all it takes to easily defeat the Emerald Dragon, so it's no exaggeration to say that adventurers who've become a bit more adept at it are sitting ducks.

You will need to be able to use exploration magic that can reach that peak to do that.......wait a minute. So Lex, who killed the Emerald Dragon, can use exploration magic to reach that far away?

Yeah.

"Just like that?

I guess this shouldn't be such a surprise.

Normally I wouldn't go exploring that far away, but it's said that all kinds of dragons live here.

Of course I'll be expanding my search area to prevent emerald dragons.

Therefore, although emerald dragons are considered to be a demon for inexperienced parties, once you get past this point, it's not difficult to defeat them, so hunting an ore dragon is considered to be the gateway to success for a full-fledged dragon hunter.

It's also good practice to see if you can react instantly to sudden dangers.

By the way... what was it like when Lex first encountered this dragon?

'What?　The first time I fought an emerald dragon?　Um, I think....

When Mina asked me about it, I remembered my memories of my previous life.

Ah, I made a bit of a mistake at that time.

It's embarrassing to say. But if you don't tell people what happens if you don't make a mistake, it won't be good for them.

I was admiring the scenery of the place I was visiting for training when I accidentally got hit by an enemy, and in a hurry I cut it in half with my sword.

You're distracting me.　The masters were furious with me.

''You were approached right in front of me by an opponent that fast.........and you were split in half?

Yeah, cut in two.

When I answer, Liliella and Mina put their hands on their foreheads and let out a sigh.

Oops, have I been taken aback that I've done something so wasteful?

''Being able to instantly cut down an opponent that fast is absurd...''

If you can do that, it makes slaying dragons seem so easy... haha.

Well, it's Mr. Lex.

Huh?　How does this thing work?

They're just fast, okay?　They just muffle the sound and come closer, so exploration magic can't fool you, right?

That's my brother!　You could take out any dragon in half!

All you can do is hunt dragons made of precious stones.

On the other hand, Jairo and Megri seem to be willing to do anything to hunt dragons.

It's still dangerous to slay dragons, isn't it? It's only because Lex-san is there that we can do it safely.

Well, to be honest, I don't know if I would have been able to fight the first dragon properly without Lex.

No, no, everyone has too low a self-esteem.

''........Hey, if that's the case, the dragons that are coming now are pretty strong too, right?

And then Liliella-san asks me a question as she becomes increasingly wary of the two dragons that are coming towards us.

''Well, from the looks of it, the red one...?''

And then it was that time.

Suddenly I felt a strong presence from beyond the Dragon Peak.

"..........

Liliera-san and the others also shuddered greatly when they noticed the signs.

What is this?

It's not a bad idea.

It's not just Lilliera and the others.

The green dragons that have been flying around and continuing to threaten us are also curling their tails and showing signs of fright.

On the contrary, even the two ore dragons that were coming towards us are turning dizzy with surprise.

''........This sign, this isn't just a high-level dragon, is it?''

What's going on?

Liliera asks a question as her body trembles.

'Dragons can be roughly divided into three grades: lower, intermediate and advanced. But there is a small percentage of dragons that do not belong to this grade. That's a special class of dragon.

A special class of dragon!

The reaction of the dragons I was feeling with the exploration magic wasn't this strong at first.

But the vibrations I was feeling from one of them suddenly became stronger.

Perhaps they were hiding their abilities.

And looking at the reactions of the dragons around me, it looks like he's a very special dragon to them too.

Saying that, I pointed at the golden dragon that flew up from the middle of the Dragon Peak.

''Without a doubt, that's the strongest dragon the Golden Dragon!