25 Episode 24: I tried to defeat the legendary black dragon (virtual).

Let's just get it all back in the box.

There are tattered swords and shields lying around me in a mess.

I picked them up one by one and put them in the item box, but it was getting tedious.

As I wondered if it could be made more convenient, I heard a voice in my head.

'The default number of material collections has been met. The [Range Collection] has been released.

Whoa, nice timing.

As the name implies, the 【Range Collection】 seems to be able to collect materials within a certain distance with just a reminder.

Up until now I had to touch it with my hands, but I'm grateful that I don't have to do that.

I activated 【Range Collection】 while lightly running through the administrator-only area.

...... style.

It was good exercise.

I was able to collect all the materials while I was at it.　

Two birds with one stone.

Now, let's start 【creation】......, when I noticed one thing that was left out.

No, it was something that couldn't be collected in the item box.

It is a translucent, portly, mysterious creature.

It's a sessile slime.

"Master!　Thank you for helping me out!

Did you help him?　Me?

'Yes!　I was going to clean up this area before Master came in, but all kinds of things fell over and flattened out!

It's a bit of a clunker, this slime.

"Oh, you just thought I was a clunker!

That's pretty sharp.

You're right.

"It's a clunker, but it's a great feature for me!　Master, can I explain to you what these ruins were built for?

'Why were the ruins made: ......?　Yes, I'd like to grasp it as a master. Tell me about it.

Okay!　Then make eye contact with me!　Eh!

When I looked into the eyes of the slime, the landscape switched for a moment.

I was floating high in the sky, looking at the ground from there.

From somewhere, I heard the slime's voice.

''I'm interfering with Master's consciousness and showing you an image!　There are sounds and smells, but don't worry, it's not real!

I mean, would it be like VR?

I never thought I would experience virtual reality in another world.

Looking at the ground, a large city spread out.

In terms of size, it's more than ten times the size of Onen.

The cityscape is much more sophisticated and looks more like modern Japan.

'This is a record from 5,000 years ago!　Watch closely because this is where it gets important!

5,000 years ago, could it be when these ruins were made?

As I was thinking about ...... and the like, a huge dragon suddenly crossed under my vision.

Its entire body was black and covered in craggy scales.

Its presence was so disastrous that even though it was said to be unreal, it still gave off an intimidating feeling that made one want to run away.

''That's the Black Dragon of Extinction, the terrifying dragon that destroyed five countries in just three days!

In sync with Slime's commentary, the black dragon spat out a fireball from his mouth.

It crashed into the earth with the force of a torrent, burning up the entire area.

The city that had been spread out in full view a moment ago had turned into a burnt out field in just a few seconds.

''The Extremely Annihilating Black Dragon appears once every thousand years and wreaks great destruction on the earth. It will rampage for about seven days and then disappear somewhere else. ...... They've been repeating that since the time of mythology.

The slime's voice changed to a terribly serious tone, probably because it was important.

Our civilization fought desperately, but we could not contain the damage and many people died. ...... That's why we built these ruins for the future generations. If you're still alive, you can start over.

So this ruin is a shelter of refuge.

When the black dragon comes out, everyone will be holed up here and wait for the storm to pass.

It's like a natural disaster.

As for me, I just hope that doesn't happen while I'm still alive.

...... It's not a front. It's not a front, you know.

I have a feeling that the instructor, Mr. Giese, said, "Strange things often happen before some ridiculous monster comes out," but I hope it's just my imagination.

'Master-san, um, ......'

When the video ended and the place went dark, the slime spoke to me apologetically.

It's a good thing that you're not the only one who's been using it for a while now.　If I had known, I wouldn't have shown the footage to the master: ......!

The slime is in a hurry, but what will happen now?

As I was tilting my head, the landscape around me suddenly switched.

It's clearly a virtual space-like place, pure white.

There was me and ...... a giant black dragon there.

''Don't tell me you want me to fight ......?''

Ummm, yeah, .......

Slime's voice was almost tearful.

''It looks like a virtual battle with the black dragon was built in to give Master a sense of danger!　I'm not going to feel any pain or anything like that for a while, but ....... I'm trying to see if I can manage to disarm it, so just wait!

Even though I was told to wait, I wasn't in a position to wait.

The black dragon stared at us and its entire body trembled ...... and released a fireball from its mouth!

Yuck!

I remember fearing for my life ...... and no, it's only virtual reality, so it's okay?

But I don't want to be burned all over, even if it's fictional.

【The Art of Dexterity】 is activated.

The one I took out of the item box was Hikino's Table.

This thing is equipped with the "Flame Reflection S+".

It's a safe specification that won't burn even if it encounters a fire, but its performance was apparently even better than I imagined.

''Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

I grabbed the table leg and swung it around and shot back ...... a flying fireball.

If I were to compare it to a baseball, it would be a home run response.

The reflected fireball hits the black dragon with furious speed.

''Guaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!''

The black dragon's body leans back as his own attack bounces back.

Apparently, he had inflicted a great deal of damage.

If that's the case, then I'll just fold it up in one fell swoop!

I changed my clothes to Armored Bear Armor and activated 《Monstrous Power C+》.

I took out the Hikino wooden spear from the item box ...... and with all my might, I threw it at him!

Go to ......

The wooden spear was given a 《Hit Compensation S+》.

As aimed, it pierced the black dragon's left eye!

'Gruaaaahhhh!

The black dragon cringes in pain.

But that's it.

It hasn't reached a fatal wound.

I don't rest my hand and throw more hikino wooden spears at it.

I aim with pinpoint accuracy at the right eye, the inside of the mouth, and the base of the wing - just the part that isn't covered by the hard scales.

The black dragon finally begins to fall, perhaps due to the fact that he can no longer move his wings properly.

Tome.

I deactivate my armored bear armor and return to my suit.

I hold up my Hikino sword.

I activate the 《God Speed Blessing S》 and run.

Kicking the ground, he leaps.

He passes the falling black dragon in the air - he swings his wooden sword.

''...... slashed.''

The 《Slash Enhancement A》 possessed by the wooden sword not only improved its sharpness, but also apparently had the effect of extending the reach of the slash.

The black dragon fell to the ground, splitting into an upper and lower plummet.

Perhaps because this was virtual space, it would disappear like a mist as it was.

''Fuu.''

A sigh escaped me as I landed.

It was a close call, but we managed to win.

Ancient civilizations had advanced technological capabilities, but they still couldn't defeat the black dragon.

And yet, I was able to defeat the black dragon.

Well, it's just a virtual reality.

I don't know what will happen in real life.

It's possible that it was set up to be weaker than the real-life black dragon.

As I was thinking about that, the slime's voice rang out.

''Ma, Master!　That's awesome!　It's amazing!　I didn't expect you to slay the black dragon!

'No, aren't you weaker than you are in reality anyway?'

'No!　It's the other way around!　It's like the Great Sage Mobius was so out of character that he set it up several times stronger than it was in reality!

Seriously: "Seriously: ......

What the hell is going on here? My power.

It's too substandard.

So if I run into a black dragon attack, you mean I can win more easily ......?

I wonder what kind of weapons can be made from ...... black dragon materials.

Well, before that, though, the ancient weapons and Orichalcon Golem related [creation] are first.