The legendary Moonlight Sculptor

V57C6P3 - Blue Dragon Latuas

"Mmm…"

"Ah…"

"This is…"

The Earthly Shadow party carefully glanced at one another and realized what they just witnessed.

It was the death of the Silver Dragon, Yuskellanda.

The death of a dragon was nothing to take lightly.

They had begun to understand the situation, but it wasn't over after handing over the Promise Necklace.

- My friend Yuskellanda was a friend of the elves, was fond of dwarves, and loved humans. She tried to protect the world from the demons.

Ratuas started a long soliloquy. The three adventurers didn't speak a word and listened.

Yuskellanda's request was to look over the humans. For the fate of your kind, you must seek out the seeds of threat planted in this world by the demons.

"Threats?"

- The demons are plotting to destroy the world. Their schemes are secretive and disguised, and if undiscovered, it will lead to devastation.

"…."

The Earthly Shadow Party peeked at one another. It was the atmosphere of a chain quest, but demon plots were a pretty common subject.

"By demon plots, are you referring to this?"

Ben took out the eggshell fragments. It was the broken dragon shell of Kaybern.

- That is it. That is the fake egg created by magic. To think that the demons dared to manipulate the dragons.

< You have completed the quest 'Demonic Secret. >

The quest was complete before they could accept it.

They gained Reputation and Friendship points with Ratuas once again.

< Kaybern and Landony are already active. The contents of the chained quest are refreshed.>

< You have completed the quest 'Black Dragon Kaybern'. >

< You have completed the quest 'Red Dragon Landony'. >

< You have completed the quest 'The Demon Sovereign'. >

- Kaybern and Landony. You must stop them. After the destruction of the humans, dwarves, and orcs, they will forge the hellgate from dark magic. The demons will be born into this world.

Blink.

< Blue Dragon Ratuas is now active.

The two foolish dragons are on the move for the advent of the Demon King Cletta. Ratuas will wage war to keep to an oath he swore long ago.>

"Stopping them is my rightful duty as a dragon."

< Find the whereabouts of Kaybern and Landony. The continent will be at peace if Ratuas defeats the dragons.

Requirements: Completion of 'The Demon Sovereign.'

Difficulty: S >

The quest activated, a quest that sparked war among the dragons.

"Normally, I wouldn't trust something like this."

"Right? The last part of the quest log is a bit suspicious. There is no guarantee at any time that Ratuas could win against the two dragons."

"Landony mobilized when Kaybern was in danger. In the worst scenario, Ratuas could die from the combined attacks of both of the dragons."

The Earthly Shadow party was a collective of experts in adventures.

This quest utilized Ratuas, but it wasn't simple. It was extremely risky and posed a chance for an unrecoverable error; it was a quest with dreadful consequences.

"But, Kaybern is about to die at any moment and Landony is on its way to Morata…"

"Then it's decided. There will be no better timing than now."

"Then I assume everyone is on board?"

"Yeah, of course."

"I'm in."

Silver Ring spoke on behalf of the other members.

"Kaybern and Landony are in the northern city Morata."

< The required information for the offensive of the Blue Dragon Ratuas has been delivered. >

Ratuas' mountainous figure rose slowly. The Earthly Shadow party was overwhelmed by its endless form.

- The dragon is the power that maintains balance in this world. Kaybern and Landony are foolish, murderous dragons. If they look to destroy the human world for the reign of Cletta, they must be stopped.

Ratuas spread its wings at the lair entrance and took flight. The Earthly Shadow party watched blankly.

"I think… we just pulled off something incredible.'"

"Tell me about it. Something awesome."

"Ah… Morata. We need to see this unroll at Morata."

***

Weed, while leading the dwarves, received news that Bard Ray got the first hand on the dragon.

- Mapan: One of the dragons is dead!

When he quickly turned his head, he caught sight of the Black Dragon's fall. As if the effects of Evil Divide had subsided, the dragon's body dissipated.

"As I thought!"

Weed with hawk eyes confirmed that there was no loot dropped from the body.

'There was nothing.'

It was a great distance away, but nothing was visible. Victory was more important than anything, but so were the items dropped from a dragon.

'The loots and achievement haven't tripled. The dragon slayer achievement will be seized by the one who slays the last Kaybern.'

- Mapan: Urgent news.

"What is it now?"

Weed's anxiousness amplified each time Mapan messaged him. Today was especially full of news that put stress on his heart.

- Mapan: Ratuas has taken flight from its lair.

"The Blue Dragon?"

The dragon had deep connections with Weed. He proceeded with quests involving the dragon and also forged a sculpture of Yuskellanda. He had raised a high friendship level with the dragon while pocketing added supply of Helium in the process. Even so, he did not ever want to see the dragon's face again.

- Mapan: Message from the Earthly Shadow party. They say Ratuas set out to stop Kaybern and Landony.

"It intends to help us?"

- Mapan: Yes. It has just mobilized from its lair… Hold on.

Weed led the dwarves in the fight and was simultaneously eager to hear from Mapan.

The Hermes Guild had slain one of the dragons and joined forces with the Assault Squad for the next kill.

- Kuuuugh. Lightning! Lightning! Lightning!

The dragon on the other side also resisted violently against the humans. It was total chaos.

- I will wipe you all out at once. Ocean Flames.

The Black Dragon carried the identical conscious mind of Kaybern.

As one of the clones was destroyed, it began to fly away from the Hermes Guild attack.

"No!"

"Stop it right now!"

The Hermes Guild and the assault squad could be seen chasing after the rising dragon laying waste on the ground below.

- Where do you think you're looking?!

The enemy was also right in front of Weed.

He faced its intense heat of its rageful breath, the dragon clearly remembered him planting the Loa Sword in its eye.

- Spatial Explosion!

The dragon activated a spell whenever it replenished enough mana to cast.

Since Weed was very nimble, it swapped from targeted spells to area of effect skills.

The space compressed, shooting off beams of light and let out a fearsome explosion.

< Health points have decreased by 162,381.

The dimension is warping and shattering.

Strength will be reduced by 4.6% each second, and you will enter a feeble state. >

Even for Weed, it was a substantial loss! His level was over 1,000 but it was difficult to withstand an ultimate spell with his body.

< The Sky Ruler's Armor resists status effects. >

Aside from the Lightning Crown, he had equipped all of the gear that raised health points and magic resistance. For the dragon hunt, the warriors of the Hermes Guild equipped gear that multiplied their stamina by two or three times, bringing them over one million stamina.

Weed's health points were not as high as the warriors, but he had something to lean on.

"Graceful Protection!"

"Light of Brilliance!"

"Healing Touch!"

"Complete Restoration!"

It was to receive healing spells from his allies constantly and replenish his health points.

'I can sustain myself for a little longer.'

The dwarves and the prestigious guilds were able to completely focus on attacking, whilst the dragon taken on by the assault squad had finally gone up to the sky.

One of its legs was badly ruined, but it did succeed in taking flight despite the countless players riding on its back.

- Mule: Let's move out.

The war was transitioning into an aerial battle on the far side!

The griffin riders assaulted the dragon with spears.

- Mapan: According to the Earthly Shadow party, it seems Ratuas too is on its way to Morata.

"Is that for real?"

- Mapan: We have eyes around the city confirming Ratuas flying north. Landony and Ratuas are both coming to Morata.

'This is going to be a disaster like no other.'

Weed kept checking on the status of Kaybern. The dragon's health points were declining under the one-sided attack from the dwarves and the guilds.

- I will kill you, dwarf.

Every time Weed evaded, Kaybern's leg and wings crushed the buildings, and its magic erased everything in the area.

***

There were forces still hiding inside the buildings of Morata.

"Volk, I think the situation is very hopeful just like you said."

"It seems like it. They just might slay the dragon."

The dark gamers. The ones who could survive anywhere and lived only to collect loot decided to stay in Morata. From the start, they agreed to back out without any regrets if the odds looked miserable. Staying alive was the only thing that mattered.

"They were on par with Kaybern until now."

"They pressured the dragon even though it was just the Hermes Guild, and one of the clones has been taken care of."

"Landony is on its way but… Ratuas is close behind."

"Now it's time to make a decision."

Dentacore was also at the pub for the dark gamer meeting. Since the early days of Royal Road he preferred hunting alone. He spent all his time in dungeons and did not associate himself with any other player. Back when the best players were only level 100 ~ 200, they spoke stories of him.

- Dentacore accomplishes anything by himself. He is the emperor of the hunting grounds.

As the Hermes Guild faction grew and the average standard of players rose higher, the stories of Dentacore whittled away. Still, it was common sense that Dentacore who always lived in the hunting grounds would be a very powerful player.

Dentacore emptied a Moratan beer clean and laid the glass down on the table.

"I'm taking off. I can't wait any longer."

As Kaybern's life approached death, Dentacore left through the doors of the pub.

The few other dark gamers, after a short staring contest among themselves, got off their seats.

"K-hmm. I have to get going too if I want to grab anything before it's all gone."

"My bones are rusty. I guess it's time to warm up."

The leftover dark gamers saw the dragon beyond the window. It was chasing down Weed with a heavily wounded body.

"It's a dragon. An overwhelming presence… But, it's also true that it is severely wounded."

"A wounded dragon. The aggravation is real."

"Whoever gets first dibs on the items is the winner, am I right?"

The system of calculation for dark gamers was different from Weed and the Hermes Guild. There was neither the peace of the continent or personal pride involved, but solely the gains at hand. If paid well, they could bet their lives any day.

"It's uncertain once Landony comes, but I can kill that one for sure."

"It's a perfect window for a hit and run. The rest is none of my concern."

(To be continued…)