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Chapter 225: The Third Trial (13)
―Kuaaah!
The two dragons, whose levels had become 303 by rounding down half of 605, roared.
He checked the dragons' stats.
[Bone Dragon 1]
[Level: 303]
[Skills: Breath (S), Dragon Magic (A)]
[Loyalty: 30]
[Strength: 606(+303)] [Agility: 606(+303)] [Stamina: 606(+303)] [Magic Power: 606(+303)]
'Oh.'
The first thing that caught his eye was their powerful stats.
'All stats are doubled?'
A high-ranking summon characteristic.
They received a much higher stat multiplier per level up than humans (4).
Bone Dragons received a stat bonus of 8 per level up. This was a much higher multiplier than Liches or Death Knights.
'Liches were magic specialists, and Death Knights were strength and agility.'
Did they both get a total of 6 stats per level up?
That was probably it.
On the other hand, Bone Dragons got 8.
They were definitely worthy of being called SS-rank crafting summons.
Plus, the 50% stat bonus from the Death Lord title.
'If I use bone exchange and equip them...'
It seemed like their stats would easily exceed 1,000. All their stats were in the 900s as soon as they were created.
They were truly monstrous summons.
He checked their skills.
Breath was literally breath.
Dragon Magic was...
[Dragon Magic (A): Handles various A-rank or lower magic of different attributes.]
This explanation was added.
In other words, to summarize it in one sentence.
'A summon that's big, has good stats, breathes fire, and can do all sorts of magic.'
Even in their current state, they could easily steamroll most A-rank Awakened.
"You two! Come here."
He beckoned with his finger.
―Kuooo?
The two dragons, tilting their heads, approached with heavy footsteps.
"You'll be Ilryong, and you'll be Yiryong."
[TL/N: Names not confirmed]
The two dragons were silent.
"What, you don't like it?"
―Kuooo!
He could see the two dragons nodding their heads roughly. Snorting and glaring at him with their blue eyes...
"Are you rebelling?"
―Krrr.......
The Bone Dragons growled as if they couldn't accept the names.
'They're all so arrogant.'
Well.
Even the mid-rank summons, the Dullahans, were like that. So what about the Bone Dragons, which could be called top-tier summons?
They might be fuming right now because some random human gave them weird names.
Of course, even if that was the case, he had no intention of giving each object a name.
'It's a hassle.'
He had more than one or two summons, wasn't it a chore to memorize their names?
Even though Bone Dragons were quite strong, they weren't summons that deserved that much dedication.
"Merhen."
―Yes.
"Can you teach those two dragons some magic? So they can use it well."
―Okay! You two! I'm your teacher from now on. Got it?
―.......
The Bone Dragons, tilting their heads, suddenly swung their hands.
It was an unexpected attack.
Of course, it meant nothing to Merhen.
Rumble!
Two lightning bolts fell from the sky.
[Ilryong is being recalled!]
[Yiryong is being recalled!]
The two rebellious dragons were instantly recalled.
―Can you summon them again?
Less than three seconds after being recalled, the two dragons reappeared.
―You two! Who told you to hit your teacher?
Flinch!
The two dragons shuddered.
The dragons glared at Merhen with extremely wary eyes.
However, this time they didn't rush to attack. Although it was just one spell, they had felt a tremendous gap.
―Don't do that again. Okay?
Nod.
―And, Minwoo here is my master. So you have to be loyal to him, alright?
Bone Dragons are top-tier summons.
They had considerable intelligence.
The moment Merhen spoke, the hierarchy was established in their minds.
Kim Minwoo > Merhen > The two dragons.
['Ilryong's' loyalty has greatly increased!]
['Yiryong's' loyalty has greatly increased....]
This was subcontracting education.
The effect was perfect.
* * *
He found Vulcan.
The largest cave.
It was filled with pools of blood.
Vulcan's energy, having absorbed all the bodies of the demon lords, was much stronger than before.
Nevertheless, his face was stiff.
―Human. Look at this. It's an official notice from Baal.
He handed over a manuscript.
[Everyone remembers the terrible Dark Ages when the Balrogs ruled. I, Baal, and the other Great Demon Lords have made a grand decision to readily acknowledge the newly ascended Great Demon Lords... The seven Great Demon Lords will gather soon to once again subjugate...]
"So... the subjugation force has been duplicated?"
―...Yes. We killed three Great Demon Lords, but it became meaningless. The 8th, 9th, and 10th places took their spots again. It seems Baal is serious about killing me. Otherwise, he wouldn't have recognized the Great Demon Lord positions so quickly...
Vulcan sighed.
He knew that the lords were wary of the Balrogs, but to this extent...
He had secretly hoped that something would change after killing the three of them, but there was no chance.
The subjugation force was still maintained, and it seemed that the higher demon lords, including Baal, would not give up the Demon God's Stone.
"Let me see the map."
Kim Minwoo, who received the map from Vulcan, examined the drawing. The lords' armies were marked in various places.
It seemed that the gathering place had changed to another location because Marbas' territory had been devastated...
"I've got the answer."
―...Is there a way?
"This Baal guy here is the most persistent. He's number one, so he must be the spiritual pillar of the subjugation force."
―That's right.
"The best defense is offense. Let's hit this guy."
―...You mean we should ambush Baal first?
"Or, do you want to wait? Until they gather their armies and gain strength?"
Vulcan shook his head.
He was simple, but he wasn't stupid.
It was obvious that a long-term battle was not the answer. The mercenary group had already been halved while fighting the three Great Demon Lords.
On the other hand, the subjugation force would continue to grow if given time.
New Great Demon Lords would join them.
The only fortunate thing was that other mid-to-high-ranking demon lords were not joining, which said it all.
'It must be because of his greed...'
He couldn't use the army for free.
The more demon lords joined, the more Baal would have to promise.
That was probably why.
He was stubbornly gathering only the seven Great Demon Lords.
Vulcan looked at Kim Minwoo.
Even the violent and hot-tempered Balrogs hadn't thought of this plan. At the suggestion of striking the number one demon lord first, his blood boiled.
Baal, who saw his confident appearance, gulped.
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―By any chance... Can you use that earthquake again?
"No, I can't. It has a cooldown. A long one."
The dice couldn't be rolled just because he wanted to. Plus, if he rolled now, he would receive a misfortune debuff.
Receiving a misfortune debuff in a battle against the already tough lords?
It would be suicide, even if he did trigger the indomitable spirit.
He had no intention of doing that.
―That's... not good. Then what do we do? I may have gotten stronger by eating the corpses, but Baal is out of the question.
"Is Baal that strong?"
―The number one rank is no joke. I've only seen him a few times, but... he's the real deal. He's a true powerhouse, incomparable to the likes of Marbas. And it's not just Baal...
The 2nd ranked Vasago.
The 3rd ranked Agares.
And the 4th ranked Gamigin.
The higher Great Demon Lords were gathered near Baal. And the newly ascended Great Demon Lords were also expected to gather soon.
The difference in power was despairing.
Yet, the human's expression remained calm.
As if he had some kind of plan.
―...Do you have a way in mind?
"Thanks to you, I'm going to have to invest in everything."
―Huh...?
"There's a way. But I'll have to use up all my resources."
The Dice of Fate (Luck) could no longer be used.
Then what was left was...
'The nuclear bomb.'
And not just any ordinary nuclear bomb.
There were four higher Great Demon Lords.
'A long-term battle is a definite loss.'
He had to sweep them away in one fell swoop in a short-term battle.
He took out a ticket he had obtained a long time ago from his inventory.
[Item Rank Up Ticket]
[Rank: Special]
[A one-time ticket that can increase the rank of an item. A very, very good box secretly ate it and hid it. Someone might be desperately looking for it?]
[Effect 1. Increases the rank of an item by one level when used.]
Item Rank Up Ticket.
There were no conditions for use.
Therefore, he had originally planned to use it after obtaining a Mythical rank item.
Because then, who knows what kind of monstrous item would appear.
'But, I can't use it like that.'
The highest rank item he currently had was Ancient+.
Mythical?
He had only seen it once in over 15 years of playing this game. And seeing it didn't mean he knew how to obtain it.
If he kept it like this...
'It would be difficult to escape perfectly from here, right?'
The cause of all this.
The higher demon lords, including Baal.
In Kim Minwoo's view, these guys were the privileged class, a kind of gathering of rotten water.
Vulcan's desired ascension to lordship.
The prosperity of the Balrogs.
In the end, all of this was impossible without breaking down this privileged class.
At best, a compromise would be the best they could do.
'And that compromise would be a half-baked escape condition.'
He wasn't satisfied with that.
Then he had to use it.
It would be better than saving it and letting it go to waste.
The nuclear bomb was 'Special' rank.
He was a bit curious about what the next rank was.
"But Vulcan. There's no ranking battle or anything here?"
―...Ranking battle?
"Like a structure where representatives fight each other to raise the lords' rankings."
―What kind of childish game is that? Why would you leave the ranking to some representative?
Vulcan tilted his head as if he had never heard of it before. It seemed that the ranking battle Mr. Ahn had mentioned was something that would be born in the future.
Well, whatever.
"I'll take care of this cleanly. But you have to promise me one thing too."
―A promise?
"After this is taken care of, pledge your loyalty to me."
―...Pledge my loyalty?
"The Balrogs' status will rise, and you'll ascend to the position of a lord. Is that so difficult for the reward you'll get?"
The reason Vulcan hadn't become a lord despite his overflowing power was because he hadn't gained the consent of the other lords.
At least three lords had to agree for a new lord to ascend, and Vulcan hadn't met that condition.
But if the higher-ups, including Baal, were all dead, could they still oppose it?
Probably not.
―Alright! If it goes as you say, what's so hard about bowing my head! I'll do as you say!
"You promised?"
―We Balrogs always keep our word!
Good.
Loyalty secured.
* * *
Flap!
Two giant Bone Dragons soared through the skies of the Demon Realm. A group of Balrogs followed behind them.
'It's convenient to have a flying mount.'
A flying mount.
It was a summon that could revolutionize one's life.
It was the same inside the gate.
Usually, there weren't many monsters that attacked from the air.
Comfortable movement was guaranteed.
Bone Dragons were also summons that guaranteed such comfort.
Of course, there were monsters that flew in the Demon Realm too, but.
[Ilryong uses Breath!]
[Yiryong uses Breath....]
Fwoosh!
Black flames spewed from their mouths, and the monsters blocking their path fell like flies.
"Ah, this is it."
Riding on Merhen's levitation had its own charm, but riding on a Bone Dragon's head was something else.
At this moment, he didn't even think about the sports cars overflowing in his garage.
This was a man's romance.
―There, I see an army!
Kalrung shouted.
He could see barracks filled like an anthill.
Gamigin's territory, ranked 4th.
It was the place where the Great Demon Lords, including Baal, were gathering anew.
The hosts came out in person to welcome their guests.
Four demon lords, emitting tremendous energy, flew up into the sky.
Closing the distance was instantaneous.
Baal.
A demon with the heads of a lynx, a human, and a frog. In this way, it could be said that he resembled Leluya, who had three heads, but comparing him to her might be an insult.
After all, all three of Leluya's heads were beautiful.
His torso resembled a spider, with dozens of legs attached.
Vasago.
He had the appearance of a skeletal old man.
Agares.
He was a demon resembling a giant crocodile.
Gamigin.
He resembled a giant black horse. The four demon lords glared at Vulcan with their eyes blazing.
That was for a moment.
Baal, who stepped forward, spoke as their representative.
―We've heard. That a human has joined the Balrog ranks. You must be that 'variable'.
"Variable?"
―Yes, a variable. No matter how foolishly they acted alone, they shouldn't have been defeated by that idiotic group. But they were. So you must be the variable.
Then Baal said.
―What do you want? Power? Status? Money? Treasure? Eternal life? Desire? What did Vulcan promise you?
The four Great Demon Lords then glared at Kim Minwoo as if searching him.
―I will give you what you want. Everything except the Demon God's Stone.
It was at that moment.
[The basic conditions for escape have been met!]
[If you wish for the safety of the Balrogs, you can escape this place!]
[Would you like to escape now?]
[If you refuse, the escape will be deactivated again!]
Aha.
What Baal wanted was the Demon God's Stone.
It seemed he was willing to grant almost any wish in exchange for getting rid of him.
That's probably why the basic conditions for escape appeared.
"What I want?"
―Yes. This is an opportunity. Especially for a human like you.
"It's simple. Everything."
He wanted an overwhelming reward that encompassed everything.
That was it, everything.
[Elu's Tear is activated!]
['Miracle' is activated!]
[It has a one-month cooldown!]
The Miracle effect attached to the ring.
And also...
['Nuclear Bomb' uses the Item Rank Up Ticket!]
The moment the rank-up ticket was used.
['Special' rank grows to 'Extraordinary' rank!]
[The power of 'Miracle' is imbued!]
[Great Demon Realm Decisive Weapon (x1) acquired!]
The result was out.
[Great Demon Realm Decisive Weapon]
[Rank: Extraordinary]
[A mysterious bomb. Filled with holy blood that is fatal to demons. A true disaster for the Demon Realm.]
[Effect 1. Detonates in a designated area. The wider the area, the more the damage spreads.]
[Effect 2. Does not harm the user or allies.]
[Would you like to detonate it now?]
He nodded.
It was at that moment.
Bang!
A white light so bright he couldn't open his eyes swept over all the Great Demon Lords.
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