The Craftsman Dragon looked down at us in silence for a while.
He had the satisfied look of someone admiring a masterpiece forged through hardship.
And since we were the result of his amusement, it wasn’t entirely inaccurate.
Before long, his voice echoed through the area.
“I offer you respect and gratitude. Thanks to you, I was able to find a brief moment of joy in an otherwise dull life. Much has deviated from the original plan, but that too is the charm of amusement.”
“……”
“Therefore, I shall give you one final opportunity.”
Jingle… jingle…
At some point, I found myself face-to-face with the hooded figure alone.
The Craftsman Dragon, my companions, and the monsters that had formed a perimeter were all gone.
A mental spell.
It seemed to be a type that showed illusions.
Since it was cast by an S-rank creature, it had managed to slightly breach the barrier of [Monarch].
If I’m in this state, then the others are probably caught in it properly.
I could break free if I wanted to.
I could even inform the others of what’s happening.
But I chose not to.
It’s not a threatening spell anyway.
It doesn’t eat away at the mind or manipulate it. It simply isolates each individual with an illusion.
To let them make a judgment free from the influence of the group.
And honestly, I’m curious to see how things turn out, so I’ll just observe for now.
Of course, after I deal with mine first.
Soon, a clear seal appeared over the hooded man’s palm.
“Even now, accept the seal and become a servant. If you do, not only will your life be spared, but you’ll be valued as a close aide.”
It was similar to, yet distinct from, option 3 of the deal.
We had survived to the end and proven our worth.
Even if I became a servant, he probably wouldn’t blow me up like a human grenade, the way he did with Sa Gong-wook’s crew.
Though it would mean betraying the people here with me.
I imagined for a moment that all of this wasn’t just a midterm, but real life.
A final chance, appearing in the face of inevitable death.
Would I die as a human, or survive by giving up so much?
I didn’t need long to decide.
I answered in a firm tone.
“I refuse.”
“Interesting. Why?”
“Because it’s my life. I don’t like the idea of handing it over to someone else.”
Can a life that only follows someone else’s orders truly be called a life?
That might be a matter of opinion, but to me, the answer is no.
If it’s a life I can’t claim with my own strength, then it was never really mine to begin with.
“And besides, you’re not exactly trustworthy.”
If it were a kind, well-reputed dragon, I might’ve at least considered it for a second. But joining under the Craftsman Dragon would be the worst choice possible.
He might call it being a close aide, but I’d probably end up turned into some kind of draconic soldier.
Around the time I said all this, the [Monarch] mental barrier completely expelled the illusion.
The heavy rain began tapping my face again, and I could see my companions.
They were also giving their answers.
“Not even worth considering.”
“I refuse.”
“Why on earth would I?”
“No.”
“A close aide? Did you really think I’d fall for that sweet talk?”
The result: not a single person accepted. No exceptions.
Even Shin Byeong-cheol, whom I’d half-expected to waver, refused.
The Craftsman Dragon withdrew his mental magic and let out a word of admiration.
“Truly noble. Then I shall grant you an end worthy of that decision.”
The moment his words ended, the monster army, positioned like a folding screen around us, all moved into combat stance.
Snap!
The killing intent they unleashed made my skin sting.
Even in this tense, explosive moment, I calmly looked around at my party.
“Remember this moment well. So next year, we can see how much stronger we’ve become.”
“That’s a great idea.”
Song Cheon-hye nodded in agreement.
Taking on this challenge again with the same team didn’t sound so bad.
I added one more comment.
“Though we might drop Byeong-cheol.”
“Wait, why me?”
“What are you holding right now?”
“…Ahem.”
Shin Byeong-cheol awkwardly adjusted his grip on the chopsticks.
Thanks to that, the mood seemed to lighten a bit, and everyone smiled boldly.
Right after, Lee Seong-hyeon slammed his tower shield hard into the ground.
Thud!
“Bring it on!”
Dozens of Draconic Soldiers leapt into the air all at once, charging in from every direction.
Without delay, I began chaining my skills together.
[Activated ‘Octopus Limbs’.]
[Activated ‘Enchantment’.]
[Activated ‘Enchantment’.]
[‘Distortion has been granted to the target’.]
[‘Distortion has been granted to the target’…]
[‘Distortion has been granted to the target’…]
I passed the distortion on to Go Hyeon-woo, Seo Ye-in, Hong Yeon-hwa, and Shin Byeong-cheol.
Next, I boosted my own specs.
[Activated ‘Octopus Limbs’.]
[Activated ‘Amplification.’]
[The rank of ‘Core’ has been increased. (B+ → S+)]
[The rank of ‘Inferno Fist’ has been increased. (B → S)]
[The rank of ‘Wind Force’ has been increased. (B+ → S+)]
[The rank of ‘Spiral Explosion’…]
[The rank of ‘Feather Step’…]
…
Boom!
Two Draconic Soldiers were sent flying by a blast of compressed wind.
In the gap they left, two more pushed in, slashing their swords.
Seo Ye-in twisted and dodged left and right to avoid them.
One of their longswords came down on the crown of her head—
Clang!
—but she was unharmed, thanks to the immortal pot she had on.
Still, the overall situation was nothing short of hopeless.
The battle had only just begun, yet it was already racing toward its end.
Fzzzzzzzt—
Song Cheon-hye spread electricity across a wide area.
But an arrow came flying out of nowhere and blew her head apart.
Not far off, two Draconic Soldiers swung their longswords wildly.
Slash!
Mo Yong-jun and the disciplinary squad members, caught in the flurry, were sliced to pieces.
Several hammer-wielding Draconic Soldiers pounded on Lee Seong-hyeon.
Thud, thud, thud!
His shield went flying, and he himself was smashed into a crumpled heap, armor and all.
Go Hyeon-woo struggled to hold his ground in a back-and-forth clash with a longsword Draconic Soldier.
The distortion I had granted to him had long since worn off.
Just as the two swordsmen clashed again, a Draconic Soldier suddenly barged in and slashed his blade diagonally.
Slice—
Go Hyeon-woo’s upper body was split on the diagonal.
Seeing this, Han So-mi let out a scream.
“No—!”
Her eyes rolled back as she charged in, only to meet the same fate moments later.
Thud!
Two thick spears pierced through Hong Yeon-hwa’s chest and abdomen.
Still skewered, she grabbed my arm and gave a bitter smile.
“Go out… and see for yourself.”
In the time it takes to drink a glass of water, only three of us remained in the arena.
Me, Seo Ye-in, and unexpectedly Shin Byeong-cheol.
As Draconic Soldiers closed in from all sides, he raised a glowing card high into the air.
“Retreaat—!”
Flash!
Enveloped in light, he shot high into the sky…only to fall straight back down into the same spot.
It was because we were the only participants left.
With an awkward look, Shin Byeong-cheol scratched the back of his head.
“Man, I had a tiny bit of hope, but yeah… figures. But hey, honestly, that was kind of fun, right, hyungnim? You gotta admit.”
In response, the Draconic Soldiers swung their weapons mercilessly, and Shin Byeong-cheol vanished with a final scream.
“Gyaaaah—!”
Seo Ye-in silently watched the scene unfold.
Then she slowly looked around at the spots where our teammates had stood and finally locked eyes with the Craftsman Dragon.
“…I’m angry.”
“Because you lost your friends?”
“My friends.”
She might’ve seemed indifferent on the outside, but deep down, she had considered them her friends.
The Craftsman Dragon let out a low chuckle.
“Anger can be a powerful motivator. So, what do you plan to do now?”
“Make you pay.”
“Me? If you could, why didn’t you do it sooner?”
“I was saving it.”
“Says who?”
“My uncle.”
The Craftsman Dragon chuckled again.
“Now I’m curious. What is this move you’ve been saving so carefully?”
“……”
Hssssss—
Gray hair began turning pure white from the crown of her head.
At the same time, a brilliant light enveloped Seo Ye-in’s entire body.
It was so bright that it was hard to even see.
In that state, she raised one hand above her head.
Flaaaaaaash—!
A pillar of light shot straight up into the sky.
It not only pierced through the dark crimson barrier but also tore apart the black clouds that had blanketed the sky.
The heavy rain began to taper off, and rays of sunlight broke through.
Soon, the radiant light transformed into a cluster of stars swirling high above.
Unlike before, the Craftsman Dragon now wore a look of clear shock.
“This technique…!”
“Ultimate move.”
Seo Ye-in said again as she aimed her gleaming white assault rifle at the Craftsman Dragon.
The moment the muzzle flared, the cluster of stars began falling from the sky.
Whoooooooooooooosh—!
Dozens, hundreds of shining stars struck the barrier surrounding the Craftsman Dragon.
In a panic, the dragon shouted:
“Kill her!!”
All the Draconic Soldiers charged at Seo Ye-in at once.
A flood of questions rushed through my mind, but I decided to put them on hold.
I took position beside Seo Ye-in and swung the Crow Branch.
Booom!
Compressed wind exploded outward, blasting away a Draconic Soldier.
Immediately after came a storm of fire.
Boooooooooom—!
A burning pain shot through my fist.
It was literally turning into charcoal.
Without [Retrocovery], and taking an elemental penalty at S-rank, it was only natural.
Of course, with things almost over, there was no reason to hold back.
I thrust my burning fist forward once again.
Boooooooooom—!
But one hand can’t stop ten.
Even though we kept pushing them back and burning them, the Draconic Soldiers pressed on relentlessly and finally, they drove their blades into Seo Ye-in’s body.
Thud.
“……”
The brilliant glow slowly began to fade, and her once-pure-white hair returned to gray.
Then, Seo Ye-in slowly turned her head toward me.
“Encouragement reward.”
“Yeah, now go.”
And just like that, she dissolved into particles and vanished.
As I watched her disappear, the Craftsman Dragon asked,
“The pain of loss humans feel is said to be truly immense. Taking that into account, I decided to leave you for last.”
“This guy really holds a grudge, huh?”
He realized I was the one who took down the Dragonwing Soldier and now he’s out for revenge.
Killing everyone right in front of me, then finishing me off last.
He asked,
“I’m curious….how do you feel right now? Is your rage boiling over, like your lover’s?”
“Not quite.”
After all, he’s just a being of the past, part of an artificial dungeon.
Getting angry would only hurt me.
“Still, it did serve as a good reminder of my goal.”
“Your goal?”
“To get stronger. Not just me…everyone.”
“Isn’t that the value most humans pursue?”
“Sure, but I’m a bit greedier than most. Just being strong isn’t enough. I need overwhelming power.”
At my words, the Craftsman Dragon showed interest.
“And why go that far?”
“Because that’s the only way I won’t lose anyone.”
If we’re weaker than the enemy, we’ll be defeated and wiped out like just now.
If we’re about equal or even stronger, we might win, but we’ll still have to accept some losses.
And those losses will most likely mean casualties. Possibly even people I’ve built bonds with.
Can you really call that a happy ending?
“If we’re overwhelmingly strong, then I won’t have to worry about that. Just like you did…crushing everything in your path.”
“You’re not wrong. You even sound confident.”
“I’m sure of it.”
“I’d say I’m looking forward to it… but isn’t it ironic? That this ends up being your final declaration?”
“You wouldn’t understand.”
That this is just an artificial dungeon, and that we’ll face each other again next year.
I didn’t bother explaining.
The Craftsman Dragon I meet next time won’t remember any of this anyway.
All the conversation we’ve had up to now was really just a vow to myself.
I grinned and clenched my fist.
“Then, see you next year.”
“…Kill him.”
The Draconic Soldiers swarmed in, filling my vision.
I stepped forward and unleashed Inferno Fist.
Boooooooooom—!
Until both arms burned to ash and crumbled away.
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