It looked as if red paint had been splashed across a sky-blue canvas.
The blood-colored aura spread rapidly, covering the sky, and then trickled down like a curtain, engulfing the city.
No matter which way I turned my head, all I could see was red.
The city descended into chaos.
– Kyaaa!
– Wh-Why is the sky like that?
Screams erupted from all around, and pedestrians ran about in a panic.
In contrast, the Crafstman Dragon stared at the red sky with indifferent eyes.
As if admiring the barrier he had cast.
Then he turned back to me, a glint of curiosity in his eyes.
“…You’re calm. I don’t sense any turmoil in you. Perhaps that’s to be expected from a human like you.”
He drew his own conclusion and nodded in understanding, even though I hadn’t said a word.
A “human like you” probably referred to me being a monarch.
There’s no way a dragon of S-rank wouldn’t recognize me.
It seems he believes my composure is thanks to the monarch’s presence.
“I hope you survive for a long time.”
Though it was a phrase casually exchanged with other participants, coming from the Craftsman Dragon, it carried a heavy malice.
Because what he really meant was, “Struggle for as long as you can and entertain me.”
At any rate, I gave a slight nod.
“I intend to.”
“I’ll look forward to it.”
With that, the Craftsman Dragon turned away.
The Draconic Soldier gave me a respectful bow before following at his side.
Soon, the two of them rose gently into the air and quickly disappeared into the distance.
The next moment, a single gleaming card appeared where the Craftsman Dragon had stood.
It was the very reason I had dropped everything and come here.
Items drop here too.
So what is the primary purpose of this midterm?
The purpose was to make us witness and experience the events that took place in Craft Haven firsthand.
Among those events, the Craftsman Dragon’s barrier was especially important, and the academy had likely taken that into account when placing the item.
Not just any item, but one with excellent performance and high rarity.
[Dragon Compass]
The problem was that there was only one item and multiple participants had likely thought the same thing I had.
Even though the Craftsman Dragon had long since departed, I could feel gazes stabbing into me from all directions.
Some even showed open hostility, as if debating whether to take it by force.
Just then, I sensed someone approaching. Turning my head, I saw Lee Seong-hyun, a promising student of the Order of Knights.
He greeted me with a small nod of his chin and asked,
“So there was an item after all. Mind if I take a look?”
“I don’t see why not.”
While I was at it, I decided to give a demonstration.
When I used the item, a compass the size of a palm appeared where the card had been.
[Dragon Compass]
▷ Points to the nearest dragon, draconic soldier, or minion.
The arrow pointed precisely in the direction the Craftsman Dragon and Draconic Soldiers had flown off to.
Then it quickly spun again, redirecting elsewhere. It was probably because the distance had widened, and it had locked onto a closer target instead.
Lee Seong-hyun’s eyes sparkled.
“With this, we could at least track them to some degree.”
“Exactly.”
You could follow the compass to encounter powerful enemies or keep an eye on its direction to prepare for combat in advance.
Soon, Lee Seong-hyun spoke with a serious expression.
“Would you consider handing it over to us? You’ve probably been informed, but we’re operating a fairly large-scale expedition team. This would be a great help.”
“Sorry, but it’s something we need more. We plan to be a bit more aggressive.”
“By ‘aggressive’…?”
I nodded, indicating his guess was correct.
“We’ll be hunting them. The draconic soldiers.”
“Are you serious…?!”
Lee Seong-hyun’s eyes widened in shock.
Just how powerful the draconic soldiers were. No one would truly know until they actually fought them.
However, it had been stated that their level was at least one tier above the surrounding monsters, so it was clear that fighting them would be extremely dangerous and difficult.
That’s why even the promising students and the disciplinary committee based their strategies on avoiding direct conflict with the draconic soldiers… and here I was, planning to hunt them down on purpose.
Lee Seong-hyun let out a sigh.
“I’ve always tried to walk the path of a true man, but it seems I still have a long way to go. The real deal… thinks on a completely different level.”
“It’s not too late. The doors of the Manly Men’s Club are always open.”
I mean, there’s no downside to recruiting another capable tank.
But Lee Seong-hyun shook his head.
“No, I already made a promise to work with everyone. Keeping one’s word is just as important as walking the path of a true man.”
“That’s a solid mindset.”
“That compass definitely belongs with you. I wish you good fortune.”
“Thanks. You guys take care, too.”
We exchanged brief smiles and then went our separate ways.
Though I still felt lingering gazes on me, seeing even someone of Lee Seong-hyun’s caliber backing down without making a move seemed to convince the others to give up as well, one by one.
As I continued walking, I surveyed my surroundings and saw that the chaos had only deepened.
People were looking up at the blood-red barrier with anxious eyes.
– What the heck is that…?
– Aren’t things going to get really bad at this rate?
– Let’s get out of here.
– We need to leave. Now.
They had begun moving toward the outskirts in an attempt to flee the city.
I saw houses here and there shutting their windows and bolting their doors.
On the other hand, there were still plenty who hadn’t realized the seriousness of the situation.
Their behavior remained completely nonchalant.
– People are always so dramatic.
– I’m sure the Craftsman Dragon has a plan.
– If we just wait, won’t something be done about it?
From their perspective, the Craftsman Dragon was something like the city’s guardian, so they firmly believed this situation was only temporary and couldn’t possibly be harmful.
After all, the only thing that had happened so far was that the sky turned red.
They’d change their minds soon enough, though.
I made my way through the chaos.
Having made an impression on the Craftsman Dragon and the Draconic Soldiers and secured the compass, I planned to proceed just as I had originally intended.
Let’s grab a few more items and then regroup.
According to Lee Soo-dok’s explanation, there are two ways to acquire items.
You either find them hidden throughout the city, or you get them as drops from defeating monsters.
What he didn’t mention, however, is that some items only appear in the city, while others drop only from monsters.
The [Dragon Compass] I just obtained, for example… no matter how many Draconic Soldiers you take down, it won’t drop.
That means the top priority right now is to secure the city-exclusive items.
And right on cue, I spotted my first destination.
<Firefly Tailor Shop>
Inside, rows of suits in various styles were lined up neatly, as expected from a tailor shop.
There was no clerk in sight. They probably already fled or gone into hiding.
Even better.
I made my way deeper into the store.
In one corner, there was a small accessories section, with gentleman’s hats, canes, and ties on display.
And also, handkerchiefs spread out neatly for display.
Looking closely, I spotted a shiny card tucked between them.
[Handkerchief of Deception]
▷ Changes the wearer’s appearance.
▷ Changes how the wearer’s skills appear.
Not only does it change your appearance, but it also disguises your skills. It was basically top-tier among all related items.
It’s just a shame it’s limited to the midterm.
Now I can use my prohibited skills freely.
There’s no record kept since it’s unofficial, and I’ve changed my appearance to boot.
Even if someone witnesses me throwing out an Inferno Fist, they’re unlikely to realize it’s me.
And since the skill itself appears differently, they might not even feel the need to be wary in the first place.
Might as well start using it right away.
I tucked the handkerchief into the breast pocket of my uniform, then stood in front of a full-length mirror set off to the side.
Reflected in the mirror wasn’t a male student from Dragon Slayer Academy, but a sharply dressed man in a stylish suit.
Even the Crow Tree had transformed into a gentleman’s cane.
The performance is excellent.
At this level, no one would recognize me.
Feeling satisfied, I stepped out of the <Firefly Tailor Shop>.
Next, I entered a narrow alley between buildings.
It looked poorly maintained, with broken furniture and crates scattered about.
I pushed one of them aside, and a card slid out.
[Campsite (1-person)]
Not a city-exclusive item, but still fairly important.
You need one for each person if you want to survive the night.
I searched a few more similar alleys and secured one more [Campsite].
Just as I was about to head to the next location—
Boom!
An explosion rang out not far away.
There’s no way monsters were already appearing in the city, so odds were high that it was a clash between students.
Over an item, of course.
Fwoooosh—!
This time, a pillar of fire shot into the air instead of an explosion.
I had a pretty good guess who it was just from that.
So she landed nearby too, huh.
Starting points are random, so it wasn’t impossible to overlap.
I changed direction and headed that way.
By the time I arrived, the situation had already been resolved.
A male student, his body partially on fire, was waving his hand while holding out an item card.
“All right, all right! I said I’m sorry! Take it, just take it!”
“Leave it there and scram.”
Hong Yeon-hwa snapped coldly.
The male student placed the item card on the ground, then stumbled backward and bolted.
“Tch.”
Hong Yeon-hwa snorted and picked up the item.
Then, perhaps sensing my presence, she turned in my direction and growled,
“And who the hell are you?”
Since my appearance changed, it’s understandable she didn’t recognize me.
Maybe it’s time I showed my original face at least once.
I was just about to pull a handkerchief from my front pocket when Hong Yeon-hwa’s eyes suddenly widened.
“……!?”
Her once-scowling expression softened in an instant.
If she had a tail, I imagine it would’ve started wagging faster and faster.
As she approached, Hong Yeon-hwa cautiously asked,
“That… was that an item?”
“What, how’d you know?”
Is this handkerchief defective or something?
I was just praising it as top-tier a moment ago.
Then Hong Yeon-hwa responded, looking half-embarrassed and half-proud.
“Just… the vibe…? It felt familiar…”
“You can recognize someone just by the vibe?”
“Mhmm…”
Come to think of it, when I used the [Mimicking Totem], Dang Gyu-young had also seen right through me.
Everyone’s intuition is sharper than I thought.
Feeling a slight chill down my spine, I asked,
“So why were you fighting that guy?”
“Well… I finally found something, and he tried to snatch it away…”
“What a jerk.”
Yeah, no way Hong Yeon-hwa would’ve picked a fight first.
Isn’t there a saying that there’s no such thing as a bad dog?
Letting him go was the right call, too.
It’s not out of the goodness of my heart. It’s because it benefits us.
The more survivors there are, even just one more, the better our own chances of survival.
I asked the next question.
“How much have you farmed?”
“This much…?”
Hong Yeon-hwa pulled out a handful of cards.
Looks like she’s been moving nonstop since the midterms began.
“You’ve probably grabbed everything worth getting in this area.”
“Mhmm, maybe two or three left…?”
“Then that’s enough with the items. Let’s go.”
I signaled with my eyes toward the edge of our vision.
Time to check the barrier.
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