Chapter 321 Part 1
《【Cold Resistance】Level Up!》
How long have I been enduring this cold?
I ended up leveling up and everything!
Even so, the Roc Bird doesn’t seem to be anywhere near starting to lower its altitude.
I’m in a cold sweat, fearful that a Bronze Dragon might appear before us at any moment.
What time is it?
3:30 PM.
Now we’ve finally started to lose some altitude.
Just as I started wondering where we were, it turns out we’re in the E4 Map!
Our current location is slightly to the southwest of the center of the Map.
Below us is the sea.
And some islands as well.
Master’s Roc Bird landed on the shore of a small island.
It looks like an ordinary island with nothing special about it.
Are there any signs of monsters around here?
There are.
They are on the shore, but…
Karkinos Lv.8
Demon Enemy Target Active
Battle Position: Underwater, Ground Water Attribute Earth Resistance
Greater Karkinos Lv.1
Demon Enemy Target Active
Battle Position: Underwater, Ground Water Attribute Earth Resistance Wind Resistance
There’s a lot of them.
More like a full blown swarm?
No matter how you look at it, there are over 100 of them, right?
But Master’s Rock Bird doesn’t care about them at all.
It lands on the shore regardless.
Karkinos and Greater Karkinos are supposed to be large Crab-type monsters, but these ones look like small fry.
In an instant, the monsters became Passive and fled into the sea.
Impressive.
Both Master and Juna get off the Roc Bird and call out to me.
Hmph.
Once again, I wonder…
Just how powerful are these two?
I have no way to tell just by looking at them.
Generally speaking, Master’s Job is always shown to me as a Summoner via 【Identify】.
That’s clearly strange.
It’s strange, isn’t it?
「Don’t you think this is an island with a beautiful scenery?」
「I agree.」
「There are monsters, too. Well, that’s not a problem. Though they do make securing ingredients a bit of a hassle.」
「Yeah.」
This is strange, right?
It’s definitely strange, isn’t it?
That many monsters is just not a problem for you?
If it were me, I’d be fighting all of them right now!
「I want to take it easy from here.」
「Easy, you say?」
「Yup, easy~」
What exactly do they mean?
Master has also recalled his Roc Bird.
I also tried to recall my Summoned Monsters as well, but Master said there was no need for me to do that.
I really don’t understand.
And he isn’t explaining anything to me either.
We head deeper into the island with Master at the lead.
As seen from the air, this island is covered with trees everywhere except for the sandy beach.
The same was true for all of the other islands we saw on the way here.
This must mean something, right?
What is that?
They are huge rocks lining up here without any particular order.
There are six in total.
And they have various shapes.
The surface of these seemingly randomly arranged rocks looks as if it’s covered with moss.
And yet…
They have this… majestic aura to them?
The air around them feels different as well.
What are these?
「From here on, we’ll be warping somewhere near this country.」
「This… country?」
「Yes.」
「There’s someone who’s insistent on coming back here.」
「Well, it’s just like cleaning up after a Majin invasion.」
「Can I come along too?」
「Sure. Look at it, feel it, and use it as inspiration for your future endeavors.」
What’s up with that?
There doesn’t seem to be any emotion on Master’s face.
Juna still has a profound expression on her face, but she doesn’t seem to want to explain anything either.
Master then places his hand on the largest rock.
I can see this even without using Sense Magic.
It wasn’t an optical illusion; the rock itself appeared to split into two copies of itself.
The next moment…
The landscape itself flips itself upside down.
Just like whenever I use Return Home, huh?
The effect is the same.
Right after that, the landscape’s distortion is reversed.
We are now in a place that looks like a valley, sandwiched between cliffs.
It’s slightly cold.
No…
It’s very cold!
Where are we?
Let’s check the wide area map.
It’s… N2E12.
Umm…
Isn’t this quite far away?
「Let’s walk a little from this place onwards.」
「Yes.」
We follow Master’s lead into the valley.
Huh?
All the way in there?
Are we going to go even deeper into this dark valley?
There’s no sign of monsters.
Neither Master at the lead nor Juna – who walks behind me – seems to care about potential surrounding monsters at all.
However, I can say that the sight itself has taken me by surprise.
No…
I can see this same abnormality in all of my Summoned Monsters.
Each of them had their own distinct reaction.
But one thing remains the same among all of us.
We’re all scared.
That’s the only way I can describe it.
We pass through the valley and arrive at a fairly large area.
There is a certain presence in front of me that is causing that fear.
It’s no doubt because of this monster.
Golden Red Dragon Rutile Dragon ???
??? ??? ???
??? ??? ???
It’s really flashy.
Its entire body isn’t the same color.
Isn’t it basically yellowish brown?
But I can also see shades of green, blue, and red.
Its color tone changes with just a slight movement.
Truly beautiful.
However…
The texture of its scales is unusual.
The claws on both of its forearms are thick and strong enough to capture and crush someone as big as Senki.
And its legs are even stronger than its arms.
Its wings are folded, so I can’t see anything special about them.
And its head…
Three short horns grow backwards from it.
And its fangs…
And its eyes, which hide an overwhelming power.
This size, this sense of majesty, everything about it seems to be superior to the Bronze Dragons, right?
That’s probably the case.
「Long time no see!」
Juna casually approaches the dragon, and it draws its head near her in response.
Wow.
She’s really close to the dragon, and is stroking its nose?
Huh?
What’s going on?
「The royal family widely speaks of it as its protector dragon. Its proper name is the Golden Red Dragon. Though it’s also known as the Rutile Dragon.」
「Is Juna okay?」
「It’s an old friend. Don’t worry, this dragon is friendly towards us.」
Us?
Am I being included here?
I’m really curious.
I was so distracted by the Golden Red Dragon that I didn’t notice it, but there are other dragons here as well.
These are also very impressive-looking beasts.
Cloud Dragon ???
??? ??? ???
??? ???
What an amazing creature.
It’s a dragon whose entire body appears to be black, with a slight purplish tinge.
Oh, and there’s two of them.
These are probably on the same level as a Bronze Dragon.
They also seem a little too aggressive to me, though a glance from the Golden Red Dragon was enough to calm them down.
Huh?
What is this place?
「Here, we’re good. There’s an Elder Dragon in the deepest part of the valley, but it is quite violent.」
「Will we be okay?」
「Why, it doesn’t move that easily. It’s just protecting the Dragon Puppies and Lesser Dragons in the breeding grounds.」
「Oh.」
「Sometimes, unscrupulous people come here looking to steal dragon eggs. That’s why it’s there.」
I look at Juna.
It seems that she’s really enjoying stroking the dragon’s scales.
This is very astonishing.
I can’t believe she’s just petting that dragon at such close range.
What kind of Skills does she have?
Well, Master did say that this dragon is a friend, didn’t he?
「No matter how high-ranking a Summoner you are, summoning a Dragon is not easy. Do you understand?」
「They do seem to be creatures beyond human comprehension, huh.」
「True. But that’s just one way of looking at them.」
Master looks at Juna.
「At the very least, we can become friends. The same was true for the founding king, the Dragon Knights, and King Kensei of the restoration」
「Oh…」
「But how many people in the current royal family do you think are that tolerant of Dragons?」
「Is that so…?」
「It’s a very regrettable thing indeed…」
Master pulls Juna by the nape of her neck and walks by the side of the Golden Red Dragon.
I follow suit and pass through.
I’m nervous.
My body will naturally get used to this pressure, though.
But I’m still awestruck.
There’s sweat all over my body.
These Dragons are that scary.
My Summoned Monsters are still scared as well.
No wonder.
Even I let out a shiver or two run through all over my body from time to time.
Are we on the mountainside?
It’s getting chilly.
This place is so high up in the sky that I can see the sea of clouds below us.
It’s really cold out here…
Although it is somewhat rugged, this place seems to be quite flat.
Like a heliport of sorts?
That’s what it looks like.
Though it’s quite spacious.
「The Dragons take flight from here. Then they come down here to return to their nests. That’s what this place is.」
「I see.」
「It’s close to the royal castle from here.」
Master summons his Roc Bird.
Still…
I can’t help but compare it to the Dragons from earlier.
Its size is comparable to that of the Cloud Dragons from earlier.
It’s also quite an imposing monster itself.
Its majesty is far superior to any of the Summoned Monsters under my control.
The difference is frightening.
Some people are simply way above me.
I guess that’s what it is.
Snow Wyvern Lv.4
Demon Enemy Target Passive
Battle Position: Mid-Air Fire Attribute Wind Attribute Water Attribute Ice Attribute Breath Attack
Whoa!
What are those?
These are some scary-looking monsters!
And there’s three of them.
But, you know…
They’re scary even after having seen that other dragon!
I look at Master.
He’s just pointing at them.
What does that mean?
Have a go at them.
That’s what he must be trying to say with that.
Does that mean I can attack a Passive monster here?
Hmm.
Well, if Master says so…
Shall I give this a try?
We are currently at a place higher up than those monsters.
So we do have the advantage.
The monsters haven’t noticed us yet.
So I’ll continue to use strengthening spells..
「Rider-Horse Union!」
Alright.
I’ll use my weapon arts as well.
My first target is the one in the middle!
I swoop down and aim for its body.
Obsidian, Sputter, and Ignis follow.
Setsui is holding tight to my back, seemingly bracing herself for the impact of my attack.
You do your part too, okay?
We’re getting closer to the monsters.
Here we go.
Let’s see how strong they are.
NEXT CHAPTER
RELEASE RATE
Summoner is Going
Speed up schedule by 10 hours
Current schedule: Every 80 Hours
Thanks for the treat.