[CHARACTER STATUS]
› Race: [Human]
› Level: 115 — Rank: S
› Class: Warlock
› Title: Chaos of Gravity
› Strength: 1010 | Magic: 6933 | Agility: 1,590 | Psyche: 3.570 | Defense: 4,960 |
'In terms of power, if one of his attacks hit us, we'd be critically injured... or dead; but in terms of defense, he's on the same level as Helen or Mirian.'
Everyone in the room had their eyes fixed on Ryan.
Some whispered among themselves; the fact that William had used an attack against him—a B-rank support—and failed to bring him down seemed worthy of admiration.
"Maybe that party is more promising than we thought," they muttered.
"Ahem..."
Helen broke the silence and took a step forward.
"We're here because the guild master asked us to come, but who invited this idiot?" she said, pointing at William.
"I asked him to come."
'That voice...'
From among the crowd, Duke Augustus stepped forward and walked to the front; he bowed to the king and then stood next to the man acting as the royal herald.
"That bastard—" Helen started, stepping toward the duke.
Thud.
Mirian kicked Helen's leg, cutting off her path.
"Calm down already, will you?"
"Hey, why does it suddenly feel more tense?" Karol whispered to Mirian.
"You'll find out later," Mirian replied.
"It has been a while, dear Heroes. I must say you have impressed me. Seeing a B-rank withstand William's gravity magic is certainly something worth praising. Even if William didn't use his full power, the fact remains—you endured it. My impression of you has changed, Ryan."
Ryan and the duke stared at each other.
'Not that I care what that duke thinks of me,' Ryan muttered inwardly.
"I must say I personally informed His Majesty that you—the new S-rank party—defeated the black dragon in the elven lands. The king was fascinated, which is why he brought you here."
"I don't get what you're trying to say. Can you get to the point, Duke?" Helen commented.
"You're as impatient as ever, Helen... The point is, I made sure to send someone to investigate the lands of the exiled elves and confirm the report; and while it was true, it would have been a waste to leave that dragon there. So we retrieved it, or what was left of it."
The duke paused.
"I still don't see where this is going," Helen grumbled.
"You see, His Majesty ordered an outfit to be crafted from the dragon's materials and presented to the one who dealt the finishing blow. According to the investigators, based on the testimony of a young elven girl, that was Helen."
'That elf must be Irina.'
"An outfit, huh... I see. But our equipment is already rare, aside from our weapons, which are epic..." Mirian murmured.
At a signal from the Duke, someone brought out the garment crafted from dragon skin.
When they handed it to Helen, she put it on.
It was a black coat with blue trim; the Duke explained that those were remnants of the dragon's core.
"I don't like it, though... I look like a man, and black doesn't suit me..." Helen complained as she took it off.
Then she looked at Ryan.
"Take it. You're the only one in the party without rare gear." As she finished speaking, she tossed him the coat; he caught it.
"Analyze."
[Rare Darkness Trench Coat]
› Agility +150
› Defense +130
› Magic +200
"Are you sure about this, Helen?" Ryan asked as he put on the trench coat.
Instantly, his attributes increased:
Agility: 700 → 850
Defense: 1230 → 1,360
Magic: 748 → 948
"Yeah, it'll look better on you..." she asserted, crossing her arms.
Ryan accepted the coat. Still, it seemed strange that they had gone through the trouble of making an outfit by bringing that dragon from so far away, so he directly asked the King if that was all or if there was another reason.
The King stood up and approached them. Since he had remained seated on the throne the entire time, his appearance hadn't been clear, but he actually looked much older than Ryan.
The King began explaining. A rare weapon or piece of gear isn't particularly special.
What they really wanted was the dragon's core. Dragons rarely appear in human territory, and if they do, it's because they've come to attack. Unlike wyverns, dragons can only be tamed by demons.
And when they do, they take on a humanoid form with vastly greater power. At that moment, Ryan remembered Solaris's companion and how her appearance shifted from that of a dragon to a humanoid with a horn in the middle of her forehead.
That was why they were so fascinated: they had acquired a dragon in this territory before it was tamed. That would allow them to study its core and try to understand why only demons have been able to do it.
Or at least, those were their plans.
The King also asked how long they had had a new member, since she hadn't appeared in the reports, and Ryan explained that it happened during their journey to Ehres Valley.
The King mentioned that the Duke used to live in that town and owned a huge mansion there, jokingly adding that the Duke never hesitates when it comes to spending money.
'Why did the duke live in that area?'
Ryan found it strange; he tried to dig deeper with subtle questions to get more information, and the king explained that the Duke had left right before the demonic attack when they sealed the dungeon portal that had opened in Ehres Valley.
During that conversation, Ryan brought up the dragon he had seen, the one Solaris called Irnina.
When William heard that, he stepped in to question Ryan, adding that Solaris was the Demon King's fourth son, and that the third son—whom he referred to as Igniel—was responsible for wiping out his entire party.
That was why he admitted he always travels alone: his goal is to kill Igniel, and he doesn't want any of his party members to die.
The King approached them.
"I truly hoped you would get along, but after what happened today, I doubt the Duke's plans will succeed. So tell me," the king continued, looking at Helen and Mirian, "are you really willing to form a single party? Of course, evaluating things now, Ryan would also be included in the S-rank party."
"Of course not!" they all shouted at once.
"Ha, ha, ha, I expected as much. I know many heroes have left; since there were no other S-ranks here, they went in search of stronger parties. After all, inside dungeons you can only grow up to S-rank." The King paused briefly before continuing:
"And beyond that limit, reaching SS and SSS Rank is something you can only achieve by slaying demons." The King laughed and glanced at the Duke, who seemed somewhat distracted. He added:
"We have a good relationship now, but this city does not answer to the church's orders, Duke," the King stated. The duke nodded.
Then, the king raised his glass and presented the new party of Ryan, Karol, Helen, and Mirian as the second official S-rank party in the nation of Lunar Veil.
They raised their glasses. And the conversation didn't last much longer.
At the very least, it was clear that neither William nor Ryan's group wanted to be reassigned to any other party and would remain as they were.
Once the audience ended, they headed straight to the adventurers' guild.
Sophia was at the counter as usual, reading a paper report in her hand, her expression making it clear she still had no clue that trouble had indeed brewed at the palace.
"Hey, you didn't tell me you saved the son of a viscount from the nation of Varvylon..." Sophia said as she saw Ryan approach.
"So that's why the baron covered the expenses. Extra scroll material even arrived," Sophia added.
"Ha! And how were we supposed to tell you when you're always sending us all over the place!" Helen complained.
"You guys truly never have a dull moment, do you?" Karol said mockingly.
Ryan placed his hands on the counter and leaned forward.
"Anyway, is there any problem with that?"
"It's not a problem, it's a unique opportunity."
"Unique? What do you mean?"
"In the nation of Varvylon, an A-rank dungeon has appeared, and the viscount sent you an invitation to explore it. Since no one has entered yet, you'll have the chance to obtain very good weapons; and you, Ryan, will be able to level up. Wasn't that what you wanted?" Sophia asked with a smile.
Mirian chimed in:
"It's very difficult to find A-rank dungeons, and even more so S-rank ones. Being among the first to enter an A-rank dungeon will bring us massive benefits."
"Wait," Karol intervened.
"If it's an A-rank dungeon, we won't be alone. Varvylon's local adventurers will definitely be there," the blue-haired mage questioned.
"Of course. The letter says that's how it will be, but this is repayment for saving his son. Even if there are other adventurers, you still have a great shot at getting plenty of rewards," Sophia explained while reading part of the report in her hand.
"Looks like Karol will make her debut as a party member," Mirian commented.
"Yeah, I just hope she doesn't get in my way," Helen muttered.
"I'm thinking the exact same thing about you, Helen," Karol said, sticking her tongue out at her.
Sophia smiled as she watched them bicker as always, and then her expression turned serious.
"But for that very reason, you must be careful; it's possible the demons will try to seal that dungeon," Sophia warned.