HBWnovel Chapter 214: The Quest of the Wandering Merchant (3)
Chapter 214: The Quest of the Wandering Merchant (3)
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Chapter 214: The Quest of the Wandering Merchant (3)
They kept asking Ketal about various things after that.
Who he met and what he did in the sanctuaries of Kalosia, the mermaid village, and the elven sanctuary.
The more Ketal answered, the more astonishment and shock appeared on their faces.
Just as they were beginning to understand what kind of person Ketal was, they arrived at the mountain with the dragon's lair.
* * *
“This is the place.”
Seraphina murmured.
They were now right in front of the mountain of the dragon's lair.
She looked at the Spellweaver.
“Do you sense anything?”
“...I feel nothing.”
The Spellweaver stroked his beard.
The Mercenary King narrowed his eyes.
“Same here. If a dragon were present, there should be a strong wave of power, but it's dead quiet. Instead, perception is being forcibly disrupted.”
“The information was accurate.”
A dragon's lair exists somewhere in the world.
But no one had found its location.
Its power was perfectly concealed, making it impossible to trace the dragon's lair through power and energy tracking methods.
The Magic Tower had persistently pursued the dragon's lair for decades but had gained no information.
Even though the Master of the Tower did not participate, if the Magic Tower, where all the world's wizards gather, failed, there essentially was no possible group left.
Thus, they had to move in person, which was also impossible.
There was only one reason.
The mountain with the dragon's lair had a powerful perception disruption spell.
“What a peculiar sensation. It's clearly in front of us, but my consciousness wants to disperse elsewhere.”
“If you lose focus, you'll immediately drift away to another place.”
Even they, the highest-ranking superhumans, had to concentrate intensely to be aware of the mountain before them.
For anyone below them, it would be impossible to perceive.
Moreover, the mountain was in a remote area where no one had set foot.
In reality, there was no way to find it.
These conditions were why the dragon's lair had remained hidden until now.
Hence, they couldn't help but be impressed by the wandering merchant's information.
“As expected, things that have existed since the Demon War. Where on earth does he get such information?”
“We paid a hefty price and were asked to catch a dragon, so we had complaints, but... for information like this, there’s nothing more to say.”
“Indeed.”
They conversed.
And Ketal sensed something strange.
‘Paid a hefty price?’
Their words implied they had paid something to the wandering merchant.
And it wasn’t a small price.
But Ketal hadn’t paid the wandering merchant anything.
He had just received a quest to catch the dragon.
The location of the dragon's lair was just one of the pieces of information for the quest.
‘Hmm.’
Ketal remained silent.
The Mercenary King grabbed the sword at his waist.
“Then let's go in. According to the information, it might be quite dangerous.”
“Right. That... Ian, was it?”
Seraphina cautiously spoke.
The boy following them hurriedly nodded.
“Yes, yes...”
“What about going back now? It’s very dangerous ahead. Even we cannot guarantee your safety.”
Ian was an ordinary boy with no power.
He was too weak to endure the journey ahead.
But Ian, trembling, shook his head.
“N-no. I will go with you...”
“Hmm...”
Seraphina sighed.
In her opinion, the boy shouldn’t come along.
She wanted to send him back forcibly.
But the wandering merchant had said the boy would be no problem.
This meant he was part of their group.
Excluding him recklessly could cause issues.
While Seraphina was pondering what to do, the Mercenary King nonchalantly spoke.
“Let him do as he pleases. The boy made his choice.”
He was a mercenary.
One who risks life for profit.
To him, Ian’s choice was insignificant.
“Whatever he desires, he chose to follow us. So, let him follow. Whatever happens, he has to bear it himself.”
“But he’s a child.”
Seraphina objected.
She was a follower of the god.
[Kiaaaa!]
[Kaaak!]
Dozens of wyverns charged at them.
Seraphina quietly muttered.
“O sun god. Let your radiant light shine here.”
With her prayer, a shining orb rose in the sky.
Its intense light and heat scorched the wyverns, burning their wings and causing them to plummet.
Even though it was a simple prayer, its power surpassed that of the sacred scriptures of Aquaz.
“Hmph. Precious monsters.”
The Spellweaver looked at the monsters with a fond gaze.
He waved his hand.
Then shadows stretched out like tendrils.
Despite the sun being high, the shadows engulfed the entire ground.
[Uooooh!]
The monsters began to be sucked into the shadows.
They struggled to escape, but the shadows swallowed them like a swamp, right up to their heads.
The Spellweaver looked satisfied.
“I’ll have to use this for my research later.”
“Ooooh.”
And Ketal marveled at their power.
The heretic inquisitor of the sun god, Aquaz.
The magician from the Magic Tower, Baker.
And Swordmasters Maximus and Cain.
Each of them was a powerful figure in their respective fields.
But the people before him now were far stronger than them.
‘Is this what the peak of the superhuman level looks like?’
Ketal had never seen the peak of superhuman level humans before.
He had skipped directly from superhuman to hero level.
He had met several demons, but their powers were so unique that direct comparison was difficult.
Therefore, it was hard to gauge their power, but seeing it now, there was a definite difference in class.
Ketal marveled at their combat prowess.
And they, too, were impressed by Ketal.
Of course, Ketal was not directly engaging in combat.
But he wasn’t just standing around either.
KABOOM!
Crimson flames, primordial fire, swept through the forest.
Powerful monsters were reduced to ashes without even screaming.
Yet the flames caused no harm to the natural surroundings.
The Spellweaver exclaimed.
“Is that the power of a highest-ranking spirit!”
“Indeed, it’s strong.”
The Mercenary King and Seraphina also looked astonished.
Highest-ranking spirits could only be contracted by elves.
But they never left their territories.
So it was the first time even they had seen the power of a highest-ranking spirit.
“At that level... it’s almost on par with me.”
They continued to marvel as they observed Piego.
And Piego, feeling uncomfortable with their gaze, wielded his power even more fiercely.
[Damn it. What the hell is this.]
It felt like being a monkey in a zoo.
He never imagined he’d find himself in such a humiliating situation.
What made Piego even more flustered was something else.
“Ooooh. Very strong. Is this the peak of superhuman level?”
It was Ketal, continuously marveling at the others’ battles right beside him.
[...What are you doing?]
“I’m watching. They are indeed strong.”
[Well, they aren’t weak.]
Seraphina and the Spellweaver.
The Mercenary King’s strength was exceptional even in Piego’s eyes.
Such strong figures would be hard to find on the surface.
But Ketal was stronger.
Their strength was on par with Piego’s.
And Ketal had reverse summoned him with a single strike.
Those others wouldn’t be much different.
To Ketal, all their strength was akin to children’s play.
Yet he was sincerely admiring and praising their strength.
To Piego, who knew Ketal’s true strength, it was incomprehensible.
[Are you serious?]
“I am. They are very strong. I want to learn their techniques too.”
Ketal was genuinely admiring them.
Piego murmured sincerely.
[You’re insane.]
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]