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137
[Main Quest #12 has been completed.]
[As there were no casualties, the reward has been increased to the maximum.]
[You have received 1,000,000 gold.]
[40 additional stat points are awarded.]
[Your experience points have increased by 550,000.]
[Your level has risen by 5.]
[5 additional stat points are awarded.]
[Progress increases.]
[Main Quest #13: Epilogue]
Ifrit has been safely protected from the final monster wave.
Return to the city and settle the remaining matters.
Objective: Reach the story’s ending.
Reward: Episode completion
*Current Progress: 97%
-Wow.
-The rewards, lol.
-You kill the Yeti like that?
-Spirit — there’s nothing to do but worship it.
-The spirit is one thing, but the sword is also broken.
-How is it even physically possible to move like that?
-Info) This guy is running on gear 3.
-This guy? Is Black Dragon your friend?
-But zero casualties isn’t a glitch?
-The dwarf homies are insane;
-Is this actually replicable?
-Nobody’s done even that much in Edelen.
-If you get even close, that’s still a huge win.
[SmallSpender has donated 100,000 won.]
[Is this for real?]
[SomeGuy has donated 300,000 won.]
[Can’t you just write a new guidebook?]
[Sword God has donated 1,000,000 won.]
[Really jealous of that sword.]
[Spirit has donated 5,000,000 won.]
[Congratulations.]
[Taesung Co. Ltd. has donated 4,000,000 won.]
[Yeonhwa Gaming has donated 5,000,000 won.]
[Gelrod has donated 7,000,000 won.]
……
Chat and donation messages rushing in in a flood.
An intensely heated reaction.
“Thank you, everyone. But as for the guide to this part…….”
“Black Dragon!”
Just then, a voice came from behind.
Turning around, the three people who had fought alongside him were running over.
“You alright? You nearly died back there!”
Jinuk, taken aback by the desperate battle, checked his condition with concern.
Kevin walked to the cliff and peered down the precipice.
“So you really did finish that thing. I may have underestimated your strength.”
A shocking experience even for a seasoned A-rank adventurer.
Trees and brush dozens of meters below.
The Yeti that had fallen through them was clearly visible.
“Haha! A spectacular kill! What do you intend to do with the carcass?”
Kudran added that leaving it as-is would be dangerous.
Because the ecosystem could change due to a powerful monster’s carcass.
“There are things to collect too, so let’s head down for a moment.”
“Then I’ll bring people to help with the work!”
Kudran gave a nod and vanished straight into the forest.
“What are you doing?”
“No — I was going to go too…….”
Jinuk, hand outstretched, lowered his arm looking sheepish.
The incident at the carcass disposal site was still clearly weighing on him.
“Oh, there!”
A little later, people arrived faster than expected.
A combination of adventurers, soldiers, and dwarves — unimaginable not long ago.
It seemed they had already finished dealing with the monster wave and set out scouting the forest.
“Black Dragon killed that thing?”
“An enhanced Yeti on a rampage…… just thinking about it is horrifying.”
The people looking down the precipice showed shocked reactions.
Hanbit, taking a detour route, said to them:
“Let’s head down first.”
***
“Ha…… to think you actually fought something like this.”
“Black Dragon is a D-rank adventurer, wasn’t it? Absolutely unbelievable.”
“Doesn’t he have the gold bracelet. He can’t be evaluated by rank.”
The people who arrived below the cliff stood before the Yeti’s carcass.
Even clearly dead, it was a monster dangerous enough that none could easily approach.
‘…Could that be.’
Hanbit, having noticed something, stepped up onto the carcass’s chest.
A hole shattered by the force of the attack.
Inside it, the edge of a blue crystal was visible.
Crack crack—
Hanbit reached out and pried it loose.
Brushing away the black scorch marks, the complete form was revealed.
[Yeti’s Breath]
Rank: 5
Grade: Epic
Description: A rare crystal condensed from the Yeti’s breath mixed into its breath attack. Mana absorbed over a long period has converged with cold to create a new form. When used, generates a one-time protective zone that provides powerful cold resistance and aids in health and mana recovery. The exhausted breath can be used as a material for magical device and equipment tempering.
-Oh?
-The Yeti has something like this?
-Weren’t the pelt and fangs the drops?
-That’s not the same Yeti;
-The Yeti normally in the episode has a 60-level gap from this one.
The chat stirred as a loot different from what was known appeared.
Hanbit was equally surprised.
‘So this drops here.’
The breath crystal — not a trace remaining despite the attack that had ravaged the Yeti’s interior.
Under normal circumstances, it was something only rarely obtained from Yetis in an entirely different region.
And to think he would get his hands on it here.
An unexpected variable had created a new reward.
Just off the top of his head, several uses for it came to mind.
“Did you find something?”
Kudran, coming up behind him, asked.
Stepping down to the ground, Hanbit showed the crystal and said:
“Found this. Do you know what it is?”
“Oh, let me have a look!”
Kudran, pressing his face close to examine it carefully.
Stroking his chin, he declared with confidence:
“Haha! I have no idea! It would be best to show it to His Highness the Prince!”
Kudran gave up on identification with a hearty laugh.
Then he pointed to the Yeti’s carcass.
“This one looks like it’ll yield some usable materials! Parts that don’t disappear — we’ll do our best to dismantle them!”
The materials obtainable from monsters that leave carcasses were limited.
Because most of the carcass went through a process of naturally disappearing.
This was not the nature of the game — it had been exactly the same in the actual past.
Hiss—
As though proving that memory, parts of the Yeti’s carcass gradually turned black.
And before long, they crumbled to dust and drifted away.
“For now, let’s build a transport cart!”
“We’ll help too.”
“Start by cutting those trees!”
Collaborative work began with Kudran at the lead.
With dwarves present, the cart would be made quickly.
‘Still watching.’
A gaze felt from a distance.
A Holy Nation member scouting the situation.
Not from the Eighth Bishop faction where Isis belonged — someone from a different bishop.
‘Can’t kill them.’
Simply classifying them as an enemy, the right move would be to pursue and kill them immediately.
But right now this information needed to flow back to the Holy Nation.
Because its ripple effect would greatly benefit his plan.
“Alright, let’s move!”
As expected, the preparation to transport the Yeti’s carcass was quickly completed.
Taking his eyes off the forest, Hanbit moved toward Ifrit with them.
***
“There they are!”
“That person led the subjugation, didn’t they?”
“It wasn’t just leading — they planned every last detail from scratch!”
When they returned to the city, the citizens welcomed Hanbit with cheers.
Seeing Zenon smiling contentedly, it seemed he had been spreading word about Black Dragon.
“But the dwarves were incredible too, weren’t they?”
“Did you see earlier? They were breathing fire!”
“They made all the catapults and weapons for us too!”
The dwarves were the other topic of conversation.
The atmosphere of hatred that had been built up under the mayor’s lead.
Not even a trace of it remained.
To the citizens, the dwarves were heroes who had protected Ifrit.
“Ahem. Are they talking about us?”
“We did put in some work this time.”
“When we truly put our minds to it, this is what it looks like.”
At the praise ringing vividly in their ears, the dwarves touched their noses and looked embarrassed.
Even if the atmosphere was born of victory, the result was by no means temporary.
Though the past still had to be settled.
“How laughable.”
Mayor Pirnen, watching the excitement, appeared with a sneer.
She turned her head around and continued:
“Have you completely forgotten the ugly dwarves who were obsessed with money? And you dwarves — are you not even bitter about the past where you were met with hatred and contempt?”
-?
-Why is she doing this?
-True special trait) Has to state facts to feel better.
-True special trait 2) Absolutely cannot read the room.
-Wasn’t she the one who made the dwarves hated?
-Can’t stand it. Let’s give her a taste of Saelion.
[Bares has donated 1,000 won.]
[Tch…… That’s a bit much;]
Anger from the viewers poured out at the shattering of the victory atmosphere.
But everyone who heard those words had no choice but to fall silent.
Because regardless of feelings, it was a thought they hadn’t been able to shake until right before the wave.
“Sister, please stop.”
Unable to contain himself, Jinuk stepped forward.
Anger was etched in his face.
“Jinuk — you’re the most laughable of all. Weren’t you the one who harassed the dwarves the most? I don’t know what influence Black Dragon has had on you, but that fact will never change.”
“…I know. Which is why I will spend my whole life making amends.”
Shhk—
Turning his body, Jinuk looked toward the formation of dwarves.
Then he bowed deeply from the waist and said:
“I have engaged in abusive language and violence toward all of you for so long. I am not seeking forgiveness. I am simply deeply ashamed and filled with regret. The past cannot be washed away, but truly… I am sorry.”
The sincere apology poured out from the heart, and even the citizens stiffened.
Because memories of their own shameful past, perhaps less extreme than Jinuk’s but present nonetheless, had surfaced.
“…Yes, it cannot be forgotten.”
The one who gave voice was dwarf elder Ballon.
He stepped one pace forward, eyes cast downward.
“These past few years were hell for us. From the moment His Highness departed, we were treated as the city’s refuse. It was an atmosphere where even ending one’s own life in desperation felt like it would only invite mockery.”
The matter-of-fact murmuring voice lodged itself in the humans’ chests.
After a brief pause, the elder lifted his head and looked at everyone.
“But we too had our failings. We became intoxicated by money, fell into desire, and let go of our identity. Those were all decisions I made. Shamefully, I could not correct that thinking until just before His Highness returned.”
The elder who had accepted the mayor’s proposal and reshaped the dwarves’ values.
It was not simply a matter of right or wrong.
In the end, the atmosphere had become so extreme that Gorik had left.
Until recently, he had been placing blame on the prince who had left them and venting his frustrations.
“Truly a wretched lot.”
Gorik, who had been listening, let a blunt remark drop.
Letting out a sigh, he looked down at his hammer and said:
“And I too am endlessly wretched. I was foolish enough that the reason I cannot be a king is plain to see. One in such a position must above all not let the people go hungry.”
The stubbornness that in any situation, all must be led as blacksmiths.
The tragedy this had caused had delivered a blow to Gorik.
That was why through the events of these past few days, he had been able to realize so much.
“Ifrit was protected through the strength of everyone here. My father, the king of Hedrik, once said: one must become someone who forges the future, not the past. In that, there is no need to divide between dwarf and human.”
His voice, as though carrying many things within it, reached the chests of the citizens whole.
Jinuk, still bowed at the waist, felt it the same.
“But you are different. It seems you still have not come to your senses.”
Gorik looked at Pirnen, face flushed red with anger.
Addressed by name, she pointed a finger and snapped back:
“I haven’t come to my senses? Who do you think Ifrit thrived because of? It was all because I led these foolish trash! And it was me who agreed to take in the dwarves!”
“And? Had Black Dragon not come to this city, every last person standing here would have been wiped out. You too would not have escaped death.”
“What use is result-based reasoning like that? If the adventurers and soldiers had done their jobs, it would have been fine. And Levius from the research institute wouldn’t simply have stood by either!”
Pirnen, screaming and denying every word.
Hanbit, listening to the exchange, walked forward.
“You said Ifrit thrived, didn’t you?”
“Can’t you see with your own eyes? What the value of this city is!”
“Ah, that’s not what I mean. I just had the thought that if you had properly put to use even the money you pocketed for yourself, you could have protected the city well enough.”
“…What did you say?”
“Didn’t you make Ifrit an economic and artistic city for the sake of your own funding? And to protect that, you kept the danger hidden from outside, and held out with the glass wall to the very end.”
“…….”
The reality laid out point by point — Pirnen fell silent.
After glaring at Hanbit for a moment, a sneer took shape in her expression.
“And where is your evidence that I did any such thing?”
“Well — I know you’ve already taken care of all of it. You wouldn’t be that foolish.”
“Your words show your level. The outrage of overriding the mayor will be reported to the Royal Capital. I will make absolutely certain you are expelled from Raven Kingdom…….”
“You can file that report right here.”
Hanbit, cutting off her words, looked toward the collapsed city gate.
Following that gaze, Pirnen turned her head and her eyes went wide.
Neigh—!
Knights and soldiers arriving on horseback with none of the usual trappings.
The haste with which they had traveled was clear.
The woman in platinum armor at the head leaped from the horse and made her way over.
Shhk—
As the helmet came off, dark hair spilled out.
Bright, upright blue eyes — she was the Royal Guard’s vice-captain, Leon.
“Leon……!”
Pirnen’s eyes trembled at the sight of her face.
Leon, stopping her steps before her, unrolled a parchment carrying the king’s command and said:
“Reports have been received regarding the abnormal monsters occurring in the Ifrit region, the Holy Nation devotee who was captured, and matters of corruption, dereliction of duty, and negligence relating to defense, finances, and personnel. We request your cooperation with the investigation. Mayor Pirnen de Artua.”
