Game Opportunities Become Reality Episode 175
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Game Opportunities Become Reality Episode 175
42. Dragonlands (1)
The nations of Rondel, where 19 countries (previously 20) lavishly divide up a vast land, each possess territory so enormous that even a minor nation dwarfs Korea on Earth.
The former Kingdom of Rhinehearts held land comparable to India, the former Croysen Empire to China, and the Dragonlands are larger than both combined.
That is why so many nations covet the Dragonlands.
If dragons were to suddenly vanish from this world one day, countries across the globe would likely scramble to claim the Dragonlands for themselves.
Not only is the Dragonlands vast in area, it is also a treasure trove overflowing with rare resources and priceless relics.
"If the Dark Elves who have adapted to this Dragonlands were to step out into the world, wouldn't they amass tremendous wealth? They must have collected enormous amounts of resources, right?"
Blake, who was guiding us while teaching all sorts of things to my disciple Arcia.
Unable to contain my curiosity, I asked that question to Blake.
A sapient near-human race capable of roaming the vast Dragonlands as if it were their own home I realized this was an enormous advantage.
At my question, however, Blake let out a dry laugh.
"It seems my existence has inflated your evaluation of Dark Elves."
"Pardon?"
"I mean, you shouldn't use me as the standard for Dark Elves."
I understood what he was trying to say.
"Ah, right. I suppose I've been seeing Dark Elves as a superior version of Elves."
"That doesn't sound bad to hear. But it's a mistaken notion. As far as I know, there are eight Dark Elf villages in the Dragonlands, and most of them don't have a Grandmaster. There are quite a few Aura Masters, but reaching beyond that level isn't something you can achieve just by living long."
In other words, Blake was an exceptional being without comparison even among Dark Elves.
"To compare with human society, there are countless kings in this land. Dragons and monsters of comparable caliber each claim their own territories, settle in, and act as masters, commanding weaker monsters like servants."
I had heard of this.
If a dragon is the king, then beneath it, numerous guardians rule their respective domains like Lords and repel intruders.
Even if a monster isn't directly affiliated with a dragon's territory, there are always those who serve the dragon's role in its stead.
"Dark Elf villages are one such existence. Villages without a Grandmaster have narrow territories of activity, while those with a Grandmaster enjoy somewhat wider ones. And most ordinary Dark Elves never leave their designated zones in their entire lives."
"In other words, Lord Blake is an exception among exceptions?"
"Correct. Unless you're at least a Lordmaster, freely roaming the Dragonlands is impossible. Even dragons only send warnings through their subordinates when I approach their territory, and lesser beings stay perfectly still and silent until I pass by."
"It truly is a world ruled by the strong."
"Isn't human society the same?"
"Haha, fair enough."
Anyway, if the situation of Dark Elves other than Blake is as he describes, then contrary to my expectations, they probably haven't amassed all that much wealth.
I had thought the Dark Elves would have roamed the vast Dragonlands collecting many ancient relics and resources, but that apparently isn't possible.
"Of course, one can't ignore the history they've built over the ages. Just because there's no Grandmaster now doesn't guarantee there wasn't one in the past, and a Lordmaster could always emerge in the future."
"What do you mean?"
"It means that even a small village, if they were to spend their hoarded wealth, could cause massive ripples in human society."
"Ooh!"
That was impressive to hear.
And why would I suddenly ask such a thing?
"Would you perhaps be interested in trading with our Empire?"
If we could establish trade with them, it seemed we could reap great benefits even without immediately pioneering the Dragonlands.
At my proposal, Blake gave a sly smile and said.
"It depends on how you lot perform this time."
It means that if you prove to be a great help on this expedition, relics won't be the only thing you stand to gain.
"Really?"
"Think positive."
Thanks to that, a surge of motivation welled up from deep within my chest.
"However, I hope you remember why I went out of my way to bring you all here."
"What do you mean?"
"It means it's extremely dangerous."
But at his subsequent warning, I felt as if cold water had been dumped on the flames of my motivation.
"R-Really?"
"Isn't this a relic from the Mythic Era? An age where dragon-class or even greater beings ruled the roost."
I suddenly felt like going back.
Forget trade if I die, everything's pointless anyway, isn't it?
"You're surprisingly timid, aren't you?"
"It's not that I'm timid; I just have a cautious disposition. That's why I don't particularly like unexpected situations."
"But rest assured the greater the risk, the greater the reward."
"Hmph... Understood."
I had no choice but to follow him, but it seemed I'd have to take this seriously.
And whether she sensed my mood or not, Arcia kept glancing around like a curious child.
"Look at that. A cat is flying through the sky!"
"That's a Miao spirit. A type of fairy rarely found in the Dragonlands. It's also a symbol of good fortune, so it seems something good is about to happen."
"We can't take it with us?"
"That'd be difficult. It looks cute, but its eating habits are bizarre and it can't be tamed. It plunges the tentacles inside its mouth into its target and sucks blood like a mosquito they say it can turn an entire orc into a mummy in no time."
Where in that does it look like a type of fairy?
It's a type of magical beast, that's what.
* * *
After that, we moved for another two hours.
Apparently, Blake had already prepared a teleportation point, so we'd started moving not far from our destination but I came to realize that his sense of distance and ours were quite different.
The place we arrived at was a location called the Red Canyon, beyond the Gray Mountains where Blake lived.
The reason it was called the Red Canyon was because what flowed below like a valley stream was bright red lava.
"We're almost there."
"The atmosphere is killer."
"Inside is even more killer."
The entrance to the ruin Blake had discovered was located midway up the canyon wall.
It was a path that could never be found through any ordinary route.
It was baffling how he'd even found it.
With Blake, Arcia, and me
Looking at the party members, reaching the canyon entrance was as easy as pie.
I flew, while Blake and Arcia lightly scaled the wall, and we entered the ruin.
"Huh?"
Then I spotted red orbs brightly illuminating the cave and widened my eyes.
[Eternal Light Source]
Emits light permanently.
Materials: Red Mithril 95%, tourmaline 3%, mercury 2%
The reason was that the material of those orbs was something I'd never seen before.
"Red Mithril?"
"Having the Myriad Mirror sure is convenient. You recognized it right away."
"What is this?"
"It's an alloy of Mithril, isn't it? It's often found in relics from the Mythic Era."
"What are its properties?"
"It's stronger than Mithril, and it has the function of amplifying Mana and Aura by a small amount."
"Whoa?"
I made a startled expression, and he curled up the corners of his mouth with a sly grin.
"What did I tell you? I said it's even more killer inside, didn't I?"
"Can we take these off?"
Since Orichalcum and adamantite are nearly impossible to obtain, Mithril is the most highly valued metal among commonly circulated ones for weapon crafting.
Rondel also has Mithril alloys, but those alloys exist as a method to cheaply replicate similar performance because Mithril is so expensive not a method to strengthen Mithril itself.
Yet here, a metal that strengthens Mithril was lying around like this.
If I could produce Red Mithril through research, the value derived from it would be beyond imagination.
Thanks to that, I was thrilled, looking at the Red Mithril orbs densely embedded in the walls, ceiling, and floor.
"Separating those is also part of your job. Half of what you collect is yours to keep."
"Yes, sir!"
I understood why he'd called me instead of hogging it all for himself.
The magic circles densely arranged all around had built-in functions that would destroy the orbs if they were removed by the wrong method.
But with the Myriad Mirror's support and the knowledge passed down from Grand Duke Lucas, I disabled those magic circles without difficulty, and then collected the Eternal Light Sources one by one, like gleaning grain.
"As expected, it was a good call bringing you along. If you can dismantle this so easily, the rest of the exploration should go smoothly too."
The entrance alone is no joke.
I could feel the enthusiasm that had shrunk from fear bubbling up again.
High risk, high return.
That phrase was clearly made for a day like this.
"Let's move forward, then."
"Alright, shall we go?"
After that, we kept advancing while collecting Eternal Light Sources containing as much as 95% Red Mithril, and after gathering nearly 2 to 3 tons of them, we finally came face to face with a massive door.
"They say a race called Titans existed in the Mythic Era. Maybe this was built for them?"
The door appeared to be about 20 meters tall and 30 meters wide.
I examined the material of the door.
The metal used for the door also seemed far from ordinary.
"They say the door is made of White Metal what is that, exactly?"
"Think of it as the Mythic Era's version of stainless steel. Except its strength is said to rival Mithril."
So in other words, even this gigantic door is money.
I let out a hollow laugh.
Just looking at the seamless, smooth surface of the door, you can feel the pinnacle of metalworking skill.
Technology usually advances with the passage of time, but as far as I can tell, Rondel's golden age was the Mythic Era, when the gods and demons lived together.
The door opened automatically as we approached no need to force it at all.
"The problem starts from here."
Blake's expression turned serious.
-Murmur. Murmur.
At that, Arcia and I also tensed up and looked across the threshold.
But the sight before my eyes left me speechless...
"There must be a device somewhere that deactivates the reincarnation spell. Find it for me."
What appeared beyond the door was not an interior it was the outside, a city with a hazy sky and rows of tall buildings.
The city was crowded with countless people, and their strangely familiar appearances and noises made it impossible for me to look away.
"What in the world is this?"
"Huh? What's wrong?"
"Adrian!"
It was because the city unfolding before my eyes looked exactly like 'Gangnam-daero,' a place I'd been to many times in my previous life.
"Ah, no. That can't be."
I quickly shook my head to snap myself out of it.
I came into a ruin that seems to be from the Mythic Era within the Dragonlands, and now Gangnam-daero is spread out in front of me?
That was impossible.
"I'm sorry. It's just that the scenery from the world I lived in before suddenly appeared."
Both Arcia and Blake know that I'm from Earth.
So the two of them realized why I'd reacted so strangely and wore shocked expressions as well.
"This place? Manuel's hometown?"
When I turned around, the massive door we'd come through was already gone.
Ignoring the stares of Seoul citizens looking at us as if we were strange, I examined our surroundings one by one through the Myriad Mirror.
"Blake, can you sense the location of the entrance?"
"I can. We escaped last time too, so don't worry about getting out."
"That's a relief."
"But the problem is, this scenery looks completely real to me as well. All these people have the presence of living life."
I know.
Even just looking at the information of the people through the Myriad Mirror, they appeared real.
"I have no idea what this is for I can't figure out the reasoning."
I feel the same.
Whatever it is, all I feel is discomfort.
Even if it looks real, I can't shake this eerily uncanny sensation creeping down my spine.
Because of that, this whole situation can only feel like a joke to me.
"Shall we just kill them all?"
Blake drew his sword from his waist and said that.