Opportunity in the Game Becomes Reality Episode 223
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Opportunity in the Game Becomes Reality Episode 223
50. Max Level (6)
[You are moved to a secret space by Archgod Ariel.]
A message I hadn't seen in far too long.
The Opportunity Quest has two tasks per stage one is reaching a set level, and the other is hunting the Named monster prepared by the Opportunity.
That message appears when you are forcibly transported to the location of the Named monster you must fight after reaching the level, and only I, Arcia, and the black dog were allowed to participate in the hunt.
"May the master's victory be assured."
The moment the level-up message appeared to me, the party members who had gathered saluted.
Since all of them were Blue Moon agents, they understood my situation well.
And how important the battle ahead would be.
I wondered how to respond to their morale-boosting reaction, but before I could even blink, the scenery had changed no time for pleasantries.
"Huh?"
But I had to voice my confusion at the changed scenery.
Until now, Named monster raids had always taken place on the first floor of the Mage Tower, yet out of nowhere, an outdoor vista stretched before my eyes.
It was a vast field in the form of a wide forest flanked by steep mountain ranges.
"Just what kind of bastard is coming out that they'd set the stage this grandly."
I didn't know what type of Named monster we'd be facing, but I thought this terrain was likely more advantageous to the Named monster than to me and Arcia.
We heightened our tension and scanned our surroundings, while the black dog soared high into the sky.
And then, a moment later.
-Fwoooosh!
The world suddenly seemed to darken, and then...
[The Named boss monster Red Dragon Kite has appeared.]
A harsh gust of wind that seemed to tear the air apart I looked up to see an absurdly massive body blocking out the sun.
The target of the final quest was a dragon.
And among them, a Red Dragon, notorious for being troublesome to deal with.
"Ah, I knew it..."
We'd joked around before, saying things like, "What if the Named monster at the final stage of the Opportunity Quest turns out to be a dragon?" and now it had become reality.
It was certainly an opponent that suited the word "final" all too well, but I couldn't help but let out a deep sigh.
Because I had no idea how on earth I was supposed to deal with that colossal thing.
In this Chronicle Online, a dragon was something parties would form alliances over, or guild-scale forces would band together to raid.
Telling us to do it with just two people plus one beast was simply infuriating.
"Is this your final bit of meddling? You just don't want to hand over the reward too easily, do you?"
I twisted the corner of my mouth and met the dragon's crimson eyes.
[Due to Red Dragon Kite's Dragon Eye, you fall under the status ailment 'Fear'.]
[Due to high status ailment resistance, 'Fear' has been dispelled.]
-Kiiieeeek!
[Due to Red Dragon Kite's Dragon Fear, the status ailment 'Stat Reduction' occurs.]
[Due to high status ailment resistance, 'Stat Reduction' has been dispelled.]
But it wasn't as if I had no chance of winning.
Because I had been thoroughly preparing for this showdown against the Named monster all this time.
"Enough with the pointless tricks come at me."
You could say my life was invested in this game.
So I spared no expense pouring in funds, and thanks to that, I'd easily secured the number one combat power ranking even without being max level.
So how could I be floundering from mere status ailments?
In my inventory, I had defensive gear with resistance options for every attribute, sorted by type weapons too.
And it wasn't just variety; the enhancement levels were all at a caliber that would shock even the top rankers.
Among that equipment, I and Arcia equipped fire-resistance defensive gear and weapons with bonus damage against the dragon race.
On top of that, I'd worked to equip an accessory set with bonus damage in dragon raids, and even a title that grants a stat-boosting buff during intense combat.
In other words I was fully prepared to face the enemy before me.
I didn't know what level of combat power Grand Duke Lucas expected from us, but there was no doubt that my stats were at MAX.
[A cautious yet confident look. I don't like it.]
At that moment, the dragon spoke to us.
Many Named monsters so far had shown intelligence far beyond what an AI should possess, but this was the first time one had pointed out the emotions in our eyes and spoken to us like that.
"I don't like your size either."
With those words, I and Arcia dashed across the air as if it were solid ground.
We had spread shield magic wide to create footholds.
For reference, we could have just used teleportation, but we were approaching directly because...
[Spatial Movement Interference Magic is in effect.]
It was due to unnecessary realism.
"Here we go."
We kept increasing our running speed.
In no time, the distance closed at a rate that made teleportation look slow.
That speed was unbefitting of the Mage class, and was comparable to Arcia's full combat power.
-Boom! Boom! Boom!
This was a technique made possible by casting magic as naturally as breathing we fired 2nd-circle air booms behind us in rapid succession, turning ourselves into human thrusters to accelerate.
-Krawk!
[Your magic has been nullified by Red Dragon Kite.]
The dragon being the master of magic held true in both reality and the game.
The foothold vanished as the dragon's roar nullified our magic.
But not a trace of panic crossed our faces.
-Thud! Thud!
Because a longsword drawn from Arcia's waist flew out and created footholds.
A so-called Sword Aura foothold.
Thanks to Arcia buying us a moment, I was able to create footholds again, and in an instant our eyes were level with the dragon's.
Did it realize we weren't ordinary from how naturally we handled the crisis?
-Hoooosh! Gogo-gogo!
As if refusing to allow us anywhere near it, it unleashed a breath attack right from the start.
"What the hell..."
This was completely different from the Red Dragon raid pattern I knew.
I was flustered and my expression hardened.
"Did you think I'd be fazed?"
But it didn't take long for my hardened expression to relax.
Because the black dog, soaring high in the sky, dove down and bombed the back of the dragon's neck like a fighter jet.
[Black Eagle of the Sound Barrier]
First Skill: Sight Sharing
Second Skill: Magic Sharing
Third Skill: Clone
Fourth Skill: -
The ten Hellfires I had Memorized earlier all detonated simultaneously through Magic Sharing.
-KWAANG! KWAANG! KWANG!
Thanks to that, the dragon's head large enough to fill a small sports field reared upward, and its breath shot into the sky.
The shockwave from the ten consecutive Hellfires spread in all directions like a storm, and the dragon's breath piercing the sky evaporated the clouds, tearing a hole through them.
[Not bad.]
The dragon let out a dry, unimpressed remark.
"How long can you keep that composure?"
Having safely landed on its back in the meantime, I and Arcia unleashed relentless attacks.
Each of the dragon's scales was a reinforced version of Mithril.
But to me and Arcia, slathered in every kind of Buff, they were no obstacle at all.
* * *
The Imperial Family of the Bringham Empire.
"Even with evidence that Lewis Fairmont is an Opportunity Seeker, you can't shake the suspicion that he's a fake?"
Emperor Edward Noah Bringham furrowed his brow at the report from Duke Christopher, the head of the Imperial Mage Tower.
Duke Christopher was an exceptional Mage, but as a person, he had a twisted personality.
Still, he wasn't the type to file a false report, so the Emperor sighed and rubbed his temples.
"What makes you think so?"
"For someone under Grand Duke Lucas, the boy is far too stupid."
"..."
At the Emperor's bewildered expression, Duke Christopher added further explanation.
"Ah, to be precise it means the Opportunity's consideration is so lacking that his disciple seems stupid by comparison."
"Well, isn't that simply because it's something so hard to obtain that it took over twenty years to find?"
"It's only natural that it's hard to obtain, but there's no need for it to be so unkind even after obtaining it. As you know, the Opportunity Lewis Fairmont received works in a way where he must personally raise his magical realm to gain the next stage's reward isn't that strange? If he can't raise his realm, he can never obtain it. Then the rest of the Opportunity is as good as discarded."
"But hasn't the boy been raising his realm quickly?"
"That's because he teaches magic using Grand Duke Lucas's knowledge. With Grand Duke Lucas, even an ordinary person could be raised to the 6th Circle without issue. But anything beyond that is a different story. Never mind that the master must be exceptional that stage also requires the disciple's own talent to keep up."
No matter how talented one is in magic, most fail to reach the 7th Circle, the stage of a Grand Mage.
But without any consideration for that, what's the point of only providing an educational system?
This was a question held not just by Duke Christopher but by many others as well.
Even so, the reason they swallowed their doubts and pressed only Lewis Fairmont was because the presence of the Opportunity he held was simply too overwhelming.
"So what is it Duke Christopher wishes to say?"
"We must begin a search."
"A search for the Opportunity Seeker, you mean?"
"Yes. If Lewis Fairmont is a fake, it means the real one is hiding and playing with us."
If there's someone who made Lewis Fairmont a fake Opportunity Seeker, their intent is clear.
It's to make us realize the fear of the Bringham Empire and turn our gaze elsewhere.
At the very least, it means the real one isn't as stupid as Lewis Fairmont, and possesses enough skill to fool even the Empire.
"If your guess is right, he'll be no easy opponent."
Emperor Edward stroked his beard in thought.
At the Emperor's appearance, Duke Christopher tilted his head back and forth like a pendulum.
As if measuring the time the Emperor spent deliberating.
It was a ridiculous sight for an 8th Circle Grand Mage, but the Emperor thought this side of Duke Christopher was just the quirk geniuses possess.
"Duke Christopher, you remember, don't you? The atrocities we committed to get our hands on Lewis Fairmont."
"Of course didn't we beat down the Republic, once called one of the four great empires alongside us?"
"Lewis Fairmont is what we gained from that. And yet, if we launch an investigation on the possibility that he's a fake, it could invite other suspicions."
"That the Bringham Empire is trying to expand its influence?"
"Yes."
"Whether we expand our influence or go looking for the real Opportunity Seeker, what does it matter? If we say we'll do it, who would dare defy our Bringham Empire?"
It was an answer that left one speechless.
The Emperor, both understanding and bewildered by Duke Christopher's absolute faith in the Bringham Empire's power, let out a wry laugh.
"Sometimes I envy your way of thinking."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
In the end, Emperor Edward had no choice but to give his answer.
"Fine. I accept your proposal."
"Thank you."
When the head of the Imperial Mage Tower doubts whether the Opportunity is real, one can't just leave it be.
Even as an Emperor who must always prepare for the worst, he needed to confirm it thoroughly.
Even if noise arose in the process.
"So, do you have anyone in mind you suspect?"
But it didn't take long for the Emperor's resolute expression to twist.
"Grand Duke Lawrence's 'King Adrian El Lawrence' and the Kingdom of Lucias's 'Duke Olivia Riverdale.'"
The targets numbered only two.
But each was a figure not to be taken lightly.
Lewis Fairmont, once you stripped away his father's influence, was nothing much himself but those two were the masters of Mage Towers that led the world.
And setting Olivia aside, Adrian was a dangerous presence who could even invite backlash.
At the Emperor's suddenly changed expression, Duke Christopher shrugged.
"Among mages, aside from those two, who else could possibly pull one over on our Bringham?"
Certainly, that was true.
Duke Christopher asked the speechless Emperor once more.
"May I proceed with the investigation?"
"Yes, we must confirm it thoroughly."
The Emperor did not reverse his decision.
"I'll appoint you as the head of the investigation. I'll attach Intelligence Chief Count Elfried to you investigate without a single gap."
"I obey your command."