Opportunity in the Game Becomes Reality Chapter 284
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Opportunity in the Game Becomes Reality Chapter 284
60. The Age of Adventure (7)
The national system announced by Dragonia, the nation of the dragon race, was highly unusual.
Dragonia is not run as a monarchy but as a council of elders, with the eldest dragon of each attribute (Red, Blue, Green, Black, White, Silver, Gold) serving as an elder.
Among the elders selected in this way, the oldest takes on the position of head of state, and the term lasts until that leader dies.
Since dragons are said to live for 10,000 years, once one becomes leader, they could rule the nation for thousands of years.
By human common sense, it could be called a bizarre political system beyond comprehension.
A nation where age is power...
But in the world of dragons, where time itself becomes wisdom and strength, it was only natural.
For dragons were an individualistic race that would not even dream of seizing power for personal greed, and at their core had no interest in the lives of others to begin with.
Rather, there was a high possibility that elder-class dragons who had been given power thought of it as having been saddled with a troublesome task.
"Is it really so surprising that a dragon capable of disguising itself as a human founded a nation?"
Blue House state reception room, South Korea.
President Kim Min-guk clinked beer glasses with Count Reiers, with whom he had now become quite friendly, and asked about the news from Rondel.
"That's right. Generally speaking, dragons are beings that do not form groups."
"Ah, like ogres, you mean?"
At the President's question knowing dragons were strong but not precisely knowing the level Count Reiers let out a hollow laugh.
It was by no means mocking the President.
It was simply because he did not know about Rondel.
Just as he himself did not know much about Earth.
"A single dragon's military might surpasses that of any middling Kingdom in Rondel. The reason such beings do not form groups is simple. It is because they know their own strength well, and their pride is just as high."
"Didn't you say that even though Rondel is a small nation, it possesses 100 Heaven-Piercing Fortresses and over 5,000 Vangas?"
"That's correct. If I had to compare a single dragon's might to Heaven-Piercing Fortresses, I'd say it would be at least 300 units' worth."
"Hah...."
"And it is such dragons that gather together to form a nation. Of course, chaos is bound to ensue. The number of dragons Dragonia announced is a whopping 36, so we must consider that a great power surpassing the Bringham Empire has appeared."
36.
It was an ambiguous number too many to call a tribe rather than a nation but no one thought it was small.
Because each and every dragon harbored power on the level of a nation.
Moreover, Dragonia's population did not end there.
Excluding the Dark Elves, they included the highly intelligent gray orcs and gold lizards among the monsters living in Dragonlands as citizens, inflating the population to 1.5 million.
Of course, anyone who isn't a fool could tell that these monsters were slaves of the dragon race, but as long as Dragonia claimed otherwise, no one could raise an objection.
Furthermore, if the dragon race provided education and armament to the gray orcs and gold lizards, there was a sufficient possibility they could become a threat even to humanity, which was saturated with magical weapons.
"Do you think the dragon race desires war with the nations of Rondel?"
"I don't know. But according to rumors, my liege lord is behind Dragonia's founding."
"You mean Chairman Lawrence?"
"It's only a rumor, but seeing how they frequently interact with the dragon race and how Dragonia has expressed its intention to participate in the Peace Organization, it doesn't feel like pure nonsense."
To be precise, it wasn't interaction with the dragon race it was visiting to repeatedly plunder dragon bones, scales, teeth, and the like but to ordinary people unaware of the reality, Adrian merely appeared friendly with a great race.
"Well, this is.... Even with just the existing Rondel, their military power was already too high a problem, and now their forces have risen even further."
If dragons join as members of Rondel and share its cause, the level of military power could be seen as nearly doubling.
Naturally, it could only be a threat to Earth's side.
But Count Reiers thought differently.
"Haven't many beings like dragons also begun appearing on Earth?"
This is because the mythological beings that have recently begun appearing on Earth are attempting to converse with humanity.
"Even just Hwanung, a figure from mythology, has been heard to volunteer as a Sponsor for Korean Gift users and help them grow."
"We're on the fortunate side. In places like Egypt, there are many cases where the gods actually plunge people into crisis."
President Kim Min-guk waved his hand with a complex, subtle expression.
Countless mythologies, one could say there are as many as there are ethnic groups in the world.
However, among all those many mythologies, only the beings from particularly famous stories have appeared.
Zeus of Greek and Roman mythology, Odin of Norse mythology, Tuatha Dé Danann of Celtic mythology, Ra of Egyptian mythology, Shiva of Indian mythology, and so on.
Korea's Hwanung could be seen as having low global recognition, but since there is almost no one in South Korea who does not know the Dangun myth, it is hard to consider him minor.
The arrival of these mythologies is simultaneously a new threat to Earth and an opportunity.
Because the power they possess is exceedingly great.
"Isn't the attitude toward a guest ultimately decided by the host? I heard that even Tuatha Dé Danann was aggressive at first, but the relationship improved after the government offered tribute and local residents provided various forms of help."
"Mm, that's true."
"And no matter how foul-tempered a god may be, their mere existence will serve as a good deterrent. According to Chairman Lawrence, they possess power greater than dragons, so Rondel will have no choice but to be cautious."
President Kim Min-guk thought of Hwanung.
With a benevolent smile, he had never once shown hostility toward them; rather, he was supporting Koreans with Gifts and helping them grow.
As the head of state running a nation, there was no need to deliberately answer goodwill with wariness just because he was reluctant about uncontrollable new changes.
The President nodded at Count Reiers's positive response.
"It seems that because incidents and accidents never cease, we've only grown more wary. I think I know now how we should treat Hwanung."
It is not easy for a nation's leader especially the President of a powerful nation like Korea to readily admit and correct a mistaken idea through dialogue.
In that respect, Kim Min-guk could be seen as a leader who had the basics right.
"How is the skill that Hwanung gifted?"
"Perhaps because it's a growth-type, it wasn't strong from the start. But even just this is more than enough. Gifts are similar to magic, but they lack diversity compared to magic. In that regard, a new skill can only be welcomed."
Currently, Hwanung, who has established his base in the North, is gifting skills to Korean Gift users.
Earth, fire, wind, water.
If one chooses one of the four attributes, he grants the corresponding skill.
Because of this, Hwanung was both a blessing to South Korea and an object of envy to other nations.
"These days, domestically, there are even movements to make Hwanung the object of faith, saying he is the god we should revere."
Earth's religions.
This was a matter difficult for Count Reiers, who was from Rondel, to comment on.
"At least it's a relief that Jesus Christ and Allah haven't appeared."
However, he could not help but agree with the President's following words.
If the gods revered by Christianity and Islam the world's largest religions had appeared, this situation could have become the prelude to a religious war.
"Even if both appeared it would be a problem, but if only one appeared, something terrible beyond imagination would happen."
"Indeed."
If the figures from mythology continue to establish themselves stably in each region like this, Earth's religions will once again return to indigenous beliefs.
* * *
"Y-you people are?"
Lima, the capital of Peru.
In Peru, the government had collapsed and mafias ruled each region, transforming the country into something like an era of warring states.
However, a recent change has been occurring in this system...
"It's the Judges! The three sisters of judgment have appeared!"
This is because a force has emerged that is crushing mafia groups and normalizing the country.
It was an organization called "Inca."
At the center of that organization were three women, and people created various nicknames to refer to them.
The three sisters of judgment, the golden beauties, the three goddesses, magical girls, and so on.
And as if to prove these nicknames were not baseless, the women who appeared alongside golden light slaughtered the mafias while shouting strange lines.
"In the name of justice, I will not forgive you!"
"Light of judgment!"
They were Bug, Maryang, and Miel, who had obtained Viracocha, the creator god of Inca mythology, at Machu Picchu.
Now Miel of the Heavenly Tribe, completely assimilated with Bug and Maryang, let out a madness-tinged laugh as she spread two pairs of wings, flying through the sky and firing bright yellow beam rays.
"Machu Picchu Beam!"
"Brazilian Waxing Beam!"
Maryang and Bug were not much different, and the three who had become human beam weapons thoroughly destroyed the mafia's facilities.
-Kwaaang! Kwaang! Kwaaang!
"Aagh! We're hit!"
"Shoot them down!"
"It's not doing anything!"
"H-how are we supposed to fight that!"
Since they manifested instantly without casting, and the power of each single beam was equivalent to 7th to 8th Circle anti-personnel magic, the mafia could only be helplessly defeated.
The reason they could display such power was thanks to Viracocha, who rose like a sun in the dead of night and emitted golden light.
Viracocha, who was both the creator god of the Inca and the god of the sun and storms, had shared power with the three he took a liking to.
Thus, not even ten minutes after the battle began, the mafia that had been controlling Lima, the capital of Peru, were annihilated in one sweep.
"Viracocha, please."
[Aye.]
The capital, Lima, was completely reduced to ruins.
But when Viracocha stretched his short arms into the air, the city returned to its intact form from ten minutes prior.
Only then did the citizens of Peru who had hidden from the mafia begin to emerge from their homes one by one, and they all bowed to the three Bug, Maryang, and Miel.
However, those bows felt less like gratitude for being saved and more like....
"Ahh, O goddess of gold."
It felt like standing before a divine being.
Bug and Maryang, who had been rolled around at Adrian's convenience, and Miel, who had been receiving all sorts of stress while watching the heavenly realm's mood, found their spirits lifted by the citizens' behavior and their lips curled upward on their own.
The citizens, who had already heard rumors about them, moved quickly and gathered the injured and the innocent dead in one place.
"Viracocha, please take care of these people too."
[Aye.]
And immediately after, the injured were returned to clean bodies without a single wound, and the dead came back from the threshold of death.
"Ooooh!"
"Th-the rumors were true!"
"Long live! Long live!"
"Long live Viracocha!"
"Long live the three goddesses!"
The three women who had left on a journey to avoid Adrian's gaze were being revered as goddesses in South America.
If Adrian had seen Bug and Maryang waving their hands with benevolent smiles at the citizens' cheers, he would have said this.
'Show-offs.'
That.
* * *
I conducted a capability test through the 'Sun God Ra,' whom I had captured to gauge the destructive power of a myth reincarnated on Earth.
I had him fight dragons, and also made him fight Lord Skrim, who is on the weaker side among Demon Kings, and Arc Scarlet, the strongest.
As a result, I evaluated the 'Sun God Ra's' abilities as follows.
"Two and a half dragons."
At this, Brangish furrowed his brow and protested.
"No, what do you mean a dragon is a chicken?"
"Haha, it's just a figure of speech."
I calmed the indignant Brangish and looked at the Sun God Ra.
Then he subtly avoided my gaze.
His initial arrogant demeanor was nowhere to be seen.
It seems he was shocked by the fact that he was weaker than Lord Skrim, who had the weakest voice among my subordinates, while traveling with me.
For reference, the Demon King Lord Skrim possessed military might equivalent to four dragons, Dark Square was at the level of five dragons, and Arc Scarlet was at the level of ten dragons.
Naturally, results would differ depending on timing and strategy, but it means that's the rough measure of military might.
"What are you going to do with this one now? Let him go?"
If you keep looking, the Sun God with a hawk's head and a muscular male body has a bizarre yet strangely cute feel.
Perhaps because of that, I answered Arc Scarlet, who had been stroking the Sun God's head and threw a question at me.
"No, I should send him back. He'll be revered on Earth."
Now that he's calmed down, he probably won't pull the same stunt as last time.
So I severed the master-servant contract with the Sun God Ra and sent him back to where he originally belonged.