[1 hour earlier.]
Inside the adventurer's guild.
Adventurers are busy picking what request they want to take. This is a normal occurrence inside the guild that you'd mostly see every day unless there's a special occasion.
I'm Samuel Pie, an S-rank adventurer, just minding my own business, sitting on a chair at the table, drinking my own beer.
Honestly, I want to take a day off today. It had been a long day. What I've been thinking about were the rumors.
Placing the beer on my table, I recalled the rumors I heard earlier.
When I was strolling in the street, I overheard some gossip.
A dragon was said to be living at the vast green field.
Of course, I brushed this off as nonsense. The vast green field is the area where newbie adventurers train and hunt. Thousands upon thousands of people visit that place each day.
If a dragon were truly seen, then it'd be widespread news already with numerous witnesses.
What's more, the existence of dragons are legends. They only exist as text inside ancient books. No physical evidence except for that exists, and no one until now could prove dragons once existed.
Mythical creatures that could destroy empires with ease, said to be as powerful as gods in the text. Yet, no one could prove they exist.
So no, I won't believe such nonsense, especially if the only evidence are dusty scribbles in some ragged book.
Taking another chug of my beer before I let out a satisfied voice.
"Day off is the best..."
While wiping the foam from my mouth, I suddenly felt unease. Every part of my body became alert.
"Where...?"
I only feel this when a powerful monster is nearby or when I feel endangered. A sixth sense that I developed after crossing endless life-and-death battles.
A question popped inside my head. Did a monster enter the capital? What's more, a powerful monster that I could feel with my senses.
The world went silent.
Moments after, blue mana filled the entire capital. Everyone looked around in awe, but my face became tense.
The blue mana seemed harmless... But whose mana are these?
I hurriedly went outside the guild, and my mouth opened in shock when I saw the entire capital was engulfed with the same blue mana.
Like an endless source of mana, never-ending.
I couldn't see how far it went, or where it came from. I felt the mana flowing... It's still expanding... towards the left? That's where the vast green field is.
I looked at the direction where the mana was expanding. I'm sure that's the direction where it was coming from.
Suddenly, the world stopped. I felt the mana stop moving.
Like an ocean dropping all at once, I felt indescribable pressure that made me kneel. The mana became heavy, as if I'm under a deep ocean.
"Urgh..."
My back was sweating, and my body was trembling as I could barely support myself. I gritted my teeth as I endured the pressure.
Even at this distance, I could feel the immense pressure. What would happen if I were near?
I'd likely instantly collapse. The entity doing this is indescribably strong...! From mana pressure alone, I could barely maintain my consciousness.
Did a monarch do this? No, they are neutral forces that won't interfere with normal people.
So who...? A monster? But...
"Which... Which monster could do this...?"
I asked one question no one could answer. No recorded monster is near this strong. Even with my years of experience, I have never heard of a monster this strong.
If not a monster... Then what...?
"...A dragon?"
I remembered the rumors I overheard. That's one possibility, but I refuse to believe dragons are real. They are a natural disaster no one could stop.
They never appeared until now, and you're telling me a dragon is strolling in the newbies area?
But if the rumors are real...
"The world will greatly change from now on..."
I gripped the floor with my arms since I couldn't stand up from the pressure. When will this end? I can't stand it anymore.
I felt the temperature sharply drop. This is weird, and it shouldn't happen suddenly. I looked at the direction of the vast green field.
My eyes widened at the scene. I couldn't believe my eyes. My mouth opened involuntarily.
A massive mountain was formed. A mountain made of ice. It was covered with white and blue haze, and from this distance, I could still feel its coldness.
I know mages could create ice using magic... but to this extent? Even an archmage could only dream of this...
No mage could ever do this. No explanation could explain why this happened... Except for the existence of a dragon.
My doubt cleared upon witnessing such a grand view. Dragons said in the ancient text are beings on par with gods.
They are the origins of magic, the reason why mages can use magic today. Their strength is unimaginable, such that the weakest dragon to exist was capable of destroying an empire with ease.
The massive blue mana wrapping the entire capital disappeared, as I finally felt my body light again.
Taking a deep breath, calming my beating heart, my eyes turned sharp as I looked at the mountain made of ice.
"I must investigate and report this to the guild master..."
***
"So you think a dragon did it...?"
I looked at Samuel Pie with a frown. As a guild master, I trust Samuel with all my heart, but a dragon existing is beyond me.
Still, I couldn't completely shake off that possibility, as I experienced the same pressure everyone felt before.
After one hour of investigation, everyone except for experienced adventurers fainted due to the mana pressure.
That mana outburst almost caused casualties, but luckily, no one was hurt severely.
I could still remember the chills I felt when I was inside my office, something I never felt in decades.
And listening to Samuel's testimony, the chances of a dragon actually existing and doing that aren't impossible.
Still... Further investigation must be conducted to confirm the real situation. We can't just assume everything, that'd be unprofessional of me.
After contemplating, calculating every risk, I decided to take a move.
"Call four more S-class adventurers. We will investigate that place thoroughly."
Samuel looked at me with widened eyes. He placed his hand on the table.
"But sir, it's too dangerous for only us to investigate."
I know what he was getting at. Five S-rank adventurers and the guild master, which is me, going to where a dragon is said to be is dangerous.
But still, it's not confirmed, and I decided that we're only there to investigate, not to fight. If the situation gets tricky, escaping is always an option.
Unless I confirm it myself, I won't dispatch weak adventurers to die. Especially if the opponent is potentially a dragon. If not, we could handle it.
"Once we confirm the situation, then we will think of a solution."
Samuel looked at me with a hesitant expression, his eyebrows knotted. I know my decision is risky, but this is the safest option I could think of.
If anyone had to die, then let the experienced ones handle it.
"Get moving, Samuel."
"...Yes, sir."
***
In the vast green field, I have been walking for hours now. I underestimated the distance of the town from my view.
Luckily, I see no monsters around. Maybe they ran away? I'm not sure. Either way, it's smooth travel.
I'm almost there. I'm ready. My head is covered, I have my blanket with me, and I adjusted my [Magic Aura] and voice to the minimum.
No one should be scared of my appearance, especially because of my horn, which I covered. Well, I tried taking it off, but it seems that it's literally connected to my skull.
Unless I unlock the inventory system, I can't take this accessory off even if I want to. I don't want to take it off anyway, so it's not really a problem.
"Okay..."
I see it, the town. It has huge stone gates, and there's someone guarding the door. They are armored, holding a spear. Only two of them are guarding the gate.
Let's go. Act like myself. I'm a noble person.
After walking in front, the guards immediately pointed their spears at me. Wow, how dare they?
"Identify yourself!"
One of the guards shouted at me. How rude can they get? Isn't it usually just asking for ID or something? Why are they pointing their weapons at me out of nowhere?
Oh shoot, I don't have any identification... Think of an excuse. Hmm...
"...I lost it."