Chapter 97

– Chapter 15: Sign #3
The eyes of everyone on the Black Flame Dragon’s deck widened in surprised. Among the crew members, there were those who cried out in shock and admiration.
The 9th Prince had jumped from the deck and the lake exploded.
Water droplets rose up high into the sky and glowed a beautiful red and yellow. As the large mass of water returned to where it was supposed to be, the body of the sea serpent smashed into the lake.
One hit.
Most of the crew members hadn’t witnessed the moment of attack, but they understood instinctively.
It was a fight that had ended in one shot. 9th Prince had taken care of the sea serpent, known as the dragon of the sea, with one blow.
‘How on earth…?’
The crew swallowed their saliva and looked at each other. A few of them looked at Silvan, their captain, and the strongest one on the ship. However, Silvan wasn’t much different and was also looking down with a lost expression.
Silvan had strengthened his eyesight with aura and was able to see In-gong through the remains of the sea serpent.
In-gong was standing on White Eagle, not in the water.
He waved to Silvan who waved back reflexively. Then Silvan glanced at Felicia and Caitlin standing next to him. It was a useless reasoning, but it seemed like In-gong wasn’t waving to Silvan but to Felicia and Caitlin.

How?

Silvan asked Felicia with a large wave of his hand. He didn’t know what else to say.
Felicia smiled widely at Silvan. She also seemed quite surprised by the attack as there was some confusion on her face.
However, she wasn’t like Silvan and the crew members. She opened her eyes wide and replied,

Didn’t I tell you? Our Shutra is great. He can remove a sea snake in one shot.

If Chris was there, he would have questioned it. However, the person here was not Chris but Caitlin.

That’s right, Shutra is amazing.

Caitlin nodded in agreement. The two of them boasted proudly.
Silvan felt dizzy and headed down to below the deck. He ordered the crew to lower the Black Flame Dragon.
&
‘Master, are you okay?’
Green Wind’s worried voice was heard in In-gong’s ears. In-gong then glanced at Earth Quaker and Ascalon in his right hand and nodded. It wasn’t obvious from a distance, but In-gong’s face was pale.

I’m fine. It’s just that my arms are hurting.

His arms would have been shattered if he hadn’t reinforced them with aura. He had used an incredibly powerful attack, so the burden on his arms were enormous.
In-gong stored Earth Quaker and Ascalon in the inventory. He looked up at the sky and saw the Black Flame Dragon descending slowly.
‘Master, I’m sorry that White Eagle is so narrow. It might be difficult, but you should stay standing until the ship comes down.’

No, Green Wind did really well. It is thanks to Green Wind blowing the wind properly that I was able to hit it in one shot. Good job.

In-gong said with a laugh and Green Wind appeared in a semi-solid form in the air. She looked down at White Eagle with a restless face, but it was cramped even with just In-gong on there. Two people might be able to stand if they stuck together, but In-gong could lose his balance and it would be difficult to achieve.
‘Uhh, I want to be stroked and praised, but I’ll have to wait until we return to land. When we return, don’t forget to give me praise. I’ll save it for now.’
Green Wind declared with a serious expression and In-gong laughed.

Yes, yes.

Sadly for Green Wind, In-gong could only stroke her head moderately before looking at the sea serpent’s body floating on the lake.
The sea serpent was an enormous monster that was dozens of metres in length. It wasn’t as smart as a dragon, but the sea serpent was clever enough to use a few psychic and magic powers instinctively.
In Knight Saga, he had faced considerable trouble when dealing with the sea serpent.
Yet he had just taken care of the serpent in one shot.
‘Dragon’s Bane.’
It was the name of Ascalon’s super special built-in move.
‘Super Special Move Control’ was a skill that allowed him to use the super special moves built into each equipment.
Earth Quaker and White Eagle weren’t the only ones among In-gong’s equipment with a super special move. Ascalon, the best weapon in Thunderdoom Fortress, also had a super special move.
‘A super special move designed for big monsters and dragons… Indeed, as expected of Ascalon.’
As the name suggested, Dragon’s Bane was a super special move designed to bring ruin to a dragon. As the appearance of Ascalon suggested, Dragon’s Bane was a technique expressed through charging up the lance and was perfect for a one-hit attack.
‘I can’t look back when charging the lance.’
It needed a courageous rush to pierce through the target. This was a technique that caused his blood to boil.
‘A combination with White Eagle?’
As he had White Eagle, he jumped at an altitude of 200 meters. At the same time as he fell, he boarded White Eagle and charged the lance while riding White Eagle like a surfboard.
‘I’m glad that Green Wind can steer with the wind.’
She was able to properly control the course of White Eagle. Moreover, Green Wind controlled the wind as well. So, In-gong could just focus on the attack.
In-gong exhaled. Thanks to Catilin’s aura, he was able to suppress Ascalon to a certain extent. However, it still had an effect.
Dragon Blood consumed enormous amounts of aura and he used divine power as well, so he was exhausted. If he hadn’t levelled up after killing the sea serpent, his legs would have probably lost their strength.
‘My only regret is the monstrous size.’
Ascalon was too large to use against people. If the opponent was Gerard or the guardian, they could avoid the charging lance easily.
‘Well, there are some measures against people.’
He had Gigantic Piston, Arang, Earth Quaker and the super special move, True Destruction.
‘I am anticipating the third equipment.’
The elder dragon, Violent Kaltein…
What type of equipment would it be? What super special move would be embedded in it?

Shutra!

Felicia’s call came from near him. In-gong launched White Eagle toward the Black Flame Dragon that was resting on the surface of the lake.
&
It wasn’t the applause of the soldiers, Felicia’s admiration or Carack’s easy praise that was waiting for In-gong on the deck.

Shutra is too much.

Caitlin said with a serious face as she crossed her arms. Her tone was still cute, but In-gong made a serious expression.

Sorry.


I’m not an aura supply for Shutra.


I know. I’m really sorry.

He had taken her aura without seeking prior consent. Especially since this time, he had no excuses because he had simply wanted to see Caitlin’s reaction.
In-gong apologized again and Caitlin finally shrugged. She continued speaking with a big smile,

From now on, make sure you tell me in advance before taking my aura.


So, it is okay to ask and then take it?


It is okay as long as you tell me in advance.

Caitlin’s gentle voice and appearance was enough to call her a saint. However, In-gong didn’t stop there.

What if there is an emergency?

Just like when they fought the guardian, there would be situations when they wouldn’t be able to speak.
Caitlin frowned at In-gong’s question.

If there is an emergency, you can just take it.


I understand, Noona. I’ll do that.

Caitlin felt strange as In-gong laughed loudly. Seira tapped on Caitlin’s shoulder and said gently,

Princess is too soft on 9th Prince.


Yes, you play well together.

Felicia clicked her tongue and immediately switched the topic.

By the way, you did a big thing. Even if you do have Ascalon, taking out a sea serpent in one shot… I was surprised. Aren’t you much stronger than Silvan or Chris?

When In-gong rushed toward the sea serpent, it had been like a meteor falling down from the sky. The sight of the lake water rising up dozens of meters was spectacular but required tremendous physical power.
Silvan flinched at Felicia’s direct comparison and spoke while touching his right eye,

Um, if I take this eyepatch off…

His voice was small and had no strength. Then In-gong spoke, comforting Silvan unknowingly.

As Noona said, the sea serpent is a dragon. Moreover, the technique from Ascalon itself is very large… and strength isn’t just about one hit, is it? I still have a long way to go to reach Silvan hyung’s and Chris hyung’s levels. Isn’t that right, Silvan hyung?

His tone was calm and comforting.
Silvan hesitated for a moment before nodding.

Uhh, yes. Shutra is great.

Felicia laughed at the awkward compliment.
At that moment, Carack interrupted the conversation and saved Silvan.

By the way, what are we going to do with the body of the sea serpent? Should we take it to the raccoon as well?

Among the dragons, the sea serpents were a fairly strong species.
Although sea serpents weren’t as good as dragons, it was clear that both the scales and bones of sea serpents were advanced materials.

It is great, but its large size… Silvan hyung, will it be possible to transport it using the Black Flame Dragon?

Silvan’s shoulders lifted up at In-gong’s question and he replied in a voice filled with pride,

That isn’t a problem. The output of the Black Flame Dragon is great. It is possible to carry far greater monsters than that.


Then we should move it to dry land. Otherwise, various creatures will flock toward the body of the sea serpent.

Once a mighty beast died, the prey would gather for the meat.
Fish and other minor underwater creatures had already gathered there.
Felicia asked,

Shouldn’t we prepare for the caltos? We came here for that purpose.

Although they weren’t as great as the sea serpent, the caltos were strong as well. Their entire bodies were made of solid metal, so they were difficult to deal with.

Uhh, I hope we don’t feel the purple aura from the caltos.

Carack spoke in a small and anxious voice. In-gong turned toward Carack and said,

Don’t say those words.


I really hope it doesn’t happen.

Carack spoke with a serious expression and fortunately, his wish came true.
&

Starting right now, I will explain the caltos strategy.

As the Black Flame Dragon headed to the shore of the lake, In-gong started an impromptu lecture. His students were Felicia, Caitlin, Silvan and the other combatants.

The caltos are made of metal, but their entire bodies aren’t metal — only the surfaces of their bodies are made of metal. Just like any other lifeform, their insides are made up of flesh and blood.

The caltos were monsters with the bodies of lions and the heads of crocodiles. Their entire bodies were covered with green metal scales that edged close to black.
In-gong picked up a knife and pointed at the drawing of a caltos that Delia had done.

It is resistant to both physical and magic attacks, so the most effective way is to attack the insides. The caltos’ big mouth is its best weapon as well as its weakness.


So, we attack when it opens its mouth?

Felicia raised her hand and asked a question. In-gong nodded straight away.

Yes, the caltos have a habit of biting. We will take advantage of that.

Felicia’s expression changed subtly at In-gong’s answer because it was a difficult strategy.
In-gong smiled at her reaction and continued explaining,

The next thing that works well is ice magic. The caltos are very weak in the cold, so their movements will become extremely slow. In other words, we will slow down their movements with ice magic and then aim for their mouths.

Felicia nodded as she finally understood the strategy.

Then that means I will play an active role.

In the party, Felicia was the most capable one with regards to ice magic. However, at that moment, Silvan shook his head.

Hmm, this is an interesting strategy, but I have a more effective and efficient approach.

Silvan suddenly pulled out his sword and a dark aura flowed all around it. A blade of sharp aura molded around the sword.
It was an aura blade that could cut anything.
Clearly, this was an area that Silvan was an expert in.

My aura blade can cut through metal. Their hard shells won’t interfere at all.

It made a lot of sense. Silvan’s aura blade could cut through the caltos’ shells easily.
Felicia joined her hands together and made a sound like she was in awe,

You’re really awesome, Oppa.

Silvan’s title was changed to oppa, but Silvan felt a sense of discomfort instead of gladness.
Felicia continued speaking,

Then we will leave the caltos hunting to Oppa. I will cheer you on as you make these great actions.

It was awkward and an obvious lie, but Silvan was convinced. Silvan tapped his chest with a bright smile.

Leave it to Oppa, Felicia.


Yes, please. I believe in Oppa.


Okay, then I’ll be going now. Caltos, be prepared!

Silvan shouted loudly and jumped from the deck. With his cloak streaming behind him as he ran, it was a truly imposing scene.
Felicia gazed at Silvan for a moment before turning back to everyone else.

Now, we can have dinner and rest. We need to be in the best condition to enter the lake tomorrow.

It had gone as she had expected.
Caitlin blinked with a confused expression and Felicia wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

Caitlin, Oppa is going to deal with this. Okay?

Caitlin’s eyes just widened with shock.
Carack clicked his tongue.

Ah, poor 5th Prince.


Well, he looks good.

In-gong watched Silvan for a moment before shrugging and turning his interest away.
He had been worried about meeting Silvan but that worry had disappeared.
‘Felicia handles him well.’
In-gong laughed and turned towards Sun Lake. The golden glow from the surface of the lake was spreading through the darkness.
&
Author’s Note: This is the announcement of the results for the popularity contest. Here are the votes:
1 vote: Earth Quaker/Karma/Amazing/Great/Vision/Famine/Mustafa/Level-up Voice/Orc Soldier/Black Flame Dragon/Baikal Ragnaros
2 votes: Maybach/Daphne/Zombie Dragon/Isabella/4th Queen Elaine Moonlight
3 votes: Warrior Locke/White Eagle/Villager A
4 votes: General Vandal/The Last Flame
5 votes: Enkidu
6 votes: Conquest
10 votes: 5th Prince Silvan Doomblade
12 votes: Chris Moonlight/Zephyr Ragnaros
16 votes: Demon King Mitra
25 votes: Sword Duke Ishgard
27 votes: Amita Ignasia
5th Place 135 Votes Felicia Doomblade
4th Place 183 Votes Joo In-gong (Shutra)
3rd Place 365 Votes Green Wind
2nd Place 405 Votes Carack
1st Place 449 Votes Caitlin
The contest between Carack and Green Wind was quite close through the counting.
Unexpectedly (?), In-gong received a pretty high ranking  😀