Chapter 108
Now, to explain about the Earth Dragon, a Dragon King species, I have to start by discussing the many contradictions surrounding its existence.
Contradictions.
Yes, the Earth Dragon’s very existence is riddled with inconsistencies throughout history.
First one.
The Earth Dragon is a dragon species that perished hundreds of years ago.
There’s no issue with that statement by itself.
But the problem doesn’t lie there.
Historical records state, “Hundreds of years ago, the Earth Dragon, because of the threat of its power and the valuable resources its body provided, was hunted down by humans from its infancy to maturity until it became extinct.”
This account is found in many historical books.
Doesn’t that sound strange when you think about it?
I just stated that dragons are symbols of power.
So, why, even being at the forefront of the Dragon King species, were they eradicated by mere humans?
Was it because they were just infants?
Was it the overwhelming number of attackers?
Eradicating an entire species is no easy task.
Even the so-called “Imperial Ants,” known as a swarm species, took humans how many years and sacrifices to exterminate?
And you think humans could pull off the extermination of the dragon species?
Yes, the first inconsistency lies in the fact that the Earth Dragon, despite being proclaimed as the mightiest dragon species, was eradicated by humans.
Now, the second contradiction.
Monsters are categorized into rankings.
Starting from the lowest tier and going up to what’s known as the “Evil God-class” tier.
Where does the Earth Dragon fit into this ranking?
Right, it’s classified as a disaster-designated species.
Under “Evil God” and “Calamity,” there’s the disaster-designated species.
Isn’t that odd, too?
Why is the Earth Dragon, touted as the head of the Dragon King species, only ranked as a mere disaster-designated species level?
Just below disaster-class are King-class monsters like the Accurate Crow, White Wyvern, and the Giant Lizard. Some of these species can grow to match disaster-designated species in individual power.
Taken literally, the strongest of these three species would be on par with the Earth Dragon, the head of the Dragon King species.
Is the Dragon King species really that cheap? Especially its leading figure?
There are monsters beyond the disaster-class: the Calamity-class and Evil God-class like “Dream Mist” and “Emperor Beast,” which aren’t even dragon species.
Despite this, why is the Earth Dragon placed only in the Disaster-class?
This is the second contradiction.
The Earth Dragon is ranked much too low for its reputation.
Well, the Disaster-class is mighty in its own right, but it’s not enough to measure the Earth Dragon.
Now, the third contradiction.
I mentioned this before, but the Earth Dragon is believed to have gone extinct hundreds of years ago.
Then why, after hundreds of years since its supposed extinction, does the Earth Dragon still hold the top position among the Dragon King species?
If it’s truly gone, why not reduce the Dragon King species from four to three?
Why is its position still reserved?
This is the third contradiction.
Besides these, the Earth Dragon’s existence carries many contradictions.
It might be even appropriate to say its existence is more vague compared to other Dragon King species.
But you see…
Actually, all these questions are interconnected.
All these contradictions were destined to arise.
Perhaps one could say, as the existence of the Earth Dragon was narrated through history, these contradictions were inevitably crafted.
Everything started in the distant past.
When a single dragon was born into this world.
The very beginning of it all.
And the massive dungeon that dragon created.
What is the Earth Dragon?
What are the Dragon King species?
Everything, from the start, is interconnected.
Let’s discuss…
The very nature of the Earth Dragon—the Dragon King species…
Borhelic Kingdom’s Great Library Archive
Excerpt from Chapter 1 of『Description of the Dragon King Species』―――
In the Deep Forests of Eld Desert’s underground…
Here I am, wandering through the dense woods underneath the vast expanse of the Eld Desert.
Why, you might ask?
It’s pretty simple. I’ve come to fish.
I’ve had my fishing rod prepared in advance and Taran generously supplied the string.
While munching on some fruits I found in the forest, I had approached him with a request.
He cheerfully agreed, handing over the sturdy and durable thread, ideal for fishing.
Later on, I’ll reward him with a magic stone.
For bait, I thawed some meat from a frozen Giant Lizard I had stored, transforming it into juicy meatballs.
I added a special touch by blending in powdered magic stone sourced from the middle layer.
Once I attach it to the fishing hook, it’s ready to go.
『Alright, all set! Now, to just let it sink.』
With a soft ‘plop,’ the bait descends into the lake below.
All that’s left is to wait for a bite.
Fishing here is much simpler and affordable than it was in my past life, where the hobby felt like a black hole for money.
Maybe it’s a good thing I didn’t indulge too much back then…
Or was it?
Memories of that withered past self of mine surface, but I shake them off.
Well, let’s not think too much about that.
『Now, let’s see what we catch.』
I muse, relaxing against a nearby tree root.
It’s peaceful.
The gentle sound of flowing water and faint rustling of trees fills the silence.
And then…
「Puu~」
『Ah, let’s just relax and wait for a bite, Pururu.』
I remark, lovingly stroking the sleek form beside me.
Pururu quivers in delight at my touch.
Lovely.
Truly lovely.
Presently, she rests on my lap, though this is just a clone.
Her real form is in the Fáfnir Dungeon, hanging out with Ljung, the Huge Metal Slime.
However, there’s a connection between Pururu’s clone and her original form, so, in a sense, they’re both ‘her.’
It seems she has made some progress on the magic supply problem from before.
And she’s improved to the point where there’s little difference between her original and clone.
Makes sense for a slime, creatures known for dividing and multiplying.
「Puu?」
Pururu tilts her head, her expression a clear, “What’s wrong?”
Don’t look at me like that.
That upward glance she gives me…
It’s so overwhelmingly adorable; I feel my heart melting.
『It’s nothing, Pururu. Today, let’s just relax and enjoy fishing.』
「Puruu!」
Pururu jiggles in joy on my lap. Her every gesture is just…
Lovely.
It’s so soothing.
A balm for my battle-worn heart.
I think I’ll review some research materials Elibel gave me while waiting for a bite.
Reaching into my bag, I pull out a brilliantly colored sphere.
Given that I’m currently in my lizardman form, I have to resort to such means to carry stuff.
I usually carried it between the gaps in my scales, but really, this body is so inconvenient.
I miss my original Earth Dragon body.
『Now, what do we have here?』
I begin to navigate the data within the brilliantly colored sphere.
It displays detailed information about the fusion of our dungeons – mine, Fafnir’s, and Elibel’s.
As I peruse the data alongside Pururu, I’m taken aback by the volume.
Wow, this is quite a lot.
「Puuuuu…??」
Pururu seems overwhelmed, steam practically coming out of her head.
Her eyes spinning in confusion.
I can’t help but find her confused state adorable.
But man, this is a lot.
Why not just send the data directly using memory transmission?
With my current state, I can’t directly ingest knowledge using Gluttony.
Well, no use complaining now.
Let’s get to reading.
I read the projected image.
Let’s see, the current status of dungeon fusion, the projected figures for future fusion transitions, the total amount of magical power held by the three dungeons, the expected output of magical stones, and the projected value of magical elements to be consumed.
Over here are Tsumugi’s Dungeon Altering Ability existing and projected growth figures.
The number and variety of monsters that inhabit it, plus the maximum number of possible symbioses.
The combat and special abilities of each main member of Fáfnir.
The characteristics of each layer, the record of the intruder’s traversal in the three hundred years since its emergence, and people to watch out for.
Hold on, there’s even information about the Hà Giang Empire on the surface.
Precautions during a Kagrias intrusion?
What is this?
Who’s Kagrias?
Man, even for me, it’s going to take a good chunk of time to read all this.
Well, the fish aren’t biting anyway, so might as well take my time.
「Puruu…」
『Looks like she fell asleep…』
Guess all this was pretty boring for Pururu.
But then again, things we aren’t interested in tend to be that way.
While stroking Pururu’s body, I continue to dive into the materials.
Gosh, she’s so soft.
I never get tired of touching her.
This is truly the finest feeling.
『Hmm… There are so many magic circulation routes. More than seventy percent of Fafnir’s dungeon layers are connected to both my dungeon and Elibel’s magic circuits. Ah, so it’s to alleviate the burden on Fafnir… But, doesn’t that render the purpose a bit moot? And the variety of monsters generated automatically seems skewed too…』
My dungeon typically only produces golems and golem homunculi.
But both Elibel’s and Fáfnir’s dungeons auto-generate at least a hundred types of monsters.
In Elibel’s dungeon, it’s random, while in Fafnir’s it’s by choice.
Even so…
『It feels more like we’ve just connected two dungeons rather than truly merging them.』
It’s like removing the wall between two neighboring houses to create a passage.
Even if we can move freely between them, they still function independently.
Is this really a fusion of dungeons?
Well, Elibel has been more focused on my body, and leaving it to Gijie and Tsumugi probably led to some compromises.
『Wait a minute… What if we use that, then do this…』
A lightbulb moment strikes me.
If this works out, we might just get a better dungeon.
Compiling my thoughts, I start inputting them into the brilliantly colored sphere.
If I remember correctly, once I input data into this sphere, it’s fed back to the main system in Elibel’s lab—basically to Gijie.
I finish inputting my idea into the brilliantly colored sphere as a suggestion.
Now, onto information about my body.
Let’s see…
Right as I’m about to delve deeper, I’m interrupted.
「Puruu! Puruu!」
Pururu raises her voice.
Oh, were you awake?
『What’s wrong, Pururu? …Oh, wow!』
Looking over, I notice the fishing rod reacting.
Got a bite!
This pull… it’s a big one.
The floater twitches in response.
『Here we go! We got a hit!』
Sensing the action, Taran emerges from the bushes, eyeing us curiously.
「Caught something? Is it food time yet?」he seems to ask.
『Taran, can you help me reel this in? If you do, you can have a share of the catch.』
Upon hearing that, all eight of Taran’s eyes light up. He wraps a thread around my fishing rod, attaching himself to a tree for leverage.
He seems eager, probably chanting “food, food” in his head.
The rod strains and creaks under the pull, but it doesn’t break.
It’s a special rod I crafted from forest timber, coated hundreds of times with resin.
It won’t snap easily.
『Man, this pull is insane! It’s huge! Pururu, help out!』
「Puruu!」
After nearly half an hour, we manage to haul in a massive catch, weighing close to 400 kilograms.
『We got it!』
「Puruu!」←She seems to say, “Well done, darling!”
「Kishi!」←Taran chirps, probably saying, “Food! Food!”
Alright, looking at the fish we’ve caught, it bears a striking resemblance to the tuna I remember from my past life.
Is this a freshwater fish?
Well, it sure looks tasty…
It’s a shame that in this body, I can’t eat it.
For now, I guess I should prepare it and give some to Taran and Pururu.
Taran, especially, is already drooling at the mouth.
Wait, where did I put my knife?
As I rummage through my bag, a teleportation gate behind me begins to shimmer and glow.
『Huh? Who’s that?』
Turning to look, a man and woman step out from the portal.
「Father! It’s been a while! We’ve just returned from the Holy Kingdom of Harshalud!」
「…I’m back, Papa.」
It’s Tres’s older sister and brother.
In my terms, they’re Golem Homunculus No. 1 and No. 2.
Una and Dos have returned from the Holy Kingdom of Harshalud.
They’ve been away from the dungeon for a while, but it’s good to see they’re well.
The two, dressed in clothing resembling traditional áo dài, kneel before me, bowing their heads deeply.
There’s really no need for such formalities.
Well, it’s alright.
『Welcome back, you two. You both seem well.』
Might as well ask what they’ve been up to in the Holy Kingdom.
Maybe while enjoying some fish.
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