Chapter 35 - You're Not Hiding Anything, Are You?

「What if I could use full-fledged dragon speech like the dragons, instead of this half-fledged version?」

Those were the emperor's words in the recording, which no one here could understand but me. The others watched as though enjoying an entertaining silent film, unaware of what was being said. But I was different.

'Dragon speech?'

The day I first met Rokan, he'd told me that if I wanted to see Sia without restrictions, I would have to master the dragon's power. The first step, he'd said, was 'perfect command of dragon speech.'

And yet the man in the recording had just muttered to himself that he had never mastered it.

As the recording had shown, dragon power was formidable enough to turn an illegitimate son scorned by his brothers for being unable to wield a sword properly into an emperor who united a continent. Naturally, I'd assumed he'd mastered the dragon power in his sword and used it to unite the continent...

But he hadn't. The realization sent a shiver over my entire body.

I thought back over what I knew about dragon speech. Rokan had said it was his first time teaching it to a human and that it would be extremely difficult. Beyond that, he hadn't told me much.

How many people in all of human history had even managed to imitate dragon speech?

'He conquered a continent without mastering it...'

What if someone did master it?

'No. I'm getting way ahead of myself.'

No point counting my chickens before they hatched.

Anyway, whether I should be relieved or astonished, ever since that scene, I'd somehow been able to understand every word stored in the recording magic. Whether I was confused by it or not, the recording magic kept playing.

The history of a continent I knew nothing about and accounts of the emperor's achievements that meant little to an outsider flashed by. Just as my interest began to fade and the recording neared its end...

「If you're watching this, I suppose you know how to wield dragon power too.」

The emperor lay in a sickbed, murmuring as though speaking to someone. He was so weak that his words came out indistinct, but I heard them clearly. It was as though he'd anticipated everything—even that I would be watching the record he'd left behind.

「Let's see how you and I differ.」

With those words, the recording magic ended.

RUMBLE.

The inscribed stone wall began to move, revealing a passage hidden inside it. And, of course, monsters.

"Monsters!"

"Skeletons?"

"No. They're different!"

At first glance, they looked like skeletons, the D-rank monsters common in dungeons like this one. But a closer look made it obvious they were no ordinary skeletons: their bodies glowed with a strange light.

How could I describe the color? It was as if brilliant rainbow hues and the gloomy black of the Sword Wraiths we'd seen earlier had been thrown together at random on a canvas...

"Everyone, be careful. We don't know what they'll do," Taeseong shouted.

Fighting an enemy we knew nothing about was always daunting. Worse, the original purpose of this raid had been to train low-rank hunters, so most of the team had little experience. We had trouble piled on trouble.

At least the monsters were pouring out from only one direction rather than all sides.

SKREEEEEE!

With a hideous, ear-splitting cry, the skeletons charged, their eyes flashing. Ordinarily, they should have been easier opponents for us than the ghost-type monsters we'd faced earlier, the Sword Wraiths. If they weren't ghost-type, physical blows from swords or blunt weapons ought to work.

But this was a place where ordinary rules might not apply. It was an EX-rank dungeon, after all. So I needed to forget what I thought was standard strategy.

As I had against the Sword Wraiths, I changed the mana structure within my sword and charged. The aura surrounding the skeletons differed in color and form from the Wraiths', but there had to be a connection. A similar approach seemed best.

I took the front line without hesitation and swung at the skeletons. I'd worried I might struggle, but my sword cut through them faster than ever. Because I'd changed its mana structure from releasing energy to absorbing it, the aura around their bodies began flowing into the blade.

I wondered if the sword might escape my control and fly away again, as it had before... but so far there was no problem. Not for me, at least.

"Aaagh!"

Elsewhere on the battlefield, though, it was chaos. While I dispatched the skeletons as easily as monsters of my own rank, the other hunters were in hell.

"Heal! I need a heal!"

"How strong are these things?"

"Aaaah! Somebody help me!"

"We've got a casualty here!"

They could barely put up a fight, despite being hunters. Most were D-rank or higher; under normal circumstances, they would have dealt with monsters like these without much difficulty. Instead, even attacks made with all their strength had no effect on the skeletons, while every blow the skeletons landed was devastating.

'Why?'

I might have special power and potential, but potential was all it was. Even taking everything into account, I couldn't call myself the strongest person here. Taeseong, our leader, was an experienced B-rank hunter.

So why...

"How is Minjun doing fine over there?"

"Minjun!"

"Minjun! Please help us!"

Before I could think it through, cries for help rose around me. They'd realized it too: for some reason, only my attacks worked against these skeletons. Their desperate shouts made one thing clear. I would have to face this horde virtually alone.

But...

'I can do it.'

I twisted around and brought my sword down hard on the skeletons behind us. Until now, I'd only had to worry about those in front of me. From here on, I had to fight on both sides, and it would take several times as much concentration.

The party had realized I was the only one who could resolve this, and they were piling every buff they had onto me. In a way, everyone's fate rested on my shoulders. I couldn't let anyone die because of me.

'The rear first.'

Given my position, clearing the front would have been safer. The skeletons behind us were focused on the other hunters, while the ones in front weren't. Turning toward the rear would leave my back completely exposed to the enemy's front line.

But the other hunters could die at any moment. Surely I had to deal with the immediate danger first. Besides, I had the formidable artifacts Sia had given me. With their power, even a skeleton's blow shouldn't inflict a fatal wound.

I ran toward the hunters at the rear, swinging my sword like mad. Was my sword picking up speed, or was it the buffs? As when I'd fought the Sword Wraiths, the skeletons began falling noticeably faster. Thankfully, fewer and fewer were emerging from the opening in the wall.

At long last, the battle I'd thought would never end was over.

"Phew."

The tension left me, and my legs gave way. I dropped to the ground. As the healers tended the wounded hunters and they gulped down potions, others gathered the skeleton bones piled all around us.

Meanwhile, I went over the fight in my mind. Why had only my attacks worked properly against these skeletons? Other hunters had been able to hurt the Sword Wraiths. Here, though, no one but me had been able to fight at their best.

'Is it because of the dragon power in this sword?'

Or perhaps it was the emperor's will: he would allow no one into his tomb unless they, like him, wielded a dragon-blessed sword.

While I was deep in thought, Taeseong approached.

"The more I think about it, the stranger this is. Don't you think so, Minjun?"

Everything had begun to go strangely after my sword flew into the statue. And I'd always been at the center of it. The others couldn't have failed to notice.

"What exactly is your connection to this dungeon?"

"Connection? This is my first time here too. How could I have any connection to it...?"

"I can't make sense of any of this... You're not hiding anything from us, are you?"

Hiding something. A chill ran down my spine. How was I supposed to explain?

I couldn't exactly tell them the whole truth: that my girlfriend had been reborn as a dragon, that the sword in my hand was a Dragon Bone Sword like the one wielded by the emperor who owned this tomb, and that I, too, carried dragon power.

'They wouldn't believe me if I told them. And if they did, that would be a problem of its own...'

I did my best to pretend I knew nothing.

"I'm confused too. This is a lot of pressure."

"... I suppose it must be just as confusing for you. Once we're out of the gate, let's look into what happened together. For now..."

Taeseong took my hand.

"We need your strength."

"... I'll do my best."

Thankfully, Taeseong didn't question me further, and the other hunters didn't bring it up again either.

After a good rest, we set out again with me in the lead, heading for the lowest level of the tomb. Dungeons were unpredictable places to begin with, and this one was particularly dangerous. No one let down their guard.

Sure enough, with every step, skeletons and other undead monsters attacked us. They, too, were wrapped in that strange light, like rainbow colors mixed with black energy. As before, the other hunters couldn't do any meaningful damage. They gave me all their support, and I hunted the monsters alone.

We pushed through one stretch after another, making our way toward the dungeon's lowest level.

At last, the stairs that had seemed endless came to an end, opening onto what looked like the lowest level. Until now, we'd seen nothing but corridors and stairways. This was more like a vast cavern. Its walls bore various patterns that appeared to date from the emperor's era, but otherwise the place was eerily empty.

"It's creepier because there's nothing here."

"Still better than monsters."

"True, but... what was this place for?"

There was nothing in sight, but monsters could spring out at us anytime, from anywhere. I stayed at the front and kept watch as we walked.

Then, suddenly...

THUNK.

Something struck hard behind me. When I turned, I saw that the hunters who'd been following me had all fallen back, leaving a gap between us.

'What...?'

I looked at them, wondering what had happened, but they seemed just as bewildered.

"What's wrong?"

"Minjun."

Taeseong called to me and knocked on the empty air as though knocking on a door. It made a solid knocking sound.

"How did you get in there?"

"What?"

"There's a magical barrier blocking us."

Juwon, the hunter beside him, gave the space ahead a light kick. His foot struck an invisible wall with a hollow thud. Apparently no one but me had been able to pass through it.

"Why is Minjun the only one who got through...?"

A strange sense that something was wrong came over me.

'Don't tell me...?'

I headed back toward them, trying to pass through the wall I'd crossed without noticing. But...

THUNK.

This time, the wall stopped me.

"Uh...?"

Before I could work out what was happening, the magical barrier, completely transparent a moment ago, began turning opaque. The ground inside it started to tremble faintly.

"...!"

Then I felt the ground begin to sink. Whatever was happening inside the barrier didn't seem to affect the outside. The other hunters slipped farther and farther from view.

"Minjun!" Taeseong shouted urgently.

But nothing we tried could break the barrier, and the floor beneath my feet kept sinking.

'What happens now...?'