- Volume 4, Chapter 25, Part 100. Bekweseta, the Demon God’s Little Lamb (10) “Oh…” Anetsha, who had been blankly watching Taesan train, stood up in surprise. A short old man emerged from the bushes, wiping away tears as he knelt.
The old man took off his tattered robe. Black hair and black eyes were revealed. Anetsha covered her mouth.
“Haveneck…?”
“Princess… I am in the presence of your noble self.”
The old man called Haveneck knelt with tears. Anetsha burst into tears and ran to him.
“You were alive!”
“I barely escaped when the castle was burning… I am sorry. For abandoning you, Princess, just to save ourselves…”
“It’s okay! As long as you’re alive, that’s all that matters!”
Watching the emotional reunion, Taesan gave them some space. He left the sound of their weeping voices behind and headed for a clearing in the forest. In the clearing, Taesan drew his sword and swung it.
Fsh-sh-sh-shk!
The air exploded with afterimages. Taesan looked at the tip of his sword with a displeased expression.
“Is this the limit?”
A tingling sensation traveled up from the sword. Right now, Taesan was on the subtle line just before obtaining Aura. A few more days of training should do it, but a demon had to come looking for Anetsha.
“I’ll have to do the rest while we’re on the move.”
It wasn’t that he had gained nothing at all. Thanks to his relentless sword training, the proficiency of Sword of the Storm Scar had also increased by 3%. Wolf Fang and The Dancer’s Step had become smoother than before.
Atria, who had been watching Taesan all this time, was inwardly amazed.
‘To think he’d grasp the concept of Aura in just three days.’
That in itself was certainly astonishing. Considering there were swordsmen who trained for decades just to obtain Aura, his speed was overwhelming. But it was also a speed that made sense.
Taesan had already reached the level of a Sword Master in his understanding of the sword. Since Aura was a power that proved one’s qualification with the sword, Taesan, who was already qualified, could obtain it easily. But that wasn’t what surprised him.
Atria was astonished by the sheer breadth of Taesan’s power. The power he had seen in Taesan was perfection itself. While using magic that surpassed the Head of the Magic Tower, while learning Aura, his physical abilities were also exceptional.
On top of that, he never seemed to tire. He swung his sword every day for three days without even a bead of sweat. Recalling their battle, even when a sword was lodged in his body, his movements were completely unimpeded.
It meant that he could either ignore his injuries, or the extent of his injuries was far less than theirs.
‘…Is that the power of the Labyrinth?’
Atria had almost completely lost interest in his own world.
‘It’s not fun.’
He looked up at the sky with cold eyes. He had pursued strength and became a Sword Master. And then, there was no more strength for him to pursue.
He grew bored. He grew weary. He didn't care about gods or anything else.
What he desired was strength. The only reason he had followed Harmon’s revelation, which he had no interest in, was because he had heard that the one protecting the princess was strong, and curiosity had led him to it.
‘The Labyrinth.’
Atria’s eyes gleamed. An hour later, Taesan returned. Haveneck and Anetsha both had swollen eyes, as if they had cried all their tears out.
“Haveneck. This is the person who protected me.”
“Ah…”
Looking up at Taesan with eyes full of fear and reverence, Haveneck pressed his head to the ground.
“Thank you so much. For risking your life to protect our princess…”
“I was paid, so it’s fine.”
After expressing his gratitude for a long while, Haveneck stood up and bowed his head deeply.
“Thank you. Then, Princess, let us return to our land.”
“O-okay!”
Anetsha smiled brightly and looked at Taesan.
“You’ll come too, won’t you, Taesan?”
“If you’re going, I have to go.”
He didn’t know how the quest would be completed. It might end with confirming her safety, so of course, he had to follow. Haveneck was noticeably flustered.
“Y-you’re coming with us, Taesan?”
“Yes. He’s my savior, so of course. Is there a problem?”
“No.” Haveneck glanced around with anxious eyes.
“That place is hidden, so it’s difficult to bring an outsider…”
“Don’t worry! He’s the one who protected me! He’ll be good to you all too!”
Anetsha said with a confident face. Haveneck muttered with a flustered expression.
“If that is the princess’s will…”
“Can I go too?”
Atria, who had been watching quietly, spoke up. Anetsha belatedly noticed his presence.
“Atria, you’re…”
“A jest. I have no interest in demons.”
Atria tilted his chin at Taesan.
“It seems you’ve gotten a feel for Aura as well. I suppose it’s about time I left?”
“Do as you please.”
“Then, farewell. It would be good if we could see each other again later.”
As Atria left, he glanced at Taesan. Taesan’s strength must have come from the Labyrinth.
‘Should I look for it too?’
Having set his goal, Atria departed. Haveneck, with a strangely relieved expression, took something out from his robes.
“Princess. Please accept this.”
“Huh? What is it?”
“It is an ornament crafted from a dragon’s claw. If you have this, you can hide from the gaze of the gods.”
Anetsha asked in surprise.
“How do you have this?”
An ornament made from a dragon’s claw. It was a difficult item to obtain even when the Demon King was around. Haveneck smiled faintly.
“You will know when we arrive. Taesan, please accept one as well.”
Haveneck took out another one and gave it to Taesan.
[Ornament Carved from Dragon’s Claw] [The dragon that protects the world prevents the intervention of transcendent beings.]
“Then let us move.”
Haveneck put his robe back on. Anetsha, with a serious face, followed him. They began to move.
They left the center of the world and headed toward the outskirts. The ornament Haveneck had given them truly did hide them from the gaze of the gods, as no one came looking for them. Perhaps it wasn’t the ornament, but the fact that Taesan had killed the Sword Master.
The journey took two days, during which Taesan continuously swung his sword. And finally, he was able to obtain Aura.
Crackle. Crackle.
[Ooh. Is this Aura? It’s fascinating.]
The ghost exclaimed in admiration, moving here and there. Taesan looked at the blue flame that had risen on his sword. Unlike Garant’s Aura, the blue light sparked and crackled like an unstable spark.
It seemed to be a phenomenon caused by his lack of proficiency.
“Skill Window.”
[Special Active Skill: Aura [Proficiency: 1%]] [A reward given to one who has proven their sword. Still immature and cannot be handled properly.]
As he had heard, there was no consumption cost. Taesan tried to extend the Aura even more forcefully. But there was no change.
The Aura crackled at the same size as before.
“There’s no cost, but is the limit clearly defined?”
Taesan pulled back his sword. A giant tree was cut down smoothly.
Rumble.
There was no expenditure of strength at all. It was cut down with incredible ease. He would have to use it to know its exact performance, but it seemed his Attack Power had increased significantly.
Taesan sheathed his sword with satisfaction. And three days later, they arrived at the land of the demons.
“This is the place.”
Haveneck announced with a tired face. The place they had arrived at was a small mountain range.
“What a strange-looking mountain.”
Within the mountain range, only one mountain was beautifully colored with various shades of autumn leaves. Unlike the other mountains, it was so uniquely distinct that it stood out at once.
“Are you sure this is the right place?”
It was too splendid a place to be considered hidden.
Haveneck affirmed.
“It is. Because no one ever comes here.”
Taesan stared at the mountain quietly. Seeing him motionless, Haveneck asked cautiously.
“Is there… any problem?”
“It’s a problem if it’s a problem, and it’s not if it isn’t. Is this the right place?”
“Yes. It is, but…”
“There’s something too strong here.”
A power stronger than anything Taesan had ever seen before. A power of a level that, except for a god, no one could approach, was inside the mountain. Haveneck looked at Taesan with a surprised expression.
“You can feel that?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I was planning to tell you later as I thought it might be a great shock… It’s simple.”
Haveneck pointed to the mountain with autumn leaves.
“A dragon resides there.”
“What?”
Anetsha’s face turned pale.
“A dragon?”
“It’s alright.”
Haveneck comforted Anetsha.
“Fundamentally, it is a being that does not even obey the commands of gods, so it is indifferent to our residence. Except for the fact that it is unsettling, it is the best place as the gazes of the gods cannot reach here.”
A dragon is a guardian of the world. The place where it resides prevents the interference of transcendent beings. It was the most suitable place for the demons, who were being pursued by the gods, to stay.
“In fact, we have been staying here for over five years, but the dragon has never once shown itself. There are no problems.”
“Really?”
Taesan looked at the mountain quietly.
“I don’t think so.”
He muttered to himself. They didn’t seem to feel anything, so there was no need to say it now. Taesan changed the subject.
“So, are we not going?”
“Let’s go, Princess.”
Anetsha cautiously set foot on the mountain. They climbed the mountain. The fact that no one had visited seemed to be true, as the path was not maintained and was very difficult to walk.
Anetsha, whose stamina had been trained by the long chase, struggled a little, and Haveneck requested a rest several times. At the end, they reached the middle of the mountain, and there was a small village.
“Ah…”
Anetsha let out a gasp. Among the tattered and collapsing buildings, there were several people with black hair. They saw Anetsha and ran over with surprised faces.
“Oh!”
“The princess!”
“It’s the princess!”
“Everyone! You were alive!”
She shed tears and embraced them. Hearing the commotion, all the demons in the village ran over. Taesan counted their numbers one by one.
‘About fifty.’
He vaguely remembered the number of people needed for a race to prosper, but he recalled it being more than fifty. It seemed that the demon race would likely perish here.
“Oh! Princess!”
“Artnekia! You were here too!”
A demon who seemed to be the village chief spotted Anetsha and ran over joyfully. Anetsha also greeted him with a smile. Though they were all in shabby states, they were all happy.
“Hup.”
After watching them for a moment, Taesan kicked off the ground. Anetsha, not noticing that Taesan had left, smiled happily and pointed in the direction where Taesan had been.
“This is the person who brought me… huh?”
She was flustered. There was no one in the direction where Taesan had been.
[Do you think this will be okay?]
“It’s a being that’s indifferent even to the demons. I don’t think it will attack me.”
From the moment Taesan entered the mountain, there was a being that had been continuously calling out to him.
“So impatient.”
He had planned to go after finishing the conversation and confirming their safety, but it kept urging him, so he had no choice but to slip away. Taesan arrived at the summit of the mountain. There was a huge cave there.
And there was also a golem guarding it.
Rumble…
A giant made of stone looked down at Taesan. Taesan let out an impressed ‘oh’.
“Now this.”
It was strong. Even if he fought it now, he couldn’t guarantee victory. In reality, it meant that the residents of this world were untouchable.
Rumble…
The golem, which had been looking at Taesan, moved aside. Taesan entered the cave. There was a dragon there.
A being with golden scales and magnificent horns looked down at Taesan. The dragon that filled the cave welcomed Taesan.
[Welcome. O one who has descended following the will of the Demon God.]
[You have encountered the Golden Dragon, Valveneles.]
Paran-young Fusion Fantasy Novel ■B GOLEM FACTORY1 ■— - 1 ■ '■ — Leveling up through battle