RD | Chapter 10

The unreasonable reputation system, well, let that be for now.

The reason why the <Purification> ability was needed in the later stages was exactly this. Just as Ian had broken through the demonic areas to reach the dragon, many important locations in the later stages required the Purification ability.

Ian first thought of using the dragon to deal with the Demon Archduke was on the 17th run.

The “true master of the dungeon, the dragon,” is originally one of Ian’s trials. Since it would eventually become a trial in the future, why not awaken the dragon early and have it drive the Demon Archduke away? That was the thought.

Until then, he had been either running away or achieving a “half success” to drive the Demon Archduke away, which was safe, but…

As a rational gamer, Ian couldn’t give up the experience points the Demon Archduke would provide, so once again, he awakened the dragon.

Now the only problem was putting the dragon back to sleep.

‘Fight more.’

Ian cheered for the Demon Archduke.

If only the dragon and the Demon Archduke clashed, the dragon would definitely win. Unlike the Demon Archduke, who had come out with no intention other than to hunt humans, the dragon would be full of hostility as soon as it opened its eyes, determined to protect its territory.

Isn’t it true that differences in mindset lead to differences in action?

While it might not apply everywhere but in this case, the dragon would win. The only difference would be how badly it got injured while winning.

So, in order for Ian to relax, the Demon Archduke had to show some strength here.

If Ian, a low-level character, faced the world’s strongest species, the dragon, there was no way he wouldn’t be defeated in an instant.

A 5-star hero like the Holy Knight Keith, who shines with exceptional skills, could later solo a dragon raid, but that’s an exception.

Crash!

The cave was collapsing. The Demon Archduke, with his reptilian mouth wide open, spewed out a viscous slime. It seemed endless. The slime flew toward the dragon as though it had a will of its own, attempting to stick to its skin.

The dragon roared and blocked it.

Kraaaarararara!

The dragon’s breath burst forth from its mouth. The fiery flames collided with the slime, and at the halfway point, the two different properties of the attacks met and caused a chemical reaction. A thick poisonous mist emerged, flying toward the place where Ian was sitting.

‘<Purification>.’

“Cough!” Ian spat out blood again.

Boom, boom, boom, boom!

The sound of metal crashing against metal echoed as the dragon and the Demon Archduke no longer fought with just their mouths and tails, but began to clash with their bodies.

The dazzling magic, which was too fast to even be seen with the naked eye, flew every few seconds as the two massive beings collided. Their respective magic countered and neutralized each other’s attacks. The magic they used was reflected back at them, as their higher racial magic resistance proved too strong. The moment the magic they cast bounced off and struck them, both stopped using magic, as if they had agreed on it.

The dragon and the Demon Archduke were of equal size, so much so that one couldn’t say who was bigger. Their height alone was at least four or five times that of a normal human man. As their enormous bodies collided with each other with all their might, the cave shook violently, unable to withstand the impact.

Boom! Boom!

The ceiling collapsed, and stones rained down around Ian.

“Lord Ian! Come, come over here!”

Sema pulled Ian toward him, covering his head with one hand.

“I’ll protect you!”

‘You protect yourself…’

Ian was stunned, watching the aftermath of the boss monsters’ war unfold before his eyes in a way that the game never showed.

Dust swirled into the air. In the thick dust, the fight between the two monsters was no longer visible.

Kraaaar!

The Demon Archduke let out a terrifying scream. At the same time, rocks began to fall down on Ian. He barely managed to roll to the side, escaping what could have been a severe concussion, or worse, death.

Things weren’t any better for the others around him. The people could no longer hold their breaths, screaming for their lives. The shockwaves from the dragon and Demon Archduke’s clash were enough to put their lives in danger as well.

Then, suddenly, everything went quiet.

“Haah, huff!”

Someone let out a sigh of relief, though Ian couldn’t tell who.

Dust filled the air. Through the haze, a dark figure appeared between the fallen rubble.

One of the massive creatures was on its knees.

When the dust finally settled, the situation became clear.

It was the Demon Archduke who had fallen.

The people, who had regained their senses, covered their mouths and cheered in hushed voices. Lord Ian heard a slight little hooray coming from somewhere in the crowd.

‘I thought I was going to die…’

But did that even matter?

Ian’s cheekbones formed a smile.

The thrill rushed through his fingertips.

‘The experience points are insane.’

The radiant blessing of experience points poured onto him.

Ding!

[Impossible Achievement!]
[You have hunted the Demon Archduke with strategic brilliance that will go down in history.]

Ding!

[Skill <II-jay> created.]
[People now see you as an incredible strategist!]

Ding!

[Character]
‘Tyrant’ Ian (★★★★☆)

[Reputation]
Tyrant, Bastard, Playboy, Lavish, Hedonist, Strategist, Mentally Unstable, Sickly, Demon Hunter (+NEW)

[Skills]
Purification: LV.4
Horsemanship: LV.1
Archery: LV.1
II-Jay: LV.1

The fact that the strategist’s reputation still couldn’t outshine the Tyrant reputation was puzzling, but Ian didn’t care about that.

‘I got a skill.’

Getting a new skill in this game was incredibly hard. Especially in the early stages.

As expected, achievements came with their rewards, didn’t they?

He had just defeated one of the strongest late-game foes, the dragon, and captured the Demon Archduke, who was one of the four in the continent.

He had killed the one who was sent to capture him.

Ian pressed the skill with his hand.

[Skill]
II-Jay LV.1
You face the enemy head-on.
The larger the gap in power with the enemy, the higher the failure rate.
The greater the power difference with the enemy, the more experience points you gain upon success.

‘Skill usage.’

Ian used it on the fallen Demon Archduke and the dragon.

The Demon Archduke’s body twitched, as though it was about to make one final attempt. A deadly poison erupted from its body.

‘Damn.’

Ian briefly regretted using the skill so recklessly. But one more use wouldn’t drain his health.

Probably….

‘Purification!’

Ian couldn’t bring himself to say the skill name out loud in embarrassment.

“Cough!”

To others, it must have looked as if Ian had been the one to spit up blood after the Demon Archduke emitted its venomous poison.

“Lord Ian!”

Sema screamed, unable to even care for the dragon.

At that moment, the dragon collapsed.

Boom!

The massive body fell, causing the entire cave to shake. Stones fell from the ceiling and dust swirled in the air. A small stone landed on Ian’s forehead, stinging.

Sema, with his small frame, hugged Ian protectively and sobbed.

As the vibrations stopped, Sema shouted.

“Lord Ian! Are you okay? Lord Ian! No, don’t die!”

“I’m not dead… Stop shaking me…”

Ian felt like he might die from Sema’s shaking.

There was one intruder watching this warm scene from the shadows.

‘He caught the Demon Archduke!’

Louise clutched his heart in a mixture of awe and fear.

He was an excellent hunter. There was no one in the village who could match his skill. Given that he had developed this ability on his own, his talent was evident.

And the reason he had become the best hunter in the village was because of the abilities he possessed. He moved with the agility of a cat and had stealthy steps. He could get into any place and hide anywhere. His wild animal-like eyes instinctively told him where to hide.

When the demon butler had targeted him, he thought about where he could escape. The forest? No. He would easily be caught in an open area.

He had entered the cave. The moment he hid in the darkness, he regretted it, but it was too late—the opportunity had passed. The demons would eventually devour everything in the cave. Why had he come here? But when he was fleeing, this place felt like the best option.

He had no choice but to go deeper into the cave, hoping to be discovered as late as possible. Maybe, if he was lucky, he could even escape unnoticed.

How deep had he gone? Finally, he seemed to have found a path that led to an exit. It was a narrow way that led further underground, a path so tight that even humans smaller than the demons would have to crawl to pass through.

Louise had thought it might be an escape route for small creatures. When he found the humans hiding at the end of the path, he gave up entirely.

‘This is the end.’

There was no way this path would go unnoticed. The smell of humans would surely give them away!

If he had escaped outright, it would have been one thing, but to walk into the depths of the cave and hide?

It was like offering his life up for sacrifice.

Louise decided to make one last desperate attempt. He fumbled through his belongings and dipped the poison he had inherited from his dead parents on the tip of an arrow.

The moment he saw the Demon Archduke, Louise fired the arrow without hesitation.

The venomous arrow fell short, never even reaching the Demon Archduke.

‘Ah.’

It was over.

Louise almost closed his eyes.

But then, the people hiding in the cave summoned the dragon and killed the Demon Archduke!

‘I’m alive!’

He looked toward the leader of the group. Even in the dark, he could tell that the man was pale, with a sickly appearance. He had been coughing up blood, which gave him an impression of being weak, but Louise immediately judged that he had great intelligence.

This sickly, frail man… had an incredible mind.

If he was around… maybe his village could survive after all?

“Wh-What the hell are you?!”

In an instant, Louise flinched. Overcome with joy and shock from the Demon Archduke’s death, he let his guard down.

The man next to him must have sensed a person emerging from the shadows.

The man screamed, drawing the attention of everyone in the cave to Louise.

“……!”

Louise wanted to run, but the passage was too narrow. The people were huddled together, making it impossible for him to move freely.

What was worse, the sickly leader, whom he had admired, was now pointing a bow at him.

Even Louise, a born archer, could tell that the leader had a perfect stance.

There was no way he would miss such a close shot, so Louise raised both hands in surrender.

‘What should I do? What should I do…’

He quickly tried to think, but in doing so, he didn’t notice that the sickly leader was staring at him in shock.

Others were also horrified by his appearance.

“That black hair! Black eyes! Greyish skin! He’s from the Traitor Clan!”

A priest, still partially drunk, shouted.

‘I know.’ Ian thought.

The Traitor Clan.

It was a clan from the game, known for “selling the middle world to the demons,” earning the derogatory title of Traitors.

They didn’t have a proper settlement and wandered the forests, engaging in hunting or commerce.

In other words, they were a clan that could be useful if picked up…

But there was something more important to Ian than that.

“What’s your name?”

“Huh?”

“Your name.” Ian drew his bow string tightly. The arrow was now pointed threateningly at the boy.

The boy from the Traitor Clan bit his lip.

“Louis.”

Ding!

[Character]
‘Traitor’s Child’ Louise (★★★★☆)

[Reputation]
Traitor’s Child, Poison Hunter

[Skills]
Deadly Poison: LV.5
Archery: LV.6
Ambush: LV.6

⋮

(Expand)

‘This is crazy.’

Ian felt goosebumps.

A playable character—4-star hero Louise—had walked right into his path.