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Chapter 51
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“Adventurers heading to dragon lairs to become Dragon Masters… Who will be the first Dragon Master…? Are these people crazy?”
It was supposed to be a relaxed morning.
While leisurely sipping coffee, I set down my cup in surprise at the headline on the front page of the newspaper.
“Dragons… Depending on the situation, they could even be stronger than Tower Masters… What are they thinking?”
I couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh—it was news so shocking it made my blood pressure rise.
No matter how well-made and enjoyable the job of ‘Evan’ was,
Actually stealing an egg from a dragon lair was an entirely different story.
In ‘Maple Leaf Story,’ Evan’s ability to handle dragons was due to a contract between an ancient hero and the dragon race.
“What’s the matter, Rai?”
Rain, who had just woken up, emerged from her room, hearing my voice.
Instead of answering, I handed her the newspaper I had been reading.
“Dragon Master…? The update seems to be making waves in the world again.”
“Is this something to talk about so lightly? Dragons are one of the apex beings of this world!”
Rain calmly tidied her hair.
I was in a state of disbelief—almost furious—over this situation where people seemed to be committing suicide because of the game I created.
“Well… It’s their choice, isn’t it? This isn’t the first time something like this has happened.”
“But isn’t this far too blatantly dangerous?”
“Sure, sneaking into a dragon lair is dangerous. But it’s not like people haven’t tried it before. It’s just been less common recently.”
“What?”
Rain began recounting stories of adventurers who had once looted dragon lairs.
She said it was during the chaotic times before the defeat of the Demon King—and slightly after.
It was all before I had reincarnated into this world.
Dragon lairs were filled with rare treasures, so adventurers frequently risked their lives to steal them back then.
Of course, only a small number of people succeeded, and I hadn’t heard much about such attempts recently.
“People actually risked their lives for something like that…”
“Well, risking your life is part of survival. As mages of the Tower, we’re less likely to face such situations.”
I realized once again how much I didn’t understand this world.
It seemed that immersing myself in the recent update had caused me to temporarily revert to my previous life’s mindset.
If the ‘Maple Leaf Story’ of my past life was purely a ‘fantasy,’
The ‘Maple Leaf Story’ of this world was practically half nonfiction.
Rain didn’t seem too concerned.
“But isn’t stealing a dragon egg a different matter? It’s their offspring, after all.”
“That’s… definitely true. It’s not the same as stealing a treasure or two. If that happens, dragons might even descend upon human cities.”
“Then shouldn’t we warn them not to go quickly…?”
“But do you think anyone will listen? Even in the past, those who successfully stole treasures were just lucky.
And since dragons hoard so many treasures, they might not care if one or two are missing.
But eggs are a different story. Dragons typically raise only one egg at a time, and they keep it in the most secure place.
Not to mention, dragon eggs are larger than humans. If the egg’s position changes even slightly, the dragon will notice.
Who could possibly steal something like that?”
“Now that you mention it, that makes sense. But still, entering the lair puts their lives at risk.”
“Well, that’s their responsibility.”
With that, Rain yawned and returned to her room.
She must have stayed up late playing games.
After pondering for a moment, I decided to contact a media outlet.
Even so, I couldn’t just stand by and watch people head toward certain death.
This situation had arisen partly because of the game I created.
It was a sense of responsibility as a developer.
Honestly, as Rain said, it’s their choice. But at the very least, issuing a warning might help avoid any unforeseen consequences.
“Sigh… I thought I could finally take a break for a while.”
After dedicating long hours to the update alongside ‘Minecraft,’
There was also an upcoming update for COL and the third job for ‘Maple Leaf Story,’ which was progressing smoothly.
Originally, all three jobs for ‘Maple Leaf Story’ were planned to release simultaneously.
But the last one required additional review, delaying its release slightly.
Once that was done, I planned to take a break for a while.
But for some reason, more troublesome matters kept cropping up.
“Haha! Don’t worry too much. Adventurers sneaking into dragon lairs have always existed. It’s not something you, as a mage, need to feel responsible for.”
“That’s true, but… what if someone actually manages to steal an egg? Then we’d have to face a dragon attack.”
“Hahahaha! What kind of foolish dragon would let a human steal its egg? That won’t happen, so don’t worry.”
Later, during a conversation with the chief editor of the media outlet.
In the end, we decided to leave the situation as it was.
For some reason, I still couldn’t shake my worries, but no one else seemed to take it seriously.
Maybe it was because adventuring was such an everyday activity in this world.
“I suppose… That’s reassuring, at least.”
Thus, the number of people venturing to dragon lairs to steal dragon eggs continued to grow.
Of course, no news ever surfaced of anyone successfully stealing a dragon egg.
Over time, the frenzy around taming dragons subsided.
It seemed like a simple passing event.
However,
“Did you hear? Someone managed to successfully steal a dragon egg!”
“Seriously?! How?!”
“I heard it from a friend who met them during their journey back from the lair!”
Not long after, I overheard a conversation between two men.
I couldn’t believe my ears.
A foolish dragon that let a human steal its egg actually existed.
***
Hetz found himself lost in thought as he gazed at a map he had created in the past.
The map displayed the locations of dragon lairs that Hetz had identified.
Each lair was situated in a unique location, depending on the characteristics of the dragon.
Some were hidden within active volcanoes, others deep within colossal glaciers in polar regions, and some atop the world’s tallest mountains.
Every single one was an extraordinarily dangerous place.
However, depending on the timing, certain lairs became more accessible.
Hetz meticulously examined the vast amount of information he had compiled in the past.
“At this point in time, the Red Dragon’s lair might actually be easier to approach. Or perhaps the underground lair would be better…”
He was a seasoned expert at raiding lairs.
In terms of pure combat ability, there were countless adventurers superior to him.
However, Hetz’s extensive knowledge about dragons,
combined with his ingenious methods that took into account their habits,
made him one of the foremost authorities on dragons.
Dragons were such overwhelmingly powerful beings that even information about them was scarce.
Everything he knew had been painstakingly obtained through firsthand experience.
“…But my options are quite limited.”
If this were merely about raiding a lair for treasure, there were a few feasible options.
However, this mission was different. He had to steal an egg.
In other words, he needed to target the lair of a dragon presumed to be in its breeding season.
Dragons, while immensely powerful, were extraordinarily rare.
It was said they only laid eggs once every few centuries, if at all.
“Black Dragon, and…”
Hetz circled two lairs on the map.
One was the lair of a Black Dragon, while the other was an unnamed lair.
Raiding the Black Dragon’s lair was nearly impossible.
The area surrounding it was teeming with monsters so dangerous that even approaching the lair was a monumental task.
Even if one managed to steal an egg, escaping unscathed through those monsters was inconceivable.
“It seems this place is my only choice.”
Only one option remained.
In some ways, it was also the most viable option.
Having made his decision, Hetz began preparing his gear.
***
After several days of travel,
he spotted a high mountain range in the distance, shrouded in low-hanging clouds.
Above the clouds, atop the highest peak, was an enormous temple.
It was the sanctuary of a dragon’s guardian.
“As I thought, it hasn’t changed.”
It was a place untouched by human footsteps.
After all, this was a location Hetz had discovered through years of exploration.
Hidden in the remotest parts of the mountain range,
the existence of the temple was known to no one but Hetz.
He had deliberately kept his knowledge of dragon lairs a secret from the world.
“The absence of any detectable aura suggests that…”
As he approached the mountains, Hetz pulled out a device he had prepared in advance.
It was a tool used to measure mana concentration.
If a being with overwhelming magical energy, such as a dragon, were nearby, the device would explode under the pressure.
The fact that it remained intact indicated that the guardian was currently absent from the temple.
Hetz swiftly began his ascent of the mountain.
Though referred to as the temple of a dragon’s guardian, this guardian was itself a dragon.
The title “guardian” was simply a more dignified name for a dragon tasked with mundane duties.
As the lowest-ranking dragon, the guardian was forced to handle various tasks.
This was another piece of information Hetz had gleaned from observation.
Why the guardian was the lowest in rank, Hetz did not know.
He had merely exploited this fact to briefly divert the guardian’s attention in the past.
“This is my first time entering directly.”
Hetz arrived at the tranquil temple.
At such a high altitude, his ears felt as though they were blocked.
A true dragon’s temple was filled with a mystical mana that permeated the air.
Hetz prepared the tools he had brought and stepped inside.
Click, clack—click, clack.
The interior of the temple was astonishingly silent.
Massive crimson-hued plaster pillars towered more than fifty times Hetz’s height.
This meant the ceilings were staggeringly high.
The temple was veiled in a haze-like mist.
Pushing through the mist, Hetz made his way to the center of the temple.
“Whoa…”
There, the only patch of grass could be seen.
It filled a vast hollow in the center of the temple.
Unlike the rest of the temple, which was shrouded in clouds and devoid of sunlight,
a beam of sunlight pierced through, illuminating the center of the hollow.
And in the sunlight sat a lone egg.
It was at least three to four times the size of Hetz’s body.
Still, the dragon had yet to return.
Hetz retrieved his tools from his bag.
They included items like a hammer and saw, things he had prepared during previous lair raids.
“Hup—!”
Clang!
Hetz struck the egg with the hammer.
The immense recoil sent a jolt through his arm.
Dragon eggs were typically harder than most substances in the world.
They contained an enormous amount of mana, making them nearly indestructible.
Normally, an egg would remain intact until the hatchling broke it from within.
Hetz then pulled out another pouch from his bag.
It was a spatial pocket made by the Space Magic Tower.
Though it had been outrageously expensive, he had purchased it specifically for this mission.
From the spatial pocket, Hetz retrieved four large logs.
He carefully placed the logs around the egg at evenly spaced intervals.
“Most people would have given up long before this.”
Ordinary adventurers had no knowledge of dragon eggs.
They wouldn’t have imagined that the egg could be this massive, which was precisely why no one had ever succeeded in stealing one.
Even if they managed to acquire the enormous egg, there was no practical way to transport it.
Due to the dragon’s mana, it couldn’t even be stored in a spatial pocket.
Boom!
With a massive explosion, the egg that had been upright toppled over.
It was the work of an explosive artifact crafted by the Fire Magic Tower.
The explosion was meant to jolt the egg onto the logs.
Once the egg was on the logs, Hetz began rolling it forward bit by bit.
It was arduous work, but this way, he could single-handedly move the enormous and heavy dragon egg.
Out of breath, Hetz finally managed to transport the dragon egg outside the temple.
It was about time for the egg’s owner to return.
But he had only just made it out of the temple.
He still had to descend this towering mountain.
For that, however, Hetz already had a plan.
Hetz installed an explosive artifact onto a launcher he had prepared beforehand.
Then, he rolled the egg onto the launcher.
“If I set the direction this way, it should work.”
He carefully adjusted the angle, taking the wind into account.
The dragon egg now resembled a projectile loaded into a mortar.
Hetz’s plan was to launch the dragon egg down the mountain.
It didn’t matter if it took a beating—it wouldn’t break anyway.
Given the height of the mountain, even a slight launch into the air was enough to ensure its descent.
The idea of tricking a dragon and launching its egg was utterly insane.
But then again, stealing a dragon egg was a venture only a madman would undertake.
“Three… two…”
Hetz began counting down.
Mana surged into the explosive artifact,
and boom!
With a resonant explosion, the dragon egg soared in a parabolic arc down the mountain.
“Hahahahahahaha—success!”
Laughing maniacally, Hetz gathered his belongings and hurried down the mountain.
A few hours later,
a being with the form of a half-dragon flew toward the guardian’s temple from beyond the sky.
“Ha! Did they really summon me all the way out here for a measly pest?”
She grumbled irritably as she folded her wings and entered the temple.
But something felt off.
There was an unusual air mingling with the serene flow of mana.
It seemed a human had trespassed.
Yet, the temple itself was still pristine.
“…Huh?! What?! No, no, no!”
There was only one thing that had changed—her egg was gone.
“Who… WHO DARED?!”
This wasn’t just a case of a treasure or two going missing. Losing her egg was an outrage she could not tolerate.
Descending in fury, she headed for the human cities.
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