Free Web NovelThen, with a soft poof, the dragon shrank.
The red dragon, now only the size of a large dog, padded up to Ian and planted both front paws on his chest.
If it had been a dog, the gesture would have meant pet me or hug me, so Ian reflexively wrapped his arms around the dragon.
The dragon made a satisfied purring sound.
“Yaaaawn... Mom, I’m so sleepy. I need to sleep. Don’t go anywhere without me. I really hate that now.”
Then the dragon fell asleep.
Its chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm, and soft snores puffed from its nose.
Ian looked down at the people crawling across the floor while he held the dragon.
They were looking at Ian too.
The question Ian wanted to ask was, What are we supposed to do about this?
Their faces seemed to answer, What the hell is going on here?
Sema’s question broke the delicate silence.
“L-Lord Ian. Did you date a dragon before?!”
Ian was dumbfounded.
“What are you talking about?! What do you mean, date one?”
“D-did you have an accident with a dragon...?”
“Did I give birth?!”
“But dragons are a magical species. There must be some way... Ow? Lord Ian, that hurts! Ow!”
The people had been staring at Ian with eyes full of shock and suspicion, but the moment he started kicking Sema, they all quietly turned away.
They seemed to want to claim he was not their lord.
Then he should respect that.
Though they were not entirely sure what, exactly, they were supposed to be respecting.
In any case, he had not done anything with a dragon.
Probably.
Even if the young dragon was calling Ian Mom.
Still, everyone already acknowledged that their lord was an extraordinary being, so the shock of this incident faded quickly without changing their perception of Ian all that much.
After all, Ian was famous for being a womanizer.
Even if he had met a dragon somewhere and fathered a shocking illegitimate child, it was not their place to say anything.
That was his private life.
The people sorted out their feelings.
Yes. Lord Ian is certainly charming. Charming enough to make even a dragon fall for him...
Could that be how he knew there was a dragon below us...?
They reached an understanding.
Ding!
[People doubt your romantic preferences.]
[People think you are a womanizer!]
No!
Ian felt like he was losing his mind.
In any case, time kept moving, even while the shrunken dragon slept in his arms like a dog.
Since they had even defeated the Western Demon Noble, there was nothing left to obstruct them, and people continued pouring into the dungeon after seeing the posters.
“Come this way! Newcomers, I’ll assign you living quarters!”
“Over there is the trap zone. I’ll teach you how to pass through safely. If you just walk in, you’ll be in serious trouble.”
Ding! Ding!
The dungeon’s population kept increasing, and with it, the dungeon’s growth rate.
The notification sounds came so frequently that Ian’s ears nearly started to hurt.
But it was a pleasant kind of noise.
Ding!
[Quest]
Reach a population of 50. [Completed]
Ding!
[Quest]
Reach a population of 100. [Completed]
Ding!
[Quest]
Make the dungeon a livable environment.
Ian was not good at urban planning, and he usually left internal affairs to characters suited for it.
Right now, however, his early progress had been so rapid that he had no internal-affairs talent available.
Should he put the quest off?
That was not what a great gamer would do.
A true gamer paid off debts when there were debts to pay and cleared quests when there were quests to clear.
That was what Ian believed.
Like a mountaineer who climbed because there was a mountain, Ian cleared the quest because there was a quest.
Construction Menu.
Ian called up the system window and pressed a section he had never touched before.
Upgrades.
Ding!
[‘Narrow Shared Dormitory’ has been upgraded to ‘4-Person Dormitory’.]
Ding!
[‘Crowded Plaza’ has been upgraded to ‘Circular Plaza’.]
Ding!
[‘Basic School (Low Level)’ is being constructed.]
Ding!
[‘Hut Shelter’ is being constructed.]
Let’s use up all the dungeon experience points.
As the cave expanded and new buildings began to rise, people scattered in alarm.
But the sight was far too spectacular not to watch.
Since Ian was staring into empty air, the people nearby quickly realized that he was doing something special again.
Is he truly God’s messenger?
Louise’s heart trembled.
Was this not a miracle only God could perform?
He had always served Ian as a savior, but now it no longer seemed like mere personal conviction.
He turned to Sema, hoping to share his awe.
Sema opened his mouth.
“As expected, Lord Ian must be a wizard!”
Never mind.
Louise abandoned all hope of sharing the awe.
What could he possibly do with this man?
Ian, who had been performing miracles for some time, turned to look at them.
“Contacca.”
“Yes.”
“Sort out the newcomers with good physiques and put them through military training.”
“Of course.”
Ian stopped Contacca just as the werewolf was about to leave immediately.
“Louise.”
“Yes, Lord Ian?”
Louise nearly called him Your Majesty, but corrected himself in time, almost biting his tongue.
“Take the ones with archery talent.”
“Leave it to me.”
Ian was not simply leaving all the classification to them.
In the bustling plaza, he took charge of one line himself and asked people their names.
There was some profit in it.
One of them had the ‘Mana Manipulation’ skill, and it was 3-star. Not ideal, but good enough to use immediately.
“You. Become a wizard.”
“...What?”
“See that kid with the staff over there? Go ask him to teach you magic.”
“...?!”
The shaggy-haired boy went over to Sema, looking baffled.
Good. Two wizards secured.
Four stars would have been better, but Ian decided not to be greedy.
How many 4-star characters did he even have?
Three.
Louise, Contacca, and Momisia.
And then there was the 5-star dragon.
Though right now, it had about the combat readiness of a dog.
This was enough power to handle the mid-game.
Can’t beat the Seven Demon Nobles with this.
Can’t beat a dragon either...
But was that really a problem?
Just looking at them made Ian smile.
Sema, who was watching Ian from afar with his new apprentice beside him, spoke with a guilty expression.
“W-why are you looking at me like that, Lord Ian? I wasn’t thinking I can’t teach anyone because I’m bad at learning myself.”
“You need to study teaching methods for two hours a day.”
Ian nagged him.
He had already sent those trained by Contacca into the forest to capture lesser demons.
Contacca’s “friends,” the wolves, had also been assigned rooms inside the dungeon and had become excellent defensive units.
Ding!
[Wolf Mamool Habitat has been designated.]
Ding!
[Wolf Mamool Habitat 2 has been designated.]
Good.
The dungeon’s combat strength was increasing smoothly.
The upcoming monster wave should be easy to stop.
The problem is that the population is getting close to capacity again...
Try kicking out people who had come after seeing the posters. Would that not damage his reputation?
Ian’s reputation had already taken enough hits.
He did not want to be cursed any more than he already was, so he needed a solution.
That solution, of course, was to increase the maximum population through the evolution of the World Tree.
The problem was that the World Tree’s evolution now required an item called ‘World Tree Fertilizer.’
Do I have to go on an <Adventure>?
But there was no suitable location where he could obtain ‘World Tree Fertilizer’ at this stage.
Originally, the World Tree was not supposed to be upgraded this early in the game.
But if that was the case, should the game company really have advertised freedom of choice?
Was that not deceiving the players?
Was it not tyranny by the game company when incompetent developers, unable to account for players showing their true skill because they had failed to level properly during beta testing, simply blocked them off by saying, “This is end-game content”?
That was Ian’s opinion.
Of course, even Ian, who had played the game diligently, had never thought about upgrading the World Tree at this stage before all these routes started overlapping...
Then, a strange voice came from outside.
“Anyone home? Anyone home! I’ve got something good to sell!”
It was a voice Ian had heard before.
As Ian tried to remember where he had heard it, the owner of the voice barged into the dungeon.
Ian’s eyebrows lifted.
“You are...”
Louise looked at the visitor with a wary gaze.
Sema recognized him.
“Oh, it’s the ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ elf merchant from the temple!”
“Glad you remember me. Of course, no one would forget a face like mine.”
The elf removed his robe and smiled with his pretty face.
It seemed Ian’s flyers had drawn not only refugees, but merchants as well.
The elf greeted Ian cheerfully.
“How have you been? I’ve been looking for you for quite a while. Since you’re a regular customer, I wanted to show you the good stuff first. I bought something incredible.”
You?
Ian did not trust him very much.
Alongside Sema, this elf merchant was one of the characters Ian believed had chosen the wrong profession.
Still, because this elf might try to collect the World Tree branch he was supposed to receive a hundred years later, Ian answered with utmost sincerity.
“What is it?”
“Take a look.”
Ding!
The merchant’s bag opened, and Ian saw it.
[World Tree Fertilizer(S)]
Promotes the growth of the World Tree.
Was this the second time this merchant had brought him exactly what he needed?
This guy isn’t just an extra.
Ian was certain.
He grabbed the merchant by the collar.
“What’s your name?”
The elf merchant’s eyes went wide.
“I still haven’t told you my name? It’s Dorian. You can call me Dori.”
“Dorian.”
Ian called up the status window.
Ding!
[Character]
‘Wandering Merchant’ Dorian(?) (★★★★★)
[Reputation]
???
[Skills]
Luck: LV.?
Growth: LV.?
???
⁝
What is this?
Why were there question marks in the status window?
Of course, when something unknown happened in the game, it was the game company’s fault.
How had they even developed this thing?
And now, a 5-star character had suddenly appeared out of nowhere...
The character Dorian had definitely not existed in the game.
Ian could bet everything on it.
There was no 5-star character he did not know.
He had searched the entire map and recruited every significant character.
Wait.
No.
This is...
Beta test!
Like a bolt of lightning, Ian remembered the email he had received from the game company not long ago. frёewebnoѵēl.com
They were planning to release new characters and had asked if he wanted to play them first.
Of course, Ian had accepted.
But he had been trapped inside the game before he could even try the beta test.
Is this guy a new character?
Ian’s heart began pounding wildly.
Trying to suppress it, he put his fist against his chest, only for his breathing to turn ragged instead.
Giving up on calming down, Ian slung an arm around Dorian’s shoulders with an excited look.
“Dorian, you are welcome here. You must be tired after such a long journey, and I’ve kept you standing for too long. I’ll give you a place to stay so you can wash up. No, you can wash at my place. It’s the best one.”
I’ll raise his favorability and keep him here.
Ian decided on his course of action.
“Huh?”
“......?”
Everyone’s eyes went wide.
Ian added kindly.
“I’ll prepare dinner for you too. What do you like? Since you’re an elf, do you only eat fruit? Tell me, and I’ll ask someone to cook. No, I should do it myself.”
Ian remembered the cooking skills of the dungeon’s “cook” and corrected himself.
With his long experience living alone, Ian could cook fairly well.
He usually did not bother because he figured anything that went into his mouth was good enough.
It was not as if food gave stat buffs in this game.
“......!”
“That beautiful merchant is seducing Lord Ian again!”
“Isn’t it the other way around?”
Louise’s face turned grim, and Sema looked taken aback.
Dorian blushed.
“Didn’t I tell you before that I’m not interested in younger ones?”
“What? What kind of nonsense... No, are you busy? I’d like you to stay a little longer. I can show you around the dungeon.”
Ian smiled innocently.
Dorian scratched his cheek.
“I can’t stay too long. I have regular customers, you know. I need to take care of them too.”
“You have another customer?”
“......?”
“Of course. That makes sense.”
Ian was surprised.
This merchant had an incredible sense for choosing where to sell his goods, and he had another customer?
Whoever it was, they had to be an odd one.
“Then rest for a while before you meet that customer. Let’s get friendly.”
“Shall we?”
Dorian smiled brightly.
At that moment, the dragon sleeping in Ian’s arms bit Dorian.
“Aah?!”
The dragon growled.
“Mom, I don’t need a new dad.”
“What are you talking about?! Don’t bite! Biting is bad! Bad dragon!”
When Ian scolded it, the dragon slumped back into his arms, looking dejected.
Ian petted the dragon, emphasizing its harmlessness.
It would be troublesome if people thought this dungeon was unusable because of a vicious dog.
“This kid isn’t usually like this. Maybe he’s just grumpy because he was woken up. He’s usually cute. Look. More importantly, I want to show you the plaza where you can sell your goods. There’ll be plenty of customers there...”
“There’s a place that good? Great, I’ll go! Oh, this dog is cute.”
“Woof!”
Dorian was bitten again.
“......”
Oddly enough, not everyone in the dungeon welcomed Dorian’s presence, so Ian’s plan to keep Dorian in the plaza failed.
The kinder Ian was to Dorian, the more everyone else seemed to dislike him.
After two hours of keeping his stall open in a busy spot without selling a single thing, Dorian finally stood up, looking dejected.
“See? I told you the red ocean isn’t for me. I need to find my own blue ocean.”
Ian was disappointed too.
Why aren’t these bastards buying anything?
“Fine, then. Sell me some <World Tree Fertilizer> before you go.”
“Huh? I didn’t come here to sell it.”
“Then did you come here to brag about what you got?”
Dorian looked flustered. freёwebnoѵel.com
“No, not that. I came to give it to you as a gift. I left the elf tree with you, didn’t I? If I want branches from it later, it needs to grow well. But there must be all kinds of difficulties when a human raises an elf tree, right?”
Is this guy a pushover?
Ian was amazed by this elf.
“Do you make enough money to travel? You don’t look like you’re about to starve to death.”
“What? Of course I won’t starve. I’m an elf. I can live on dew.”
“You were really born as the right race.”
“I think so too.”
The elf looked pleased.
Ian had not meant it as a compliment.
“Well... Have you ever thought about changing jobs?”
“If I quit just because it’s hard, who will take responsibility for commerce?”
Has this elf ever taken responsibility for commerce?
Ian was curious, but he did not ask politely.
He simply accepted the <World Tree Fertilizer> Dorian offered him.
“Then I’ll be off. Take good care of the elf tree. You’ll have to give me some branches later.”
“Sure. Live well on dew. If you get hungry, come visit anytime.”
“You really are a good kid.”
The elf took Ian’s sincere words as a joke and disappeared.
Is that really okay?
Ian had his doubts, but more than that, he regretted letting a 5-star playable character go.
A new one, no less.
He wanted to scrutinize him from head to toe, but there was not enough time, and there were too many errors in the status window.
If I could have kept him nearby for a few days, I could have analyzed him.
Was this not all the dragon’s fault?
Ian tossed the dragon, which was still snoring in his arms, onto the couch and opened the status window.
“Mom?”
Ignoring the voice, he selected the glowing <World Tree Fertilizer> from the item window.
[Would you like to use it?]
[ Yes / No ]
Yes.
[You have used the World Tree Fertilizer.]
[The World Tree evolves.]
Ding!
[World Tree LV.3 → LV.4]
The radiant trunk of the World Tree shot upward in a flourish, spreading lush branches in every direction.
The great tree stood as if it were supporting the cavern ceiling, shining like the sun as it illuminated everyone beneath it.
And this was why Ian had created the agricultural area here.
“Ohh...”
“My God...”
The people, astonished by the miracle, knelt and prayed before the World Tree.
Ian checked the new abilities that came with the World Tree’s evolution.
[The third dungeon can now be opened.]
[The area of the previous dungeon can be expanded.]
[The maximum number of people the dungeon can hold increases.]
[A new ability has been unlocked: Companion Search]
Perfect.
Wasn’t it better to have more heroes?
If possible, recruiting a mage above 4 stars would be best.
‘Companion Search’ was a skill that could be used whenever enough faith gathered at the World Tree.
It randomly revealed the location and current status of heroes from 3-star to 5-star.
In short, it was a recruitment skill.
Without hesitation, Ian used ‘Companion Search.’
Ding!
Five stars appeared in the air, spinning one after another.
Black, white, black...
Ding ding ding!
When the fourth star turned black, Ian almost shouted for joy.
Thank goodness he didn’t.
Because the fifth star turned black too.
Ding!
[★★★★★]
I’m going insane.
Ian’s hands trembled.
A 5-star right away?
Is this Ian guy actually a lucky character?
Now that he thought about it, there had been signs.
He had picked up young Momisia and Contacca from the place where Sema had gotten himself foolishly captured.
Trembling with excitement, Ian touched the status window.
Light spread, revealing the hero.
[Character]
‘Agent of God’ Keith (★★★★★)
⁝
[Current Status: On the Run]
Insane.
In a completely different way.
Ian’s excitement cooled as if it had never existed.
He was not curious about this guy’s status right now.
How was he supposed to get him?
Why is he on the run?
Could Keith be in some kind of danger?
Oh, right.
Ian suddenly remembered Keith’s character background.
Betrayed by the Vatican, he survived only because a few people sacrificed their lives to help him.
Afterward, the playable character Keith would bring down the corrupt Vatican and defeat the Demon King in the name of true justice...
A perfectly typical hero’s path.
It was not exactly to Ian’s taste.
Neither the storyline nor the lack of freedom of choice.
Ian had always found it strange that people played the game just for a character’s appearance.
Ah, will he kill the Demon King for me?
Ian thought casually.
If Keith grew smoothly, he would kill the Demon King in three years.
Ian just needed to survive until then.
This works.
With a relaxed mind, Ian scrolled down Keith’s window.
Then he saw it.
[Status Effect: Magic Poisoning (Curse)]
......?
Ian blinked and checked again.
The status window did not change.
What is this?
Keith was not supposed to get this.
What kind of game gives the player a handicap right from the start?
Is this because of me?
But even if this was the butterfly effect or whatever, Ian had not done anything to this guy.
There had been no interaction between them at all.
Cold sweat forming on his back, Ian scrolled down further.
[HP: 8%]
Is this right?
What had this guy been doing for his health to be that low...?
“......”
“Lord Ian? What’s wrong?”
Louise, who had finished training, asked him.
Ian answered weakly.
“Everyone... prepare for battle. We need to go somewhere.”
Ian really, really did not want to go.
