ALL NOVEL Chapter 218
The Midworld was, in a word, a living mystery.
Just a moment ago, I had been running through a sun-blasted salt desert, defeating a swarm of giant scorpions, but now I found myself breaking through a swamp drenched in a squall.
“I suddenly want tofu,” Gishta licked her lips.
After breaking through the jungle, the terrain changed again, revealing towering icebergs that rose almost vertically like a blade. They certainly looked like piles of fried tofu stacked high.
The Midworld had ever-changing terrains and climates, and the demons that appeared were quite substantial. If we measured levels, it seemed like this field’s basic mobs were equivalent to level 50 in the depths of the upper dungeons in the western kingdom.
“Ararat!”
Seeing Gishta and the Thunder Tribe happily sweeping away such demons while pondering what to grill for dinner, I couldn’t help but feel these guys were out of the ordinary once more.
“Do you see, Lars? Behind that iceberg must be my mother’s new nest.”
Gishta flipped through the booklet she carried to check its contents. It was an old storybook containing legends of the Heavenly Dragon.
[Mother could soar above the clouds with just one flap of her wings. Whenever she went for a walk, the sun rose in the west.]
The iceberg soared high, nearly touching the clouds, with the smooth ice terrain shimmering in the western sunlight.
It seemed clear that this was the Heavenly Dragon’s nest, given their preference for cold regions.
“Lars! Something’s gathering over there!”
At the front of the iceberg, dark shapes were darting around. Something was flying in the sky, sparking flames and cries.
It seemed to be a battle.
“Let’s get closer.”
As we approached the scene, we could grasp the situation.
“Stop their advance!”
“Do not let them near the nest!”
The invaders were none other than the Demon Race. Several Death Knights riding Ghost Horses, with many undead soldiers following their command.
“Lars! They’re the bad guys!”
“The Demon King’s advance party. They’re far superior to the undead we saw in the Duchy.”
These weren’t just shambling corpses; they were real undead created by magic. They appeared to be a small reconnaissance squad. Had they invaded, lured by the Heavenly Dragon’s mana while pushing into the human realm?
A race with a mix of humanoid beings and those flying fiercely defended their position against the fierce battle.
They were the Dragon Race.
“These must be my mother’s descendants! Brothers!”
“Are they the ones with strong dragon blood?”
To meet the Heavenly Dragon, we would need to go through them.
“Gishta, let’s join the fray.”
“I was waiting for this! You all, grab your weapons!”
Vroom!
At Gishta’s command, the guardian unit all increased their speed at once, licking their lips as if they had been anticipating this moment, raising their axes in the air. Their fighting spirit was certainly strong.
“Yah!”
Gishta’s mammoth charged into the undead army, stomping them into pieces. Behind her, the wolf unit surged in, swinging their weapons around, wham! The skeletons turned to dust.
“What the heck?!”
“Reinforcements?!”
“Where did those beings come from? Identify yourselves!”
One of the Dragon Race descended towards us from the sky, wings flapping. Its arms and legs were humanoid; however, its face was almost dragon-like.
Gishta greeted him happily.
“Oh, you have received mother’s pure blood!”
“Are you here targeting mother as well? I won’t allow any outsiders!”
“No, we’re brothers! Can’t you tell by these muscles?”
“You’re talking nonsense. I will chase you away right now… cough!”
Thwack!
The dragon couldn’t finish its words before it suddenly vanished from our sight, hit by a spear thrown by an undead soldier, causing it to plummet.
“Wow, trying to fly and still not seeing in front of you. Gishta, give it some brains back.”
“Okay!”
Thud, thud. The mammoth turned around to head back to him. Gishta wrapped her arms around my waist and leaped off.
As soon as we landed, the undead swarmed toward us. While Gishta swung her axe, I opened my backpack and pulled out a first-aid kit.
“Ugh! Don’t touch me, you lowly humans!”
“In these days, claiming racial superiority? Dude, you say that, you’ll get a beating.”
After using Diagnosis to inspect the wound, I performed Emergency Treatment. The spear had struck the joint in the wing just right. I poured disinfectant into the affected area as best I could.
“Ow, that stings!”
“What, a sturdy dragon can’t handle that? It’s for your health. Gishta, come cut this out!”
“Okay!”
To prevent a secondary infection, I wrapped the wound with cloth. I administered a painkiller.
Snip, Gishta cleanly cut the upper part of the spear off. As the wound was tugged out, the dragon seemed to be in agony, crinkling its face with all it had.
I folded the wings to avoid straining the wound and wrapped the chest with bandages. I used a healing spell appropriately to finish the emergency treatment.
“Get up, Dragon Uncle. You can walk, so let’s get back to fighting.”
As I helped him up by his hand, the dragon looked at me, bewildered.
“Did a mere human just treat a higher race like me? And with such a rough treatment?”
“Was the effect not great? Hey, there’s even a weapon here. Now, let’s move.”
I handed the half-broken spear to the dragon. He exhaled a breath mixed with flames from his nostrils.
“It’s Callegor!”
“Lars Gothberg.”
The dragon Callegor charged toward the undead legion, brandishing his spear.
*
The battle with the Demon King’s forces ended an hour later.
“Persistent, aren’t they? Not a single one yielded, even until the last moment.”
“Native demons only fear strong demons. Even with death upon them, they won’t run from us.”
Gishta looked at the bone fragments strewn around and shook her head in disgust.
“Come here, I’ll treat your wounds.”
“Oh, I leave it to you.”
I untied Gishta’s breastplate and cleaned her skin, finishing with the disinfectant. Considering how fiercely we fought, she only had minor scratches, showing how tough she truly was.
“Hehe, it’s cold.”
“You’re used to cold.”
“It feels different. That’s ticklish.”
Gishta seemed to shake off the disinfectant alcohol. The Thunder Tribe’s wolves nearby shook themselves as well, mimicking her perfectly.
“Stop right there. Are you descendants of mother?”
The dragon tribe approached us. The one who spoke seemed to be the commander, his armor different from the others. They still held their weapons, on guard.
Despite having just fought with us, their tribe was quite suspicious.
“Yeah! Can’t you smell it? We’re your brothers.”
“I see… but that man appears human. Is he your servant?”
“What are you saying!”
BAM! Gishta slammed her fist down and stood up with her axe.
“Lars is my friend! Don’t even think of eating him!”
Gishta declared in a powerful voice. The dragon tribe took a step back in surprise at her spirit.
“…You wouldn’t eat a human, right?”
“Right. We’re not savages.”
“I see you casting healing spells; he’s not a servant, right?”
Thud, Gishta stomped her foot again to intimidate them.
“I am Lars’s servant! Lars provides homes and food for me and my friends. Not just healing spells. Lars can fix anything!”
Gishta proudly declared. Other members of the Thunder Tribe gathered behind her, crossing their arms and exuding an intimidating presence.
It was clear we had the advantage in numbers and battle prowess. However, the dragon tribe seemed proud of their pure bloodline. They stepped forward, undeterred.
“What business do outsiders have here? By what right do you dare to join our sanctum?”
“Of course, we’ve come to find mother!”
“I figured as much!”
Clang! The dragon tribe aimed their weapons at us, ready for battle.
“Leave immediately. Mother has an important role overseeing the continent. If you advance any further, your life won’t be guaranteed!”
“What?! How dare you threaten the commander!”
“Who are you pointing your weapon at?!”
“It’s a fight! I’m joining too!”
As the atmosphere grew tense, the Thunder Tribe couldn’t hold back, preparing to clash.
Blood shouldn’t be spilled between kin. I quickly jumped between them, raising my hands.
“Wait a moment, I know the Heavenly Dragon. We’re on relatively good terms. I’ve seen her back a few times.”
“How dare you insult mother!”
“No, I really mean it. I treated her wounds.”
“You claim to have healed her with a mere healing spell? We are not fools to be taken in by such a trivial lie!”
“Just wait a second.”
One among the dragon tribe stepped forward. It was the one who had been bandaged after being pierced by a spear earlier.
“Ah, Callegor.”
He looked me over intently before speaking to the dragon commander.
“His healing abilities are surely different in some way. He was able to treat a wound from a spear in battle swiftly enough for me to fight again right away.”
“What does that imply, Callegor?”
“The pain is already gone. It was no spell from a lowly race serving a false goddess. He is not an ordinary human.”
Hearing his words, the dragon commander seemed lost in thought.
It was the perfect timing; I quickly used Diagnosis to scan them.
“There’s a sprain there. The friend on the right is feeling pangs in his wrist. That one in the back has a gash on his back, and the guy behind him has a broken right leg but is standing strong. Quite tough, huh?”
As I listed the symptoms, they looked visibly shocked.
“One more thing, after fighting the undead, there’s roughly a 4% chance of infection and turning into undead yourself. The incubation period is about a week. If we don’t check all of you now, it’ll be too late; are you okay with that?”
The dragon tribe grew quiet.
The commander asked me.
“What is your reason for wishing to meet mother?”
I replied.
“The Heavenly Dragon invited me. She asked me over for tea once. But, it’s quite disappointing that the hospitality here is lacking.”
I pulled the Storm Stone from my pocket and flashed a smirk. I had finished using it and stored it separately from the amulet.
After a brief silence, the commander lowered his weapon. The combat stance was disbanded.
“If you tend to the patients, I’ll believe you.”
The commander gestured for us to follow him.