Chapter 17

【Ashley Moore POV】

At first, it was hard for me to adapt to this new world, but along with my close friends, and together as a class, we were able to stand on our two feet in this strange world.

We have been living in this grand palace that completely feels like something out of a fairy tale for about two weeks now, and it's been relatively alright ever since we were able to adapt.

The people who live and work in the palace are all very kind and treat us well.

Although there are certain people we haven't had the opportunity to meet yet, such as the First Prince and King, it's understandable since their social positions are so high.

Being in this giant, fantasy-like palace could be considered living in a dream, couldn't it?

It's got great food, kind people, super high-quality everything, and more.

However...

Something didn't feel right about this place.

I don't quite know what it is, but something is off.

....Well, to be honest, I have an inkling of what it might be, but I think it's just....

I do think it's rude of me to talk like this behind people's backs, but at this point, I can't stand it anymore.

Haa. Anyway.

I was always suspicious of her.

The second princess, that is.

Eleanor... that sly fox.

I don't know how she's done it, but that woman has committed a grave crime.

I'm convinced.

That woman has done something to Chris.

Be it brainwashing or something similar, she has definitely done something to him.

I just know it.

Ever since we arrived in this world, he's been acting strange.

Completely unlike his usual self.

Something inside of him..... has changed.

I will figure out what exactly the cause of it is, and erase it.

...Honestly, I also feel like the rest of my class has began acting a little weirdly too.

I hate to suspect something of my precious friends, but...

It's beginning to make me tear up, thinking that something terrible has happened to all my friends.

If you were wondering how or why I think this, then normally I'd say it was because I noticed their odd behaviour.

However, that's not all it was.

If that was it, then I wouldn't be as convinced as I am of something sinister happening.

The truth is, I have something called a [Unique Skill], as well as a title that no one else seems to have.

To be honest, that probably means there are more than just a few people with special titles or skills.

After all, I was only ranked 'A', while there are people who were considered 'S'.

I can't be the only one.

Well, a few Unique Skills to be precise.

The one that furthered my conviction is called「Hunter's Intuition」.

It's a pretty basic skill that does what it sounds like―enhances my intuition to almost superhuman levels.

Because of that, I've been doing a bit better than others, but since I didn't actually do anything to deserve it, I feel bad about it.

This whole 'game' thingy is really weird.

It makes it feel as if the world is trying to lighten the mood or something by turning it all into a game, but...

Even though I say that, it's not like the 'world' itself can do something like this.

And, the natives of this world have all fully adapted to this 'system' which is akin to a game, and embrace it.

So it just makes everything feel... out of place.

Recently, I've been planning.

―To bring everyone back home.

Along with all the others, we will make it back home, to Earth.

The mere thought of our parents and siblings sobbing and distressing over us having gone missing is just the worst.

Everyone I've spoken to so far about has agreed that we will find a way back.

Even if alone it'd be impossible, if we all work together, there'll be nothing that can stop us.

So together, we can do it.

No, we will do it.

We will escape this horrible world of monsters and killing, and make it back home.

I swear it.

....Then, there was that incident with teacher, too....

It's just awful.

How could they do such a thing on a whim?

Is that just something normal in this horrible world?

They used an excuse of something about 'demons', but that was just too far.

At the time of the incident, it took my all just to resist throwing up yesterday's dinner.

Fortunately, I managed to keep relatively calm at that time, thanks to everyone else in the class blocking my view of the.... mess.

In the end, it's just another reason why we need to get back home.

I honestly have no idea how they can all forget about such a thing like it was nothing.

It is also something my「Hunter's Intuition」that tells me it was caused by a third party of some kind.

There are other people in the class who act strangely too, although not really in a sinister way.

Such as Ryan, who is basically the same as before, but seems a little more reserved here than back on Earth.

As well as Yamato and Sora, who both act a lot more arrogantly than I ever thought was possible for them before.

In some ways, it makes me a little proud they are able to be more confident in themselves, since they were always practically invisible before, but it also makes me a little nervous that such a chaotic atmosphere has somehow been created all of a sudden.

―It is as if, unexpectedly, all the order, regulation, and peace that our class previously had, has been suddenly shaved away by something else...

.......As if this was all planned ahead of time...

――Of course, such a silly hypothesis is just, after all, a theory, a feeling, and a passing thought.

So there is probably no need to worry about such an unrealistic thing.

Although.

In this world, I feel as if I am the only one who has kept the same personality all the way, and it makes me incredibly nervous.

Sometimes, when thinking about whether returning to our home is truly possible, I falter.

But when I snap back into it, I dismiss such unhealthy and pessimistic thoughts.

I convince myself that, instead of staying in a terrible world like this, which is centered around the killing of others, both humans and creatures, an infinitely better plan would be to fully dedicate myself to actually finding a way home.

...Certainly, though, some people seemed oddly unaffected by the execution, as if they saw nothing.

Though I know they did see it, because they were all in positions to be witnesses.

Let's see, who was it again?

Ryan, Amy, Yamato (though he definitely seemed at least a bit shaken), and....

....Ah.

Jae.

That reminds me...

He ran away, didn't he.

I don't know why he ran away from the palace, but I don't believe any of the nonsense about him being 'evil' and whatnot.

Perhaps he found something out that was forbidden, or something else, but he definitely didn't do anything wrong.

That too is all something my「Hunter's Intuition」tells me.

I don't know at all what exactly happened though, and it greatly saddens me to say it.

I do, however, deeply regret not pushing even further on that day.

That time, too, he had this odd, 'sinister' feeling about him, which I'm pretty sure I only noticed thanks to「Hunter's Intuition」, since it was a rather minor feeling.

If I were able to simply talk to him that time...

Maybe, If I did something more...

He'd be able to come home with us all.

If only I pressed more to talk, then he might've revealed something to me.

I could've helped him.

There would be no need for him to run away, and escape the palace.

And then, he could've returned home with us all....

But now, I am unsure as to whether that is ever possible at all.

After all, this is a completely unknown world.

Who knows where he'll end up.

Especially so for such a world like this, where the ability to kill and face death is needed to survive most situations...

...I can only pray for his safety out there, and that we will meet again some day.

I completely, absolutely, one hundred percent am not going to believe all the crap about him being evil.

I know that he's Amelia's boyfriend, so what do I say to her when we get back?

"Sorry, but your boyfriend was evil so we had to hunt and kill him."?

No, of course not.

That's just horrible.

There is absolutely no way that's going to happen.

Well, from the way things are going, the situation isn't really looking too good though....

Haahh, this world really is the worst for normal people like us...

I am slightly nervous, since there was that strange thing I overheard a while ago that was something about Jae and a 'preposterous reward', from some of the higher-ups of the palace....

...I only hope he's doing well, wherever he is.

At least, better than the me here in the palace, who just goes around worrying ceaselessly about things all the time...

Well.

Let's just hope we can meet again.

【Jae POV】

I arrived at the big white mountain.

Upon closer inspection, the mountain is weird.

Like weird weird.

Super weird.

It's more like a big-ass egg to be honest.

Not like an egg with a big ass, but you get what I mean.

It's a big white egg.

A big white egg the size of a mountain.

Well actually it's bigger than a mountain.

Not that I've ever seen a mountain, but I assume they're this big.

Anyway, the mountain is weird.

Like super weird.

It's scaly.

Like a snake.

Or in fact, that drake from earlier.

Huh.

Snake.

Drake.

'ake'.

How amusing.

They both have scales too.

However, the difference in size was big.

The drake was big, but the mountain is also big.

You could say it was big-ger than the drake.

By many times.

Like at least two times.

At the very least.

Of course, that means it could be up to an infinite number of times bigger.

As long as that number of times is two or more.

In other words, it's big.

Both the drake and the mountain.

They are big.

Anyway, the mountain is bigger.

Did I mention that it's scaly?

Like a snake.

Or a drake.

Huh.

That's weird.

Anyway, it's scaly.

The scales are too big, too.

Too too big.

The biggest.

Like, each one is bigger than the drake.

Real big.

The drake's scales were about the size of an adult male each.

I think.

I don't really remember.

Anyway, they were big.

But even just one of the mountain's scales are as big as the drake itself.

The drake with human-sized scales.

It is less big than one of the scales of the mountain.

In other words, smaller.

In other words, the mountain is big.

In other words, bigger than me.

The drake was bigger than any animal I'd ever seen.

It was about the size of a big building.

I think.

Probably.

Maybe bigger than that.

That's big.

Big indeed.

I mean, the fang was bigger than a human.

Much bigger.

The biggest.

Except not.

In other words, my weapon is bigger than a human.

Much bigger.

The biggest.

Except not.

It's only about 2 metres in length.

Either way.

Things are big in this place.

Very big indeed.

Feeling curious, I reach out.

I touch the big scaly white mountain.

......Feels nice.

But then.

*Rumble!*

The ground shakes.

A lot.

Like, a lot a lot.

Earthquake size?

Maybe bigger.

Not like I've ever experienced an earthquake.

Scary.

Except not.

I can't die, remember.

Anyway, before I even realise, the mountain has moved.

That's strange.

Mountains don't move.

Oh, but wait.

It wasn't an ordinary mountain, was it?

It's a big, white, scaly mountain.

Or was it white, big, scaly?

I don't remember.

Either way, normal mountains don't move.

But this wasn't a normal mountain.

Nor was it ordinary.

No.

It was a scaly, big, white mountain.

Or was it scaly, white, big?

I don't remember.

In any case, it moved.

How strange.

It keeps moving.

How strange.

It grows.

How strange.

Wait, it grows?

It grows.

The mountain is growing.

How strange.

It's growing?

It's growing.

How strange.

It's growing strangely too.

What I mean is that the mountain is growing.

But in a strange manner.

Of course, the mountain isn't actually growing inside of a manner, but you get what I mean.

Soon the earth stops rumbling.

And with it, the mountain stops growing.

Though it doesn't look like a mountain anymore.

Nor a scaly white big mountain.

Though it is still scaly, white and big.

How strange.

It looks cool.

Whatever it is.

I don't know.

But it is cool.

And big.

And white and scaly.

Hm....

It isn't a mountain anymore.

Or more like, it wasn't a mountain in the first place.

It isn't an egg either.

Though it wasn't that as well.

―It's a dragon.

A real one.

Not a snake.

Not a drake.

Not a mountain.

But a dragon.

How cool.

A big, white, scaly, cool dragon.

How cool.

I want it.

I want a pet dragon like this one.

It'd be so cool.

How cool.

I then heard a voice in my head.

It reverberated throughout my mind clearly.

I was familiar with this concept, so it wasn't much of a surprise.

[Greetings, young one.]

But it wasn't any of the voices I'd heard before.

Not Envy, nor Wrath, nor Gluttony.

How strange.

However, the voice was pleasant to hear, so it was fine.

I wonder who it is.

I didn't acquire a new skill did I?

I don't know.

I don't remember.

But it's cool.

How cool.

And pleasant.

How pleasant.

[...Young one.]

Ah, there it is again.

How cool and pleasant.

Coleasant?

Dosn't sound quite right.

I don't know.

[...Young one?]

Oh, again.

How Plool.

That doesn't sound quite right either.

I don't know.

Anyway, it is good.

Coplgo?

[Young one? Are you listening to me?]

Oh, there it goes again.

How goplco.

It was a female voice by the way.

A pleasant and good voice.

Like a mother.

Except it isn't my mother.

I think.

Did I have a mother?

I don't remember.

I don't know.

Who's mother is it?

I don't know.

Who knows.

Not me.

I don't know.

[...Oh, I see. It seems the telepathy does not work properly on someone in such a disarranged and chaotic mental state...]

Uh...

I heard something strange.

Telepathy?

What?

That's strange.

What is going on?

[Oh...? It does work, then? Wonderful.]

It works?

What works?

What's it?

I don't know.

Wonderful?

It's a wonder indeed.

[Well then, young one. This one greets thee.]

Uh?

Sorry?

Strange.

How strange.

[This one's name is Aphyllanthes, young one.]

Right.

A name.

Aff-fill-la-something.

Sorry, I don't remember.

My memory isn't that good you see.

[That is alright, young one. I understand; your mind seems to be under tremendous confusion at this time. Just call me 'Aphy'.]

Aphy.

Female?

It's a female dragon.

Using telepathy.

How strange.

...A name.

Aphy.

No.

My name.

My name is.........

I....

.......I am.....

―――I don't remember.

...

.....

........

...........

...That's strange?

How strange.

A name.

I forgot.

Sorry.

[Oh, my.... Now that is troublesome indeed... Young one, did you know? A name is a sacred thing. Forgetting one's own name is an outrageous sin, and is deeply frowned upon.]

Sin.

Envy?

Wrath?

Gluttony?

But where...?

Ah, no.

I see.

A metaphor.

"Sin".

[Of course, you are forgiven, since that is only in draconic culture, as well as the fact that.... Well, it cannot really be helped in this situation, can it? For the record, young one, you are called by "Jae". "Jae Kang".]

Ah.

That was it.

"Jae".

Huuuh, how did I forget?

It's a silly thing.

.....But.

'Sin', huh.

They were annoying most of the time, but after the experience of not having them for a while, it just feels wrong....

Aaaah, I want to talk to them again.

[Talk? You talk regularly--no, you would like to talk to those dis-... Your skills?]

Calling it as me talking to my skills sounds a bit weird, but....

Yeah.

We talk.

It's annoying.

But fun, sometimes.

They are annoying sometimes...

But it's good, I think.

They have helped me out a few times.

But they really can be spiteful bastards at times too.

What would you call that?

['Friend'? You say you have three friends? Perhaps, are they called Envy, Wrath and Gluttony?]

Ah, 'friend'.

I've heard that word before.

I think.

I don't really remember.

My memory isn't that good you see.

Envy, Wrath and Gluttony though...

I remember.

Are they friends...?

I don't know.

If I think about it a bit, then I'd say.......

.....Yeah. They are friends.

[...I see.]

The voice speaks in a grave tone.

Not like in a grave.

The dragon isn't dead.

You get what I mean.

[Now I understand why you were chosen... You do have that power for a reason after all.... That means Zeel is dumping responsibility again? What a cheeky goblin.]

That power?

Zeel?

Cheeky goblin?

Like a goblin with lots of cheek?

I don't know.

I think I remember the word "Zeel".

I think.

I don't remember.

I don't know.

In other words, Zeel is unknown.

[Hmmm. It seems you have used too much of that power for your current, weak self, to handle, young one. Ten uses... Still. How are you this well? Ordinarily, a human would have become a mere shell of it's former self long ago, but you.... Anyway, for now, shall we put you to sleep? Your mind and soul―both are critically damaged and require adequate rest right now.]

They were the last words I heard.

I blacked out again.

[....Hm? What's this? Steadfast... Mind? Ah, I see. Yes, it certainly explains the reason behind this boy's extraordinary endurance, but... That's odd. How has a human acquired such a Trait? That shouldn't be possible...? Was there special intervention of some kind during the dimension transfer? Otherwise, there'd be no way a mere Trait can do such a thing like....]

[Well, it's not the first time such an effect has been embedded into a Trait, and it has nothing to do with me, does it. Either way, however, the responsibility is left to me. Haaaah, Zeel, you've always been such a little troublemaker, getting such a person like me involved in unrelated business like that.... Nevertheless, because the responsibility is now mine, and mine alone, I will deal with it as I see fit. This human boy is in my care now, I declare. From the looks of things, he has sufficient talent to learn...]

[...Wait, what? Level 24? In the span of twelve days?? From only goblins??? ....Did this boy wipe out Zeel's entire camp or something? Certainly, that title gives an increased experience gain, but just what strategy did he employ to..... Now I see why Zeel did such a thing. My, how intriguing this is. How unexpected. This boy is interesting indeed.]

[Hmm~ Then, shall we start by restoring the mind and soul? Firstly, erasing that awful status condition should be fine. Then, healing the cracked soul is a must... Hmmh, looking at it now, this boy really was on the breaking point, wasn't he? I do not know if I can call him fortunate or not that he ended up down here.]

[Now then, the healing is finished, however I am still a little anxious about his mental safety.... Hm. Very well then, I'll just accelerate the effect of the Trait a bit. Going to far might have an adverse effect, so I'll just do this for now; the rest will sort itself out over time.]

[This should be enough. Now that that is finished, I suppose I'll allow those distasteful things to make discussion too. I wouldn't want the young one to be lonely down here after all, even if I do resent them greatly.]

[All that is needed now is for him to rest. Once the body realises it is now healthy and alright to do so, he will wake up.]

.........Ugghhh...

...Huh.....?

What the......

Where the hell am I?

Looking around, I see a few things of note:

―an endlessly vast, rocky, desert-like landscape.

―strange, massive rock pillars dotted around the place, similar in appearance and size to skyscrapers.

―a gigantic, fang-like thing laying on the dusty ground next to me.

―a great many pieces of something maroon-coloured, strewn all about in the distance and soaking in a red-like-blood liquid―it just appears to be the absolutely mangled carcass of what used to be a large, lizard-type creature.

―a gargantuan, pure white mountain that looks almost heavenly, and with huge, small building-sized "scales" all over it.

Wait, what the fuck?

Uh, anyway, I don't remember any of this.

What on Earth happened?

Well, no, obviously I'm not on Earth, but.... Just what the hell is this place?

Last thing I remember was getting a massive fucking hole in my chest while trying to escape that chamber.....

For some reason, I feel strangely refreshed, though.

More than I normally am when I get resurrected.

Both physically and mentally, I feel as if a great weight has been taken away.

[Good morning, young one.]

....Who?

"What... Hello? Good morning?"

I was cautious.

This voice...

Have I heard it somewhere before?

It's speaking directly to my mind, just like how they talk to me.

But... I have not heard this voice before.

Don't tell me...

Did I acquire another Sin skill while I was unconscious?

Since it sounds female, could it be Lust?

But how?

I didn't do anything...

Then it must be something else.

Just what is going on here?

[I see that you are able to think a little bit more clearly now.]

.........Huh?

I was dumbfounded by the voice that was oddly pleasant to the ears.

[I am sure you don't remember, so allow me to introduce myself again.]

From the tone of voice, I could recognise the content was serious.

"Okay..."

[I am known as Aphyllanthes, the current「Ruler of Dragons」, and... No, just that.]

....I see.

Then that colossal white thing over there is a dragon, huh.

And those things I thought looked like scales were the real deal.

Purely from the fact that I can feel no aura from it....

Well, it'd be simple for even a fool to tell.

―This kind of situation requires utmost caution to be exerted.

If something of that magnitude can be killed?

The creature that did such a thing.....

....I don't even want to think about it.

"Ruler of Dragons, Aphyl,lan,thes―Thank you very much. I don't know what happened, but from your words I'm sure you saved me somehow."

[Mmmnn, yes, of course, you are welcome young one. Feel free to call me by 'Aphy' if the full name is difficult to pronounce. It is not originally a name to be spoken in the human language, after all.]

"...Yes. Again, thank you.... Aphy. My name's Jae. Of course, you can call me however you want though."

After all, it's not like I can go against you.

[Of course it is of no problem at all~ You are very much welcome, young Jae.]

.....Is that all?

Then let's see.

"...If I may ask. What's the current situation? Where am I?"

[Ah, yes. That certainly would be information you would desperately want in this scenario, wouldn't it? My sincere apologies, Jae. Currently, you are inside of what is commonly called a [Dungeon].]

...A dungeon, huh.

Like from fantasy worlds.

.....Right.

Of course they have those here.

"How do I get out of this dungeon?"

[Oh, that's simple, really. There are two methods: One, is that you find and defeat the dungeon's boss.]

...As expected.

The boss of a dungeon like this―it can only be one of two things.

―Either it's the [Ruler of Dragons] or something even stronger.

[The other is: You have to find the 'leak'.]

....Leak?

I just have to find it and get out?

I don't even have to fight anything like dragons?

That sounds.... Easy?

"What's a leak?"

[A 'leak' is just a small hole somewhere in the dungeon which leads to the outside world. Fortunately for the rest of the world, the leak in this dungeon is too small for the dangerous creatures in the dungeon to get out, although some of the smaller ones occasionally manage to squirm through.]

Right.

A classic.

You either defeat the boss, or, if the boss is unbeatable, escape through the leak where it can't follow.

Like an escape solely available to the dungeon's challenger, in other words, me.

So, it's just like a videogame dungeon then.

Hence, this 'leak' should simply be where I entered the dungeon from.

Huh.

This might be easier than I initially thought.

"Aphy?"

[Yes?]

"Do you know where the leak is?"

[I do. The leak is located about 3 years worth of travel away if you were to ride an ordinary human carriage.]

......

Nevermind.

Let's just hunt monsters until we reach the boss.

"Aphy, about the boss."

[Ye~es?]

She sounds strangely cheerful?

"Do I have a chance of beating this dungeon's boss as I am now?"

[No~o.]

―An immediate reply, in the same cheerful tone.

Ah...

Seriously?

Even with my resurrection ability, it is that impossible?

So it's like the Goblin Lord then.

A complete loss from all angles, no matter what I try to do.

But, there should be a way.

In no game has there been a completely unbeatable dungeon or level.

Only that the difficulty is higher.

In this case, there must be something to help me get stronger.

And for that, the perfect thing is obviously monsters.

"In that case, what about the dungeon monsters? Can I kill the small ones first and work my way up to the boss?"

[Ah, that... Well, that is the normal procedure, so certainly... If you work your way up it might be fine?]

"Might be fine"?

What the hell do you mean?

"Are they really that strong?"

[Ah, it's just... Well, you would probably be fine against the weakest monsters themselves, however the time it would take is...]

"The time isn't an issue. Aphy, please help me. Where are the weakest monsters here?"

[...Would you like to come up and look around? It would be easier to show you what exactly I mean.]

"Wait, come up? What do you mean?"

It was then.

The earth began to quake tremendously.

"Woah, what the hell?! What's going on!? Aphy!?!"

By the time the shaking stopped, something beyond extraordinary occured.

"......"

My mouth gaped as I stared at the truly colossal creature that stood before me.

―No.

It wasn't even standing.

It was lying down.

And yet, still bigger than I could've ever imagined.

I thought it was a mountain or dragon's carcass originally, but I couldn't be more wrong.

I could only gaze in pure veneration and respect at the majestic being in front of me.

[The offer still stands, young Jae. Would you like to come up and look around? I do think it would be useful if what you want is to search for suitable prey.]

......Aphy.....

..........Just what....

....Are you?

[Me? Well, I....]

It was at this point I realised―

[Like I introduced myself previously, my name is Aphyllanthes.]

[I am the current「Ruler of Dragons」.]

[And, as well as that.]

[Although I am definitely not happy with such a title....]

[―The「Ruler of Pride」.]

―The situation is so, so much more dire than I initally thought.

[―Young Jae.]

[You asked where this place is?]

[This is a dungeon, indeed.]

[But not a normal dungeon.]

[This dungeon has a title.]

[It is one of the seven.]

[―This is the Pride Dungeon.]

[And I am its boss.]

...................

......

...

...This.

This is the dungeon boss.

The boss of the [Pride Dungeon].

This seemingly omnipotent being in front of me, larger than a mountain range.

It was the Ruler of both Dragons, and, the sin, Pride itself.

This unparallelled being....

―This is Aphyllanthes.