Chapter 15: Dorman Defense Battle (1)
Kwoong!
“Ugh!”
Shortly after, the surroundings had changed to near Dorman’s teleport gate.
“You, you?”
Artier asked in a flustered voice.
Artier, who had clearly been holding Gerard’s shoulder, was sprawled on the ground.
“Huh?”
“A dog? Where did you come from?”
And on Artier’s body was a fairly large dog with black fur and white patterns.
It was staring at Artier with innocent eyes.
“What? Suddenly where…….”
“I did it!”
“Uh, uh?”
Artier thought he misheard for a moment.
“Thank you! Thanks to you, I could escape!”
“A d-dog is talking?”
“How is a dog speaking human?”
Artier stammered in confusion.
He hadn’t been this surprised even when caught by administrators.
“That’s mean! Can’t dogs speak human?”
“Of course……. Wait…….”
The speech and voice were all too familiar.
“Could you be Collie?”
“Yes!”
Collie wagged his tail cheerfully in response.
‘Even if naming casually, there’s a limit. A Border Collie named Collie?!’
Yes. Collie looked exactly like a Border Collie from reality.
Why a modern breed dog in a fantasy world? Probably possible because this was a game.
“Artier, could this guy be the one who helped us?”
To Gerard’s question, Artier nodded.
Grasping the situation, Gerard made a strangely empty expression.
“Is it strange?”
Collie tilted his head as if truly unable to understand.
“That’s…….”
Gerard looked around.
Around the teleport gate, numerous people were still appearing or disappearing.
“Let’s move places. Too many eyes here.”
“Mercenary Guild?”
“It’s late, so even if we go today, rewards will be tomorrow. Let’s go straight to the inn.”
“Aww, cute little guy.”
Jeina smirked and patted Collie’s head.
“Uwaah! Didn’t they teach you not to touch without asking? It’s rude!”
“Oh my, don’t dogs like being petted?”
“Don’t dog-dog me!”
Where did he learn “dog-dog” anyway.
Anyway, shortly after, the party gathered in the inn room again.
“We were rushed earlier, but I should say it now. Thanks for helping us.”
“It’s fine. Thanks to you, I escaped too.”
“But why were you trapped there? Doesn’t seem a place for a stray dog to wander.”
When Bow asked, Collie tilted his head and said.
“Then you don’t look like someone who’d just do mercenary work either?”
Crunch.
Bow was holding a shortbow before anyone noticed.
“Blabber more and die.”
Bow pulled the string with a chilling voice.
“Uwaaah! What? Did I say something wrong?”
Collie jumped off the chair he was sitting on and quickly hid behind Jeina’s back.
“Bow, what’s wrong?”
“……No. Must be my mistake.”
Bow lowered the bow with a subtle expression.
“Got boring. I’m going in to rest.”
With those words, Bow entered his assigned room.
“That person is weird.”
“Enough. Anyway, what will you do now? Seems you have no owner.”
“What dogs do is one thing.”
Collie trotted over and tapped Artier’s leg with his front paw.
“Isn’t it following a new owner?”
“What? Why am I your owner?”
“You saved me, so I serve you as owner. It’s nature’s obvious law.”
Collie looked at Artier with sparkling eyes and chuckled.
“I have nowhere to go anyway, can’t I join?”
“Suddenly saying that…….”
Artier brushed his hair back and looked at him.
‘Wait.’
Come to think of it, this Border Collie not only spoke human but also…….
‘Camouflage Veil, definitely used magic.’
Even if this world had everyday magic, that was by human standards.
A dog using magic was clearly abnormal.
Artier immediately checked Collie’s status window.
‘Crazy?!’
Lv.6 Collie
Title: Low-Rank Spirit Creature
Job: Druid
Strength: 8
Agility: 7
Intelligence: 15
Usable Skills: Camouflage Veil (Lv.1), Regeneration (Lv.1), Shape Shift (Lv.Max)
‘Three skills like Gerard……!’
Moreover, he understood why Collie could speak.
“You’re a spirit creature?”
“Spirit creature?”
Collie tilted his head and nodded with a bright smile.
“Since I can speak like this and live longer than other dogs, probably yes!”
“A spirit creature…….”
Gerard muttered with a blank expression.
Spirit creature, a non-human being gaining human-like intelligence and powers.
‘I could recruit a spirit creature as a companion?’
Originally, spirit creatures existed only in settings in <cross destiny="">.
By the late game where you learn about them, all spirit creatures were already extinct.
He was dazed for a moment, but couldn’t miss this chance.</cross>
“Alright. Come with us.”
Artier said while petting Collie’s head.
“But on the streets, refrain from talking. People will be shocked.”
“So people have a hard time accepting dogs talking?”
Collie tilted his head and suddenly jumped into the air.
Poof!
“Huh?”
Then, with hazy smoke, a boy popped out in the air.
“Is this form okay then?”
He wore a baker boy cap, suspenders pants, and a small twig hung at his side.
“Turning into a human…….”
“If you want, I can stay in this form!”
“Wow, you’re really cute!”
Jeina hugged Collie tightly.
“Uwaah! I said no petting!”
“But Artier petted you?”
“He’s my owner! Stupid barbarian!”
“You’re calling me barbarian too? Insolent, need double petting!”
“Uwaah! Collie’s dying!”
Collie struggled to escape her grasp, but couldn’t easily from the barbarian warrior’s grip.
Gerard and Artier just watched awkwardly with smiles.
***
All party members including Artier arrived at the Mercenary Guild as soon as the sun rose the next day.
“I thought you’d fail……. Didn’t expect Jeina to finish the rubbing amid that.”
“Hehe, I did well, right?”
Jeina showed a cloth piece full of unknown characters and smiled brightly.
Then Bow said with an incredulous expression.
“Fast for a barbarian.”
“You rushed ahead for an archer?”
Bow looked at Jeina in disbelief.
Jeina just smiled victoriously.
“Anyway, the request is completed.”
[Quest completed.]
Reward: 20 silver coins
[You have leveled up.]
[Acquired a skill.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
‘Rewards better than thought?’
Despite tomb raiders’ interference, succeeding in the request seemed to add weight to experience.
‘Learned level 5 exclusive skill, and level 8 is high for now. Moreover…….’
[Burning Ancient Longsword (Magic)]
Attack Power: 8~11
Option: (Burning) On hit, 2 fire damage per second for 7 seconds (max 4 stacks), +2 fixed damage
At Artier’s waist was the sword grabbed from the lowest floor’s reward room.
‘Over twenty items, but only grabbed two…….’
No regrets.
But there was something puzzling.
‘The traps, unfamiliar voice, administrators, and mana absorption mechanism—what were they?’
Even after experiencing <cross destiny="">’s ending hundreds of times, he hadn’t seen such a hidden route.
Not in other ruins, let alone this one.
Absolutely not.</cross>
‘Is this world different from the original game? How much I don’t know, and how fatal is it.’
Thoughts chained endlessly.
“Hey, Artier.”
Amid that, turning at the voice calling him.
Gerard was looking at him.
“Bow asks if he can go now since the request is over.”
“Go?”
When Artier asked puzzled, Bow crossed his arms and said.
“Clearly, joining was just for this one request.”
“Ah…….”
Come to think of it, one person to recruit remained.
“Bow, can we talk briefly?”
Artier led him to a deserted place and asked straight.
“Is there a reason you can’t join our party?”
“I have things to do. That’s all.”
“Retrieving the elves’ treasures?”
Bow froze at Artier’s words.
“How do you?”
“I know all rewards possible from the ruins. But a treasure that should be there was gone.”
When using detection magic to find Bow and Gerard, Artier had checked all items in the reward room.
Others aside, that item couldn’t be missing.
“Guardian’s Horn Flute. Right?”
“That…… how.”
Bow glared at Artier asking. His trembling hand seemed debating grabbing the shortbow.
But Bow wasn’t stupid. He knew he couldn’t win against Artier holding a sword at this distance.
“Right. I’m searching for elves’ treasures. So no leisure to join you.”
“I’ll help.”
“What?”
“Fairy’s Eye, World Tree’s Score, Unbreakable Arrow.”
Flinch.
“I know locations of all treasures scattered across the empire.”
Artier said with a smile.
“And how to get them.”
“You…… what are you? How do you know.”
Bow looked flustered.
“Me?”
Just a maniac who loved a crappy game.
Settings, guides, and endings. A weirdo who dug madly into one game.
“Low-rank mercenary Artier. Should be registered as such?”
“…….”
Shortly after, Bow facing the party said.
“I’ll cooperate with you until I get what I want.”
Gerard glanced and whispered to Artier.
“What did you do?”
“Just made a promise.”
Artier smirked and looked up at the sky.
‘Good. Preparations are all done.’
Gathered companions, new skills, and equipment ready.
Now just wait for the upcoming defense battle.