The rumor that a dragon had descended and destroyed the royal castle spread throughout the capital in an instant. There wasn’t even a need for anyone to spread the word. Everyone in the capital had witnessed the presence of the golden dragon that appeared with a tremendous roar that day.
The fact that everyone perceived the golden dragon, which manifested in the sky above the royal castle, as a “dragon” was no coincidence. Regardless of where one stood in the capital, the enormous flying lizard was clearly recognizable. If that wasn’t a dragon, then what could it be?
Of course, they might have thought of the recently rampant wyverns, but the citizens of the capital had not actually experienced the damage caused by wyverns. Moreover, it was unreasonable to think that such a gigantic monster could just be a “wyvern”.
“Heavenly gods…”
“The gods are furious because of the king’s tyranny! This is divine punishment!”
“Release all the informants. Didn’t I tell you? Follow the executioner and accidents will happen!”
The impact of the golden dragon’s short flight, which lasted no more than a minute, was absolutely beyond imagination. The citizens of the capital trembled in silent fear at the catastrophic sight of the dragon descending from the sky.
Amid the chaos, some tried to spread seditious ideas, while others acted to satisfy their own selfish desires. And it wasn’t long before most people began to move to evacuate the capital.
Chaos bred even more chaos. The evacuation happened in an uncontrolled manner. Naturally, the roads of the capital became paralyzed due to the sudden influx of people, and amidst all this, there were those who acted out.
“Move aside! You lowly creatures…!”
Members of noble families and heads of merchant guilds residing in the capital were the first to attempt to leave. Predictably, a major conflict nearly erupted between the citizens and the guards accompanying the nobles and merchants.
In the end, however, that did not happen.
────────────.
The overwhelming power that swallowed up all the sounds of curses and shouts at the scene. Immediately after, as if it had never existed from the beginning, leaving behind only the foundation, the dragon scale fortress wall vanished.
“…….”
“…….”
The nobles, the heads of merchant guilds, and even the citizens who had been rebelling against them were all at a loss for words. Everyone, without exception, realized that the chaos caused by the dragon’s appearance had come to an end.
***
To restore the royal castle, half of which had been completely obliterated, the Argon royal family made the unprecedented decision to open the castle to civilians.
This was to expedite the restoration by mobilizing as many people as possible, and, in reality, to broadly announce that the long-silent royal family had now begun to take action.
And the intention of the royal family, specifically Delphina’s, achieved the desired effect. The royal castle was not merely a place where the royalty resided and national affairs were discussed.
It was a source of pride for the kingdom’s citizens and a symbolic representation of the nation. The partial destruction of such a significant place evoked in the people a sense of a potential royal collapse.
“Even with such a massive dragon rampaging, they still have this much military power left?”
“The secret to the royal family maintaining rule for over hundreds of years is revealed this way.”
Even after experiencing the significant event of the dragon’s descent, demonstrating to the people that they still possessed the military strength to oppress the entire kingdom was enough. In Midland, where the law of the jungle—where the strong prey on the weak—still prevailed, might was indeed right.
“What on earth is happening…”
“Exactly.”
“Don’t be too flustered. Didn’t Her Highness the Princess tell us? Excessive courtesy is actually not courtesy at all. Let’s walk in with confidence. It’s not like we’re here to do something improper in the royal castle.”
“Chairman, but it’s still royalty we’re talking about.”
“And didn’t that royalty say to be moderately courteous? What more is there to discuss?”
The person who sneered at the artisans glaring at him with eyes saying ‘easier said than done’ was the representative of the stonemasons’ guild, known for being the best in the kingdom. He stroked his unkempt beard and spoke.
“Don’t worry too much. Our job is just to do our work. A dragon appeared, the royal castle was destroyed, and sure, that’s a very terrifying thing, but it’s already happened, hasn’t it? And it was Her Highness the Princess who summoned us to fix it.”
The guild leader, whose hair had turned half-white, was in his seventies, but he had a physique that could rival many young men. More importantly, being renowned as the best artisan in the kingdom also granted him significant influence within the guild.
Especially when it came to his work, he became more thorough than anyone, which allowed the artisans and workers who followed him to the royal castle to quickly regain their composure.
“Stay calm. If you make a mistake while eyeing inappropriate places, that would be the real disrespect.”
“If you have finished your conversation, I will guide you to the work site first.”
“Oh, please do.”
Following the person who introduced himself as a royal knight, the guild’s artisans headed to the outer area of the royal castle surrounded by the dragon scale fortress wall. Specifically, it was the site where only the base remained of the vanished dragon scale fortress wall.
“This is unbelievable…”
Upon arriving at the work site, the guild leader first inspected the remnants of the dragon scale fortress wall. This was because the start of the restoration would differ depending on what and how the wall was destroyed.
After examining the remnants of the wall calmly for a long time, an exclamation conveying disbelief escaped the guild leader’s mouth.
“I wonder how it is possible to destroy only the upper portion in such a uniform manner.”
The cut surface was excessively clean. Even if you used a ruler to cut paper, it wouldn’t be this even, yet this was not paper but the sturdy dragon scale fortress wall. Furthermore, the range of the wall that had been chopped off was incredibly long.
Not only that, but the buildings within the royal castle in a fan shape were also all flattened.
“As expected, a dragon is indeed a fearsome entity as I’ve only heard in tales. It makes sense that the royal castle was reduced to ashes.”
Hearing the guild leader’s statement trembling at the dragon’s destructive actions, the royal knight flinched. The guild leader assumed the knight was startled by the word ‘dragon’. It was not unreasonable, as a royal knight would have seen the dragon up close.
“Even more surprising is that the dragon, which caused such an unbelievable sight, was defeated. Rumors are already widespread beyond the capital. The ‘Dragon Slayer’ is said to be just one person.”
“… I must ensure that the royal guards keep their mouths shut more thoroughly.”
“How can you blame them? A dragon appeared; one would naturally want to talk about it at any gathering.”
Even the guild leader himself would find it difficult to keep such a sensational topic under wraps.
“So, what kind of person is this rumored Dragon Slayer? While working in the royal castle, it’s only a matter of time before we find out. Surely you can at least share this? I am honestly dying to know who managed to slay the enormous lizard that devastated half the royal castle.”
The royal knight was at a loss in response to the guild leader’s direct question driven by curiosity. The guild leader thought the knight was deliberating on whether to spill the information. However, the knight’s dilemma was of a very different nature.
He was one of the knights who witnessed the fight between the dragon and the Dragon Slayer up close, and naturally, he knew the identity of the Dragon Slayer.
‘How on earth do I explain this…?’
It seemed that the citizens of the capital had received the rumors that the destruction of half the royal castle was solely the dragon’s doing.
The royal knight internally accepted that this could not be helped. And for good reason—
‘Who could imagine that the hero who saved the kingdom from the evil dragon and the great criminal who devastated half the royal castle would be the same person!’
The royal knight could not meet the curious, shining gaze of the guild leader and looked down in dismay.
***
‘It’s certainly different now.’
Even without specifically testing various aspects or pushing the limits of his strength, he could clearly feel that the completion of his physical form had significantly advanced.
He clenched his fist. The power fitting the description of divine might awaited release within a single person’s grip. This was a level of strength beyond what is allowed for humans. It was a power that far surpassed the human realm.
He was superhuman.
Khan recognized that he had undoubtedly reached the realm of the superhuman.
‘To become a superhuman from the start of Act Two. In terms of progression, it’s quite fast.’
People referred to those who wielded powers not permitted to humans, such as knights, sorcerers, and paladins, as superhumans. However, this was an inaccurate description. The term ‘superhuman’ was meant only for those true powerhouses who surpassed the ordinary level.
In the empire, knights who exceeded the strength of high-ranking knights were classified as superhumans. In the magic tower, those who could handle top-tier spells were distinguished as superhumans. In the school of swordsmanship, the sword masters who led entire sects were similarly classified.
Of course, even within that category, there were significant variations, with higher tiers existing. However, very few individuals actually reached that level.
‘In game terms, it was defined by whether you possessed S-rank skills or not.’
Currently, Khan did not possess any S-rank skills. Furthermore, considering the proficiency increase in his A-rank skills, it still felt like a distant goal. This is why the innate A-rank skills given as rewards for the ‘job-specific quest’ were so crucial. As soon as he obtained the quest reward, he would receive an S-rank skill as a racial bonus for the Barbarian class.
However, in Khan’s case, while he lacked an S-rank skill, he boasted an astounding strength stat of 72.
‘Against other superhumans, this should be more than enough.’
In fact, in terms of explosive power, it could be said that he was exceptionally outstanding. Due to the inherent characteristics of the Barbarian race, he inevitably had to bear various weaknesses. But those could be sufficiently covered with equipment.
“…It seems you have finally awakened from your long slumber.”
Just as Khan was muttering to himself, focused on his self-assessment, he heard a knock on the door of the private room he was staying in. Ever since he had slain the dragon, the moment he had been waiting for had finally arrived.
“His Highness the Crown Prince wishes to see the hero of the kingdom.”
It was time to receive his reward.