Volume 4, Chapter 43 – But I Refuse!

The sky-blotting body descended, and from that instant, the majesty that belonged only to the dragon race shrouded all of Fanster’s territory.

“What… is… that…”

Most of the sky in their field of view had been blocked by the Black Dragon King’s enormous body. From the perspective of Fanster and the other players, there was no way to clearly see that terrifying existence looming above.

“Lord, this is way too weird… The appraisal is showing nothing but question marks!”

While Fanster was still in a daze, among the players who had rushed to his side, one of them used the players’ unique skill, “Appraisal,” on the Black Dragon King in the sky.

“Hm? The information Appraisal returns all question marks?”

Players’ Appraisal was always effective wherever they went, and whenever they were clearing dungeons or facing powerful enemies, they would instinctively use Appraisal. That much was not anything unusual.

So Fanster did not feel there was anything wrong at all with the player next to him using Appraisal on the Black Dragon King.

Not only did he not feel it was wrong, on the contrary… Fanster was thoroughly puzzled that Appraisal had “failed.”

However… the Black Dragon King who had just descended from the sky… was the first to sense that someone down below was using some special method to peek at him.

“The Abyssal Lord was right… these outsiders really do not have much awe in their hearts toward us Legendary and Throne-tier beings…”

Those huge dragon eyes swept over the “players” below with a contemptuous look, then the Black Dragon King slowly opened his gigantic maw filled with sharp fangs.

“You dare to spy on me, then you can bear the consequences that come from peeking at a Throne-tier!”

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His great maw opened wide, and in an instant the searing Dragon Breath roared forth, tearing open the firmament. Then, spanning several thousand meters of altitude, it appeared within Fanster and the other players’ field of view.

“What is that? Even a Mage’s forbidden spell doesn’t look this over the top, right?”

It had to be admitted that players’ sense of crisis was not very strong.

Facing the Black Dragon King’s Dragon Breath that covered such a wide area… there were still a lot of people calmly commenting on that Breath like they were watching a show.

Until…

“Wait… that attack looks like it’s coming right at us!”

“What the fuck…! It really is!”

Once a player noticed that the target of the Breath seemed to be their side… all of the players finally realized a bad situation was crashing down on them.

Rumble—!

The instant the Dragon Breath made contact with the ground, an explosion that echoed between heaven and earth thundered forth. At the point where the Breath landed head on, countless players, along with the buildings of the territory around them, all turned into nothing but white light.

“What the hell was that!”

The players who had not been hit by the Dragon Breath let out lingering cries of shock, and among those who also had not been hit was Fanster.

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“I’m realizing I’m kind of unlucky today… First I ran into elves on the march, and now that I just revived and came back… I run into some kind of something monster again. What did I ever do to deserve this?”

Fanster’s mood could be described as collapsing.

But this was the reality. The incident where he encountered Fallen Angels had already happened, and now something he could not identify had appeared in the skies above his territory, something that looked like an existence he absolutely could not fight…

“Monster? So it looks like you are the chief of this territory, outsider. But you actually had the nerve to call me, the dignified Black Dragon King, a monster, hm?”

Just as Fanster was muttering to himself and grumbling, that enormous figure in the sky… suddenly brought a pair of ice-cold lantern-like eyes right down in front of Fanster.

The sudden close-up of that sight made Fanster stand there stiff, and not only that… because the Black Dragon King had suddenly appeared right before him, that Throne-tier aura was now completely enveloping him.

On top of that, that enormous dragon head was staring straight at him.

“Outsider… what, you do not know how to answer?”

Seeing Fanster just staring blankly at him without saying anything, the Black Dragon King somehow felt he was being looked down on.

“Y-You… Y-You-you-you, you’re a dragon?”

Just as the Black Dragon King was about to get angry and properly punish this rude outsider in front of him… the outsider in front of him suddenly, as if driven by some strange impulse, spoke.

“Hahaha… That’s right, I am a dragon, and I am the king of the Black Dragon clan, Xingousa. Outsider, the fact that you are allowed to know my name is a special favor that I am bestowing upon you!”

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“Favor?”

The Black Dragon King’s out-of-nowhere words left Fanster completely at a loss.

There was no doubt that the Black Dragon King in front of him was extremely strong. But why did this powerful Black Dragon King give him a weird impression of having something wrong in the head… Not only that, Fanster also faintly had the sense that the Black Dragon King in front of him did not actually intend to kill him…

“B-Black… Black Dragon King… may I… may I ask why you suddenly launched an attack on us just now… Did we do something that offended you?”

That inexplicable Dragon Breath from just now still left Fanster deeply shaken, and on top of that, the Black Dragon King in front of him looked utterly relaxed… as if that devastatingly destructive attack earlier had just been a casual swipe…

In response to Fanster’s question, the Black Dragon King’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“Legendary beings are not to be humiliated, and even less so those who are Throne-tier. Just now, I distinctly sensed one of your people using some nasty little trick in an attempt to probe my bottom line. While I am not exactly that opposed to this kind of behavior… since I discovered it… you will have to be prepared to accept punishment.”

The Black Dragon King’s words made Fanster think back to how one of the players earlier had, without a second thought, used “Appraisal” on the Black Dragon King.

So it was because of that skill?

As expected, out of all the skills the game’s system let you learn for free, there was not a single good one.

“Outsider… if I am not mistaken, you are the lord of this territory, yes?”

For a brief moment, Fanster actually had the urge to deny his identity, but after glancing at the enormous dragon head in front of him, he gave up that thought and obediently admitted who he was.

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“As expected… my senses did not fail me, you are the lord of this territory.”

Receiving a definite answer, the Black Dragon King let out a satisfied sound.

“Outsider, originally, since you had offended me, I could have just killed every last one of you. However… after learning that this territory belongs to you, an outsider… I changed my mind and no longer intend to kill you all.”

“Not… not kill us?”

“That is right.”

As if he were bestowing alms, the Black Dragon King’s tone grew more and more arrogant.

“Become my subordinate, then offer up your territory to me. In exchange for the price you pay, I can also make you a promise that from here on, I will spare your life.”

Hearing the Black Dragon King’s words, Fanster unexpectedly fell silent.

“What is wrong, are you unwilling to accept terms like these?”

After a long stretch, when the Black Dragon King was beginning to grow impatient, Fanster finally gave him this reply.

“But… I refuse!”