Record of a Thousand Lives

Chapter 185

“Kiddo?” the Dragon of Destruction muttered in surprise before lowering its long neck. An arrogant look filled its eyes that shone like rare golden jewels. Then, the dragon added, “I would have devoured you if you were younger than me.”

“Your respect toward your elders is horrible,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

“You are the first to demand respect from me, old geezer,” the Dragon of Destruction replied.

The men looked at Kang Yoon-Soo with respect in their eyes. One asked, “What the hell is going on? The Dragon of Destruction is calling Kang Yoon-Soo an old man.”

“How the hell should I know?” Henrick grumbled with a shrug.

It was indeed a surprising and strange conversation.

The Dragon of Destruction did not seem to mind the fact that Kang Yoon-Soo had just said he was going to kill it. Rather, it reacted to the word ‘kiddo’ instead. On top of that, Kang Yoon-Soo was talking on equal footing with the most powerful dragon on the continent. Both of them exuded killing intent toward the other, but their conversation was surprisingly quite normal. The Dragon of Destruction even maintained its respect toward the human who had lived longer than it did.

The conversation went on for a long time, as the dragon talked to itself from time to time.

“I have a duty to show my respect to those who are older than me, because of a promise I made to the mother I do not know the name of. That is also the reason why my father granted me immense magic power, and these eyes that can gauge the age of anything I see,” the Dragon of Destruction said. It continued in a leisurely tone, “Still, this is the first time in recent memory that someone older than me has appeared. However… You dare to declare that you are going to kill me, you old geezer?

“Countless beings have tried to kill me for as long as I can remember, so I feel nothing when someone tells me they are going to kill me. I just brush off whatever they say before I send them to their demise,” the Dragon of Destruction added nonchalantly. It stared down at the human and added, “It would not be considered disrespect to my elders if I struck you down right now because of what you just said, old geezer.”

The Dragon of Destruction extended its neck, coming face-to-face with Kang Yoon-Soo. The breath that escaped its nostrils was hotter than the steam from a furnace. The dragon’s tone was very courteous and respectful toward Kang Yoon-Soo, but the words it said were more than enough to send a chill down an ordinary creature’s spine.

“So I ask for your kind consideration. I will devour you now, so please shut your arrogant mouth, you old geezer,” the Dragon of Destruction said with a low growl.

“Wake up from your sleep first,” Kang Yoon-Soo said, then sprayed the contents of the Holy Chalice of Blood at the dragon.

Then, the Dragon of Destruction’s body slowly started to fade before finally disappearing from view.

[You have used the Holy Chalice of Blood.]

[The Dragon of Destruction has awakened from its slumber.]

[The Dragon of Destruction’s lair will emerge from its dream.]

The place they were in started to crumble. The flowers in the field withered and the sky cracked apart as rifts started to appear all over the place. Suddenly, the rifts stretched outward, and the darkness within them engulfed the dream world entirely.

***

For some time, the army was surrounded by total darkness. Suddenly, however, their surroundings were filled with light..

“W-Where is this…?”

“Are we really still underground…?”

Neither the party members nor the titans could not hide their shock as they looked around their surroundings. Lush tree leaves grew above their heads, and insects buzzed around calmly. There was even a sun shining brightly in the sky. In the distance, they saw a waterfall made of lava, and a flower field where strange creatures ran playfully.

[You have entered the real lair of the Dragon of Destruction.]

[You have discovered an area that no human has ever explored before.]

[The ground you are standing on right now is not a place an ordinary human could ever reach.]

[Twenty-six monster species that do not exist on the continent reside in this place.]

[This is a magical place, where nature itself is alive and mysterious dangers lurk around every corner.]

[The Dragon of Destruction has hidden its treasures in a secret part of the lair.]

[However, you will incur the dragon’s wrath if you take its treasures without its permission.]

[Managing to leave the Dragon of Destruction’s lair alive would be considered a peerless achievement, unrivaled by any other explorer on the continent.]

“Rakirukdo…”?White growled while sniffing the grass. All of its fur stood on end.

Iris raised a brow and said, “It looks very peaceful here, but it feels very dangerous at the same time.”

It was, after all, the lair of the most powerful dragon on the continent. They could not afford to lower their guard after entering such a place. The titans seemed to have understood that as well, as they gripped their weapons tightly and made sure to maintain their formation. The titans formed rather impressive battle lines despite being conscripted hurriedly, as expected from such a warlike race.

Kang Yoon-Soo drank one of the strongest bottles of alcohol he had before saying, “Let’s go to where the Dragon of Destruction is.”

They walked through the forest and up a hill that sat next to the lava-fall. As they walked, they often came into contact with the creatures inhabiting the lair. Some ran away after seeing the large army, while others formed their own groups and attacked.

“Look at these bastards. I’ve never seen these monsters before.”

.

“Hmmm… This one looks like a mix of a bear and an elephant.”

“Look at that. Its teeth look sharper than a crocodile’s. It would definitely be able to take an arm off if you got bitten by it.”

The men and the titans fought bravely against the high-level monsters living in the Dragon of Destruction’s lair.

Kang Yoon-Soo drew the Frozen Bow he had acquired. It was an item he had obtained after killing a Frenzied One, a mixed-blood elf, in the northern ice fields. It was a unique item that did not require the user to nock an arrow; instead, it automatically created ice arrows for the user to shoot whenever they drew the bowstring.

Ping! Ping! Ping! Ping!

Kang Yoon-Soo hit the monsters dead center in the forehead and inflicted critical damage whenever he shot an ice arrow. However, he made sure to shoot only a few at a time; otherwise, if he shot too rapidly in a short period of time, his fingers could end up suffering from frostbite.

Mini-Lich raised the high-level monsters into undead after they died, calling out, “Rise up, you pitiful creatures. Rise up and fight for our cause!”

“Gruuuwoooh…!”?

The undead legion that had been nearly eradicated during the battle in the northern ice fields recovered half of their original numbers due to Mini-Lich. The new members of their ranks had thicker bones and looked stronger than the previous ones.

“Nakron’s diary and codex are a big help to my research and studies,” Mini-Lich remarked.

“Continue your research,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

After some time spent walking, the forest started to give way to open space. When they exited the forest, they saw a massive, picturesque castle nested atop a tall hill.

Henrick clicked his tongue and said, “It would take more than a hundred years to construct a castle like that even with the dwarves’ technology.”

The castle was absolutely massive. In fact, it was so massive that anyone would think its inhabitants had to be giants.

“That’s the Dragon of Destruction’s castle,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

“No wonder it’s huge…” Henrick muttered.

Mayor Kaldo gulped nervously before saying, “So that is where that terrifying dragon a while ago lives. How do you plan to attack it? We might be able to find a passageway or two if we stealthily circle around the castle for a few days.”

Kang Yoon-Soo shook his head and replied, “We’re going through the front.”

“Would it not be better to launch a sneak attack…?” Kaldo muttered.

“A sneak attack wouldn’t work against the Dragon of Destruction,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“I ask that you elaborate on that,” Kaldo said.

“It’s watching us right now,” Kang Yoon-Soo explained. Mayor Kaldo started to sweat profusely upon hearing those words.

The army had to spend nearly half a day crossing the long bridge connecting to the castle before finally arriving at its gates. The doorway was so gigantic that it definitely seemed to be something only a giant would use, and it was engraved with ornate markings.

A terrifying voice rang out as the army stood before the castle’s main entrance.

“Come in.”

It was the Dragon of Destruction’s voice.

Creaaaak…!

The castle’s doors slowly swung open. Kang Yoon-Soo was the first to enter, and the rest of the army nervously followed behind him. As the party entered the castle, their jaws could not help but drop.

Swemer scratched his cheeks and said, “How should I say this… It’s really huge.”

All of the ornaments and furnishings used in the castle were at least a hundred times larger than in any ordinary building.

Sharp looked up at the dining table that was as large as a mountain and exclaimed fearfully, “O-Oh my god…! We’ll end up as food for the dragon on that humongous table…!”

“Don’t be scared, Sharp! We’ll definitely become friends with the Dragon of Destruction!” Light cheerfully exclaimed.

“Huu… Huu…! I’m more scared of you! How can you even think like that in this situation…?” Sharp cried.

The army’s morale was dashed even before the fighting started.

The terrifying voice spoke once again. “Come to the art room.”

Even before the army could take a step, the lights surrounding them blinked, and they found themselves transported to the art room. Its walls were adorned with paintings as gigantic as all the other items in the castle, befitting the dragon’s size; one could only wonder who the artists of such paintings were.

Acle looked at the paintings on the wall, then scoffed in disbelief and said, “These look ugly as hell. A three-year-old kid could paint better than this.”

“Fairies and spirits are delicacies I’m willing to kill for,” the terrifying voice said.

“Ack!” Acle screamed and hurriedly covered his mouth.

The Dragon of Destruction walked toward them from the other end of the corridor, and every step it took made the floors shake. It said, “You have woken me from my sweet slumber.”

The dragon looked much older than it had in its dream. Its thick white beard grew all the way down to its legs, and its scales were cracked here and there. However, the dragon’s splendor and terrifying presence were still more than enough to make the soldiers’ knees tremble and give out, despite its aged appearance. Sally cried while clinging to Shaneth’s leg, and Iris trembled uncontrollably while hiding behind Henrick.

“It is very annoying to have my sleep cut short at this age,” the Dragon of Destruction said while slowly looking at the paintings on the walls. It examined a painting of a creature with rugged horns and dark red skin before continuing, “That is why I always come and admire the artworks in my art room whenever I wake up. I am able to refresh my mind after it is made hazy from my dreams.”

Then, its golden eyes flashed as it looked down at the titans. It said, “Ah, right, you were of my bloodline.”

The titans were a warlike race that would never back down from a fight, but none of them dared to respond to the dragon’s question. Their hands were drenched in sweat as they gripped their weapons tightly; their hearts pounded nervously, seemingly about to pop out from their chests.

“And yet… Why are you trying to kill me?” the Dragon of Destruction asked.

Mayor Kaldo squeezed every ounce of his courage to respond, “Y-You have trapped us underground! The titans have been trapped underground for centuries because of you! You might be strong, but you are no different from a tyrant. We want to go to the surface, and the titans have risen up to fight for our freedom!”

A chilling smile flashed across the Dragon of Destruction’s face before it replied, “You wish to kill me?”

A spine-chilling laugh reverberated across the room, resembling the sound of screeching metal. The Dragon of Destruction continued to laugh arrogantly for some time before falling silent.

Silence filled the room for a moment, but no one dared to break it. None of the gathered forces had the courage to say a word or swing their weapons despite the fact that their enemy was standing right in front of them.

It was then that a deafening roar rang throughout the entire place. The Dragon of Destruction exclaimed, “You ungrateful descendants! You dare try to kill me?!”

The dragon’s roar alone made it feel as if the entire castle would come crashing down. The titans standing in the vanguard fell backward as a result of its terrifying force. Most of the army could no longer stand; they seemed to have lost their reason as well as control over their own bodies. The Dragon of Destruction’s roar was not simply a loud sound; rather, it carried weight and authority that conveyed its terrifying power.

“You dare to say that you will kill me, your ancestor and father?! To my great self?!” the Dragon of Destruction roared once again.

At that moment, all of those gathered felt that dragons were not creatures they could even dream of beating. Dragons were not simply powerful monsters; rather, they were the embodiment of power itself. In myths and legends, dragons were said to stay neutral to preserve the world’s balance, and they would only make an appearance to provide assistance once in a while. It was also said that dragons were the most powerful beings in the world, and indeed, that was the case.

There was no doubt that their chances of fighting and winning against such a powerful enemy were close to none. Even the men who were always up for a fight could not stand properly in front of the dragon, as their legs trembled in fear.

The Dragon of Destruction was a cut above its peers, having greater power compared to the other dragons. That fact alone was enough to leave the entire army in despair.

However, not everyone had fallen into despair—a single man remained standing, unfazed. That man was someone who had to stand tall even though everyone else around him stumbled and fell.

“Don’t keep asking as if you’ve gone senile. The titans just declared that they would be killing you, their father and ancestor,” Kang Yoon-Soo said. His voice pierced through the dragon’s terrifying aura, and all eyes darted toward him.

The Dragon of Destruction lowered its head toward Kang Yoon-Soo and asked, “Are you not afraid of me, old geezer?”

Kang Yoon-Soo looked back at the Dragon of Destruction with emotionless eyes and replied, “I’ve died at the hands of someone stronger than you.”

“Are you saying that you have experienced death?” the Dragon of Destruction asked.

“Yeah,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“What a shameful thing to be proud of,” the Dragon of Destruction scoffed.

Kwachik!

The dragon’s jaws clamped down on Kang Yoon-Soo and split his body in half.