Chapter 166 – Molang Fantasy (4)
(Junior, congratulations. Even someone as frustrating as you has something you’re better at than the witches.)
“Huff… huff…!”
My breath was up to my throat. I had literally run for my life!
Level 1.
Right now, in the virtual reality game <Molang Fantasy>, I was the weakest possible existence—only capable of facing the very weakest enemies.
Ding~!
[Encountered a Kobold!]
[Encountered a Blue Claw Kobold!]
[Evaded a Kobold!]
[Evaded a Blue Claw Kobold!]
[Evaded an enemy 10+ levels above you!]
[Evaded an enemy 20+ levels above you!]
[Evaded an enemy 30+ levels above you!]
[Evaded an enemy 40+ levels above you!]
……
The system messages informed me that I had achieved various accomplishments.
Achievements.
According to the knowledge the convenience store owner had proudly drilled into me—even though I hadn’t been interested—the key to getting stronger in the virtual reality game <Molang Fantasy> was accumulating achievements.
Why?
Because only with enough achievements could you advance to better classes. And the requirements were downright vicious.
Achievements 10+: 2nd Job Advancement
Achievements 100+: 3rd Job Advancement
Achievements 1,000+: 4th Job Advancement
Achievements 10,000+: 5th Job Advancement
……
Exactly ten times the previous tier! That was why the vast majority of <Molang Fantasy> players remained stuck at 3rd job. If you knew how to enjoy the game, you could reach 4th; if you worked a little harder, 5th; and if you poured your entire life into it like the convenience store owner, 6th…
Anything beyond that belonged exclusively to the strongest native NPCs of the <Molang Fantasy> world—not players.
And me?
[Title] Son of the Dragon King (B)
[Level] 1
[Class] Inexperienced Soul Hunter (3rd Job)
[Achievements] 429
[Aptitude] Priest
While running away, my achievements had increased a little.
“Wow! I’ve still got such a long way to go!”
Since I had no intention of pouring my real life into <Molang Fantasy>, the distance felt even farther.
(Frustrating junior. Stop whining and hurry up and find a village or city. There’s no time to dawdle.)
“Senior.”
Please ask where the area with the Blue Claw Kobolds is.
(Hmm?)
If you do, you’ll understand.
(…Wait a moment.)
It would be faster and safer for the witches to come find me than for a level 1 like me to search for human habitation.
(Junior. Your current location is the Forest of the Blue Claw Kobolds—an average hunting ground for level 100 players.)
Heh heh heh!
(…Your game sense seems better than mine. There are no villages or cities nearby, and if you run into the wandering Blue Claw Kobold boss while moving through the forest, you will definitely die.)
“Oof!”
That’s brutal!
(So stop messing around and quietly wait at the top of a tall tree where you can be seen from afar.)
“Understood.”
Thud!
I immediately climbed a tree like a monkey.
Was it because this was a game? Even after giving up my world, my physical abilities far surpassed reality.
‘That can’t be right.’
The convenience store owner occasionally bragged, but he had no reason to lie to me. There had to be a reason why I possessed abilities far beyond a normal person’s “level 1.”
I examined each one carefully.
[Title] Son of the Dragon King (B)
Though dragon blood does not flow through your veins, you have been acknowledged as a son by the Dragon King.
Against opponents of similar level, they instinctively shrink back, greatly reducing their reaction speed. However, when turning your back and fleeing, your movement speed dramatically increases!
“Hooo…”
I hadn’t actually played the game, but the description alone made its purpose crystal clear.
It would give me overwhelming dominance against similar-level opponents. The downside was that it made me hard to catch when running away—but overall, a very satisfying effect.
(…You really are simple-minded.)
“Why?”
(Think about it. “Son.” How could you, who just entered this world, be acknowledged as a son by a Dragon King you’ve never even met?)
“……”
The reason was obvious.
He really was my father.
The possibility that the “witch” who looked nothing like me in reality was my mother had just emerged.
(It also means you need to meet the Dragon King to confirm.)
“For now… let’s look at the rest.”
[Class] Inexperienced Soul Hunter (3rd Job)
It’s easy to track traces of wraiths and converse with them, and even ordinary weapons can inflict physical damage on specters.
But I’m still inexperienced.
Wraith!
A drifting soul!
It seemed to be a specialized profession focused on fighting or persuading ghosts.
“Indeed…”
To make use of my class, I needed to head to hunting grounds teeming with spirits.
(Well well! Usually you’re so frustrating, but in a game your brain actually works pretty well.)
“Yeah?”
Maybe I actually have some talent for games.
And finally,
“Let’s check the aptitude.”
This was a reflection of reality. It was also one of the aspects that made <Molang Fantasy> receive criticism—yet the fact that you could change your aptitude made it appealing as a double-edged sword.
For reference, minors who hadn’t yet taken P’s aptitude test were all uniformly assigned the aptitude “Student.”
What about me?
[Aptitude] Priest
You receive a portion of achievements as compensation for saving wraiths, and you get bonus points toward the achievement score required for job advancement.
If you die, you lose a massive amount of achievements!
“This is…?”
It was a perfect explanation of my aptitude, which had remained unclear until now.
(Instead of getting regular checkups at Elmolance Hospital, you should’ve logged into the virtual reality game.)
“Yeah?”
Why hadn’t anyone explained this crucial information to me?
(It’s laughable to take the setting of a game made for enjoyment so seriously.)
“Haha!”
Unlike reality where death didn’t change anything, since you could change your aptitude if you didn’t like it, people probably treated it as an unrealistic entertainment element.
(You’ve already arrived.)
“…A dragon?”
Atop the head of a black dragon flying toward me with the clear intent to devour me where I clung to the treetop sat a person.
Flap~
Every time the dragon beat its pitch-black wings, the tree shook as if it would snap.
“Kyaarrr?!”
“Kuurrr~?!”
The Blue Claw Kobolds that had been prowling the forest for prey fled in terror.
…Their reaction was the complete opposite of when they encountered me.
“You’re impressively still alive in a level 100 hunting ground as a level 1.”
A woman fully armored from head to toe in black plate.
“…Who are you?”
Thanks to the feminine voice and the shape of the armor, I could tell she was female, but the helmet completely concealed her face, making it impossible to recognize her.
“I am Ranuvela the 13th.”
“Ah!”
“It’s embarrassing to admit, but among the witches, I’m one of the better ones at <Molang Fantasy>.”
“Isn’t it frustrating?”
When I used to work part-time at the convenience store, I naturally compared her to the cover models from the magazines that the store owner used to subscribe to.
Short skirts, exposed midriffs, long legs…
There was zero defensive capability to be found.
“It is frustrating, but I’m not foolish enough to go out unarmed. Especially since my aptitude is Priest.”
“I see.”
I learned by chance that the witch and I shared the same aptitude.
“Enough small talk—hurry up and get on.”
“Yes.”
I cautiously climbed onto the black dragon’s head.
“Isn’t it cool? This is a dragon tamed by a skilled player citizen. Normally, only the owner who raised it from a hatchling or someone with the Tamer class can ride it, but because it has the trait of really liking beautiful women, I was able to tame it.”
“Grrrrrr…!”
I finally understood why the dragon had been glaring at me so resentfully from earlier.
Flap~
The dragon took flight.
“Uwaah?!”
Unable to keep my balance, I reached out to grab anything—
Freeze!
I just fell flat on my face in an unsightly manner.
“…Even someone as self-centered as Kang Moon-soo has at least some basic manners. I’ll give you credit for choosing to fall rather than touch my body.”
“Thank you very much.”
I had no desire to be accused of sexually harassing the Princess of the Holy Roman Empire and end up hanged naked… no, lose my hands.
“But if you fall off and die, it’ll be a problem—so just this once, I’ll allow it.”
“Oh! Thank you.”
Since my position was already precarious, I quickly stood up and wrapped both arms tightly around the witch’s waist.
“…No hesitation at all, huh.”
“Should there be?”
I’m perfectly justified!
“Even if I gave permission, this isn’t the behavior a gentleman with a girlfriend should show. It seems you need to learn how to politely decline.”
“Even when my life is in danger?”
“Oh my! So dying at the hands of your girlfriend is fine with you?”
“……”
I couldn’t refute her blatant sarcasm.
***
We passed by several villages and headed to a city near a level 1 hunting ground.
The witch withdrew money from the bank and retrieved weapons and armor she had used back when she was level 1 from a storage warehouse.
Jingle!
The money pouch she handed me felt warm and comforting in my heart.
“…You really like money, don’t you?”
“Anyone who grows up in an environment where money is scarce ends up like me.”
I almost made a retort to the Holy Roman Empire’s princess, who clearly had no concept of financial hardship, but I held my tongue—because my life was precious.
“These weapons and armor were also tributes from excellent citizens.”
“They look high-end even at a glance. But… isn’t this armor for women?”
The witch gave me a pitiful look as she answered.
“This is a game. Sizes adjust automatically.”
“I know that.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“Even just looking at the floral patterns and short skirt, it’s clearly women’s armor.”
“That’s prejudice. This armor is modeled after the ancient Roman Praetorian Guard.”
“Still, I don’t want to wear it.”
“…Its performance is guaranteed. A kobold couldn’t even scratch this armor.”
“I’d rather die than wear this.”
“Yes. Go ahead and die.”
The witch gave up trying to persuade me as if it were too bothersome.
Whoosh whoosh!
I swung the top-grade sword—tributed by a citizen of the Holy Roman Empire—a few times to get a feel for it and asked,
“Is there any other support?”
“In <Molang Fantasy>, the better the equipment’s performance, the heavier it becomes. So until you reach an appropriate level, even excellent gear is hard to use properly.”
“Hmm~”
That was information the convenience store owner hadn’t told me.
(That’s because you weren’t interested.)
Fair enough.
“I’m logged in as a normal player. Unlike you, who recklessly jumped straight into the world.”
“How convenient.”
“I’ll only come to help briefly when I’m moving between hunting grounds after graduating from them. If you call through your excellent senior, I’ll log in within five minutes and quickly transport you to another hunting ground.”
“But…”
“Do you have a question?”
“Is he really that excellent?”
“He’s a gentleman a hundred times more excellent than the self-centered Kang Moon-soo. Even Her Eminence the Cardinal, who has very high standards for judging people, holds him in extremely high regard.”
“Ah, yes.”
(Listen carefully, Junior.)
I’m listening even though I can hardly believe it.
“The Ranuvela the Tenth who fled into <Molang Fantasy> was reincarnated as a dragon. That’s also why you started in midair.”
“…She’s really a dragon?”
“Yes. A real dragon. She adapted extremely well and even rose to become the Dragon King, the pinnacle of all dragons.”
“……”
My title came to mind once again.
“But she wasn’t a dragon from the beginning. She used the game’s reincarnation system to obtain a dragon’s body.”
“Ah!”
Games really have everything.
“We tried contacting her several times, but we couldn’t even get past the guards protecting her lair, let alone have a conversation. Even large-scale subjugation forces made up of the Holy Roman Empire’s bravest citizens couldn’t cross the threshold.”
“……”
“So we waited for her to come out of the lair. But she’s a dragon? She always flies when moving… In the worldview of <Molang Fantasy>, dragons are the fastest means of transportation, yet every single one flees in terror the moment they see her.”
“……”
“Please keep that in mind.”
“Excuse me? That’s not something to keep in mind—that’s utterly hopeless news?”
As I protested, the witch logged out and said,
“If it were easy, would I have invited you?”
“……”
Pop!
After silently cursing the witch in my heart for never losing an argument…
(Starting in a graveyard?)
“Yes.”
I decided to hunt the average level 8 spirits wandering the cemetery.
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[1] The Regressor Who Turns Trash Martial Arts into Divine Techniques
[2] I Descended as the Iron-Blooded All-Master
[3] The Female Employees I Couldn't Eat
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