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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 62: Dungeon Raid (2)
『Frost Dragon Luciulla』
Among the retainers of the Frost Dragon God Erazti, she was said to be the strongest—the dragon of eternal snow.
There was even a legend that a single breath from her could freeze the earth, and a second would bring winter to an entire continent.
The frost dragon sat perfectly still, wrapped in glistening silver and white scales, looking more like a statue than a living creature.
I had encountered Frost Dragon Luciulla once before when I played the dungeon—and only after dozens of game overs did I finally beat her.
So does that mean this will be another easy win like the other dungeon runs?
Yeah, not quite.
When I cleared her before, I was fully decked out—all characters fully built, equipped with the best gear, and five maxed-out SSR-tier characters lined up.
But now?
Now, it’s just me—a half-decent ranger with decent aim—and a single SSR mage.
In other words, we’re completely fucked.
“Krrrhhhhh…”
“My Lord… I think the frost dragon just saw us.”
While I stood frozen in a full mental stun from laying eyes on her, she moved first.
The moment Luciulla spotted us, she began inhaling.
I knew that pattern—Ice Breath. One of her signature attacks.
“My Lord, I need orders—My Lord?”
I could see the freezing energy gathering in her mouth.
I said cautiously—
“Sharon…”
“Yes?”
“Run.”
“Understood. I’ll cast a spell—Wait, what?”
“RUN!!!”
I grabbed Sharon and bolted.
At the same time, a blizzard burst from Luciulla’s jaws.
“KUUAAAAHHH!!!”
CRRRACK—!
The spot where we had stood froze over in an instant, massive shards of ice erupting upward.
The breath didn’t stop—it chased us.
We couldn’t outrun it.
I glanced at Sharon, and even without words, she understood.
CRRRACK—!
“Volatus! (Flight magic)”
FWOOOOSH—
Sharon grabbed me and took to the air, dodging the ice breath mid-flight.
This entire chamber was massive—hundreds of meters tall, a cavernous underground space.
As she flew, weaving away from the icy blast, she slipped into the frost dragon’s blind spot and hid behind a large boulder out of her sight.
Huff… Huff…
“Haah… Sharon, thank you… You saved my life.”
“It’s nothing. Haah… This is my duty, after all.”
The intense cold and the sudden burst of flight magic had drained both of us more than we’d expected.
After a moment to catch our breath, we took stock of the situation.
This had to be one of the dungeon’s hidden chambers.
I knew from experience that hidden rooms could be unlocked by fulfilling certain conditions—and I’d accessed plenty of them before.
But of all times to unlock the trigger that directly delivers you to Frost Dragon Luciulla, why now?
This game is seriously messed up.
“What should we do, my Lord?”
“Honestly, Sharon, we’re not in any shape to take her down. Let’s use a return scroll and get out of here.”
I laid it out plainly.
Right now, defeating Frost Dragon Luciulla was impossible.
The best move was to retreat, regroup, and either deal with her during a regular dungeon wave or come back with a full party.
But then Sharon looked… guilty.
“Um… about that…”
Where the return scroll had been strapped to her waist—it was gone.
All that remained was ice and frost.
It must’ve gotten destroyed when we narrowly dodged the Ice Breath earlier.
Yep.
We’re fucked.
“…Just kidding. We can totally do this with just the two of us.”
I couldn't bring myself to tell Sharon the truth—that we were absolutely, completely doomed.
She looked too apologetic for that.
This all started as something I picked up lightly—a hobby, really.
That damned lunatic god of the dungeon may have dumped me in a pile of crap, but if I gave up now, Sharon would die.
I didn’t care if I died.
But watching someone precious to me—a person tied to me—die? That, I could never allow.
’Think. There’s gotta be a way.’
This place was called the Chamber of Trials.
It wasn’t like those normal challenge rooms that you enter willingly with an adventurer's consent.
This kind of room—the kind you’re thrown into, no warning—always had some secret mechanic, some unexpected strategy baked in.
There had to be something here too.
I cautiously peeked out from behind the rock.
The Frost Dragon was slowly scanning its surroundings, head turning, searching for us.
Just from watching it like this… there was no clear path to victory. No obvious clue.
Was I really going to have to give up and hope someone from the outside rescued us?
And then—I saw it.
Beneath the dragon’s massive body… a chest.
’No way…’
If my memory was right, that chest wasn’t just a chest.
It was that chest—the key.
A strategy started to form in my mind. I took a breath, collected my thoughts, and turned to Sharon.
“Sharon. I’m going to explain the plan.”
“…Yes!”
I looked at her—those burning red eyes, that absurdly beautiful half-elf face.
To have the affection of someone like her… it was a joy beyond words.
But that made what I was about to say even more important.
“Before we start… there’s something I need to ask you.”
“Yes, my Lord.”
I looked into her eyes and asked:
“Do you trust me, Sharon?”
“…Yes! More than anyone.”
She always prioritized my safety.
She even nearly took a direct hit from that Ice Breath earlier just trying to protect me.
“Then if you trust me… during this operation, do NOT try to help me.”
“What!?”
“No matter what happens to me, don’t look back. Don’t get distracted. Focus only on the enemy in front of you. That’s the only way we’re both getting out of this alive.”
I held her gaze as I spoke.
Though she looked shocked—worried, even—something in my voice must’ve convinced her.
After a moment, she nodded.
“…Yes. I understand. I’ll trust you, my Lord.”
“Good. Then let me walk you through the plan.”
And just like that, I laid out the details of the Frost Dragon Hunt Operation.
The plan itself? Flawless.
Now all that was left… was my luck.
＊ ＊ ＊
Sharon, after partially recovering her mana, took flight from atop the boulder.
Soaring up over the frost dragon, she wasted no time casting her spell.
“Ignis Pluvia! (Rain of Fire)!”
With her incantation, a storm of flames rained down from the cavern ceiling.
As expected, the flames didn’t pierce the dragon’s hide—they simply fizzled out. But the sudden barrage clearly annoyed the creature; the frost dragon lifted its gaze skyward in irritation.
Locking eyes with the beast, Sharon unleashed her next spell—
“Serpens Ignis! (Flame Serpent)!”
A flurry of fiery serpents, one of Sharon’s specialties, burst forth.
They slithered toward the dragon, wedging themselves into the spaces between its icy scales.
“KUUOOOHHHH!!”
While the serpents couldn’t break through its scales, they were enough to cause discomfort—like sharp splinters lodged under a claw.
Enraged by the burning pain, the dragon fixed its eyes on Sharon and opened its jaws to retaliate with its breath.
“Hrrrrgh… KUAHHHH!!”
Crackle—!!
But Sharon was still near the cavern’s high ceiling, far above ground. Evading the Ice Breath was easy from that position.
She continued darting around in the air, hurling fire spells, provoking the dragon over and over.
Finally, the frost dragon started moving.
FWOOOOSH—THUD—FWUMP—!
It launched itself skyward with massive wings, and just that motion stirred up a howling storm throughout the cave.
“Now!”
Seeing the dragon take flight, I started running.
There was no telling how long Sharon could keep this up.
If I didn’t finish this mission fast, either she’d become an ice sculpture, or I’d end up pancaked beneath one.
“KUUAAHH!!”
“Ignis Pluvia! (Rain of Fire)!”
BOOM—CRACKLE—!
Up above, it looked like Sharon and the frost dragon were going berserk.
I didn’t have the luxury to look up while sprinting, but in those brief moments I caught a glimpse, one thing was clear—Sharon was absurd.
Fighting that dragon? That was a miracle only Sharon could pull off.
But even miracles have limits.
If I didn’t pull this off soon, she’d run out of mana and be in real danger.
CRASH—! BOOM—! KA-BOOM—!!
“Shit—! That scared the hell outta me!”
Dodging massive chunks of ice crashing down from above, I sprinted toward the chest.
After narrowly avoiding a death-by-ice-meteor situation, I finally made it.
There it was—one of the dungeon’s reward chests.
And not just any chest—the rarest of them all: a Platinum Chest.
I threw it open with everything I had.
Inside was an item—just as I’d hoped.
“Knew it…”
It was a bow.
White-feathered, adorned with golden ornaments—just one look was enough to tell this wasn’t made by human hands.
A divine weapon.
I knew exactly what this was.
Its name was『Ideya’s Divine Bow』.
One of the strongest bows in the World Archive, and classified as a Mythic-grade weapon—the highest tier there is.
But what made this bow truly terrifying wasn’t just its power—it was its unique effect:
〈Accumulated Hope〉
This bow gathered the emotional energy its wielder received from the world—things like trust, expectation, gratitude, and love—and converted them into arrows.
Only those of the Lord class could unlock its full power.
The higher your public support stat, the greater its destructive force.
At its peak, it could fire an arrow capable of splitting the continent—a bow that could literally pierce the world.
I reached out and gripped Ideya’s Divine Bow.
Something started flowing into me.
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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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