Seeker 260

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Chapter 260. Earth Dragon's Nest (1)

Venturing into the pathless woods for a while.

Before us now stands a towering cliffside rock mountain, and the entrance to a large cave has appeared.

"Wow~"

"It's huge!"

"So, this is the entrance to the Dragon's Nest...! It's my first time seeing the real thing."

Kazane-san, Yuzuki, and Rebecca-san exclaimed in admiration.

Rebecca-san, in particular, seems excited beyond measure.

We're standing before the entrance to a large cave called the Dragon's Nest.

On the map, it is located at the southern end of the Landram Mountains, lying between the Holy Kingdom's capital and the port town of Baren.

The rock mountain in front of us is steep, and we'd need proper climbing gear to ascend it.

It's doubtful that climbing this would take less time than going around using the east-west highways to reach the port town of Baren.

The cave entrance before us is of extraordinary size.

It's a tunnel-like cave pierced through the rock mountain, and the height from the floor to the ceiling is as much as a three-story house.

Looking at this unusually magnificent natural scenery reminds me of the Valley of the Flying Dragons.

It was a dangerous place where aerial dragons inhabited deep in the wilderness, a place ordinary people wouldn't approach.

Similarly, the Dragon's Nest is a place where ordinary people wouldn't venture due to similar reasons.

Looking up, the sun is directly overhead.

It's been half a day since we left the Holy Kingdom's capital.

The real journey begins here.

We have lunch in front of the cave entrance before stepping inside.

The height from the floor to the ceiling and the span between the left and right walls are about three times larger than a typical cave, compared to what one would imagine.

Walking through the winding and monotonous scenery for about an hour, I felt as if I had shrunk to the size of a dwarf.

After walking for over an hour, doubts start to arise about whether we're making progress.

It feels like walking on an endless loop, creating a suspicion that we might get stuck in a repeating path.

However, this should be the shortest route from the Holy Kingdom's capital to the port town of Baren.

If we pass through this cave that traverses the Landram Mountains, we should reach the port town of Baren in almost a straight line.

It's a shortcut route that allows us to cover a journey that would normally take 4 to 5 days in about a day and a half.

Of course, anyone would want to take such a path.

And there are no obstacles along the way.

As usual, a special mission has been assigned at the time of Rebecca-san's request.

 

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Special Mission: Go on through Earth Dragon's Nest to Reach Town Baren!

Experience Points Earned Upon Mission Completion: 30,000 points

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When the special mission got revealed, accepting the request was confirmed. 

Taking into account the experience points gained from this special mission, even if the information Rebecca-san had researched about the underwater city was false. 

It could still be considered a highly rewarding quest.

After walking endlessly through the Dragon's Nest, losing track of time, we eventually reached the largest obstacle in this vast cave; a massive hall.

 It resembled a natural arena, a vast, semi-spherical chamber. 

The entire hall emitted a faint green phosphorescence as if moss or something similar was growing on the ceiling, walls, and floor.

In the center of this hall, a gigantic creature was crouched. 

We were about a hundred meters away from the entrance to the hall. 

The creature became aware of our presence, slowly lifted its head, and stared at us.

It was an Earth Dragon, a dragon with brown scales. 

If we couldn't overcome this creature, we wouldn't be able to pass through this cave. 

It was the absolute guardian of the Dragon's Nest.

The Earth Dragon merely stared at us without making any move. 

We were also out of the range for ranged attacks. 

We prepared for the upcoming boss battle with our usual set of buffs—[Protection], [Quickness], and [Fire Weapon] were cast on the entire party.

"Hey, boy. Do I really not need to help?" 

Rebecca-aN asked.

I replied while using [Protection].

"Yes. As promised beforehand, please don't intervene."

"Alright. Then I'll stay back outside the hall."

Rebecca-san retreated to the corridor.

This would be our 3rd dragon battle. 

The Earth Dragon's strength was considered on par with the Aerial Dragon and Fire Dragon we had fought in the past. 

With Kazane-san, Yuzuki, me, and the addition of the Griffin, we should be able to handle it adequately. 

Above all, there was the mission's convenience.

We had a mission to 'Defeat 4 dragons' (earning 100,000 experience points), and at this point, we had defeated two out of the 4. 

While defeating this Earth Dragon wouldn't complete the mission, it was a step toward achieving it.

When I asked Rebecca-san not to interfere in the Earth Dragon battle, she tilted her head.

But once I explained that it was a condition for accepting the quest, she, while looking puzzled, agreed.

After a while, I finished casting support magic. 

During the approximately twenty seconds it took, the Earth Dragon remained still, patiently waiting. 

Monsters are unpredictable. 

I wondered if it was underestimating us or if such emotional responses existed.

"Alright. Kazane-san, Yuzuki, Griffin—let's go."

"Yeah, Daichi-kun!"

"Leave it to me!"

"Kwaaah!"

We all simultaneously kicked the ground and headed towards the dragon.