Jake sighed as the entire trial was rapidly coming down on his head. Usually, a collapsing cave wouldn’t really be a problem, and it would, at most, annoyingly trap him for a while, but this place was a bit different. It was clearly rigged to explode and kill whoever was inside, and releasing a Pulse, Jake saw that the pathways he had taken to enter the chamber were rapidly collapsing. If he really hurried, there was a chance he could still make it out the way he came, though it would be far more dangerous than the way down there. Even then, it was a risk, and he predicted he would get trapped at quite a few points and would have to do his fair share of digging.
He could do all that… or he could just go straight up and not waste any more time than he needed to. Summoning his wings, Jake began to rapidly infuse energy into them before he had an enchanted rock fall on his head. A green mist began to come out as he manipulated it to slowly surround him. Jake’s body soon enough began to turn a dark green color as he took a deep breath before activating the emergency escape ability of Wings of the Malefic Viper.
Shooting upwards, Jake had little control of his movements, as he just focused on going up. He felt himself pass through solid matter as if nothing could stop him. Even the enchantments placed on the chamber didn’t manage to impede his ascent, as they were ultimately made to strengthen the material, not stop someone using a skill like Jake’s to travel straight through.
Everything was warped as Jake wasn’t sure exactly where he would end up. After a few seconds more, Jake figured it was good enough as he deactivated the skill and appeared in the real world once more. Once his eyes and body refocused, he found himself standing in mid-air, above the clouds, with the ground far beneath him.
The wings on his back slowly withered away, and Jake felt the backlash as he could no longer activate the skill. He probably wouldn’t be able to for a good while… at least a few days. Jake had purposefully not kept the skill going for longer than necessary to avoid the cooldown being too long, even if he could have continued for a good while.
”Well, the Nine Seals Demon was a dud,” Jake sighed again. He had honestly been lucky he had discovered she was a secret ally of the dragon tribe because that had definitely been a risky gamble. Had Jake known for sure she was an ally of them? No, he just felt like things felt a bit off with her responses and lack of surprise when Jake mentioned the world getting invaded. Almost as if she had expected it to happen. Her concern also felt completely fake.
When he then accused her of being an ally, her response had also seemed off. She had frozen and just looked at him before asking what he meant. If she truly was an ally of the Founder who had fought the dragon tribe, wouldn’t she be extremely offended that some C-grade accused her of working with her hated enemy?
Nothing was definitive proof, but Jake had risked big and won. The fact she had crumbled so quickly and confessed everything had been very lucky for sure. As for her explanation about how the dragon tribe was actually the wronged party and the entire ”you’re actually working with the baddies” spiel… yeah, Jake honestly didn’t care. He was the Chosen of an evil snake cult. If he cared about being associated with the ”bad guys,” he would have had a faction change a long time ago.
The conversation did bring up one more annoying question he had to ask himself, though… was the Phoenix Queen an ally? The Founder had mentioned this Nine Seals Demon as an ally before, so there was a chance she had switched sides recently, and the Phoenix Queen had no idea. It could also be that the Phoenix Queen was also an enemy who would stab them in the back, which could be disastrous if the Founder trusted her. At this point, there was no way to determine her allegiances, and Jake had no idea how he would go about things.
Either way, shit was messy, and Jake was definitely not equipped to handle it. He considered what to do but ultimately decided to return to the Guild. Whenever in doubt, he returned to the core objective of this Challenge Dungeon: to complete Courier Jobs. So, if he could ”trust” anyone, it had to be the Founder who made the Guild.Luckily, the trial hadn’t been that far from a major city, and a few hours of using One Step later, he arrived back in one. After a few more teleports, Jake was back in the capital city of the Human Kingdom, where he headed to the Guild to hopefully contact the Founder directly.
He ended up having to wait half an hour inside the Guild office before he could finally talk with the S-grade.
A projection appeared, and Jake saw the form of the Founder. He looked a bit worse to wear and was sitting with his legs crossed, likely also using this conversation to restore some energy. ”Courier, thank you for helping get the Blademaster here. I heard from the Phoenix Queen you went to recruit the Nine Seals Demon? Her abilities would be a great help in fortifying our defenses.”
”Yeah, about that… turns out the Nine Seals Demon is on the side of the dragon tribe,” Jake said with an apologetic look. ”I luckily discovered this before summoning her here, so a crisis was temporarily averted.”
”What?” the Founder asked, confused. ”Impossible… she was… no, I believe you, you have yet to lie to me. What exactly happened when you contacted her?”
Jake began to explain everything about their conversation and how he had to escape the collapsing cave, sprinkling that in to make it clear she had tried to kill him, likely to bury what he knew. The Founder frowned even more deeply than before when Jake told him she said that the dragon tribe were the planet’s original inhabitants, and the enlightened races were nothing more than refugees who took over. His interpretation of history was a bit different, though.
”Refugees? While it is true some were, many were brought here by the dragons as slaves after their homeworlds were destroyed by the tribe. It was no rebellion toward a benevolent ruler but a revolution against a tyrannical one that took place over centuries. We did also get some help from other enlightened who arrived, but to paint us as the aggressors and not us simply defending ourselves… either the Nine Seals Demon has been utterly fooled, or she tried to fool you,” the Founder said after Jake was done with his explanation.
Jake wanted to tell him that he still didn’t give a shit about the history of the world, and he kind of assumed both of them to be full of crap when it came to telling him what actually went down, but he held his tongue. Instead, he waited for the Founder to give him some time to think. As this happened, Jake also saw he had completed the Special Courier Job to find the Nine Seals Demon, so that was nice.
”You have once more done us a huge service. If the Nine Seals Demon had been summoned to the planet and attacked from behind, dismantling our defenses, the consequences would have been disastrous. I also understand your concerns about the Phoenix Queen, and I will make sure to confirm if she is also a spy… but I doubt it. For now, do keep what happened with the Nine Seals Demon hidden, though. I will tell her if I believe that best while subtly investigating.”
That was definitely a flag of some sort, and Jake quickly interjected.
”I believe it would be best to tell her now. There is a good chance the Nine Seals Demon joins the invasion force at some point, and if the Phoenix Queen is actually on our side right now, the shock of seeing someone she was once close with may turn her to the side of the dragons. If, on the other hand, you already discussed this with her first, she will not be shocked and be far more likely to refuse to listen to anything the Nine Seals Demon says.”
Stolen novel; please report.
It was pretty common knowledge that people were incredibly biased toward the first side of any story they heard. If the Phoenix Queen already had the interpretation that the Nine Seals Demon had either gone insane or been tricked, she was far less likely to be convinced. This all assumed she wasn’t a traitor right now, of course.
”Hm, perhaps you are right,” the Founder agreed. ”Very well; I shall discuss it with her as soon as possible.”
One potential disaster avoided there… or I accelerated her betrayal, Jake told himself as he continued.
”How are things going at the frontlines? And is there anything more I can do to assist?”
”Our defenses are holding for now, but it is only a matter of time… the Blademaster has been a massive help and bought us a lot of extra leeway. However, nothing has truly changed. We need more allies… and…”
The Founder looked like he was hesitating a lot, unsure if he wanted to continue. Jake felt like he had to press him.
”Please, if there is any way, it is my responsibility to try and assist. So if there are any jobs, never hesitate to give them to me,” Jake insisted.
Still clearly unsure, the Founder considered for a bit before finally sighing. ”Very well, you have yet to fail so far. There is one person you could approach, but it is no ally or an old friend. What I am about to tell you is not something many know, and not even the Phoenix Queen is aware. Around twenty thousand years ago, I discovered an unknown aura. I noticed as the sole S-grade and went to investigate. It was another S-grade, and I foolishly got in a fight. I barely held on for a few minutes and nearly lost my life, but I was spared in the end. That is when I came to learn who I had been fighting… the brother of the Dragon King, who had been thrown out as his mother was a human.”
Yep, Jake had definitely unlocked some more hidden lore and a very special job. More special than the regular Special Courier Jobs.
”Back in the big war, he was not involved, as while he despised his brother, he still didn’t want to kill his own kin. The reason I am hesitant to try and make contact is that, truthfully, I do not know what his intentions are now. I do not know if he will even side with us or perhaps even choose his own kin and be our end. All I know is that without him, our chances are slim, while with him on our side, our victory is assured. Of course, our destruction is also unquestionable if he joins the enemy side, but at this point, it is simply a risk we have to take.”
”I understand,” Jake nodded. ”A huge risk with a potential enormous reward. How am I to find this dragonkin?”
”Once more, I must be truthful… I am not entirely sure. All I know is that he is either on this planet or one of the inhabited moons. When it comes to his exact location, all I have is a runic horn he left me with when I encountered him back then. He claimed that the runes on it could be deciphered to find his exact location, but I never really even considered messing with it, as I feared he would know if I did, and admittedly, I fear this dragonkin. Now, my fear is no longer a consideration. Also, while I respect your skills, you won’t be able to decipher it, as you are ultimately still only C-grade.”
Jake felt a bit disrespected, but the Founder was probably right. Jake’s chance of deciphering something made by an S-grade was borderline impossible, especially if he was on a bit of a timer.
”Instead, you must find experts capable of doing so. I have a few names in mind and shall include their locations when I transfer the Special Courier Job. Pick up the horn from my vault before you leave, and guard it with your life. Oh, and finally… due to the nature of the runes on the horn, it cannot be put in spatial storage, and with its draconic traits, I do not doubt for a second it will release an aura recognizable to dragons or their allies… so be careful as you travel, alright? There is a good chance the dragon tribe is also aware of their lost prince, so I doubt this will be a smooth journey. I would ask someone else to do it, but you are the only one I trust this task with. Now hurry, I must go; time is not on our side… may you succeed and win us this war.”
The projection disappeared again as Jake had gotten yet another Special Courier Job. At least, he thought it was just another Special Courier Job, but he was proven wrong as he read it.
Final Special Courier Job: While carrying the Horn of the Forsaken Dragonkin, seek out different experts capable of deciphering the runes on it. Once the runes are fully deciphered, meet the Lost Dragonkin and convince him to join the war against the dragon tribe. While carrying the horn, you will be repeatedly pursued by allies of the dragon tribe. This Special Courier Job must be completed before the frontline falls.
That’s right, the final Special Courier Job of them all. Just one more left and Jake would be done… though he got the feeling this one wouldn’t be all that easy or fast. Without hesitation, he went by the Founder’s Vault, and using his legendary Medallion with the Final Special Courier Job inside, he unlocked it, finding only the horn within.
The horn was about the size of a goat’s horn and slightly curved. It had a brownish color but was covered in golden runes all over. Picking it up, Jake tried if he could analyze the runes at all, but after just a brief scan, he shook his head. Fuck… no, I can’t solve that… shit I doubt even Arnold could.
Using Identify on the horn, he quickly confirmed it was at least also the real item.
[Horn of the Forsaken Dragonkin (Legendary)] – the horn of the ousted son of the deceased Dragon King. This horn is covered in runes that must be deciphered in order to unlock its true function. Cannot be put in any kind of spatial storage. Gives off powerful draconic Records, making it an item easily tracked by the dragon tribe.
”Oh well,” Jake muttered as he took the horn, and on the way out of the Guild, he took a small over-the-shoulder bag to carry it in. It was a bit too big to eat, so this would at least make it not too annoying to carry around.
Checking the location of the first expert, Jake frowned a bit. Of-fucking-course, it was placed in the middle of nowhere. With no reason to delay, Jake hurried out of the Guild and went on his way, not wasting any time to get this final job done. He just hoped that whatever the dragon tribe and their allies were cooking up wouldn’t be too annoying.
Within a hidden mansion, ten figures sat. Nine of them were C-grade, all giving off auras of the late-tier, while the final one was a true A-grade powerhouse. They were positioned at a round table with a large crystal ball in the middle.
”The C-grade Courier is on the move,” one of the C-grades, a human, said. ”He has the horn.”
These people were all of different races, each representing different countries on the planet, except for the A-grade, who showed strong draconic traits. Unsurprising, considering he was a dragon in human form.
With a large smile, the A-grade in the room spoke. ”Good... the royal prince was right. In their desperation, they will lead us straight to him. Now, we just need to capture this Courier, and victory shall be ours. My movements are sealed, but you all should be able to act freely, so this task falls to you. Mobilize your forces and track him down.”
Waving his hand, the crystal ball began to glow. Nine smaller crystal balls emerged from it as the A-grade did his magic. ”The horn is linked to the Dragon Prince, and using it, we shall track this Courier easily. These artifacts will all show you the location of… wait a moment.”
The A-grade frowned a bit as he cast his magic again. He tried two more times as he sneered and looked at the C-grade who had spoken earlier. ”You said a C-grade had taken out the horn from the vault!”
”He… he did,” the human confirmed. ”I have an insider in the Guild who confirmed it…”
”Well, then tell me, you bloody moron, why the hell is the tracking spell not working on the horn! No… wait… ah, I see. Clever of them,” the A-grade said after a while as he nodded confidently. ”There is no way a mere C-grade could hide both himself and the horn from me… which can only mean one thing. He is a decoy meant to throw us off while the real horn remains in the vault. That, or someone powerful enough to hide it from me, has taken it for transport.”
Everyone around the table nodded in recognition. ”Truly a brilliant deduction,” a beastfolk chimed in, the dragon nodding, satisfied.
”Seeing as he is nothing more than a decoy, don’t bother with the Courier carrying the fake horn. If you have any agents that are in his path anyway, feel free to try and detain him and interrogate him for information, but there is a big chance that even he believes he is carrying the real horn, so I am not sure there is much to be gained.”
Once more, everyone nodded at the brilliant analysis from their leader. Truly, he had seen through the ploys of the Founder and Guild.
Minaga just grinned as he looked at the Wyrmgod.
The Primordial didn’t say anything but just looked at the livestream quietly as he held a stoic expression on his face.
Vilastromoz also smiled to himself as he watched Jake running around, wondering why the hell no one was bothering him.
Minaga leaned slightly forward as he looked at the Viper with the subtlety of a rampaging behemoth. ”Psst… did you know Jake actually does have the real horn, but due to his totally fair Divine skill, they falsely believe he doesn’t?”
”Wow,” the Viper responded with totally genuine shock. ”What a twist.”