13 – Episode 13
# 13
The drake is a monster. A fact attested by Eledis, its master. The dangers of a drake, Eledis had warned repeatedly.
‘Never! Never fight it! Run without looking back! Always think of escape!’
Drake battled armies single-handedly, a testament to the fearsome power it possessed. A heavy body like a moving rock; thick scales that repelled axes and hammers; a highly acidic liquid secreted from venomous glands when stressed; dreadful breath containing bacteria that gave hallucinations. At this point, speculations arise if it’s a natural creature or a living weapon created for a specific purpose.
Tens of robbers, several upper-class henchmen, a mage, travelers, and prostitutes. There was absolutely no way this handful of humans could suppress the fantasy-like monster.
Having finished gnawing on the thief it was chewing, the drake let out a ferocious roar.
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“KrwaKrwaKrwaKra!”
All the humans present, including Ian, felt an extreme fear that seemed to freeze their blood.
In front of their eyes stood a monster that chewed and swallowed humans like chewing gum. If they couldn’t feel terrified, that would be abnormal.
“…Kill the magician as quickly as possible…”
“f*cking hell, what the f*ck is wrong with this lunatic!”
As the thief leader muttered, a division appeared among the thieves.
The leader, who appeared to be a thief, issued an attack command but turned his back on everyone except for a few underlings.
“Run, everyone! If you want to live, run! You idiots!”
When the underlings turned their backs to run away, even the thief leader was left helpless.
He hesitated and looked around anxiously before finally moving but he had wasted too much time.
Thud!
The drake snapped the thief leader’s head off as if it was a strawberry.
With one stroke of its claw, it transformed the thief leader into an exquisite snack.
“Uh… Uh…”
“aaagghh!”
The upper-classmen screamed, vomited and went into chaos. Watching the drake’s eating show was too challenging for them.
Ian was just as shocked.
‘…’
However, unlike the others, half of Ian’s mind was elsewhere.
[You have witnessed an ancient mystery!]
[New skill acquired!]
[Skill: Summoning]
[The ability to communicate with mysterious creatures and summon them.]
The status window suddenly appeared in front of him.
After a long while, Ian found room to alleviate his fear with the appearance of the status window.
‘Summoning magic?’
Communicate with a mystical creature.
That’s what it said in the skill window.
From the experience so far, that drake was a kind of ‘mystery.’
And if that was a mystery.
Through the summoning skill, you can talk…!
‘There are no other options.’
Ian made up his mind. The only way for Ian now is to persuade the drake through summoning magic.
If this fails. Ian will be killed by the drake.
‘With determination. Confidently.’
Ian knew that the mysteries of the world were favorably approaching him. He didn’t know why. Maybe because Ian is a reincarnated person, perhaps a human made of mystery itself.
One thing was certain, the mystery never betrayed Ian.
Ian opened his eyes wide.
“[Drake!]”
Fluent Maronius language sprang from Ian’s mouth.
“Krrr…”
Drake turned his head in response to Ian’s magical language.
“Yikes!”
“Ma-magician…!”
The onlookers’ legs gave way, collapsing on the spot.
Faced with overwhelming fear, the human will to battle breaks. They just leave their fate to the mercy of the enemy.
However, what the onlookers are relying on is not the mercy of the drake, but Ian’s ability.
They believe in the miracle of the magician.
“[I! Am! Your! Friend!]”
Ian pronounced the Maronius language firmly.
Hoping that his will would be conveyed to the drake.
“Krrr…”
“[Friend! I will not harm you!]”
“Purrr…”
“[Combat! I refuse!]”
“Purrr…”
‘What on earth is it saying?’
But Ian’s will hit a wall.
Judging from the reaction of the drake, it seemed that Ian’s will was being conveyed. However, the drake’s will was not being conveyed to Ian at all.
‘Is this the limit of my aptitude…’
Ian recalled the magical knowledge he had learnt from Eredis.
Just as there are things people do well and things they cannot do, magicians also have mysteries that suit them well and those that do not.
In the case of Eredis, strangely, she understood the voice of fire like a pro, becoming a renowned fire mage.
In Ian’s case, he understood the voice of virtually all mysteries, probably because of his skill window.
However, he vaguely heard the voice of darkness quite clearly. Ian had an inclination for shadow magic.
The important thing was that Ian did not have much of an aptitude for the [Summoning] skill.
“Purrr…”
The drake remained still.
Drastic measures were needed.
‘Oh, I give up.’
Ian summoned his skill window.
And he invested all the bonus experience he had collected so far into the summoning skill.
[Your summoning ability has greatly increased!]
[LV UP!]
[LV UP!]
[Skill: Conjuring – Lv 3]
[You are quite a decent conjurer]
It was a bold investment. He had no idea what kind of magic conjuring was, but that didn’t matter.
Why save skill points when they could instantly turn into gum?
The old sage once said, “If you spare, you end up with crap.”
Ian who raised the level of his conjuring to level three, attempted to converse with Drake once more.
“[Mr. Drake.]”
His vocabulary became smoother and more natural.
The Maronius language, made up only of word lists, was becoming more colloquial in response to Ian’s will.
[“Dude, how many times are you going to call? Just say what you’ve got to say!”]
Drake snapped in irritation.
He had been answering diligently thus far, yet the inability to communicate properly was starting to annoy him.
‘The performance is certainly impressive.’
Ian genuinely admired it.
Just by raising the skill level a bit, made the communication smooth as silk!
So what about the other magic? Would the dialogue with the Mystics become smoother if you raise the skill?
“[“I do not wish to fight with you.]”
Ian initiated the negotiation in a calm and polite manner.
It was a negotiation with his life, his subordinates, and the lives of the travelers on the line.
[Fight? That’s funny. In my eyes, you guys are rats. Rats that dirty my house. Do you fight with rats?]
“[“Mr. Drake, you are right. We are nothing but trivial creatures, rats in your sight. But Mr. Drake, if we withdraw cleanly on our own feet, don’t you think it would be unnecessary for you to kill such trifles?]”
[“Humph. So you’re begging for your life. As you said, there’s no need to bother catching and killing each one of you.”]
Ian did not laugh. Drake’s murderous intent was palpably prickling his skin. Drake had no immediate intention of sparing humans.
[However! These days, my mood has been rather poor. I want to relieve my stress by killing you.]
Drake’s gaze was fixed intensely on Ian.
As though Drake would tear him to pieces within moments, his dangerous demeanor was undeniably palpable.
‘… A direct confrontation then.’
Ian managed to hold his own against the discomforting murderous intent, barely managing a reply.
“[May I ask what upset you?]”
[Hmph! Why should I, a high ranking dragon, bother telling a lowly human like you?]
Instantly, Ian whispered the spell of Maronius.
The heavens, earth, darkness, and fire responded to Ian’s voice, moving at his command.
It was a wizard’s secret spell.
[Huh…?]
Drake’s killing intent diminished slightly.
In its place, the atmosphere was filled with curiosity.
“[As you can see, I am a wizard delving into the mysteries of magic. If possible, with my humble skills, I wish to offer my modest assistance to you.]”
[Hah, boy. You have an interesting skill there.]
‘… The imminent danger has passed.’
Drake withdrew his murderous intent completely, which meant that he had no present intention of crushing Ian to death.
But the negotiation had just started.
He had merely bought some time by piquing Drake’s intrigue, and yet there was no telling what Drake would demand.
‘For now, let’s keep things light.’
Ian recalled the magical knowledge he learned from Eredis.
Starting a dialog with a mystery is the first step of magic.
But magic only comes to completion once it proves a magician’s intention to the mystery, carrying out its meaning.
Simply speaking, magic is the process of forming a relationship between a magician and a mystery.
This can become a friend, a superior and a subordinate, or even a business partner connected by keep profits and losses.
…The preferences of relationships vary according to the mystery… For the magician, diplomacy is essential. It’s no figment of imagination that a wise person becomes a magician.
“Appear, the all-capable skill window”
Ian opened the skill window and browsed the [Summoning] category.
It was full of valuable information.
[The most important thing in summoning is forming an emotional bond with a mystical creature. Most high-intelligence mystical creatures think similarly to humans, so investing in suitable rituals and offerings can lead to amazing results.
Excerpt – You Can Do It Too! Summoning for Dummies! By Damonite.]
“Rituals and offerings!”
Ian had already realized their importance from Eredis. But as Eredis is a specialist in elemental magic, he had only taught Ian rituals and offerings that elements favor.
Ian quickly confirmed the rituals and offerings needed for summoning.
…And Ian couldn’t believe his eyes.
[How to be good at summoning]
[Firstly prepare some fxxking Good booze and serve it. The larger the body, the stronger the alcohol preferred. For small creatures, fragrant booze is ideal.
And really good toadyism is fine – Damonite]
“This can’t be, really?”
This is the ritual and offering?
Feeding them with fxxking good booze and flattering…?
Ian, an INFP, felt his mind go blank. Isn’t this a ritual that only people with E as the first letter of their personality type can handle?
Ian gathered his courage once again.
If he failed here, it would cost him his life. He decided to trust his summoning skill level and give it a try.
“[Drake, I’ve prepared a gift for you.]
[A gift?]”
“[Yes. Have you ever received a gift from a human?]”
At Ian’s question, Drake burst into laughter.
[Never! Not even once!]
It’s not like I’ve come across a human who communicates well.
Ian replied with a chuckle.
“[I’m sure you’ll love it.]”
Crack!
“Mr. Rik, go down with the people and bring some alcohol.”
“Alcohol, you say?”
“Yes, preferably something strong.”
“Understood!”
Ian, observing Rik rushing toward the wagon panting heavily, heaved a sigh.
The first button had been successfully buttoned.