Chapter 1977 – 1977. God’S Atlantis
Fafnir trembled, pathetically, in a way that didn’t suit his massive frame. Blood dripped from his wounded body.
「Gram
A sword that kills dragons.
Rank: SSS」
Gram.
An SSS-rank sword. For the highest-ranked sword in Atlantis, its effect was excessively simple. But that was why, when it came to slaying dragons, no other sword could match it. Even Fafnir was showing fear at the sight of Gram.
-That sword! How do you have that sword!!
And now, the Gram in my hand was even imbued with Astrape. Odin’s Gram and Zeus’s Astrape. The masters of different mythologies were involved.
I swung the sword towards Fafnir, who was far away. A sword aura wrapped in lightning flew towards Fafnir. Fafnir frantically twisted his body to fly away. It was meaningless. As if equipped with a homing function, the sword aura also twisted and managed to slice off one of his wings.
Kwaaaang!
Fafnir fell to the ground. Due to his weight, the impact alone created a tremendous roar.
“Don’t even think about dodging. Gram exhibits tremendous power when the target is a dragon. Just like now.”
Gram didn’t have a sword aura homing function. I hadn’t used any special techniques either. It was simply because what I swung was Gram, and the opponent was a dragon.
Of course, just wielding Gram didn’t grant absolute authority to kill all dragon species. The wielder had to be capable to some extent.
I walked towards Fafnir, who had fallen to the ground and was trembling in fear. It was possible to kill Fafnir with just the sword aura. The fact that I had just sliced off one of his large wings with the sword aura was proof of that.
‘My goal is the byproducts of the dragon. So, I need to kill him as cleanly as possible.’
If I were to directly cut and stab his body with this sword, he would die instantly. This sword was made to kill dragons.
‘I see his reverse scale. I don’t necessarily have to stab his reverse scale to kill him, but… stabbing it will ensure his death even more.’
-Y, you bastard!
Fafnir, who had fallen to the ground, opened his mouth. He squeezed out his last bit of strength and spat out a curse breath.
Pajijijik.
I swung Gram, which was crackling with lightning, towards the curse breath.
Gram even sliced through the dragon’s breath.
-Uwaaaaaaaak! This is absurd!!
Fafnir shouted, filled with injustice. I understand. If I were the enemy and someone had a sword like this, I would be furious. But I’m the one wielding the sword? I grinned and approached him.
That’s when it happened. Someone came running from the collapsed cave.
It was Omicos.
The blood-soaked Omicos was nothing like his usual imposing self. He looked like just another soldier desperate for life.
‘No, he’s more greedy than that.’
If he truly wanted to live, he should have run in a different direction, not towards me.
“The contract! Haven’t you forgotten the contract?! You said you’d let me bathe in Fafnir’s blood!”
“The contract has been terminated. The grim reaper chasing you is proof of that.”
The grim reaper belatedly chased after Omicos. Judging by the blood on his scythe, he had been killing the other mercenaries. It was likely that Omicos was the only mercenary who had survived.
“The betrayal wasn’t me, it was the members of the group!”
“And you’re the leader of the mercenary group.”
“I’ll do anything! Please, let me bathe in Fafnir’s blood as per the contract!”
I chuckled at the pathetic Omicos and nodded.
“Alright. Go ahead.”
“Ah, ah! Thank you! I will never forget this favor!”
Omicos rushed towards the fallen Fafnir. Fafnir had no strength to resist. He could only glare at the approaching Omicos.
-You damn insect!
Omicos, while running, took off his clothes and became naked in an instant. Then, he clung to Fafnir’s body and smeared the blood all over himself. Fafnir was covered in wounds, so it wasn’t difficult for Omicos to smear the blood.
The grim reaper approached Omicos and swung his scythe. Omicos was startled and dodged to the side, but he was so focused on Fafnir’s blood that his reaction was slightly delayed.
Swish!
Omicos’s knee was cut.
Omicos, who had fallen to the ground with a thud, contorted his face, then suddenly discovered something and burst into laughter.
“Ha, hahahahahaha! I am immortal now! I cannot die!”
It seemed he had seen the system notification he wanted.
‘Has he really become immortal?’
I looked back and forth between the dying Fafnir and Omicos, who was laughing on the ground.
‘He doesn’t seem that impressive.’
I now possessed endless wisdom. In my eyes, the immortality gained from Fafnir’s blood was nothing special.
‘Omicos must have been granted the characteristics of a dragon. Even if he’s immortal, I can easily kill him with Gram.’
To borrow the words of the gods, there was no way a mortal could be granted perfect immortality.
‘There is no such thing as perfection in this world. Even the gods themselves are not perfect.’
Even if he was immortal, there would be limitations. I didn’t know what those limitations were, and I had no intention of finding out. I wasn’t interested.
“Kuaaaaaaaak!”
Omicos screamed. The grim reaper’s scythe had struck Omicos’s back with all its might. The scythe had pierced Omicos’s heart.
The grim reaper, floating in the air, tilted his skull. It was because Omicos, who should have died, had not.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
The grim reaper swung his scythe like a pickaxe, repeatedly striking Omicos’s back. However, as soon as the scythe was pulled out, the wounds on his back began to heal instantly.
“Aaaaaaak! My legs! Why aren’t my legs regenerating?!”
He shouted as if he was dying of injustice.
Indeed, unlike the wounds on his back, his calves were not regenerating.
‘His legs were lost before he became immortal. That’s the only reason.’
The grim reaper continued to swing his scythe. The grim reaper I saw was a kind of machine. A machine without emotions. He was just called a grim reaper, but he was closer to an undead monster.
“Aak! Ack! Kuaak!”
Undead and machines had something in common. They didn’t get tired.
‘The grim reaper won’t stop until the price of the contract is paid. To stop him, I have to kill the grim reaper.’
Omicos, who had lost both legs, was restricted in his movements. Even without that, he didn’t have the strength to move.
‘He doesn’t seem to die from simple attacks… This is quite something. A living hell has been created.’
He seemed to know it too, as his face was filled with despair.
“Yujin-nim! Please help me! Just this grim reaper! Please do something about the grim reaper! Uwaaak!”
-Kekeke. Serves you right, you stupid insect! That’s the price for coveting immortality without knowing your place!
Fafnir mocked Omicos.
Thud.
As I approached Fafnir, his laughter disappeared. Seeing Gram in my hand, Fafnir seemed to have resigned himself and shouted.
-You!! Don’t think this is the end! My main body will curse you!
“He says that, but what do you think?”
「The Golden Collector shakes his head.」
「The Golden Collector lowers his head and goes to sleep, as if he’s annoyed.」
“Keke. The main body has lost interest in this matter. What if he doesn’t seem to have any intention of avenging you?”
-You crazy bastard! How can you sleep in this situation?! Curse that arrogant human!
There was no real answer from Fafnir.
From the beginning, the avatars were created for amusement. The gods, who were their main bodies and originals, had no particular feelings for the avatars. The avatars were devices for the gods’ amusement. The issues related to the avatars would have been discussed and agreed upon by the gods before Atlantis even began.
-You who killed me will never die peacefully! Just like Siegfried, you will also meet a miserable end! Gold! Curse that greedy mortal!!
“All the gold you’ve collected so far is mine. I tasted the gold earlier… it was amazing. You’re furious, you bastard.”
-Youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!
I stabbed Gram into his reverse scale.
Thud.
Lightly.
As lightly as if I were stabbing with a toothpick.
But the result was far from light. Gram emitted a golden light. Even Astrape’s lightning was dyed golden, and it began to tear Fafnir apart.
Fafnir opened his mouth to scream, but the scream never left his mouth. It was because he died before that. Fafnir was gone.
「You have killed an evil dragon.」
「You have been granted the title ‘Dragon Slayer’.」
「All stats permanently increase by 1.」
「You have gained control of the 1,399th district, the Rhine River.」
「You have acquired 170,000 AP.」
「As the ruler of the Rhine River, you will acquire 40,000 AP every 30 days.」
「The Rhine River is a hidden district. You can hide or open the district.」
「If opened, trade will begin, and the district will develop rapidly.」
「Once the district is opened, it cannot be hidden. Do you want to open it?」
“Open it? For whose benefit?”
The district will develop rapidly? The Rhine River was just one of the districts I had. I could develop other places, so why should I develop this one?
‘It’s a district where gold comes out. And it’s not a district in the middle of nowhere. The nearby legions can invade it anytime they want.’
Hiding it, as I had done so far, was the best option. I should be the only one sucking the honey.
‘It’s truly a goose that lays golden eggs.’
A district where gold comes out just by having it. I had no intention of letting others know about it.
‘The Omicos mercenary group has also been annihilated, so there’s no need to worry about rumors spreading.’
No, there was still one person left.
Omicos, the leader of the mercenary group. He was still being struck in the back by the grim reaper’s scythe.
‘I didn’t have any particular ill feelings towards this guy… He got himself into a living hell by being greedy.’
Omicos reached out to me.
“P, please help me. Please…!”
“No. You were the one who terminated the contract first. You have to bear the consequences.”
“I wasn’t the one who betrayed!”
“Either way, you broke the contract. The grim reaper swinging his scythe at your back is proof of that.”
“At least kill me!”
“How am I supposed to kill an immortal like you? Just live like that.”
“Uwaaaaaaaaaaaak!”
