Chapter 2696 – 2696. Dragon Hunter
I rode in the carriage with Oswald.
The carriage was bumpy, which was a bit uncomfortable, but not unbearable.
Oswald, sitting across from me, began to spill information as I had requested.
“A few years ago, there was a great war in the center, and famous dragon hunters participated…”
Well, the information wasn’t very helpful. Still, it was the kind of common knowledge in this world, so I decided to listen, at least roughly.
Through various experiences, I had learned that things got more troublesome if I didn’t have this basic common sense. Of course, even if it was common sense, I didn’t need to know it in detail. It was enough to just know that there was a big war a few years ago and move on.
My hands and eyes were doing something else. I took out my smartphone and started reading the original [Dragon Hunter] from the beginning again.
‘There’s nothing that gives more reliable information than the original.’
Honestly, it was more boring than I thought.
‘I thought it was fun when I read it before… Is it because my brain is now used to modern, stimulating developments?’
I flipped through the pages with my finger.
‘The protagonist’s growth is fun. But the heroine….’
She wasn’t hot. It seemed to be a problem with the art style. In some pages, it was hard to tell if the heroine was a man or a woman, let alone a human. I never thought I’d see art style collapses in a comic.
‘They draw non-humans amazingly well. Especially the dragons, they’re drawn so well. Does the artist hate humans?’
The scenery and objects were also well-drawn. But only the humans were drawn strangely.
“You have a strange device. It seems the technology of the East has developed considerably. But… may I ask what you are looking at?”
“A comic.”
“Ah. A comic. I see. I like comics too.”
“Quiet. This is an important part, so be quiet.”
“…Yes.”
Oswald shut his mouth.
The art style of the original [Dragon Hunter] improved as it went into the later volumes. The heroine was also drawn quite prettily. The problem was that the main heroine’s presence decreased as the story went on, so she wasn’t seen much.
Then, around volume 15, a sub-heroine suddenly took the main heroine’s place.
‘The sub-heroine is a dragon.’
After the episode where the protagonist succeeded in hunting an ancient dragon, the original story suddenly went off the rails. Then, somehow, it continued well, and suddenly, a dragon god appeared, and the story took a rapid turn.
The ending was that the sub-heroine, who had become the main heroine, joined forces to kill the dragon god, and that was it. The protagonist became the best dragon hunter and lived happily ever after.
It was a happy ending. What happened to the main heroine who became the sub-heroine? I don’t know either. She didn’t even appear in the last volume.
Looking at the sub-heroine’s design, I doubted the author’s taste.
‘Anyway, the important thing is the protagonist and the sub-heroine.’
They were the protagonist and the sub-heroine, the center of the events. It was natural for the protagonist, but… the events grew bigger and bigger, and eventually, a dragon god appeared, and the whole world got caught up in it.
“Wait a minute. What city are we going to?”
“It’s Gigantria, one of the few major cities in the center. We should arrive in two days.”
In the Dragon Hunter world, all the countries were destroyed due to the great war that occurred before the start of the original story, and only the nobles remained. Especially in the center, even those nobles were gone.
‘The headquarters of the Dragon Hunter Association is in Gigantria. In fact, the association president is the owner of Gigantria.’
How do I know that?
The protagonist arrives and settles in the major city of Gigantria around volume 8.
• • •
While in the carriage, I spent time watching or playing various creative works.
If a comic or novel wasn’t fun, I’d roughly read it and then drop it. Even if I didn’t finish it, it would be registered in the Play World List. And novels or comics that were discontinued were also registered. In the case of games, they were registered even if I didn’t see the ending.
And there were cases where webtoons that were being serialized were also registered.
‘I don’t really know the criteria for registering creative works in the Play World List. What’s certain is that completed works are 100% registered.’
And I also found out about the Iron Dragon’s Dragon Heart through inventory appraisal.
[Iron Dragon’s Heart
This is the heart of the Iron Dragon.
If consumed by someone with compatibility, there is a high probability of acquiring Iron Skin.
If consumed by someone with compatibility, there is a low probability of acquiring Iron Manipulation.
If consumed in reality, there is a very low probability of acquiring Iron Skin (Lv.1 Skill) or Steel (Lv.1 Trait). Compatibility is required.
Using the Original can increase the probability of acquiring skills and traits.]
‘Consuming the Dragon Heart can give you skills and traits with a very low probability.’
Of course, there was a condition that you had to have compatibility.
‘The problem is that even if you look at the original, you can’t know what compatibility is. What’s certain is that it has effects in other worlds.’
I confirmed that some of the maids in the [Baekhwan] world had compatibility with the Iron Dragon.
‘Dragon Hearts can turn ordinary people into awakeners if they meet the compatibility condition. Moreover, Dragon Heart Blood is a panacea in itself.’
It was a product with huge demand not only in reality but also in the [Baekhwan] world. It felt like I had hit the jackpot in a world I hadn’t even thought about deeply.
‘It’ll sell for a crazy price in reality… and in the Baekhwan world, I can use it to more stably control the maids who follow me.’
Through experience, I know that having power and maintaining power are not easy tasks.
Humans are creatures of forgetfulness. If 10 years passed in the [Baekhwan] world, the commoners could forget their fear and revolt. To maintain power smoothly, you need to have strength. Having a lot of power to use is a good thing.
And it might be needed later. I decided to collect as many Dragon Hearts and Dragon Heart Blood as possible while I was in this world.
“Oswald.”
“Yes, Hunter.”
“I’ll take the Iron Dragon’s Dragon Heart and Dragon Heart Blood. I’ll pay you for it.”
“Ah. Y-yes, of course. If that’s what you want, Hunter, I should give it to you.”
“Do you have any other dragon’s Dragon Hearts and Dragon Heart Blood? If you do, I’ll buy them as well.”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t have any. Dragon Hearts and Dragon Heart Blood are so expensive and sell like hotcakes… They were all sold in the previous city.”
I nodded. Dragon Hearts and Dragon Heart Blood were items that could turn ordinary people into superhumans just by eating them. In this harsh world, power was directly linked to survival, power, and wealth. It was something you’d want to have even if you had to throw away your entire fortune.
I didn’t pressure Oswald to create friction. This guy was quite useful.
“If you get any Dragon Hearts or Dragon Heart Blood, contact me. I’ll buy them at a higher price than the market price. I plan to stay in Gigantria.”
“Even a Lesser Dragon’s Dragon Heart is at least 200 million Skel. Dragon Heart Blood is cheaper, but it still costs tens of millions of Skel.”
The currency of this world was Skel. Since long ago, dragon scales had been used as currency, and it had become the common currency.
Since it was a Korean comic, the value was similar to the Korean Won at a 1:1 ratio.
However, Skel coins and bills were made from dragon scales. So, the value of precious metals like gold, silver, and copper was significantly lower than in other worlds.
“Money is not a problem. Even though I look like this, I have quite a lot.”
“I knew that you were rich, Hunter. How could you not have money when you have the power to hunt an Iron Dragon with just your fist?”
“You’re quick-witted, which is why I like you. What’s the current market price for 1kg of gold?”
“As far as I remember, it was 20 million Skel.”
I was surprised. In reality, 1kg of gold is worth over 100 million Won.
“Are you sure it’s only 20 million Skel?”
“Yes. Silver is more expensive. 1kg of silver is close to 30 million Skel.”
“…Gold is more expensive than silver? Why?”
In reality, 1kg of silver is worth about 1.5 million Won.
“That’s because silver can cause great damage to certain dragons. For example, the White Bone Dragon and the Vampire Dragon are vulnerable to silver. I know that weapons made of silver are essential when hunting them. On the other hand, there are no dragons that are weak to gold.”
“…Hmm.”
It started to make sense. No matter what, the resource of this world was dragons. It was natural that dragons were the standard for everything.
‘If I buy silver in large quantities in reality and sell it in this world, then buy gold and sell it back in reality, I can become rich easily. A kind of currency arbitrage?’
Of course, I had no intention of doing that.
It was too much of a hassle for me. Besides, I couldn’t even guess what the repercussions would be.
Above all, I had 2 trillion Won in assets that I could use in reality, so why would I do such a thing? In reality, I make money just by breathing.
‘Still, I should get rid of the gold and silver in my inventory in this world.’
If a large amount of gold and silver were released, the market price would plummet, causing economic problems… but that was this world’s problem. It was none of my business.
‘If the price of gold and silver plummets, I can sell something else.’
What would sell well?
Fortunately, I had a capable merchant, Oswald, in front of me.
I took out a pistol from my inventory.
“This is a pistol called a Glock. You can kill anyone you don’t like with just one finger. How much do you think you’d buy this for?”
“A pistol, I see. It’s not bad for self-defense. Since the great war, gun regulations have been lifted… but the size is disappointing. The bullet caliber must be small too. It’s hard to even scratch a Lesser Dragon’s scales with this kind of gun… Hmm. 20,000 Skel? Yes, I’d buy it for that much.”
Only 20,000 Won?
A pistol that’s hard to get in Korea?
I was briefly disappointed, but then I remembered that the civilization level of this world was strangely developed only in the direction of combat. That was why Oswald wasn’t so surprised when he saw my smartphone.
After thinking for a moment, I took out an item that probably didn’t exist in this world.
“T-this is…?!”
“Ah, you don’t know it? It’s an onahole. It’s a product used for masturbation.”
“H-Hunter. If you have sexual desires, you can just go to a prostitute, so why would you use such a thing?”
Oswald looked at me with eyes that couldn’t understand.
I, who was holding a 10,000 Won new product onahole in my hand, paused for a moment and said.
“You can get a sexually transmitted disease if you sleep with prostitutes carelessly.”
“These days, there are good medicines, so it’s unlikely to get a sexually transmitted disease…”
“……”
I belatedly remembered that this world was a world where not only science but also magic and alchemy were developed.
If it’s a fantasy, shouldn’t they live a little more primitively…