Chapter 98
“Sage, it's dangerous...!”
I ignored Sharon's warning and stepped forward.
It was admirable that she wanted to protect me, but that was the bones—the backbone—my company needed.
I had to harvest it.
“It's fine. That thing already died once anyway.”
“But, Sage...!”
Sharon made a dumbfounded face at my casual answer.
Meanwhile, the Bone Dragon finished assembling itself and stretched its body once more to loosen up.
Cracking sounds rang out from every joint.
The crimson light in its empty eye sockets turned toward us.
[Krr———!]
The second roar. The monster's huge jaws opened wide.
At the same time, mana began condensing inside them.
A dragon's signature move: Breath.
“Breath! Dodge!”
Sharon shouted, but I had no intention of dodging.
I had a surer method than dodging.
I slammed my staff into the ground.
Kugugugung—!
The temple floor was torn up all at once.
Dozens of tons of stone slabs, moved by my will, formed a giant shield.
Kwaaaaaaa—!
Bone Dragon's black Breath slammed directly into the barrier.
But the Breath couldn't break through and instead spread out to the side.
With a sizzling sound, only part of the barrier's surface corroded.
Its momentum was completely stopped.
“…!”
I heard Sharon gasp.
When the Breath stopped, I returned the barrier to sand and scattered it away.
As my view cleared, I saw the Bone Dragon looking flustered, as if shocked its attack had been blocked.
“All right, now it's my turn.”
I flicked my hand.
A slightly larger bullet shot out.
Pashuk!
The sound of air being torn apart.
The bullet flew toward the Bone Dragon's enormous skull.
The creature belatedly flapped its wings to dodge, but there was no way it could.
Krakakak!
The sound of bones breaking.
Even the dragon bones, hardened by thousands of years and mana, were helpless before my magic.
The bullet pierced straight through the center of its forehead.
[———!]
The Bone Dragon let out a silent scream.
A sound like hundreds, thousands of vengeful spirits screaming.
Another shockwave rang out around us.
It lost its balance, staggered, and slammed its huge body into the floor.
Thoom—!
The temple shook violently once more.
I hastily put up a barrier to block the rubble falling onto my head.
The creature had collapsed helplessly in a single blow.
But this wasn't the end.
Black smoke began rising from the wound on the Bone Dragon's forehead, where a hole had been blown through it.
Its wound regenerated in an instant.
It thrashed about, then hurriedly got back up and flapped its wings.
It looked as if it was frightened of something.
Fwudududuk—!
Its huge wings shattered the temple's pillars and walls as they stirred up a wind.
It shot into the air in an instant, soaring up through the hole in the collapsed ceiling.
“It's only bones, and yet it flies so well...”
I ended up staring blankly at the sky like a dog chasing after a chicken.
The creature showed no sign of coming back down.
The Bone Dragon merely circled, glaring at us from a distance where my attacks couldn't reach.
“It ran away.”
Sharon said in a hollow voice.
I clicked my tongue.
“What a coward.”
Apparently, being undead didn't mean it was mindless.
It had decided there was no chance of winning in a head-on fight and changed tactics to hold out in a safe place.
“At this rate, this will never end...”
I thought for a moment.
If that thing kept flying around, it would be hard to hit.
I needed a more certain method.
“I guess I need to pull aggro.”
I activated Mirage.
The sand particles on the floor began refracting light and forming a huge illusion.
In an instant, another Bone Dragon identical to the first appeared beside me.
“Will this work?”
Even the real Bone Dragon in the sky, startled by the sudden appearance of a twin, slowed down and looked down carefully.
I controlled the illusory dragon.
The illusory dragon started shaking its huge bony backside up and down toward the sky.
Wiggle wiggle.
Taking the opportunity, it also started swaying its tail lazily up and down.
A perfect dance for seduction.
[...?]
The real Bone Dragon floating in the sky hesitated.
Soon the creature was filled with confusion.
The illusion's seduction became even more blatant.
It repeatedly stuck its butt out, raised its tail straight up, then slammed it down onto the ground.
Thwack, thwack, thwack.
Still not coming down? Still?
[Krr———-!]
At last, the Bone Dragon's remaining reason snapped.
I couldn't tell whether it was from anger or excitement.
With a massive roar, it began diving toward the illusion without hesitation.
“Got you.”
I didn't miss that chance.
The very moment it descended, with its attention drawn to the illusion.
I spread both hands.
Sand gathered in my hands and compressed into the shape of two enormous circles.
A pair of giant chakrams, honed razor-sharp.
“Cut.”
At my gesture, the circular sand blades spun and flew out.
Sshhk!
The Bone Dragon's massive pair of wings were cleanly severed.
The huge body plunged toward the ground.
Kwa-kwa-kwang—!
With an even louder boom than before, a massive crack formed in the temple floor.
But I didn't let my guard down.
As expected, black energy flowed from the central altar and wrapped around the dragon's body.
The severed wings were reattached in an instant.
“Is it because it already died once, so it's hard to kill?”
“Maybe.”
I activated Insight Eye again.
The spiderweb-like mana flow I'd seen when I first entered the temple.
Countless black threads pouring out from beneath the temple's central altar.
Those threads were connected to every single bone of the Bone Dragon floating in the air, breathing life into it.
“Sandworm.”
I jerked my chin toward the altar.
“Eat whatever's under that altar.”
[Sandworm requests that omakase be added to the tribute list.]
“I know, just do the work first.”
Rumble-rumble-rumble—!
As soon as my command rang out, the temple floor split open and the maw of a giant sand worm surged up.
Sandworm swallowed the entire altar, made of solid marble, without the slightest hesitation.
Crunch, crack.
Along with the sound of rock crumbling, I felt something hidden beneath the altar being destroyed.
An ominous object, condensed from dark mana, shaped like a black heart.
[K—r-?]
The moment it was destroyed, the Bone Dragon's movements stopped.
The red light burning in its eye sockets quickly faded.
Clatter.
The bones, having lost their life force, crumbled helplessly.
After a while, the enormous dragon form vanished without a trace.
Only a giant pile of bones remained there, just as before.
The battle was over.
I approached the giant pile of bones.
Despite the battle, it was in perfect condition without a single scratch.
I smiled with satisfaction and picked up one of the bones.
“All right, now I just have to take this.”
But I soon realized the problem.
“This doesn't count as an item?”
Only certain things can be taken out of the tower.
Things with a status window, or things you can put in a bag and have recognized as belongings.
But the bone in front of me was far too large, and I couldn't put it in my bag and carry it.
“What do I do with this?”
Was I really being told I couldn't take this precious material even though it was right in front of me?
If I'd known this would happen, I would have tried to get an extradimensional bag.
It was too expensive, so I hadn't bought one.
When I go back this time, I need to make one for sure.
Then, one thought flashed through my mind.
“No, wait. Don't I have the best bag of all?”
I was briefly discouraged, but then I lifted my head.
“Hey, Sandworm.”
I looked at the giant summon standing there blankly beside me.
“Can you store all of this in your stomach? So I can take it back out and use it later.”
[Sandworm confidently says that it can, of course.]
Sandworm opened its huge mouth.
The creature began sucking up all the bones piled like a mountain on the floor.
The bones vanished into its stomach in an instant.
[Sandworm adds that digestion might take some time.]
“What? Don't digest them!”
I freaked out and gave the creature a stern warning.
As long as it didn't digest them, it seemed like I could use it as storage from now on.
“Hmm...”
After collecting all the spoils, I looked around the now-empty temple.
Once the Bone Dragon's life vessel disappeared, the energy that had filled this place had vanished like a lie.
Now this place was nothing more than an old ruin.
But I felt it would be a waste to leave it like this.
“Wouldn't it be useful to build my temple here?”
A focal point for gathering faith.
A holy site where believers could pray.
I couldn't think of a better place than this.
“Good.”
I made up my mind.
Then I extended my staff. At my gesture, the ground moved.
The collapsed pillars rose, and the hole in the ceiling was filled in.
The central altar Sandworm had destroyed also began to be restored in an instant.
It looked even cleaner than before.
I engraved my symbol, the hourglass, large at the temple's highest point.
This place was now my temple.
And if there's a temple, there must be a priest too.
I turned to look beside me.
“Wow...”
Sharon let out an admiring gasp.
I walked up to her and said,
“What do you think? It's pretty nice, isn't it?”
“... I can't get used to the Sage's miracles, no matter how many times I see them.”
Sharon finally answered in a voice full of awe.
“From now on, this will be our temple.”
“A temple, huh...”
“I'm leaving this to you.”
“Pardon?”
Sharon's eyes widened at my words.
An expression that said she hadn't expected that at all.
“But I don't have the qualifications to manage such a sacred place...”
“If you don't have the qualifications, I'll just give them to you.”
I cut her off decisively.
After all, if it wasn't her, there was no one else to manage this place.
“It won't be hard.”
I reassured her and went on.
“Just have people come here to pray, and... have them make offerings too. Run it like that for now. I'll make up a plausible doctrine later and give it to you.”
Sharon soon lowered her head as if she'd made up her mind.
“... If that's the Sage's will, then even if I'm lacking, I'll do my best.”
“Good. Then one last thing.”
I focused power into the tip of my left index finger.
A handful of golden holy sand rose up.
I lightly scattered the sand across the entire temple.
Shrrk.
Everywhere the golden dust touched, the temple began to shine even more brightly.
I had done it on a whim, but it really worked.
I didn't know exactly what effect my blessing had on this building.
At the very least, it should have marked my territory.
All preparations were complete.
I nodded in satisfaction.
Now it was truly time to leave.
“Then I'm off. Work hard collecting offerings. Even better if they're items instead of money!”
The moment I finished speaking, a familiar system message appeared before my eyes.
[Congratulations on clearing Floor 39 on EXTREME difficulty.]
[First-clear bonus applied!]
[Rank 1 bonus applied!]
Kugugugung!
And right after that.
Once I came out of the tower, I realized something had gone seriously wrong.
“……I'm screwed.”
The creature that should have been coiled around my finger like a ring had instead been summoned to Daejeon in its original size.