Dragon Hunting

"Yes, head." Lance answered. 

In a blink of an eye, Lance swiftly vanished out of the room leaving Ely alone inside. 

The silence enveloped his subconscious as he sat down on the warm chair. As the cold stream of wind breezed through the window, his eyes closed. 

......….. 

"La la la lala lala…" 

After leaving the castle, Hans strolled around the area where inns were commonly found. However, some of the good ones are already full or someone made a reservation. 

Even then, the delight on his face couldn't be hidden. 

[You seemed really happy.]

"Hehe, who wouldn't? I just ripped off the empire and got away." Hans chuckled as he answered the voice in his head. 

[Got away? Did you see the face of that guy named Eddie?] 

"Eddie?" Hans tilted his head, and then he realized, "Oh, you mean Ely?" 

[Yeah, that guy!] 

"So what about him?" Hans asked. 

Although Ely provoked him earlier, Hans wasn't really committed to having a grudge against him. He has more important things to do than being worried about Ely retaliating. 

[He's like ready to murder you anytime.]

"Well, haha. Should I be scared then?" 

Ely seemed like a man who'll do anything to achieve his goals. Therefore, it wouldn't be a surprise if someone came knocking on his door, asking for his life. 

However, for Hans, Ely was too weak. It's not that he's underestimating the man but it was because even if he hired an assassin with an SS-Class strength, Hans could still put up a fight or even kill him. 

If the enemy is too strong, Hans could just escape easily. 

Only… 

[Why don't we just kill him before he could kill you?] 

"..." 

Hans stopped in his tracks. His head just processed Plundy's words and he was left speechless. 

[I mean, to be honest. I'm just trying to protect you. You're my best friend after all.] 

Hans held his chin and pondered, "Really?" 

[Of course! When did I lie to you, Hans!? You know me.] 

Hans' eyes narrowed, "Really?" 

[What's with that fac—?] 

"Really?" 

[... Fine, fine, you got me.] 

"You just want me to plunder skills right?" Hans helplessly asked. 

[...] 

"I see…" 

[Come on, rank me up! You're too slow, man.] 

Hans shook his head. At the end of the day, Plundy only wants to rank up. 

But what can he do? 

He's picky with skills so Hans couldn't really Plunder the skills of every monster he killed. Unless they have potential and could be nurtured, he really wouldn't bother to plunder those. 

[Come on, Hans. If you rank me up quickly, you'll get the benefits quickly too. It's a win-win situation.]

"Sigh—, fine, we'll hunt after we find an inn." 

Hans already planned to level up while he waited for the tension between the empires to rise. Since the mission is only one month long, means that the 4 other empires (Beast, Monster, Acuila, and Hell Empire) would attack any day in this one month. 

When that happens, Hans won't have any free time to spare and he would probably be at a fight every time. 

Additionally, the threat of Aviante is still there. At least if they somewhat saw each other by chance, Hans was a tad bit stronger than when they previously met. 

Sorting out his plans for today, Hans went back to find an inn. 

The Harisan Empire is so huge and it was hard to find a few good inns to stay in. Fortunately, after roaming for an hour, Hans eventually found one. 

Although its food and room are not as good as others, it has vacancies. His Duke title would be effective tomorrow so for sure, a transfer order would be handed to him tomorrow. 

'Then I'll receive a mansion.' 

Well, it doesn't really matter. The mission is only one month. Meaning, he might only stay here for a month. 

As Hans waited for the food he ordered, he placed the rewarded sword on the table and inspected it. 

There's no one around other than the inn owner. Hence, Hans wasn't afraid that someone might take interest in it. 

"Cool designs."

Hans said as he traced the designs on the scabbard. Different from the black scabbard of Arondight, this sword has a golden yellowish color. 

Touching the nature-like leafy motif engraved in it, Hans felt a soothing feeling. It's as if his soul was being baptized. Usually, this would only happen if the sword is made from a material that could only be found in a magical forest. 

Then, Hans unsheathe the blade and placed it flat on the table. The hilt was plainly designed but the handguard has a certain touch of a soft but durable material which gave it a more comfortable grip. 

Hans picked up the sword. 

'It's heavy.'

It was even heavier than Arondight despite having a more thin blade width. 

Swish—, Swish—

Hans gave it a few more swings. The air vibrated as if it was being cut. With every movement, the blade felt more comfortable in his hand as if it was being accustomed to its new owner. 

"Now, let's see…" 

At that moment, Hans read the weapon description. 

[Cranetan Ironwood Blade (S) 

— A finely crafted sword made of the trunk of the rare Cranetan Ironwood Magic Tree. 

Uses:

— Every slash contains the 'Drain' effect, which drains 1 mana from the target per hit. The drained mana will be absorbed by the user. 

— Your attack causes 2x the damage versus wild monsters.] 

"Hmm…" 

For Hans, the 'Drain' effect was truly a good sword effect. Not only could it weaken the enemy, but also strengthen himself in the process. With it, he would have no problem resupplying mana in the middle of a battle. 

It's like having a mana potion but more efficient in the long run. 

'Not bad.' 

Next, Hans raised his hand and read the ring's description. The ring design was just plain silver so it didn't really seem cool to others' eyes. 

[Ring of Dehatea (A) 

— Made by the famous 7th Circle Mage, Dehatea. 

Use:

— Mana Consumption reduced by 10%.] 

"Oh!" 

As Hans read through the contest, a smile gradually bloomed on his lips. 

Just like the trait of the Devourer's Heart, this ring also grants him a reduced mana cost albeit it's even higher. Although it's only an A-rank item, for mages and Hans, this would be an item worth paying for. 

'This seems perfectly made for me.'

Hans smiled and swept his gaze around. Still, the food wasn't ready yet. Taking advantage of this spare time, Hans took out the skill book from his storage bag. 

It has a maroon color with certain golden lines on the edges. In the center, a red orb full of mana twinkled. 

'Come to think of it, this is my first time touching a skill book.'

Back on Earth, the skills were either inside a rune-stone or a skill book. Although these two similarly grant skills, their uses are different. 

Once a rune stone was crushed, he could get the skill immediately and the stone vanished. However, the skill book on the hand also grants the user a skill but it will not vanish once used. 

Instead, it would stay physically and could still be used by others until the mana on its center eventually dissipates. Meaning, it could be used by others as well.

Unfortunately, finding a skill book was even rarer than obtaining an S-rank item. There might be skill books in the black market but their ranks are either low or their cost is just astronomically enormous. 

[Skill Book: Danger Zone (A) 

Type: Passive 

—Your body has a small field around you that could detect danger faster than your senses.]

In a battle, there are certain instances that an attack could escape his line of guard which is his senses. Usually, those would be a stealth attack or concealed skills. 

However, with this skill, he could anticipate it faster than his senses. Meaning, not only his body could react on time when against a fast enemy but also gave him a certain ability to discern if an object is dangerous or not. 

This would even be more useful in evading traps in mazes or caves. 

All in all, this skill is great.

Hans placed his hand on top of the book. 

Shrumm—

The book shimmered lightly before vanishing after a millisecond. 

Tri-ring—! 

[You have acquired the skill, 'Danger Zone (A)'.] 

After sorting out his rewards, the food finally came. Although it's good to have a thought of hunting monsters, always make sure that the stomach is full first. 

"But where should I hunt though?"

......… 

Kyaaaah—!!! 

A huge cry roared from the sky. 

Kyaaaah—, Kyaaaah—!!!! 

How many cries of monsters are there? 

Dozens? Or maybe even more?

However, with just one of these monsters, it would be enough to cause terror to the people on Earth. 

Hans remained unfazed as he stared at the phenomenon happening in the skies. A shadow covered the skies. The clouds were hindered from sight as monsters with giant bodies showed up. 

'Hmm… hopefully, just like their appearance, their skills would be unique too.'

Some tigers could fly and a giant snake with four limbs could somewhat fly using an unknown way. 

Pawwwooo—, Bam—! 

Giant elephants flattened the forest from afar and large mammals who became monsters also marched to Hans' location as well. 

It was a scene that would make any ordinary human have a seizure and possibly die of fear. 

But, in the end, Hans was unmoved. 

Hans unsheathe his swords and injected mana into them, making them sharper. Hans went in a stance similar to someone holding a bat in a baseball game. 

'Here I go.' 

Whooosh—! 

Booom—! 

Hans explosively kicked the ground and dashed forward. Like a beam of light, Hans flashed towards the monsters. 

Slash—! 

When Hans passed through the monsters, he swung his sword, slicing the giant monster in half. 

Chomp—

The monster, who intended to stomp Hans to death, began to fall to the ground; Its body split from side to side. 

[You have killed a 'Red Rhinoceros'.] 

[Level Up!] 

Hans didn't stop his pace and immediately leaped through the air. 

Whoosh—! 

He'll take down the monsters in the air first. 

[Emperor Strides] 

Step—, step—, step—

As if stepping onto the ground, Hans sprinted in the air. Numerous monsters looked at Hans. Their eyes turned hostile and they quickly fired a barrage of skills. 

Boooom—, Boom—! 

Boooom—, Booom—! 

Countless magic spells bombarded the air. Using his superior senses, Hans effortlessly evaded these spells while also firing several slashes toward the weaker monsters. 

Slash—, slash—, slash—, slash—! 

Kyaaaaah—! 

The weak monsters began to fall one by one. Suddenly, a giant fireball went his way. 

"I'll cut it."

Hans couldn't fly but by using [Emperor's Strides] he could walk in the air. But once he's outbalanced, just like in the ground, he would fall. 

Hence, to not stop the momentum, instead of evading or blocking it, he decided to cut it instead. 

Slice—! 

Hans passed through the flame that seemed to be separating into two as it fell to the land. 

Kyaaah—! 

Seeing their attacks fail, the monsters immediately issued another attack. 

But… 

'It's too late.' 

Hans already reached their altitudes. His eyes glared at these abominations. 

"Here I go." 

Whooosh—! 

Hans brandished his sword and penetrated the crowd of monsters. 

Swish—! 

"One…" 

Kyaahh—, shrieeek—! 

Rrroooar—! 

"Two…" 

Hans weaved his swords as he aimed at the monster's weak points. 

Slash—, slash—, slash—

Kyaaaahh—! 

Drop—! 

The monster's lifeless bodies fell one by one. 

As for the stronger ones, Hans increased the mana input he injected into his swords. 

There were still numerous enemies in sight.

His eyes sharpened. 

[Constantine Sword Style: First Cut] 

In mid-air, Hans' stance changed. Thunderstorms roared in the clouds as they gathered into Hans' body. 

[Weaving Thunder.] 

At that moment. 

Zaaaaap——! 

Bboooom—, bbooom—! 

Blue streaks of lightning dyed the skies as it seemingly shredded and sliced through everywhere. The monsters were even too late to counter. 

All they could see was that Hans disappeared. The moment they blinked, a sword already sliced their necks, limbs, veins, and their weaknesses. 

Shu—, Drop—! 

Rumble—

Dozens of monsters swished down to the ground. Hans controlled his momentum and also descended to the ground. 

Shing—

He lashed out the blood from his blades and placed it back into their sheaths. The two intern knights he hired to send him here couldn't believe their eyes. 

They looked at the man who stopped half of the monsters in what seemed to be an instant. 

"What… the hell?" 

"What happened?" 

Hans walked towards them. 

"It is still too soon to celebrate."

[They aren't really celebrating, Hans.]

Ignoring Plundy's words, Hans raised his head. Covered by the clouds, a giant dragon hovered in circles. 

Rrooooar—! 

The dragon's roar rumbled throughout the forest making other monsters shrink in fear. 

"A dragon huh? Then… I'll be a little serious I guess. 

At that moment. 

[Empyrean Aurae.] 

Shrruuum—

An aura seemingly coming from the desolate times engulfed his body.