“Master!” Siegfried hurried to Deus while carrying a warm wet towel and a dry towel.
Deus was currently receiving Daode Tianzun’s greetings.
“My name is Percival, Elder-nim. It is truly an honor to meet you,” Daode Tianzun said.
“Hoho! You are quite well-mannered! However, that’s all you have. You don’t seem that talented in my eyes,” Deus replied with a hearty laugh.
“Hahaha…” Daode Tianzun started sweating profusely. ‘Oh my god… I never imagined that someone would call me talentless in this world…’
The old magician was stupefied. Everything he knew about the world had crumbed.
Who could have known that there was someone who had transcended the realm of a Grand Master in this world?!
Not to mention, the transcended being made quick work of a matured wyrm-class dragon.
“I… I have been complimented since my younger days that I am quite well-mannered… Hahaha…!”
“I see. You’re different from Blockhead. He was quite the rude young fella.”
“Block… you mean…?”
“He’s Blockhead,” Deus pointed at Betelgeuse and continued. “His real name is Bete something, but who cares about that? He’s not important, anyway.”
“I-Is that so…?”
“How dare that youngster without any talent to show call himself the Sword Emperor? Ha! Who could have known someone was brazen enough to call himself an ‘emperor’ when he’s just a Master? That’s something I would’ve never imagined back in my days!”
“Hahaha…”
“That’s why I felt it was my duty to teach him a lesson and help him improve his skills, too.”
“Elder-nim’s graciousness is as vast and deep as the ocean!” Daode Tianzun immediately started showering Deus with compliments while thinking, ‘I should be careful… I might end up like Betelgeuse if I end up on his bad side.’
It seemed that a Grand Master possessed the same survival instinct as an ordinary person.
“But what do you call yourself? Don’t tell me you call yourself something extravagant like that buffoon when you’re just a Grand Master?”
“N-Not at all!” Daode Tianzun hurriedly denied it and transmitted a telepathic message to Deus.
—People call me the Daode Tianzun, but I do not agree with them. Does it make sense in the first place, Elder-nim? How could I call myself the title of the heavens with my flimsy skills?
The reason he spoke through telepathy was solely because only Siegfried and a few other key officials were aware that he was Daode Tianzun.
—I am just a magician that knows a few tricks… Hahaha…
—Hmm… You seem to know your place. I like it.
—Thank you, Elder-nim!
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—Shall this great me bestow some teachings upon you?
—N-Not at all! I have already abandoned all desires for power! I solely wish to live what is left of my life in peace from now on, elder-nim!
Daode Tianzun instinctively knew that the teachings Deus was going to bestow were going to come in the form of devilish beatings.
—Really? I think you’re still quite young, though.
—Not at all! I might be a youngster compared to the esteemed Elder-nim, but my body is already withering away!
—Hmm… Then there’s nothing I can do if you so insist.
—Thank you for your understanding, Elder-nim!
—Too bad… My new sandbag…
—Y-Yes…?
—No, it’s nothing.
Deus looked at Siegfried this time.
“Please wipe your sweat, Master,” Siegfried said as he extended the towels.
“Sweat?”
“Yes, you have a drop of sweat on your forehead, Master.”
“Oh my…” Deus muttered before he took the towel from Siegfried and wiped his forehead with it once. Then, he said, “I must have gotten too excited in beating that lizard…”
“Here is a dry towel for you, master!”
“Keke! My beloved disciple is the only one who looks after me!” Deus exclaimed as he looked at Siegfried with doting eyes that only belonged to grandfathers and would only appear whenever they were looking at their beloved grandson.
‘My beloved disciple is the most sensible, well-mannered, and quick-witted human out there,’ he thought with a smile.
He had called Siegfried a piece of trash and barraged him with inhumane words on top of beating him like a dog, but he was still doting on his one and only beloved disciple.
“Master.”
“What is it, my disciple?”
“It has been ages since you warmed up, so I believe this calls for a drink. Do you not agree?”
“Hmm… a drink… Yes, that sounds excellent. I’d love to have a drink poured by my beloved disciple! Keke!”
“I shall instruct them to prepare a table for you, Master.”
“Sure.”
“And…” Siegfried pondered for a moment before asking, “What do you think of dragon sashimi, Master?”
“Dragon sashimi?”
“I caught a baby dragon last time, and I heard that a dragon’s meat is a true delicacy that only a few dishes out there could rival.”
“Oh! I think I’ve heard of something like that before. Sure, that sounds great! We shall have the Chromatic Dragon for appetizers today!”
“Yes, Master! Your disciple will quickly prepare it for you!” Siegfried exclaimed before throwing a sharp gaze at his subordinates.
‘Hurry up and prepare the best part of the dragon for Master! HURRY!’
The officials of Proatine jumped into action and started butchering the once-mighty Lagonda Taraf.
***
That evening…
“Really?! You beat the Supreme King’s descendant to a pulp?!”
“Yes, Master! I have beaten him into submission, and he agreed to be my subordinate from now on!” Siegfried proudly informed Deus about Cesc.
“Kekeke! Excellent! Great job, my beloved disciple! Who could have imagined that the Supreme King’s disciple was going to be my disciple’s slave? Hahaha!” Deus exclaimed in delight.
He was extremely satisfied by the result that Siegfried had brought, and he once again confirmed that he had made the right choice in leaving the quest in his beloved disciple’s hands.
“Hoo… So this is a dragon’s meat?”
“Yes, Master!”
“I’m not sure if an old dragon will be tasty, but I guess I’ll find out once I try it. Here, you have some, too,” Deus said as he motioned for Siegfried to take a piece as well.
‘Huh? This is really tasty,’ Siegfried thought after taking a bite.
No, it was more accurate to say that the meat tasted better than any other meat in the world. It didn’t have any fishy smell like some meat would have, and the meat was incredibly tender while being extremely juicy as well. On top of that, its texture was much chewier than beef, but it had just the right amount of fat in it to make chewing it a joy instead of being laborious.
[Alert: You have consumed the Chromatic Dragon’s meat!]
[Alert: Your Mana has increased by 10!]
[Alert: Your HP has increased by 10!]
[Alert: Your Stamina has increased by 50!]
Perhaps it was because Lagonda Taraf was a fully matured dragon on the cusp of becoming an ancient-class dragon, but the once mighty dragon’s meat increased Siegfried’s Mana, HP, and Stamina by ten, ten, and fifty, respectively.
[Alert: You have consumed the Chromatic Dragon’s meat!]
[Alert: Your Mana has increased by 10!]
[Alert: Your HP has increased by 10!]
[Alert: Your Stamina has increased by 50!]
[Alert: You have consumed the Chromatic Dragon’s meat!]
[Alert: Your Mana has increased by 10!]
[Alert: Your HP has increased by 10!]
[Alert: Your Stamina has increased by 50!]
The messages informing Siegfried that his Mana, HP, and Stamina increased would pop up whenever he took a bite of the Chromatic Dragon’s meat. The mighty dragon’s meat even increased his sex stamina—not that it was important.
‘This… This is awesome!’ Siegfried exclaimed inwardly.
However, he couldn’t be greedy and stuff himself with the Chromatic Dragon’s meat because he was currently eating with Deus.
“My disciple,” Deus said.
“Yes, Master.”
“I’m extremely delighted that you subdued the Supreme King’s descendant and turned him into your subordinate.”
“I will work harder from now on to crush the remaining descendants, Master.”
“Yes, I’m sure you will. You are my disciple, after all… That’s why I was thinking…”
“…?”
“Do you want to take the dead dragon’s remains for yourself?”
“Not at all, Master!”
Well, Siegfried wanted—no, desired the Chromatic Dragon’s remains very badly, but he knew that coveting his master’s trophy was not something a human being should be doing, no matter how evil and rotten to the core he was.
He was a master of stabbing people in the back for his own benefit, but he wasn’t an ingrate.
However, it seemed that Deus read Siegfried’s mind after all.
“My disciple…”
“Yes, Master?”
“I’m feeling bored, so why don’t we make a wager?”
“A… A wager…?”
“I wish to test your abilities as well. So I was thinking… I will give the dragon’s remains to you as your reward if you manage to land a single blow on me.”
Ding!
A quest message popped up in front of his eyes.
[Value of One Hit]
[Duel with the Level 999 Hidden NPC, Deus, and land a single blow! This quest will be considered cleared even if you only managed to graze him.]
[Progress: 0% (0/1)]
[Reward: Remains of the Wyrm-Class Chromatic Dragon Lagonda Taraf, Dragon’s Treasure Chest]
[Warning: You might die while doing this quest!]
The quest name suited the situation as he stood to gain not only the once mighty dragon’s remains but even the treasure chest the dragon had left behind if he managed to land a single blow on Deus.
However, the problem was that it was extremely difficult to land a single blow on the Level 999 Hidden NPC.
Deus was a monster that even Sword Emperor Betelgeuse failed to land a single hit on, and this quest was probably the most difficult quest Siegfried had ever encountered in the game.
However, Siegfried had never been the type to give up without even trying
‘I have nothing to lose.’
“Yes, Master. I will do as you say,” he replied.
“Excellent,” Deus smiled.
[Alert: You have accepted the Quest – Value of One Hit!]
A message popped up in front of his eyes, and the duel between him and Deus started.
***
The next evening, Deus returned to Mount Kunlun and watched the sunset on the horizon with a smile.
“Are you satisfied, Elder-nim?” Betelgeuse asked.
“I definitely am,” Deus replied with a nod.
“I am certain you are, Elder-nim. Your one and only disciple, the young master, is growing extremely fast.”
“Tsk, tsk…” Deus clicked his tongue and asked, “Just what did you see?”
“Pardon me…?”
“That kid racked his brain quite a bit, but do you honestly think he managed to hit me?”
“Y-You mean to say…?!” Betelgeuse exclaimed after recalling the duel last night, and then he carefully asked, “Did you… go easy on the young master…?”
“A lot…”
“Oh…”
“He still has a long way to go.”
“But why did you go easy on him, Elder-nim? I know for a fact that you will never go easy on someone just to make them feel better about themselves…”
“You ignorant stupid buffoon!” Deus rebuked him and exclaimed, “I needed a reason! A reason!”
“…!”
“I needed a reason to give him the dragon’s remains and the treasure chest!”
“E-Elder-nim!”
“I wanted to give it, but I couldn’t just give it for free, so I came up with the duel to give it to him. Anyway, he still has a long way to go!”
“Elder-nim’s love for the young master is truly deep!” Betelgeuse said while bowing.
Deus was extremely scary to others, but he was the warmest and most gentle person on the continent when it came to Siegfried.
***
[Alert: You have obtained Horn of Chromatic Dragon!]
Siegfried obtained the Chromatic Dragon’s remains as well as the Dragon’s Treasure Chest after winning the duel, and it allowed him to obtain another material required to complete the weapon Herbert left behind.
[Materials:]
[Rod of God × 1 ✓]
[Omnipotent Mechanical Gear × 1 ✓]
[Horn of Chromatic Dragon × 1 ✓]
[Soul of the Vampire Lord × 1 ✓]
[Eye of the Storm × 1]
[Universal Grade Mana Stone × 1]
[Heart of the Demon Lord × 1]
[Current Progress: 57.14%]
However, he was still nowhere close to completing the quest because the three remaining materials were simply impossible to get.
Nevertheless, Siegfried ordered the complete dismemberment of the dragon’s remains, and he deposited the tons of gold within the Dragon’s Treasure Chest into the kingdom's coffers.
[Alert: You have leveled up thanks to the Ruler of Proatine title!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 213!]
He prepared to depart the kingdom for another adventure as soon upon leveling up.
“Kyu! Where are we going now, owner punk?!” Hamchi asked.
“The Adventurers’ Guild,” Siegfried replied.
“Kyu?”
“It’s about time I start making my own guild,” Siegfried replied.
His destination this time was the Adventurers’ Guild, where Adventurers would go to establish their own guilds.
