Chapter 63 [Dragon 3: Adventurers Guild]
A massive creature flew through the sky, emitting an otherworldly roar that defied belief. Reports from various sources spoke of unusual magical energy and more. Though each report was fragmented, a vague pattern emerged when pieced together: a dragon.
The apex of magical beasts, a tyrant king, leader of divine creatures, a sage enduring the ages, and the embodiment of calamity – a dragon.
If a dragon appeared, an immediate alert had to be sounded; knights, soldiers, mercenaries, adventurers, traders, farmers – everyone had to unite to prevent potential national disaster.
If a dragon indeed appeared.
If, truly... a dragon appeared.
The inability to confirm this was the source of worry for Elgin's adventurers' guild and all neighboring guilds.
"It's been ten days since the first report, and there's been no sign of a dragon from anywhere."
"To be precise, there were a few reports, but all turned out to be hoaxes."
"What if it just passed by? Or returned to where it came from?"
"That would be fine, but without evidence, we can't lower our guard based on wishful thinking. Dragons with territory are one thing, but young wandering dragons are dangerous."
"What do you mean, Guildmaster?"
"Newcomers might not know. Dragons with territory rarely venture outside it. If they don't enter your territory, they won't recklessly attack. But young dragons roaming to establish territory, aiming to defeat a boss and claim territory, tend to attack relentlessly."
"If we don't provoke them..."
"They'll just see us as delicious prey."
The guild staff reacted with horror, and the sub-master added, "Aggressive young dragons hunt magic stones for rapid growth. Strong monsters carry high-quality magic stones."
"Wait a moment. Our guild also buys materials like magic stones. Are they targeting the stored magic stones in the guild?"
"That's why we're on high alert."
"Do you understand why we're anxious now?"
Over 80% of dragon-related damage in this country was caused by such young rogue dragons. As the sub-master said, there were instances of dragons attacking towns in search of magic stones, resulting in significant damage. Not all young dragons were the same, but many were considered aggressive and treated differently from mature, more communicative dragons.
"Since they act mainly on instinct, they're not easy to negotiate with. Once found, we must gather all our strength to eliminate them."
"It's not a situation where being on the defensive is an option. We need to find and deal with them proactively."
"But it's tough if we can't find them!"
A rookie, now understanding the situation, visibly panicked.
"If you get it, go out and gather information by any means necessary! Staying here won't help!"
Scolded, the rookie hurriedly left the guild.
"Guildmaster, what really happened?"
"I'm not sure, but I think there might be no need to worry anymore."
"Oh? Could you elaborate?"
"When you hear intense magical power and roars, it's normal to think a dragon, probably a formidable foe, was in a battle. If a dragon hasn't shown up by now..."
"Someone might have defeated the dragon?"
"Isn't that a possibility?"
"Who could it be?"
"I don't know. Just hope it's not someone more dangerous than a dragon. Still, considering it's been ten days without any commotion, it's unlikely to be anything perilous."
"What's the plan going forward?"
"If there's nothing in the next five days, we'll lift the alert as a false alarm."