‘Fuck.’

No matter what Ackster said, it would just be the same thing as what Kargas’ victims had already said. If he wanted to convince Kargas, this dragon-crazy maniac, he would have to come up with something no one had said before.

It wasn’t easy since he didn’t know what else was on that arbitrary list that Kargas used to judge someone. But since he knew a little of Kargas’ tendencies, and since Ackster himself felt like saying a bunch of stuff, there were probably a couple of things he could say that would be a first for Kargas.

It was just that he didn’t know if it would work.

“Dragon Slayer Kargas.”

But since Kargas was already leaning toward treating him like a dragon, which meant he would put the slaying part of his moniker to use, Ackster decided he didn’t have anything to lose.

“Yeah? Wait, you know who I am? Is that why you’re so wary? ‘Cause that sounds like dragon behavior.”

Ackster sighed.

“Yes, I know who you are. I can only think of one person that’s famous for actively looking for dragons, even where there aren’t any dragons. The only crazy fucker that’s famous for killing anything or anyone he sees as a dragon is the Dragon Slayer Kargas, the Guildmaster of the Adventurer’s Guild. That’s also why I’m scared of you. I don’t want to die because some madman decided I, an ordinary human, was a dragon.”

Ackster glared at Kargas.

“It feels like you’re blaming me for something I didn’t do?”

Kargas tilted his head as if he didn’t understand.

“I mean, if you aren’t a dragon, you have no reason not to be afraid of me, right?”

“Fuck off. I know I’m not a dragon. But I also know that you can’t be reasoned with. Do you know who else can’t be reasoned with? Dragons.”

“What–”

“If you ask me, if there’s one dragon here, it’s you. Have you ever thought about that? What if the real dragon you’ve been looking for all this time isn’t someone else? What if it’s been you this entire time?”

“I-I–”

“You know I’m right, don’t you? Every time you look at yourself in your mirror and see those sharp, beastlike eyes of yours, those pointy teeth made for tearing into the flesh of living prey, and that leathery skin, you have to convince yourself that you’re not a dragon.”

Kargas didn’t really have such exaggerated features. Ackster was just spouting bullshit. But since Kargas was the type to believe in his own bullshit over anything else, no matter how baseless what he said was or how grounded in reality what he ignored was. So, why not?

“Dragon Slayer Kargas, you tell yourself every waking moment that you’re not a dragon, right? Maybe you even dream about being an ordinary human. Dragon Slayer? I guess that’s true since you are a dragon going around slaying other beings. A literal Dragon Slayer, that’s what you are.”

Ackster was actually surprised that Kargas hadn’t lashed out and said anything or killed him by now, and he took a break from his rant and looked at Kargas. Since his view was upside down, it was a little difficult to read Karga’s expression, so Ackster wasn’t sure, but it looked a little as if Kargas was stunned silent.

Kargas’ mouth gaped like a stranded fish, and his eyes stared blankly at Ackster.

“...n-no… No! It’s not possible! I kill dragons! I am not a dragon!”

Ackster felt like Kargas snapped, and when he saw Kargas disappear from where he stood, he instinctively flinched and closed his eyes as he anticipated an attack. But even after several moments, Ackster didn’t feel anything.

‘Did I die before I felt pain?’

Hesitantly, Ackster opened his eyes and realized that Kargas hadn’t attacked. He had just left, and if the shallow imprints in the ground where he stood were any indication, he had been in a hurry.

Considering Ackster had made him doubt his entire existence, it wasn’t strange he wanted to leave.

“I can’t believe that worked.”

Ackster sighed with a smile of disbelief on his face as he relaxed and laid his head down on the ground.

Although Dragon Slayer Kargas was infamous for hunting and killing dragons, whether they be actual dragons or dragons according to him, Ackster hadn’t thought he would ever encounter him just because he decided to go after the rock lizard.

It was way too much of a coincidence that the moment he had gone for the rock lizard, the Dragon Slayer was nearby.

Well, the Dragon Slayer could have been free at the moment, and with his skills, he could cross stupid distances if it were for the sake of a dragon. And the rock lizard had only popped up recently.

Also, Ackster had spent some time waiting for his body to recover by now, so it wasn’t impossible.

Dragon Slayer Kargas, as the Guildmaster of the Guild, which has one of the greatest information networks in the world, could easily get information about the appearance of an earth dragon-like creature, regardless of where he or it was.

So, by the time that information had reached Kargas, wherever he was, Ackster had also picked up the request to subjugate the rock lizard. He had arrived and beaten the rock lizard relatively quickly. But by lying on death’s door and waiting for his body to heal, he had given enough time for Kargas, the dragon-crazy Dragon Slayer, to appear.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

It was an unlikely turn of events, but it wasn’t entirely impossible.

Ackster sighed again.

Meeting Kargas had been stressful, but it had also been enlightening. He knew The Hero wouldn’t stop moving just because, and that his actions would have consequences.

But it wasn’t until now that Ackster realized exactly just how little he knew about the world and the details about everyone inside its’ actions. The world wouldn’t just sit by and watch him grow stronger as he pleased. The people who had just been characters before were living, breathing people, and nothing was stopping them from interacting with Ackster, even if he wanted to wait until he was ready.

Faced with the realization and reality of the fact that the characters, who were no longer mere characters in a book he had read, could show up anytime and interfere with Ackster’s plans, he didn’t know what to do. Fortunately, he also quickly realized there was nothing he could do until he was strong enough. So, there was no need to worry that much right now.

All of the characters relevant to the end of the original story were too strong for him to deal with now, considering how comparatively weak he was.

Ackster had been lucky since he managed to chase Kargas away by using his logic against him. To the Dragon Slayer, who was mentally unaligned with the rest of the world but adamant in his beliefs, his own logic, which he considered flawless created an absolute clash in his mental world.

It was a collision between an immovable object and an unstoppable force. Caught in an internal struggle that threatened his very existence, Dragon Slayer Kargas didn’t have the freedom of thought to care about Ackster or his possible identity as a dragon anymore.

However, it wasn’t all good.

Depending on the outcome of the clash of his personal beliefs and perceptions, Kargas could lose his powers as a Dragon Slayer. Ackster’s words had saved his own life, but they might also have saved the lives of numerous dragons and non-dragons who Kargas thought were dragons.

But if that happened, Ackster’s plan to also subjugate the Dragon of Life and use it against The Hero would falter.

Dragon Slayer Kargas wasn’t as important in the fight against The Hero as the Dragon of Life, and Ackster’s main reason for Kargas was to use him to get the Dragon of Life.

But if his words had shattered Kargas’ mentality and the source of his strength as a Dragon Slayer, his unwavering belief that everything was a dragon under the right circumstances, it would be nigh-impossible to get the Dragon of Life to cooperate.

‘Fucking hell.’

Ackster thumped the back of his head against the ground as he realized he might have made things even more difficult for himself by getting rid of Kargas in that way. But even after thinking about what he could have done differently, Ackster didn’t come up with another solution. He had to face facts.

It wasn’t his fault. It was Kargas’ fault. And Ackster just had to deal with the consequences.

Ackster decided to use his frustration toward Kargas as fuel for his motivation. He gritted his teeth and shoved the rock lizard off of him, uncaring about the fractures in his free leg, which had yet to heal completely, breaking apart even further.

It would be a shame if Kargas broke down, but there wasn’t anything Ackster could do about it at the moment. The most he could do was try and get an audience through the Guild. But the Guildmaster probably wouldn’t be accepting any visitors while undergoing his mental breakdown.

And by the time Ackster finally got in contact with Kargas that way, it would probably be too late, and he would have lost several opportunities to grow stronger and find other ways to recruit the Dragon of Life, which wasn’t impossible to do.

It was just that the Dragon Slayer was perfect when it came to dealing with dragons and having him would make it a lot easier for Ackster, which would let him focus more on his personal strength.

Ackster also wondered what would happen with The Guild now that its Guildmaster was suffering from a mental breakdown. It was another thing that was bound to have consequences Ackster couldn’t predict, even with his foreknowledge of the world.

Considering the Guild’s influence over the entire world, Ackster’s knowledge about future events, characters’ actions, and locations of items and treasures was bound to crumble piece by piece.

Moreover, if the Guild grew unstable due to the Guildmaster, so would the world, especially considering the onset of The Calamity. It wasn’t long until it started making its moves on Millmeria.

A chaotic world was good since it would make it easier for Ackster to hide his tracks. However, the more challenges The Hero overcame and the more opponents he defeated, the stronger he would become.

It wasn’t anything unexpected. It was standard for a hero to grow the more adversities they overcame. And if The Hero became stronger, he would have an easier time defeating The Calamity, which would lead to more lives saved.

However, The Hero would have to grow so much stronger than he could possibly do on Millmeria in order not to end up destroying the world.

Ackster sighed as he stood up on his broken legs. He was getting hungry, which meant it was time to eat.

As he thought about it, he realized that it would be great if he could create so much trouble for The Hero that The Hero could solve everything on his own and didn’t destroy the world. But the original story had only hinted about the level of strength necessary The Hero needed to reach for that.

And based on what Ackster could read between the lines, it wasn’t something that was possible in only a matter of decades. Not even the Sword God, who had lived for way longer and reached unimaginable levels of strength, was in that realm yet.

‘The Dragon of Life… Is honestly most likely close.’

Ackster realized he had a problem. The rock lizard was too tough to dissect with the tools he had on hand, which were the sharp antlers he had saved.

‘The Hermit of Equilibrium could actually be at that level. But he won’t move, no matter what. moronic bastard.’

Since his tools wouldn’t be good enough, Ackster would have to compensate for what they lacked with brute force. He grabbed the edges of the injury he had inflicted on the rock lizard’s head with both hands and began tearing it open so that he could access the skin, flesh, and skeleton below the hard armor.

‘The Vampire King won’t cooperate with the Dragon of Life or Karandiel, so he’s a no-go as long as I go for them.’

Although Ackster was injured, he had gotten a sudden increase in strength by reaching D-rank in his Strength stat. Defeating an opponent a lot stronger than him had been a very efficient way to skip the bothersome wall of growth at the E-rank and give him a sudden boost in stats and skills.

‘Fuck, there are a couple of others, who are already strong, but it will be basically impossible to get them. I guess my only choice is to try and raise people.’

With his newfound strength, Ackster could open up the rock lizard. And, once he had managed to get an opening, it was a lot easier to work through the rough skin that was sturdy enough to carry the rock lizard’s armor.

‘Well, there are probably people I don’t know about, so I guess I should look for people like that as well before I put all my eggs in one basket. But first, Karandiel. And an inventory, this shit is heavy.’

As he peeled off the rock lizard’s armor, which he would have to bring back to the Guild and sell, Ackster once again realized how strong the rock lizard was since it was running around with rocks that he could barely hold up while standing still.

But he wasn’t only envious of the rock lizard’s strength. He was inspired by it.