"Bro, is it cruel?"
"A little."
"Hahaha, itâs perfectly normal. In any world, once a dominant race emerges, the other races either become slaves or they become food. The end result is the same."
This conclusion, this rule of the world, struck a chord with Orion.
In his own Titanion Realm, there were three demigodsâtwo from the sea race, one from the humans. He imagined that long, long ago, the humans and the Sea Race must have fought a great war unknown to him, one that ended in a kind of harmonious power-sharing arrangement that partitioned the world.
There was a hidden balance in the Titanion Realm, one that Orion was not yet strong enough to break. In fact, this was the very reason he and the Stoneheart Horde had been left to grow in peace.
"Where there is oppression, there is resistance," Alexanderâs voice cut in. "The races on this continent have united. They build cities, they seek out dragon nests, and they work together to drive out and kill the dragons."
"After killing a dragon in this world," he continued, "you are cursed. A Dragonslayerâs Mark appears on your body. This mark radiates a powerful hatred. If it is sensed by any dragon, you will be hunted down and swarmed."
It was a rule of this world, a method the dragons used to keep the other races in check.
"So, we canât kill dragons?" Orion asked, a flicker of doubt in his mind.
Not being able to kill dragons didnât sound like his brothersâ style at all.
"No. We have to kill one. We must kill one," Leonidas responded, his voice filled with a raw killing intent. "Bro, if we donât kill a dragon, how do we get a dragon soul? And without a dragon soul, whoâs going to lead us to the Dragonâs Boneyard?"
Orion guessed what was coming. "So our first mission is to slay a dragon?"
"You got it! My bro is so smart!"
"Heh." Orion shrugged, rolling his eyes at Leonidasâs terrible joke.
"Bro, can our Champions Alliance invade this place?" Having understood the first step of their mission, Orion posed a new question.
"Donât even think about it. Itâs difficult. Very difficult," Leonidas said, his tone turning somber. "The Uynting Realm is a large world ruled by the dragons. It has a realm-wide protective formation."
"A small group like ours can teleport in without making any big waves; the dragons donât care. But if they detect a large number of enemies and feel threatened, theyâll activate the realm formation, cutting off the teleportation passages. At that point, no matter how many warriors we bring, it wonât be enough for the dragons to slaughter."
"And besides," he added, "there are always dragon demigods stationed here. Invading this place would be a huge effort, a massive drain on time. The gains arenât worth the cost."
Alexander and Leonidas had been here once before. They had considered invading this world, but after much research, they had abandoned the idea. Even now, with the full might of the Champions Alliance, including the Deputy Commander and Arthas, invading this world would be an arduous undertaking.
"Then why donât we just steal the living dragon eggs?" Orion asked, another question coming to mind.
"Donât even think about that either. Every living egg in this world is marked from the moment itâs laid. An egg like that is a hot potato. Whoever takes it is doomed to be hunted."
Leonidas had no interest in stealing living eggs.
Orion had a feeling that the dragonsâ control over this world was absolute, overwhelming.
In the City of Lube, at the Mercenariesâ Guild.
In most cities, the main hall of the Mercenariesâ Guild was more like a grand tavern lobby than an office. Mercenaries posting and accepting quests could not only find plenty of lounge areas to wait in but could also order food and drink from the staff.
In a large lounge in the southwest corner, a group of three men and two women sat together, speaking in low voices.
"Commander, weâve already recruited the three hundred members we needed. Why are we still waiting another day?"
The speaker was Aiden, a handsome young man. He was also a powerful Alpha-level lancer. As a core member of the Dragonslayerâs Lance Mercenary Corps, Aiden was proactive and passionate.
He was also proud. Youth has the capital to disdain all else.
"Yeah, Commander. Weâve recruited practically every available mercenary in the area. Weâre not going to find any other powerful recruits by waiting," another voice added in agreement. "After all, Lube is a remote border city. High-tier mercenaries and hunters from other cities rarely come here."
The one who seconded Aidenâs opinion was Alilien, a short, thin woman with two swords hanging at her waist. Though Alilien appeared slight, the body beneath her leather armor was clearly defined with muscle. She was a swordswoman.
"Aiden, Alilien, we are going to slay a dragon. The more people we have, the higher our chances of success," the corpsâ deputy commander, Neil, said, looking at their silent, wine-sipping commander before gently placating the two more active members of the team. "One more person is one more bit of strength."
"Right now, our team is lacking a high-tier tank. If we could just wait for a orc berserker or a human Shield Warrior to show up in the next couple of days, this operation would definitely go more smoothly."
"Perhaps fewer people would have to die."
Deputy Commander Neil was a Beastfolk, a clever male fox-person.
"You two should be more patient," a gentle female voice added. "The commander is never wrong. We just need to listen to him."
As she spoke, she passed two plates of delicious sweets to Aiden and Alilien.
"We know, Yala. Weâre just worried that peak Alpha-level dragon will get wind of us and fly away!" Alilien said.
She and Yala were the two women in the group; the former was mischievous and lively, the latter gentle and virtuous. Alilien took the opportunity to lean into Yalaâs embrace, and while enjoying her full figure, playfully reached for her fluffy cat-ears.
Yala was a cat-woman who served as the groupâs steward. She was also an assassin, and most of her duties involved protecting Deputy Commander Neil, the fox-tribe archer.
"That dragon wonât run," the greatsword-wielding commander, Borg, finally spoke, his voice a low rumble. "That canyon has the crystals it loves most. Given a dragonâs nature, it wonât easily abandon its nest. Besides..."
He was about to say more when two powerful, oppressive Alpha-level auras approached from a distance, drawing his attention and putting the entire group on high alert.
"Hehe, I assume you all are the members of the Dragonslayerâs Lance Mercenary Corps?" Leonidasâs boisterous voice rang out.
He scanned the group, his gaze lingering on Commander Borg for a moment before finally settling on the human swordswoman, Alilien.