CHAPTER 44**

044 - The Treasure Hunt

In the past, when Mahiri was still an A-class Hunter.

She was being hunted on the 4th Floor.

"Hah… hah… huff…!!"

She ran frantically through the darkness. The thought that she would die if she stopped for even a moment spurred her on.

All the guild members who had entered with her were dead. They were like family, people she had been with for a long time.

The monster behind her had torn them all apart and devoured them, and now it was after her, the last survivor.

"Hk, sob…!"

Swallowing her tears, she ran and ran. She couldn't tell if the liquid trickling down her throat was tears or snot.

That was when she saw it.

"A-a red portal!"

A red portal, not the blue one she so desperately wished for.

On the 4th Floor, a red portal meant an entrance to the 5th Floor.

The 5th Floor. A perilous place where someone of her level could die the instant she set foot inside.

But if she didn't press forward, she would be killed by the monster chasing her with 100% certainty.

‘Th-there’s no other way!’

She had no choice but to enter, praying for a one-in-a-million stroke of luck.

Please, let there be a blue portal right in front of me as soon as I go in. Praying as such, she leaped into the portal.

—Hoh?

And she met that being.

A pair of eyes glowing in the darkness. A presence that alone could make all living things tremble in fear.

The Red Dragon, Kalesian.

Human girl. Do you have a wish?

The dragon asked for her wish. In a state of hysteria, weeping and wailing, she answered.

Let me live. Just please, let me live.

That is a simple matter… but it is a bit weak.

"W-weak?"

—It means there is change left over. I intend to demand your soul, but if the price for a soul is but a single life, the scales do not balance.

"M-my soul!"

A demon! Satan! A devil who drags people into the pits of ruin in exchange for their souls!

She was horrified, but the dragon shook its head.

I am afraid there is nothing else of value you can offer me but your soul. I will grant your life, so wish for more. If you refuse, then leave my lair.

Being told to leave was a death sentence.

Would she die here and now, or would she give up her soul and take everything?

"Th-then… please save me… hic, and avenge my guild members. And I want to earn lots of money, and become famous, and, and…"

Streaming tears, she begged. For her life, for revenge, for wealth and fame. She listed every good thing that came to mind.

—Very well. All shall be granted.

Only then did the dragon smile with satisfaction.

"And that's what happened. Hahaha! Isn't it amusing?"

Though he couldn't quite see what was so amusing, the red-eyed Mahiri—no, Kalesian—laughed heartily.

It was incredibly awkward to see a woman's face speaking with a man's mannerisms.

At the same time, Jinwoo now understood why Mahiri had suddenly become fluent in Korean.

‘He must have controlled her and made her learn it just now.’

Or perhaps he had her learn every language possible from the start.

How simple it was. He just had to control her, and she would stuff knowledge into her own brain.

"Are dragons… even hatchlings like you, that powerful? Enough to dominate an A-class Hunter without a trace?"

Johann had controlled Cheon Juhyeok, but Juhyeok was only B-class. And it wasn't for a long period; he had only controlled him briefly inside the Gate.

But Kalesian had been controlling Mahiri for years now.

According to him, Mahiri had not regained consciousness even once since then. In other words, he had been dominating her continuously, 24 hours a day, for several years.

It was a feat that was likely impossible even if Johann's past-life self were to descend, let alone Johann himself.

"It is insulting to compare my methods to crude black magic like forced domination. Why else would even demons, the specialists in this field, resort to using contracts? Kehkeh, you too should be careful when stamping your seal on a contract."

Even so, my contract is far more merciful and just than a demon's, Kalesian insisted.

He had truly granted all of Mahiri's wishes. He saved her life, honored the souls of her guild members by killing the 4th Floor monster in the most painful way possible, and allowed her to ascend to S-class, gaining wealth and fame.

It was just that Mahiri's own soul was absent from those wishes.

"From where I'm standing, I don't see how you're any different from a demon."

"We are quite different. At the very least, I never said I would keep her soul for all eternity. I said I would keep her until I felt like it, then let her go. It's true."

"Until you 'feel like it'… by any chance, what is the lifespan of a dragon?"

"About ten thousand years."

So he IS a demon…

How was that any different from the God of the Ice Valley, who laughed that he could do as he pleased with Johann's soul for a good ten thousand years?

Of course, Johann had gone to hell, while Mahiri was enjoying all the riches of this world.

"And I am no hatchling. It has been quite some time since I reached maturity. Though I am not yet an ancient dragon."

"Then that form is transformation magic?"

"No, it is my true body. I have never once molted since I was young."

Molt? Do dragons molt?

"As you know, the body and mind of a living being are of a much lower tier than the soul. A newborn dragon is no different; only the tier of its soul is high."

"So molting is a stage to raise the tier of the body and mind?"

"You could say that."

As dragons grow, they strengthen their bodies and temper their minds through molting. Only when their elevated tiers become equal to that of their soul do they finally become complete beings.

Usually, the trinity of body, mind, and soul is perfected during adulthood, around the age of two to three thousand years, though there were some individual differences.

"Why wouldn't you go through with such a beneficial process?"

Hearing the story only raised more questions. Why would he refrain from an act that made him stronger so easily?

"That is because…"

Mahiri's body moved, pulling a soft-serve ice cream cone out of thin air. Even with her soul dominated, it was still an awakened soul. The inventory connected to that soul was also intact.

Mahiri then fed the ice cream to Kalesian. It was strawberry-flavored, topped with colorful chocolate chips.

Kalesian swallowed the entire thing, cone and all, in one bite and chewed with a satisfied expression.

"Have you ever eaten this ice cream?"

"Something similar."

"How was it? Was it good? Or did you grow tired of it?"

"Ice cream is always delicious."

"Even though it's so common in this world?"

"I haven't eaten it enough to get tired of it."

"I had grown weary. Of my world."

He wasn't talking about being tired of ice cream. He meant he was tired of the world he lived in, the 5th Floor.

"I wanted to see other worlds. Ever since I was young. But if I were to molt normally and raise my tier, I would no longer be able to pass through the portals. That is why I refrained from molting and suppressed my growth."

"You wanted to see Earth?"

"Earth, or anywhere else. I wanted to see a completely different world, not the tiresome 5th Floor."

Curiosity.

It was the very core of his being, the desire Kalesian was born with.

By forgoing molting, he gave up the growth of his body and mind, but in exchange, he maintained a form that could travel to other worlds.

Even so, his soul was of the 5th Floor. He couldn't cross over without linking to a soul from another world.

And while he waited, what should appear before his very lair but the soul he had so desperately longed for?

Thus, the contract he mentioned earlier was made.

"And that is how I arrived here."

That was the story of how a dragon descended upon Earth. Even if his growth was halted at the hatchling stage.

‘Another world.’

Jinwoo glanced at the ego sword at his waist. He too had visited the world of the elves, together with the soul of his ego sword.

From the perspective of the elves in Velen Village, he was no different from Kalesian. A being not of this world, but from another.

Thinking of it that way, the dragon's presence here, happily swallowing a soft-serve ice cream cone, no longer seemed so strange.

"How fascinating."

"Indeed, it is."

"Then Mahiri is…"

"As I said, I intend to release her whenever I grow tired of this world. She is not dead, so do not worry."

The catch, of course, was that "getting tired of it" could take hundreds or thousands of years.

"More importantly, human boy. Since fate has brought us together, would you not consider working with me?"

"Work?"

"Have you ever heard the tales of dragons loving glittering gold and treasure?"

"No."

It was the first he'd ever heard of it. Then again, this was also the first time he'd ever spoken to a dragon.

"Let us go on a treasure hunt."

Kalesian spoke, his eyes curving into joyful crescents.

A short while later.

Jinwoo and Kalesian, cradled in Mahiri's arms, were wandering through a super-luxury department store in New York.

It was a high-end fashion hall called Queen's Field Luxury Hall in Herald Square.

Kalesian roamed through it as if he owned the place, buying whatever caught his eye.

"So this is what you meant by a 'treasure hunt'?"

"Ahahaha!"

Perhaps because of the eyes of others, the hatchling's main body remained quiet, while Mahiri's body expressed his emotions for him. She wore a smile that screamed she was having the time of her life as she visited every single store.

"W-welcome, Ms. Mahiri!"

"Right this way, please."

"And the gentleman with you… if you don't mind my asking, are you not Hunter Kang Jinwoo?"

The way the luxury store employees fussed over her, it was clear she was a VIP customer. The attention naturally spilled over to Jinwoo, who stood beside her. As a recent figure of great interest, there wasn't a single employee who didn't recognize him.

"He's my friend. Please treat him as you would treat me."

"Of course!"

"Is this your first time at our department store? Allow me to guide you."

Tall and handsome, or beautiful, employees began to attend to Jinwoo as well.

The first place Mahiri dragged Jinwoo to was a jewelry store. As she looked at the gems, she was more serious and deliberate than ever.

"Do you like jewels?"

"Of course. You could even say I love them."

She had them take out nearly every accessory in the display case, laying them out before her as she deliberated. An employee approached and asked.

"How about this necklace? I believe it would suit you well. Would you like to try it on?"

"Oh, lovely."

The employee prepared to help her put on the necklace, but Mahiri didn't offer her neck.

Instead, she presented Kalesian's true body, the hatchling.

"Y-yes?"

"Quickly, please. The fitting."

The hatchling was rather chubby and had a cute appearance, but it was still a dragon. It was, for lack of a better term, a winged lizard.

A reptile enthusiast might have swooned at the beauty of its curved body and shiny scales, but to the average person, it was just a lizard.

"Y-yes, ma'am…"

The employee, hiding a face that was on the verge of tears with a strained smile, placed the necklace around Kalesian's neck.

So, employees at luxury stores have to cater to the pets of their rich clients, too. The thought that this wasn't what he'd signed up for filled him with a sense of futility, but he couldn't show even the slightest hint of displeasure.

"How is it, Mr. Jinwoo?"

"How is what?"

"Does it suit him?"

Jinwoo looked at Kalesian wearing the necklace. The dragon sat on the display counter like a puppy, holding his head high as if showing off. It actually suited him better than he expected.

It was a mystical red diamond necklace that seemed to glow.

"Compared to the star-like scales of this child, the jewel seems quite faded, but don't you think it serves as a decent accessory? It is precisely because of such an accessory jewel that Kalesian's beautiful scales stand out even more."

"...Aren't you embarrassed?"

"My, why should I be embarrassed for praising my own child?"

Because you're not praising your child, you're just polishing your own ego.

Knowing that all of Mahiri's words and actions were being controlled by Kalesian, Jinwoo could only find it absurd.

Nevertheless, Mahiri hugged and stroked Kalesian, looking for all the world like a doting pet owner.

Kalesian's main body, meanwhile, was engrossed in admiring the diamond necklace from various angles, seemingly a master of acting—or rather, manipulation.

"It's lovely. I'll take it. Your recommendation was excellent, miss."

"Ah! Thank you!"

The employee, who had been trembling just moments ago, visibly relaxed at Mahiri's words. Having caught the eye of the store's VVIP, her bonus was now guaranteed!

"Would you like to recommend anything else? Something that would suit this child."

"Leave it to me!"

The employee, who had despised reptiles, now looked at Kalesian with eyes full of affection.

All she could think about was draping that hatchling's body with accessories and selling every last one. The hatchling now looked less like a dragon and more like a walking jackpot.

"Nice. Give me that one, too. Ah, that one as well. The one over there looks good, too."

After buying a hoard of jewels on the employee's recommendation, they moved on to the next store.

With that momentum, they swept through the luxury hall like a typhoon, buying clothes, bags, wallets, and watches.

"This coat seems like it would suit you well, Mr. Jinwoo. Would you like to try it on?"

"No, I'm…"

"Right this way to the fitting room, sir!"

An employee with lightning-fast intuition guided Jinwoo to the fitting room.

He had no interest in expensive clothes, but it felt wrong to refuse the offer so bluntly.

He took off the cost-effective Uniqlo he was wearing and changed into a full outfit from the store.

"Wow! It looks absolutely perfect on you, sir!"

"The coat is nice, but the rest of the outfit is just so-so. Let's just buy the coat and go."

The employee, who had only managed to sell a single coat to the famously big-spending Mahiri, hung his head with a crestfallen expression.

Leaving him behind, the two headed to another store. Mahiri continued her shopping, visiting every single brand in the luxury hall without exception.

Sometimes she seemed to be buying things thoughtlessly, while at other times she would refuse with razor-sharp decisiveness. She appeared to have her own firm standards.

‘It's a dragon's eye, so it must be reliable.’

Since he proclaimed his kind loved treasure, his taste was surely far better than that of an ordinary human like himself.

"Let's buy this, too. I'll give it to you as a gift."

Kalesian swept up all the luxury goods in the stores, also giving Jinwoo expensive gifts like clothes and watches. When Jinwoo tried to refuse, feeling burdened, he was told to just accept them.

"The money of this world doesn't mean much to me. I have to convert it all into treasure while I can."

Indeed, currencies like dollars or won would be meaningless to Kalesian. They were only valid in this world.

That was why she—no, he—spent most of the income earned as an S-class Hunter on things like shopping. He added that since he was due to receive a huge reward from New York for the Island incident, he could afford to splurge like this.

The same was true for Jinwoo, but he had little interest in luxury goods. If anything, he preferred food.

After the whirlwind shopping spree, the two sat down at the hotel restaurant.

The waiter showed no change in expression upon seeing the hatchling, likely because a notice had been sent to all department store employees as soon as they started shopping: Ms. Mahiri has arrived, refrain from any discourteous behavior.

Seated with a panoramic view of the New York nightscape, Jinwoo tasted the restaurant's steak.

"Ooh!"

This meat was also exquisite. It was cooked so tenderly that a knife sank through it with just a gentle touch.

Yet, it didn't lack a satisfying chew, striking a perfect balance.

The visual elements like plating, the aroma, and of course the taste were all magnificent, but the fact that it also provided the joy of texture made it worthy of being called a first-class restaurant.

"Mr. Jinwoo, you seem more interested in food than in jewelry or luxury goods."

"Was it that obvious?"

"The sparkle in your eyes is completely different from before."

Conversely, Mahiri seemed unimpressed with the meal. It was as if it were merely an act of consuming nutrients.

This was natural, as Kalesian was controlling Mahiri's body. Whatever Mahiri's tongue tasted had nothing to do with Kalesian.

"How was your day?"

"It was great. Thank you for the gifts, too. They're all very expensive."

"If I can earn your favor with them, then it's a cheap price to pay."

Jinwoo wore a puzzled expression.

"You seem to hold me in very high regard. Is it because of Island?"

"That's part of it, but there's more."

"What is it?"

"Didn't I say it earlier? That you devoured my kin."

Clatter.

Jinwoo, who had just been cutting his meat, tensed his hand around the knife. This was a blade, too. If need be, he could strike immediately.

"I can smell the scent of my kind from your soul. But you are human. That means the soul of my kind must be inside you… isn't 'devoured' the appropriate expression?"

"...I wasn't the one who killed it directly."

Was he angry about the death of his kin? Thinking so, Jinwoo tried to explain himself, saying he had only absorbed a soul that was already dead.

But Mahiri shook her head as if that wasn't it.

"I am merely explaining why I hold you in high regard. A dragon is a complete being unto itself. Even our own kind are as distant to us as other species."

"Then…"

"With that kind of skill, you seem more than sufficient as a partner. What do you say? Are you interested in going on a treasure hunt with me?"

A treasure hunt? Wasn't the shopping they just did the treasure hunt?

"Let's go to the 3rd Floor and plunder the treasure of the 13 Gods."

Raiding a luxury shopping mall, for her—no, for him—wasn't even an appetizer.