Chương 62: Reborn as the Dragon — Chapter 62 - Entrapment (1)

"Hmm. Good. Very spirited!" Su Nian clapped a claw on the Bird Demon Leader Ji Taimei's shoulder in approval. Then he looked her up and down, walked a slow circle around her, and spoke under her increasingly uneasy gaze.

"Your back looks decent. Take down your dreadlocks. You and your clanswomen, all of them."

"Wash your hair clean, then meet me outside the Dragon's Nest. You have half an hour." Ji Taimei didn't quite understand, and she was a little reluctant to give up the dreadlocks she'd worked so hard to put in. But she didn't dare defy the Black Dragon. She nodded....... Half an hour later. Outside the Dragon's Nest. A group of bird demons, led by Ji Taimei, stood stark naked before the Black Dragon. They'd never worn clothes to begin with.

When they had feathers, the important areas were at least partially covered. Now, without a single feather left, they had nothing. Not that they particularly cared. Monsters have no sense of shame. Su Nian looked them over. Honestly? With the dreadlocks gone, they were a lot easier on the eyes. If you didn't look at their faces and just took in the figure, these were genuinely attractive women. Add a pair of wings, and there was something exotic about it. Unusual. Exciting, even. Especially Ji Taimei.

The dragon blood baptism had done her real favors. Her skin was fuller now, and noticeably fairer. Long hair fell loose over her shoulders, and her curves were something else entirely. Just the back view alone was enough to stop any number of human men cold. Which was exactly what Su Nian needed. For the past while, the players from Sakura Island's No. 1 Starter Village had been parked inside the safe zone, refusing to come out. And when they did venture out, they went everywhere except near Silvermoon Forest.

Su Nian was not happy about this. How was he supposed to work with players this cautious? He needed to lure them out. Kill a wave, as many as possible. Build up his own strength and his subordinates'. And after all this time, the players should have accumulated more loot drops by now. Why not catch a few and make them open boxes?

"You're all coming with me," Su Nian said, turning to face the assembled bird demons, his expression all cunning and calculation.

"When I tell you what to do, you do it. Understood?"...... Stolen story; please report.

"Yo, Motono-kun, morning~""Motono-kun, nice haul today! Level 9 already! How many chests did you open?"

"None, actually. Just one wooden chest. Heh..." Haruta Motono forced a smile and drifted away from the enthusiastic cluster of players as smoothly as he could manage.

"Tch. Who does he think he is..."

"Right? One level higher and suddenly he's too good for us. Fat as a pig. How did someone like that even get picked for this game?" The murmurs floated up from behind him. Haruta Motono's expression darkened. He clenched his fist. Then he took a slow breath and kept walking. Doesn't matter. As long as he got stronger. Ignore the mockery. Ignore all of it. He was already among the top-leveled players in Sakura Island's No. 1 Starter Village.

Aside from Yamaguchi Mura Chicken, the yakuza boss who'd apparently put his whole crew to work killing monsters for him and hit level 11, everyone else was floating somewhere around six or seven. Reaching level nine had taken real effort. And a bit of luck. Three days ago, he'd found a silver treasure chest deep inside a Ghost-Faced Scorpion's burrow. The Scorpion itself had been teleported out of the safe zone by the starter village's mechanics, so the chest was basically a free pickup.

Inside, he'd found a top-tier item: the [Nast's Silver Flask]. Effect: mana restoration. Three full refills per day. That meant he could kill significantly more beasts than other players every single day. His levels were climbing faster than anyone around him.

"Instant noodles, drinks..." He popped open three wooden chests. All food. He frowned. He kept going.

"A clock, shoe insoles, a condom... Are you serious? What is anyone supposed to do with a condom out here?" Haruta Motono shoved the pile of junk into his inventory and nearly choked on his own frustration. Eight wooden chests today. Eight. And every single one was garbage. At least before, he'd occasionally pulled some magic crafting materials.

"Risk and reward," he muttered to himself. The good chests always spawned in the dangerous zones. Inside the safe area, it was basically just wooden crates all the way down. His eyes hardened.

"Silvermoon Forest. Whatever it takes. Even if it's dangerous, as long as I can get stronger."

"I'll bring Orihime-chan." Decision made. He pulled on his mage robes, grabbed his staff, and headed to the house next door. Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Orihime-chan? You in there?" A pause. Then came the sound of heavy footsteps, slow and deliberate, crossing the room. The door swung open. The door panel flew clean off its hinges with a bang. Standing in the doorway was a girl who looked, at first glance, impossibly cute and delicate. At first glance. Provided you were somehow able to overlook her nearly 190-centimeter frame and the physique of a competitive bodybuilder.

Every single time he saw Inoue Orihime, Haruta Motono was freshly amazed that the world could produce something like this.

"Oh no~ I'm so sorry~ I tore the door off again~ How embarrassing~" Inoue Orihime covered her pretty face with both hands, those enormous hands, each one roughly the size of a decorative fan, radiating pure bashfulness and feminine distress. Her voice, meanwhile, was deeper than most grown men's.

"So..." Haruta Motono rubbed the bridge of his nose and worked to keep his gaze fixed somewhere in the vicinity of her face, which helped considerably.

"I'm planning to explore Silvermoon Forest. More chests, better leveling. Want to come?" Orihime-chan was a level 8 warrior with genuinely terrifying combat ability. Unlike other players, she had martial arts in her blood, passed down through her family. She was, frankly, exactly who he needed.

"But the Silvermoon Forest is so dangerous, I'm scared~" Inoue Orihime twisted at the waist, nearly taking the door frame with her. There was not a trace of actual fear anywhere on her face.

"Unless Motono-kun will protect me~" That last part was the real point. She'd had feelings for Haruta Motono for a while now. Going to Silvermoon Forest together, just the two of them, was a perfect opportunity to get a little closer. Maybe even significantly closer.

"......" Haruta Motono suppressed something that was definitely not nausea. He noted, internally, the obvious absurdity of a mage volunteering to protect a warrior. But he needed her combat power. He needed it badly enough. He pressed out a smile, nodded, and said:"Don't worry, Orihime-chan. I'll keep you safe." ➤ Next: Entrapment (2)