Curse Return: Swordsmith Start

Chapter 177 Finally Meeting the Dragon God

After leaving the Kingdom of Xilong, the group continued westward.

The destination is the Kingdom of Asura.

The road was flat and the air was warm enough to make you want to doze off.

The road is flanked by endless grasslands, and the Red Dragon Mountains are faintly visible in front.

Looking up, you can see three shadows slowly circling on the mountaintop.

They were very relaxed.

Perhaps this is the lingering charm of the world's first continent, allowing one to deeply feel the word "peace and tranquility."

Ah, how wonderful! It feels like a rare vacation after a long day of work, something I truly cherish.

Rudeus had this thought. Although he was still weak in his limbs, he was in a particularly good mood. After all, he had survived his older brother's training.

He'll probably be traumatized by it in a few days.

After all, the Yue people never play tricks, and after leaving the Kingdom of Xilong, they began special training for Rudeus.

It mainly focuses on on-site responses to emergencies.

The result was so-so, but it served as a kind of precaution for the kid, since he might run into Boss Long next.

At their current pace, they should be moving faster than in the original story, but it's uncertain whether they'll be able to see Boss Long again.

However, the Yue people, who always like to be prepared, still took this opportunity to give their captain, who was the most vulnerable member of the team, a little naught.

The latter naturally wouldn't understand the deeper meaning behind Yue Ren's words. He only felt that his elder brother was dissatisfied with his performance in the Kingdom of Xilong, so he accepted it earnestly.

Feeling the pleasant atmosphere, Rudius looked at his elder brother and Rijrud with a hint of smugness. The former was enjoying the prestige on horseback with his eyes closed, while the latter remained expressionless as always.

Occasionally, some clueless thieves will appear and demand to hand over valuable metal items, but whenever this happens, Alice will always give them an "iron" punch as they wish, after which the thieves will flee in a sorry state.

At first, Rachel Rudd wanted to kill all of them, but after questioning them, he learned that they seemed to be robbing people on the road simply because they were so poor that they had no food. Therefore, he decided to spare their lives.

However, it was only for one time, and he was completely different from when we first met. It seems that he has thought things through a lot along the way.

Although it is the central continent, the security along this road is a bit poor. They encountered a lot of robbers along the way. Is this a local characteristic?

In contrast, there are hardly any thieves on the Demon Continent; instead, there are monsters in about ten times the number of thieves.

The most interesting part of this route is probably the Chilong Mountains we're about to pass through.

The so-called Crimson Dragon Mountains are a vast mountain range located in the central continent.

The mountains belonging to the Crimson Dragon Mountain Range are connected and divide the central continent into three parts. It is named after the Crimson Dragons that live in the entire mountain range.

The Crimson Dragon is considered to be the strongest monster in the Central Continent.

Perhaps it should be called an absolute powerhouse.

What deserves special mention is their detection ability; the red dragons will never let any creature that invades their territory go unpunished.

No matter how powerful a monster is, once it enters the Red Dragon's territory, it will be besieged and eventually devoured, leaving not even bones behind.

There is currently no clear answer as to what methods the Red Dragon uses to locate creatures that invade its territory.

The only common sense in this world is that "entering the Red Dragon's territory means certain death."

There are several kinds of dragons in this world.

Regardless of the type of dragon, each individual is a monster of rank A or higher, with the Red Dragon being considered the most dangerous and ferocious.

Although a single Red Dragon can only be considered a late-stage S-rank at best, the sheer number of its groups and the size of its territory are astonishing.

Despite being a dangerous creature, the Red Dragon has a weakness.

Despite their formidable combat capabilities, they are unable to take off from flat ground due to their rather poor flight ability.

If the Red Dragon wants to fly, it can only jump off a high cliff or glide up a slope of a certain length before taking off.

Although the mountains on the central continent are very high, most of the terrain consists of flat plains and forests.

Therefore, people living on flat land are rarely attacked by the red dragon.

However, it seems that occasionally some particularly stupid individuals will appear among the red dragons, as they are swept up by turbulent currents and fall to the ground.

Such a dragon would be considered a lost, stray dragon.

The overlord of the sky will lose its power after falling to the ground... However, of course, it cannot lose all its power and will retain strength equivalent to the early stage of A-rank.

If it falls near human settlements, the Red Dragon will wreak havoc with overwhelming power, causing severe damage.

That would trigger a nationwide outcry.

Not only will they issue emergency orders, but the situation will also become so chaotic that it's like stirring up a hornet's nest.

However, these dragons usually end up in places far from human settlements.

Although the commission is S-rank, for safety reasons, nearly ten teams will be dispatched and traps will be used, which may make it easy to deal with the Red Dragon.

Incidentally, dragon meat and dragon bones are among the highest-grade equipment materials, and even dragon hides are highly valuable as works of art.

Of course, it's not just the dragon skin; every part of a dragon can be used for something. Even if ten people work together to hunt down a dragon and split the reward equally, each person can get enough to squander and enjoy for a whole year.

To be more specific, one dragon should be worth one hundred Asura coins, which is undoubtedly a huge sum of money.

In this Crimson Dragon Mountain Range, which is home to a large number of Crimson Dragons, there are only two accessible places.

That is the valley known as the "Red Dragon Lower Jaw" and the "Red Dragon Upper Jaw," which features sheer cliffs.

These two places are valleys that have existed since the Second War between Man and Demon, and even then, they were the only passageways wide enough for an army to pass through.

The demon Laplace anticipated this and placed the red dragon in this mountain range to create obstacles.

This information came from Rigel, a former confidant of the Demon God, so it must be accurate.

Having learned this information, the group took a carriage to the "Crimson Dragon's Jaw," which connects the southern and western parts of the central continent.

Once they pass through there, they will enter the territory of the Kingdom of Asra.

However, taking a detour is, in other words, going around in circles.

There was a young lady in the group who didn't want to take the long way around.

"Why take such a detour? With Rijkaard and Big Brother here, they should be able to find a way through a small place like the Crimson Dragon Mountains!"

This was the absurd request Alice made after seeing the red dragon circling above the Red Dragon Mountains.

"Don't talk nonsense."

Rachel Rudd answered with a wry smile.

"Want to go on adventures? Wait until you become a qualified warrior like Gilead."

"Can't you even cross the Yue people's borders?"

"We should be able to get there."

While flipping through the historical books he had acquired, Yue Ren spoke without looking to the side.

"Since you're so strong, why don't you go?"

"Power isn't something to show off. What's your real purpose in wanting to become stronger?"

"Protect Rudius."

"If that's the case, then why take him to a dangerous place? If the goal is to protect him, wouldn't it be better to prevent danger from happening in the first place rather than intervening when it does?"

As expected of the eldest brother, he always manages to say the most insightful things. Rudeus, who was listening from the side, silently gave a thumbs up.

"That makes sense, I understand, then I won't go."

"However, one day I still want to take one down and see..."

'

"Simply challenging the peak is certainly possible, Alice, but if you want to become strong, you must remember one principle."

"What?"

"The strong wield their swords against the even stronger, and behind them should be something they would fight to the death to protect."

"I understand, but I don't get it!"

"A sword's edge points directly at the stronger, making you stronger. The sword's edge becomes sharper and more resilient. With something to protect behind you, your will cannot be defeated. Just thinking about it will give you the motivation to keep wielding your sword, even when you are exhausted."

"I see, I understand."

"6

""

Rudeus looked at Alice in front of him, his eyes filled with a sense of accomplishment.

This is the meaning of protection, isn't it? It's the same as wanting to protect Alice and the people I care about. Alice seems to have remembered it deeply. No wonder he's the eldest brother.

Although I feel that her "someday" will definitely involve him as well, it's not impossible for things to be like this now.

In order to prepare for the day that will come sooner or later, it seems necessary to prepare in advance for how to fight the Red Dragon.

Camping time.

Yue Ren silently adjusted his state. Next, he would have to pass through the "Red Dragon's Jaw". Although he felt that he might not be able to meet the Dragon God, fate is a mysterious thing. Just in case, he still made some preparations.

To be honest, even if he were to actually encounter him, he wouldn't be absolutely certain of victory. After all, his opponent was considered the strongest dragon below the gods and the second strongest of the seven great powers. If they were to actually fight, his power wouldn't be much weaker than Laplace's when he blasted out the Lingus Sea.

The power gap in this world is far greater than in the world of cursed arts. Even if Gojo Satoru came here, it cannot be said that he is the strongest. He should be able to rank among the top seven, but it would be difficult for him to challenge the top few.

This was also one of the reasons why they didn't follow Alice's advice and directly forced their way into the Crimson Dragon Mountains.

According to his plan, if he confirms that the world's strongest swordsmanship is useful to him, his next destination will be the Holy Land of Swords. If the three swordsmanship techniques used by Boss Long are not to his liking, then he will focus his attention on magic and go to the three great magic countries to improve teleportation magic.

If we don't encounter Boss Long, then after sending the two brats home, we'll go to the Holy Land of Swords to test the strength of the current Sword God.

After that, I'll research teleportation, or rather, blink magic, and then go to the continent of Belial, known for its labyrinths, to experience it. If I've done all that, I can consider going back then.

"Red Dragon's Lower Jaw".

This is a valley where only one road leads forward.

Although it is not as straight as the Holy Sword Street, it is still a single path without any forks.

It is a territory located between national borders and does not belong to any country.

Once they pass through here, they will enter the Kingdom of Asura. Rudeus and his brother, who sensed that their long journey was finally coming to an end, could not hide their excitement.

Although I sometimes feel uneasy about not knowing the current situation of my hometown, I have begun to feel a sense of accomplishment.

On the way, he talked non-stop about all sorts of things about his hometown, as if he had opened a floodgate.

Under these circumstances, a guy walked over here in a very ordinary way.

They moved slowly from the other end of this one-way path toward them, like ordinary travelers who happened to be passing by at the same time.

The other party did not ride a horse or a carriage; they only traveled on foot.

He has silver hair and golden eyes. He is not wearing any special armor, but rather a rough white coat made of some unknown type of leather. He is male.

Rudius's first impression of him was, at best, "What a fierce-looking fellow."

After all, this person's whites were ridiculously large, making it seem as if the other party was staring at him intentionally or unintentionally, somewhat similar to Rijerud when they first met. Could he also be a Spelud? No, there's no gem on his forehead, and his hair isn't green.

What caught Rudius's attention even more were the people around him.

A black-haired girl followed this guy. Rudeus felt like he had seen this girl somewhere before, but he couldn't remember where.

There are very few people in this world with pure black hair. Even if it looks black at first glance, you will find that it is actually dark brown or a bit grayish after careful observation.

Although Rudeus doesn't rely on hair color to remember other people, he always felt that he should remember someone with pure black hair... but he can't remember it now.

In addition, there is an even more striking reason for this girl's appearance: she is wearing a mask.

It was a pure white mask without any patterns or decorations. To be honest, it had no special features, but it was a mask that one would never forget after seeing it once.

No one in this world would wear such a mask, because it would attract too much attention, so it's probably not a fashion statement.

Rudius thought to himself.

"6

""

But Rudius soon discovered something amiss.

Rijerud, sitting in the driver's seat of the carriage, was pale, as was Alice. With each step the man took closer, her expression grew more and more solemn, and her hand gripping the sword hilt even turned white from the force.

What's wrong? Are you scared? Rijrud looked serious... Alice, are you scared of that guy over there?

Subconsciously turning my head to look in the other direction, I felt a slight sense of relief. Brother Yue didn't have the same change in expression, but I could feel that the corners of his mouth were turned up, that he was smiling?

Yue Ren was quite surprised; he never expected to actually run into Boss Long. He really didn't expect it.

But it doesn't matter. This aura and pressure are truly worthy of the number one martial artist in the world. Just by feeling it, you can tell that he is extremely powerful.