人間とモンスターの距離L：名はないダンジョンコールの回想記

 

As a monster in this world of RESMERE, the Pinnacles of Absolute Power that one can eventually attain are of two types: Becoming a Demon Lord or becoming a Dungeon Core.

I happen to be of the latter type. But before I became a Dungeon Core, I was also at the Pinnacle of Power. I was after all a DRAGON.

If I have to name myself, then there is no name to associate me with, for now I go by the name of Nameless. I used to be an ABYSSMAL DRAGON a draconic type monster which are supposed to be a taboo (cross-breed) born from a dragon and a human, whether that is true or not is already lost to us and therefore I could no longer confirm or deny it.

However there is a reason as to why we are regarded as a taboo, ABYSSMALs have some distinct human-like qualities. Like how we are born from the womb from our mothers instead of hatching from eggs like most dragons. As we grow, the most human like appearance would be our bodies, structured similarly to that of human body, we also possess their genitals and reproduce sexually the same as they do.

But that is the end of our similarities, we still have the distinctive dragon faces, the scales that cover 85% of our bodies, our tails and our wings affixed to our human like forearms.

Another difference would be that when we grow older we grow in size relatively to our over-all power after all no matter how human-like we seem to be, we are still monsters living in this world known as Resmere.

And just like any other monsters, the day we are born we are gifted and cursed with something called Premonitions, some sort of divine foresight to see what we would become in our future.

.PREMONITION {

Oh, great king of Land and Sky bored by the power gifted since birth.

In the summit of your great power a kingdom shall be consumed.

In your seat so high to alleviate your boredom a Demon Lord power shall rise bringing forth the world's demise.

}

According to how the dream like premonition had cursed me I am supposedly to be gifted with the Premonition of Transfiguration. When I grow in power, I in my absoluteness, would then become a Demon Lord and eventually bring forth doom to this world.

I did not particularly love or hate the idea of becoming a Demon Lord or the fact that I will bring forth of its demise. Although, I do love the strength that comes with becoming the Demon Lord I also did not like the idea that one's fate cannot be put into question. So, just for fun I searched for ways to try and defer from the Premonition without minding about it too much. If I become a Demon Lord 'okay', if not, 'okay'.

And so my laid back defiance to my Premonition started.

*****

Of the monsters in this world, only dragons have their younglings gets treated as a threat, as a CHILD ABYSSMAL who had somehow been gifted with wisdom and knowledge I would go to town and wreak havoc here and there, it was to see if I would be pleased when I go forth in destroying the world.

Although, I did not have any unpleasant vibes, destroying something with overwhelming power seemed… boring.

I mean, even the knights were having trouble from me a mere CHILD ABYSSMAL, how much more when I grow as a:

• FLEDGELING ABYSSMAL;
• GREATER ABYSSMAL;
• ELDER ABYSSMAL;
• ABYSSMAL DRAGON KING;
• ABYSSMAL DRAGON KING;
• ABYSSMAL DRAGON LORD;
• ABYSSMAL DRAGON EMPEROR…

*sigh

I wonder if I am forced to feel this boredom when I become a Demon Lord to the point of destroying this world.

But with nothing else to do my laid back defiance against my Premonition of Transfiguration continued, I sometimes out of boredom heal a few people just for fun, destroyed their crops just for laugh.

And this continued for more generations, eventually reaching the summit of the ABYSSMAL Dragon race and become ENDLESS ABYSSMAL DRAGON EMPEROR.

What now?

After reaching the summit, although a tiring process of forming my body to great heights of strengths I feel no different from how I felt during my childhood. There was still no one who could hold a cup against me, the subjugation forces sent to me were easily sent flying back to their countries even higher ranked Hunters were sent crying to where they belong. No one could best me, may it be in terms of magic or pure brute strength.

This absoluteness with my power continued after another large time passed and so the constant duels and subjugation was getting kind of boring of an occurrence.

However one day, a lone girl climbed up to my mountain, one who would give my fate a complete 360 degree turn.

*****

'Ohhh… Another girl, is it?' I was not surprised that a lone girl was climbing towards me. It was not the first time some female sage would try and best me against their most powerful magic.

What surprised me with this lone girl were her STATS, with my OMNIPOTENT APPRAISAL which nothing could be hidden even with her ROBE of SECRETS. 'Is she seriously going to try and fight me with those STATS?'

"What have you come here for, child of man?" I questioned her. We dragons are long lived and through that long lived existence made it enough for us to learn the languages of mortal men.

"I have a request for the all-powerful ENDLESS ABYSSMAL DRAGON EMPEROR" kneeling before me the lone girl said with a tone of fear, yet I could see courage through her eyes. While this was also not the first time I have been gazed with the same eyes, and yet somehow I was mesmerized by hers.

"And what would that be child of man?" I was curious as to what she would say, does she want me to play that she defeated me or something… although I am curious to having a bad reputation. Too bad I can't do that, I mean I too have my own pride. But the next thing she said gravely shocked me.

"I want to ask the great Dragon to fly down the mountain and destroy the Kingdom of Amaria."

"Ha! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH" I could not completely grasp what this little girl telling me, but her words had made me laugh. "As to be expected from the child of man, selfish." Due to having been around for more than many generations I have always seen the ugly side of humans, they kill each other for a piece of bronze and now here we have a princess of the same affiliation she wants to destroy. "You want me to be its destroyer and have all the blame set towards me."

I looked at her with a piercing eyes and spat at her cold words.

"I see… I am sorry for asking so much of you…" Tears flowed in her eyes, not of fear but of sadness, great, great sadness.

*****

Three days went by and I could not get the image of that girl out of my head. There have been a lot of eccentric visitors in my mountain cave. There had been a time when a lone man came and visit to have a drinking contest. Another that just simple wanted to have their music heard.

But that girl has been the first to ask me genuinely to have her own kingdom destroyed. Crept with deep curiosity, I decided to head down for her kingdom and have a look at the kingdom and why its princess wants it destroyed.

And with that I took my great wings and flew to the Kingdom of Amaria. Upon arriving on the kingdom, a thick Miasma had covered the entire kingdom, turning its inhabitants to savages and monsters that I have never seen before.

I wanted to ascertain the girl's condition and so flew towards the castle where I met her eyes which held mixture of emotions: one of happiness, one of grief and one of salvation.

Yes, I finally understood the courage she took to climb my mountain cave and asked for the destruction of her own kingdom. She was not asking me to become a villain and while it would not change that I did destroy a kingdom and be seen as a destroyer her actual aim was to stop the plague here.

Finally realizing her goal, and to grant the lone girl's request, I burned the whole kingdom. As I was burning the whole kingdom, I saw the princess smiling at me, she did not have the inclination to run, she was scared but she faced it head on. I closed unto her.

"Is this what you want child of man?"

"Yes." She said with great conviction. "But please can I ask one more request?"

"If it is within my power, speak?"

"Can you take these pair of earrings and plant them once the fire goes down, my dear mother gave them to me…" she looked over the bloodstained bed and presented me with the two earrings with both her hands, they were no longer that of humans. Shew knew it was too late for her.

"If we were born differently I wonder if you would have been my boyfriend"

"Just you know, I am a girl…"

"I see, so we could have been friends…"

*****

I watched as the kingdom burned to the ground, I was sure that the whole world was now going to hunt me for destroying a kingdom. I looked at the scene although it had somehow dissipated I could still see those black miasmic mist.

I see today was the day wasn't it? Today was the day I was going to become the Demon Lord. I guess it wouldn't be too unnatural to say that a Demon Lord would rise and started destroying a kingdom or two.

However, as I was holding unto these two earrings I had received from the brave princess of this kingdom, my laid back defiance begun to change to actual defiance… I see, I got bored seeing destruction after destruction. It was just too easy after all, but protecting something now that was harder, I could see that princess' face as she protected the world by destroying her own kingdom.

I wanted to be like her.

I spread more flames into the already burning kingdom. I wanted to destroy all trace of the miasma that would turn me into a Demon Lord.

With the inferno that started in the Kingdom of Amaria and eventually spread reaching to the further, which was how the great Centra Continent became uncharted and became  unapproachable for generations to come.

 

.WORLD KNOWLEDGE {

• • A number of LIFE SOURCE is surging into your body
  • Max Output… Max Output… Max Output… Max Output… Max Output…
  • Exceeded capacity to hold onto the LIFE SOURCE
  • You may choose you own TRANSFIGURATION
  • Would you like to become a Demon Lord [Yes], [No]
  • Would you like to become a Dungeon Core [Yes], [No]
  • You have chosen to become a Dungeon Core chose a location for your core to materialize
  • You have chosen a mountain on an Uncharted Island

}

I did kill a lot of demons and humans from that kingdom which must have been an astronomical haul of Life Source to have tried to level me up who is already at the summit. I did not want to become a Demon Lord, so I choose to become a Dungeon Core instead.

They say that Dungeon Cores have the same power as a Demon Lords, but lack the urge of destruction.

Ohhh I was quite exited, this was like the life style I have been living before, only I was now able to create things. With the MANA from this place and my own, I should be able to create a magnificent dungeon, how many floors should I make 10… no 50… no let's make it a hundred floors. Let's summon monsters as guards… I should lose some MIMICs to attract Hunters …. What else, right let's get some weapons too to attract more Hunters… Let's add a chasm on the 41st floor for those who want to challenge me directly… hehehehe

But 200 years has passed and I have not seen any trespassers. Maybe I should have place a sign board telling them that there is a Dungeon here I should have not chosen an uncharted island to make my dungeon. Haaaaaaa. I'm bored.

Eventually 1721 years had passed and still no one came to visit my dungeon. I guess choosing this isolated place was a bad idea after all.

What? Some monster disappeared from my dungeon. Must be that 4 Armed Monkey again, he enters but never goes deeper, what a letdown… you weakling …you... you monkey come at me.

After several days, more of my summoned monsters disappears. to confirm the situation I used my overseer skill to see who has trespassed my labyrinth. And what do you know it was a Human. Due to my own happiness a sudden sparkle in my eyes was evident. Even though the monsters here are something I have summoned and could very well be my children, I have secretly prayed that he would reach me…

And he did reach me, he even wounded me… ahhh… the euphoria… what should I do… I think might have fallen for him….