‘Kranol Wizar always brings calamity in his wake.’
‘Wherever he goes, he causes immense terror and devastation.’
‘That is why he is hated wherever he goes.’
Kranol the Calamity.
Kranol the Hated.
Kranol, Loathed by All.
These were Kranol’s illustrious nicknames near the very end of the story.
The reason he was so thoroughly shunned by all humanity was simple.
His Hidden Trait specialized in indiscriminate, large-scale slaughter.
It was also the reason Kranol would eventually massacre millions of innocent people across the continent.
‘I’m screwed.’
The moment Kranol read the Status Window, his mind went blank.
His Hidden Trait was originally supposed to awaken near the very end of the story.
Yet the hatchling’s intervention had brought that moment forward considerably.
Kranol had effectively become a walking nuclear bomb.
‘No. I have to die quickly.’
At this point in the story, the protagonist had no hope of stopping Kranol after his Hidden Trait had awakened.
If his madness intensified and stripped him of his sense of self, an unprecedented catastrophe would occur.
Kranol’s eyes darted around urgently.
He spotted the poisonous herbs he had spat out moments ago.
‘I spat them out once, but if I swallow them again...!’
There should still be enough to stop his heart.
Just as he hurriedly reached for them—
“SKREE!”
The hatchling frantically unleashed its dragon breath (Breath).
White flames completely incinerated the poisonous herbs he had spat out.
Naturally, Kranol scowled.
“You... What do you think you’re doing?!”
Now his only means of suicide had disappeared as well.
What was with this hatchling, constantly preventing him from dying?
He looked around, but unfortunately, they were on a deserted road with no one else in sight.
“Hatchling.”
There was no other choice.
Kranol rasped, his eyes bloodshot.
“You kill me.”
“SKREEEEE!”
The golden hatchling violently shook its head.
Tears welled in the defiant creature’s eyes.
It seemed determined not to let Kranol die before it.
Frustration and irritation surged within him.
“If you don’t kill me now, millions of people will die. So hurry up and....”
At that moment, the golden hatchling spread both wings.
Kranol thought it was merely trying to threaten him, as it had done in the corrupted forest.
Instead, a rift opened in midair, and something dropped out.
“Ah.”
Even through his fading consciousness, Kranol’s eyes widened.
It was unmistakably the ‘Subspace Storage’ unique to Gold Emperor Dragons.
It was a convenient form of special magic that allowed them to store and retrieve anything they wished.
However, the object that emerged from the rift was entirely unexpected.
A golden liquid was contained within a sturdy, transparent bottle.
‘Is that... a Golden Elixir?’
The Golden Elixir that had emerged from the rift was no ordinary potion.
It was a Unique-grade miraculous elixir, one of the rarest treasures on the entire continent.
‘I’m certain that’s loot you can plunder from the nest after defeating the final boss of Act One.’
The hatchling possessed the exact same treasure.
Yet its strange behavior did not end there.
It grasped the Golden Elixir between its tiny forepaws and held it out to Kranol.
“SKREEEEE!”
“...Are you saying you’re giving this to me?”
The hatchling nodded vigorously.
Kranol was dumbfounded.
He wondered whether the little creature had lost its mind.
Was it still too young to comprehend the value of a Unique-grade item?
“...Gulp.”
However, he had no time to consider such things.
Without a moment’s hesitation, he accepted the Golden Elixir.
Then he drank the liquid inside in a single breath.
[You have consumed the Golden Elixir.]
[You have acquired the trait, ‘Heavenly Martial Physique (Heaven-Wrought Body).’]
[All diseases and curses afflicting your body will be completely cured.]
Kranol felt a glimmer of hope as he stared at the Status Window before him.
However....
[...Failure!]
[This madness cannot be completely cured by this alone.]
[However, its severely aggravated symptoms have been significantly alleviated.]
...It had failed after all.
The Golden Elixir was an extraordinary medicine, but it was not a universal cure.
It could not completely cure exceptional and severe conditions such as Corpse Disease or his madness.
‘Corpse Disease only shows improvement when treated with a specific Hidden Piece. Unlike my madness, the Golden Elixir probably couldn’t even have eased its symptoms.’
The hatchling must have known that, which was why it had given the elixir to him instead of drinking it itself.
“Haa. Haa.”
Regardless, color rapidly returned to Kranol’s face.
His thirst for blood was gradually fading.
Still breathing heavily, he wiped his blood-soaked face with one hand.
Before he knew it, his severe headache had returned to its usual intensity, and his nosebleed had stopped.
‘It wasn’t a complete cure... but this is good enough.’
Kranol rose with his body feeling considerably lighter.
It was indeed a Unique-grade elixir.
A lingering headache remained, but his body, which had refused to obey him only moments ago, now felt light again.
‘More importantly... why did this creature save me?’
It was difficult to dismiss it as a simple coincidence.
The dragon’s keen sense of smell had probably allowed it to detect the poisonous herbs.
That must have been why it had dropped its invisibility and rushed toward him when he swallowed a handful.
‘Was it repaying me for saving it in the corrupted forest?’
But since when were dragons creatures that repaid kindness?
In the original story, he had only read that they were supremely powerful and insufferably arrogant beings.
Perhaps it was still too young to have developed the distinctive ego of a dragon.
“SKREE?”
The hatchling cautiously approached Kranol.
It sniffed him before prodding the blood staining his collar with one forepaw.
Kranol spoke to reassure it.
“Thank you. You saved my life.”
Had things gone badly, entire major cities might have been plunged into mourning.
He unexpectedly found himself grateful to the creature.
He reached out, thinking he might at least stroke its head once.
“SKREEEEE!”
The hatchling abruptly changed its attitude and thrust a forepaw at him with an indignant cry.
It seemed to be belatedly scolding him for not valuing his own life.
Kranol paused before the corners of his lips rose slightly.
It was rather amusing that the creature had rushed over to save him, only to become angry with him afterward.
“What are you, a chubby little kitten?”
Kranol muttered without thinking.
“SKREEEEE?!”
The horrified hatchling’s eyes filled with tears once more.
It looked as though it could not believe he had said something so cruel.
“Ah. You don’t like being called chubby?”
“SKREEEEE!”
The offended hatchling puffed out its cheeks.
It then spun around and flew away as it pleased.
Watching its retreating figure, Kranol let out a quiet laugh despite himself.
“Ah.”
He had just realized something.
That was the first time he had smiled since transmigrating into this world.
***
Ever since returning from the brink of death, Kranol had sensed an uncomfortable presence.
It felt as though an invisible creature had been following him the entire time.
After returning to his inn room, washing the blood from his body, and lying down, he muttered aloud.
“I hear dragon hatchling meat is delicious. It would make a fine dessert when I’m this hungry....”
“SKREEEEE!”
The terrified hatchling shrieked, flinched, and immediately clamped its maw shut again.
“Hmm. So you really were following me.”
Perhaps it regarded Kranol as its savior.
It appeared intent on continuing to follow him everywhere.
‘It seems surprisingly shy.’
Perhaps it did not want to attract people’s attention.
The hatchling remained invisible whenever possible as it followed him.
In any case, it did not appear to intend to attack or harm him, so he saw no reason to object.
‘Anyway.’
Kranol changed into clean clothes in his inn room.
He then immediately headed back outside and made his way toward the lord’s castle.
It was time to report on the A-rank request.
***
The Birsi Territory.
Located near the center of the continent, it was on an entirely different scale from an ordinary rural territory.
It was as large as a respectable small city, and numerous guilds flourished there.
As a result, the Lord of Birsi was inevitably burdened by problems both great and small.
“So you’re saying there was never a Rot Dragon?”
“Yes. The deaths were caused by the demonic energy leaking from the ground. I was fortunate enough to survive because I sprinkled holy water over myself.”
“...Is that all?”
“Yes.”
The Lord of Birsi rested his chin on one hand as he sat silently in his office.
Eventually, he could contain himself no longer and burst out in a loud voice.
“Don’t try to wriggle out of this! Aren’t you Mad Dog Kranol, the man who ultimately completes every request he accepts, no matter how recklessly?”
“I don’t believe my nickname, Mad Dog, has much to do with completing requests.”
Kranol merely pressed wearily against his temple.
Whenever someone raised their voice, his head throbbed viciously.
Fortunately, the lord soon calmed down and organized his thoughts.
‘Subjugating the Rot Dragon. I asked the capital several times to send an expedition, but every request was rejected.’
The subordinates he had sent there had died, and the same was true of the veteran mercenaries.
The sinister rumors had even affected the number of visitors willing to enter the territory.
The corrupted western region had become a land of death.
‘Opening the western road would provide the foundation our territory needs to develop into a major city.’
As someone who had recently been focusing on establishing a new trade route, the lord could not help but feel desperate.
Therefore, he needed to make use of the mad dog before him somehow.
The lord spoke in a coaxing voice.
“Kranol. Do you truly not covet those precious Sky Boots? They are Unique-grade equipment! It doesn’t have to be a Rot Dragon. If you can somehow purify the corrupted western region, I will gladly give you the reward!”
It was the reward for completing the A-rank request.
However, Kranol’s expression did not change in the slightest.
“I’ve been wondering for some time. Do you actually possess them?”
“...!”
A briefly startled expression flashed across the lord’s face.
He quickly regained his composure and protested.
“What are you talking about? Do you have any idea how exacting those bastards at the Mercenary Guild are? They would never post a request without verifying the reward!”
“There are still plenty of ways to deceive them. The boots could be a counterfeit disguised to look genuine, or perhaps they have a limited number of uses.”
A Unique-grade item?
It was obviously a lie.
Even the Golden Elixir, which belonged to the same grade, was an item most people would be lucky to see a few times in their entire lives.
There was no possibility that someone would offer such a reward merely for purifying a corrupted forest.
‘However.’
Kranol silently studied the lord.
Birsi was on an entirely different level from an ordinary minor territory.
Even if the lord did not possess Unique-grade magical equipment, he was still a wealthy patron from whom there was plenty to extract.
Kranol moistened his lips.
“If establishing a trade route is your current concern, I can propose a different solution.”
“Oh? What is it?”
The lord immediately looked interested.
However, the proposal that followed proved disappointing.
“The Vortex Cavern? You mean that dungeon in the distant wasteland?”
“Yes. If I go there, I can obtain an item capable of purifying the corrupted western region.”
The Lord of Birsi let out an incredulous laugh.
“You must not know what you’re talking about. Calamities rage through that dungeon all year round. The wasteland itself is treacherous as well. Even the adventurers around here rarely venture there.”
Kranol’s expression remained unchanged.
He already knew all of that.
The lord continued suspiciously.
“Even for someone like you, Mad Dog, this is dangerous. That dungeon’s difficulty is on an entirely different level from the requests available in our territory. Are you claiming you can break through a region that is practically a calamity in itself?”
Kranol immediately nodded.
Of course he would go.
No matter who tried to stop him, he had to go.
‘Kranol Wizar’s Hidden Trait—Catastrophe Affinity.’
Calamities could no longer threaten Kranol.
On the contrary, they were a source of outrageous benefits that he absolutely had to expose himself to.