The interface glowed with a malevolent, crimson hue. In the center of Arthur's vision, the quest window pulsated like a beating heart.
[Hidden Quest: Half-Draconian Movements (SS)]
Quest Objective:-
1. Find out the schemes of the Half-Draconians.
2. Return to Titan and deliver your report to Saharan Royal Black Knight Captain, Noro.
Success Reward: Every participant Level +5, Chance to join Black Knights of Saharan.
Failure Penalty: None.
This is the quest Junho and their group got. And Arthur is checking the quest after they shared the Quest-info with him.
"Alright, we'll move into the Gravelmark valley after midnight," Jinho said, his voice brimming with the unearned confidence of a man who thought level numbers were a substitute for skill.
"We gather the numbers, gauge the threat, and we're out. It's a textbook scouting mission."
Arthur looked at the 'SS' rank on the quest header. In Satisfy, difficulty ratings weren't flavor text—they were warnings written in blood.
"Jinho, are you absolutely sure about this? Half-Draconians aren't common mobs. They are Level 300+ elites. We're stepping into a slaughterhouse."
"Relax, buddy!" Taeshik chimed in, patting the hilt of his sword. He had recently completed his second advancement to become a 'Assassin with 'stealth skill.'
"Minsung and I have stealth skills. We'll go ahead, mark the safe zones, and signal you. You've helped us with university assignments for years, Arthur; let us carry you for once. Just sit back and enjoy the five levels."
Arthur fell silent. He felt the weight of the Undefeated King's Successor class heavy in his soul. The class came with a terrifying hidden clause: If he were ever defeated in battle, the class would be permanently deleted. This wasn't just a game for him anymore; it was a tightrope walk over an abyss.
Three hours later, the party reached the jagged maw of the Gravelmark Valley. The moonlight turned the snow-capped peaks into shards of bone.
Taeshik and Minsung vanished into the darkness, their silhouettes flickering as they activated their stealth skills.
Ten minutes passed. A green flare—the signal—ignited in the distance.
"See?" Jinho whispered, grinning. "Safe as a church in Vatican. Let's move."
The party descended into the Half-Draconian settlement. It was a collection of obsidian huts carved into the mountainside. But as Arthur stepped onto the black stone of the village center, his skin began to crawl.
"It's too quiet," Arthur hissed, his hand going to the hilt of his greatsword. "Where are the guards? Where is the livestock? This isn't a settlement; it's a—"
"AAAAHHHHHH!"
A scream ripped through the valley. High on a ledge, the 'stealth' masters Taeshik and Minsung were suddenly illuminated. A torrent of white-hot flame, the signature Dragon's Breath, engulfed them instantly. Their HP bars didn't drain; they evaporated.
"Ambitiously foolish humans," a deep, guttural voice vibrated through the rocks.
Behind the stone walls and frozen bushes, six Half-Draconian warriors emerged. They stood nearly eight feet tall, their bodies covered in iridescent scales, their eyes glowing like molten gold.
"Log out! Everyone, log out now!" Arthur roared.
[System: A quest-related combat event is in progress. Logout is temporarily unavailable.]
"Shit!" Jinho yelled, but it was his last word.
The Half-Draconians moved with a speed that defied their bulk. One warrior swung a spiked mace, pulverizing Beomsuk instantly.
Another lunged, his claws glowing with elemental energy, shredding the rest of the party in a whirlwind of gore.
Arthur's eyes widened. His "high-level" friends, the Level 200+ rankers, were being slaughtered like Level 1 rabbits. They hadn't checked the perimeter; they hadn't accounted for the Half-Draconians' superior sensory passives. They had walked into a trap with their eyes closed.
Arthur didn't stay to mourn. He activated Swift Sword, the sudden burst of agility allowing him to roll beneath a sweeping tail-swipe that shattered a stone pillar behind him.
"Second advancement rankers? My ass!" Arthur snarled, his heart hammering against his ribs. "They didn't hide their presence—they just turned invisible and expected the world to ignore them!"
He turned and sprinted toward the narrow mountain pass. Behind him, the five players who were supposed to "carry" him were already gray screens.
"You fuckers!" Arthur roared into the wind. "I hope your parents live well even after raising idiots like you! Is this your 'bus ride'?! You died before the passenger!"
The Half-Draconians didn't stop at the edge of the settlement. They were predatory, territorial, and currently very insulted. They surged after Arthur, their heavy feet cracking the icy ground.
'I can't die here,' Arthur thought, his mind racing through his inventory. 'If I'm defeated, I lose the Successor class. I lose everything.'
He had been running for hours, his stamina bar blinking yellow, when he felt a sudden, sharp displacement of air behind him.
"Dragon's Fang!"
The air screamed as five ethereal, draconic teeth materialized in the air, spiraling toward his back with the speed of ballista bolts. They trailed blue energy, snapping at the atmosphere as they closed in.
"Fine! If you want a fight, I'll give you a glimpse!"
Arthur skidded to a halt, spinning on his heel. He didn't pull out the Ideal Longsword—it was too light for this impact. Instead, he gripped his greatsword with both hands, his mana surging into the blade.
"Ember Sword!"
The greatsword erupted in a silver-red radiance. He lunged forward, the blade tracing a semi-circle of fire to intercept the spiraling fangs into a collision.
The impact felt like a mountain had fallen on him. The yellow fire clashed with the draconic energy, creating a shockwave that blew the snow off the surrounding rocks for fifty yards.
[You have received 7,536 damage!]
[You have dealt 279 damage.]
Arthur was thrown back, his body skidding across the icy ground like a ragdoll. He coughed, the metallic taste of blood filling his mouth.
"Human," one of the Draconians stepped forward, his scales shimmering under his Mengel-grade plate armor. "You shouldn't have approached us. Just die quietly and stop acting like a rat."
The lead warrior, a Half-Draconian named Jad, didn't wait. He inhaled, his chest expanding to twice its size. A glow started in his throat, turning from orange to a blinding white.
"Dragon's Breath!"
A torrent of searing, liquid fire erupted. It didn't just burn; it melted the very air, twisting into serpents of flame that chased Arthur's retreat.
'Karma,' Arthur thought bitterly as he rolled. 'I tried to take a shortcut, and now the shortcut is taking me to the grave.'
The flames licked at his armor, the metal deforming and glowing red.
[You have received 12,412 damage!]
"This is bad... if I don't break line of sight, I'll die," Arthur hissed. He fumbled for a high-grade health potion, downing it in one gulp as he scrambled to his feet.
His eyes scanned the treacherous terrain. To the left: the Gryphon King's Lair. To the right: a jagged ravine.
'The Gryphon King... no, my agility is too low. I'd be caught between two predators. But the news... the explorer's guild mentioned a hidden cave nearby.'
Arthur looked at his stats. His strength was massive, but in a chase against Level 300+ Draconians, he was a turtle.
"I swear," Arthur gritted his teeth, his sapphire like eyes glowing with mana, a dark promise surfaced his lips. "If I make it out of here alive, I'll hunt your entire species into extinction!"
"Dash!"
[Consumption: 20 Mana]
[Movement speed increased by 30% for 5 minutes.]
A surge of energy propelled him forward. His plate armor clattered as he threw himself over a ledge, sliding down a steep, icy incline toward a dark opening in the rock face.
Behind him, the six Draconian warriors leaped with terrifying grace, their predatory eyes locked onto the "weak human" who refused to die.
Arthur plummeted toward the cave, the roar of the Draconians and the heat of their breath right at his heels. He was Level 172, fighting for his life against the elite of the Saharan border, and the true hunt had only just begun.