Power Corrupts: Small Revelations (Ch.21) (Patreon)

Another short chapter, but I found a good stopping point for it. Promise the next one will be longer to make up for it. 

...

This was such a bad idea, I thought, jumping off the rock when I reached the end of it. I could hear the dragon slowly moving to meet me halfway, each step it took sent vibrations running through me. I didn't even want to think about how much that thing would weigh. I didn't even want to think about how big it was. The only thing going through my mind was how I was going to kill the dragon.

"Jericho, stop-" Ryuu started, darting out in front of me but whatever she saw when she looked at me made the words die in her throat. A hand that she meant to stop me with fell limply to her side, her deer blue eyes staring up at me but I only saw her in my peripheral vision. With each second that passed, the dragon drew closer. It wouldn't be long before we clashed. My hand tightened on my sword -- out of anticipation or fear. Not even I knew at this point. 

At this moment, the only thing that I did know was that I had to kill the dragon. 

"..." There was a tense silence as I kept walking forward, willing to go through Ryu if I had to. Then, without warning, her shoulders slumped ever so slightly in defeat. She stepped out of my way, letting me continue forward without having to say a single word to her. "I have high potions," she informed as I walked by her. "But I won't interfere unless my promise to your goddess is at risk." 

I hadn't known that Hestia made Ryu promise anything, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Hestia was a worrywart. Considering that I was about to fight a dragon that was a whole lovely stronger than me, I couldn't say she was one without reason. But that was okay. Just an added layer of safety that I wasn't going to need because I wasn't going to die here. 

The dragon was. I wasn't sure how yet but looking at my track record, my guess is that eyes were going to be stabbed. And seeing as it hadn't failed me yet, stabbing the dragon in the eyes just became plan A.

But...there was no point wearing my armor, was there? It wasn't tough enough to survive a blow from a level 2 dragon. It was only going to slow me down. With well-practiced ease, I unclasped the armor that covered my legs and tossed the metal plates to the side while the thumps of the dragon moving grew louder. I tested my legs with a few hops, feeling a bit freer but I don't think it was going to make that much of a difference. Still, I felt better for it. 

Another thump seemed to shake the floor and for the first time I saw a vague shadow lurking in the mist. Now that I was at ground level...damn, that thing was huge. With its serpentine neck stretched back, it was probably closer to thirty feet tall on all fours. It was hard to think of this monster as an infant anything. I wonder how big the one on the deep floors were? 

Ehh, I would find out one day. Because I wasn't going to die here, I decided as the dragon came to a stop some distance away, it's long neck rearing back. I knew what was coming next as I settled in a stance. My heartbeat was oddly calm, all things considered. My breathing was even, my hands were steady...I was calm. Perhaps a little too calm for what came next, but, for now, I savored it. 

The dragon threw its head forward as it unleashed a deep, powerful roar that shook me down to my bones, my ears ringing as the force of the roar washed over my skin. The mist swirled, pushed away from the mighty roar, revealing a silverish blue dragon with dark golden eyes. Its mouth was filled with teeth the size of kitchen knives, and there were a lot of teeth. Its claws that supported that massive body were about the size of me, leading to ‘short’ bulky leads that lead to a barreled chest. 

I wish I had time to admire the creature, but time spent admiring was time that could be spent killing. As it let out a roar that I’m sure could be heard in the Guildhall, I rushed forward, my gaze finding its golden eyes as I poised my sword for a thrust. My sword shot out like a bullet, aiming to end this fight in a single strike if I could, only for the dragon to flinch back at the last moment. My sword scraped against silverish scales, and I don’t think I managed to so much as scratch them. 

With my surprise attack failed, I immediately fell on the defensive. This wasn’t an enemy that I could overpower by throwing my weight around. The only thing I could do was whittle it down, or wait for my next opportunity. Regardless, the issue now became making sure that I didn’t die before I could do either of those things. As if to confirm my thoughts, the dragon lashed out with an arm, its massive claws racing towards me. They missed by an inch, displaced wind battering me, blowing my hair all up in my face. 

If I had moved a second later, then I would have died, I realized, my heartrate starting to pick up, hot blood surging through my veins. I threw myself back again, putting some more distance between us, and as soon as my feet touched the ground, I was forced to throw myself to the side as the dragon made a wild lunge at me with its other arm. Since I’ve come here, reach has always been in my favor, and now that it wasn’t I could honestly say that I didn’t care for it very much. 

I felt broken pebbles rain down on my back and shoulders as I rolled to my feet, a sizable boulder reduced to small rocks as the dragon’s hands smashed through it. I really didn’t want to find out what they would do to my bones. Maybe I should have picked Iron Bones after all? Though, I doubt that would have helped much either. 

The dragon’s head turned on a swivel, orange flames licking at the edges of its mouth, telling me what was going to happen next. I rushed to a boulder that would be big enough to cover me, and no sooner than I had curled up into a ball, a torrent of flames washed over the rock. Worse, they didn’t seem to act according to action movie logic. 

Tongues of flames licked at my sides, the heat was nearly unbearable -- in a moment, my undershirt was drenched with sweat, which is probably the only thing that kept it from catching on fire. I couldn’t breathe and the one gasp I dared to take sent superheated air into my lungs, making them burn just as badly as my skin did. The only thing I could think to compare the heat to was cranking a stove up to high, waiting until the elements glowed a bright red and holding my hand above it. The feeling rapidly moved on from a slight annoyance to a sharp pain that grew worse and worse and worse with every second. 

I swallowed thickly, my lungs burning for air as I shifted my feet, ready to move. I wasn’t out of the fight yet. As if to agree with me, the torrent of flames stopped, revealing charred patches of dirt and stone glowing a faint orange from the heat. I pivoted, jumping up onto the rock and throwing myself forward and up. I was greeted with the sight of the dragon lunging at the rock that I hid behind, its double eyelids blinking in surprise as I leaped to meet it. 

It jerked its head out of the way as I made another wild slash at its eyes as I sailed past it. But that was fine. I was on a crash course with its back. Gripping my sword with all of my strength, when I neared, I thrust down with every ounce of my strength -- my blade punched through its thick scales and hide, steam erupting where my sword sank in deep enough to serve as leverage to keep myself from being thrown off when the infant dragon bucked, roaring its pain for the world to hear. 

Good. I can hurt it. I was worried about that. 

Bracing myself, the dragon tried to throw me off, only to manage for a bone to slip out of the way so I could sink my sword even deeper. Every muscle I had was tensed, ready for sudden action. I was anything but safe on the back of the beast. My gaze was trained on its neck and the back of its head, waiting for its next move. Because, in the end, with a monster like this I was forced on the defensive.

It’s head shifted, the oversized head turning towards me and that was what I was waiting for. I yanked my blade out as the dragon craned its head back, more fire licking at the edges of its mouth. I ran forward a few steps before it launched another torrent of fire at me since it was apparently immune to its own heat. I didn’t falter, lunging forward to thrust my blade into the back of the dragon’s neck, feeling the smaller scales give way-

Then there was pain. The burning sensation before was nothing compared to the blast of fire that slammed into me with the same force as the truck that killed me a few weeks ago, washing over me and leaving behind a hellish pain. It wasn’t from the dragon’s mouth, but from its neck, my sword punching through its throat, offering two new exits for the torrents of flame to escape from. 

My momentum carried me away from the fire, but that brief moment was pure hell. I barely felt it when I hit the ground heavily, I couldn’t feel anything other than the pain in my hands and arms. I forced myself to look at them, only to regret the action a moment later. My skin was black in some places, a greasy fluid seeping from the cracks of my flash heated skin...and I’m pretty sure my fingers were fused to the grip of my sword. 

But that was okay. That just meant I wouldn’t drop my weapon. 

Gritting my teeth, I pushed myself up, watching as the dragon roared in agony that I could only hope rivaled mine. Spurts of flame erupted from the new exits, blood pouring from the wound ir rivers so I might have nicked an artery as well. For all the good it would do me since I had the feeling this fight wasn’t going to be determined by who could outlast the other. Its claws dug into the stone, carving deep lines into it. 

Then the dragon lunged at me, not so hurt that it couldn’t move. I threw myself out of the way, narrowly dodging a- my vision was filled with the sight of a large claw racing towards me -- I dove into the path of the second attack. My eyes went wide, my heart lurching. This wasn’t Dark Souls and that one mistake was going to end me. 

It might have too. I felt something slam into me, but it couldn’t be the claw because I was flying upwards. We landed an impossible distance away before I was lowered to the ground, though it was more of I just leaned back to touch my feet to the ground. 

Ryu didn’t say anything as she looked at me, her gaze landing on my heavily burnt hands. One of her hands going to her pouch to grab a healing potion…

“Don’t,” I said, my voice sounding raspy to my own ears as the dragon roared in rage at my sudden disappearance. The mist swirled around it, jets of flame surging from the wounds in its neck, offering some light that made its body look like a long shadow in the mist. “I have to do this on my own,” I insisted, looking at Ryu, who’s hands stilled at her waist. 

A mask covered her face, so it was hard to tell exactly what she was thinking, not that I normally could in normal situations. However, if I had to guess, the look she gave me was of resigned acceptance. It was hard to put into words what passed between us in that moment as I turned my attention back to the dragon that I had to kill. I don’t think I could put it into words if I had a thousand years to try.

The only word that came close was understanding. 

Sucking in a low breath, relishing in the fact that I could still breath, I strode forward for round two. My hands were pure hell, my lungs still hurt, and my shirt was mostly gone from the flames. The dragon was crouched low, likely unaware that the jets of flames were giving away its position -- and the shadow that it cast made it appear that much more daunting. 

There was no war cry of desperation or hope or to intimidate my foe as I rushed forward, my feet barely making a sound as I closed the distance between us. This wasn’t an honorable duel where sneak attacks and low blows were forbidden or frowned upon. This was a fight for survival.

The dragon didn’t notice me until I broke through the mist, my sword raised high, the usual polished steel color dyed black from the heat, and slammed the edge of it into the back of its front leg. Tendons, I learned, made a sound when they were severed. A loud pop rang out as the dragon roared, its other claw going up to take a swipe at me, but it didn’t account on its other leg from giving out on it. I threw myself forward to make sure I didn’t get crushed as the dragon fell heavily on its side. 

I moved, my feet carrying me despite the pain in my hands, my sword sinking into the dragon’s underbelly. The dragon took a swipe at me, squirming, but I didn’t let it stop me from running the length of the dragon’s stomach, gutting the creature. Heat hit me like a wall, the internals of the dragon was stupidly hot, but I accepted the pain if it meant victory. 

The dragon abandoned attacking me in favor of rolling over so suddenly that it nearly took my weapon with it. Its guts slipped out, damaged and pouring scalding hot blood over the rough stone by the gallons. Even still, the dragon appeared to be made of sterner stuff than that because as soon as it was free of my weapon, its head twisted to look at me before darting towards me to swallow me whole. 

Despite its head being vertical, our eyes seemed to meet as the dragon made a desperate final attack. Then, another moment passed, and all I could see was the dragon’s throat as it rapidly approached me. This time, I reacted on instinct rather than any kind of plan. Naturally, I took a wild swing at the dragon’s mouth, throwing all my weight behind the swing. My sword slammed into its bottom jaw hard enough that it slammed shut, diverting its path just enough that it slammed into the side of my body rather than hitting me dead center. 

I spun from the blow, wondering just how many bones I had broken with that stunt. But I was alive, that was the important part. I slammed into the ground with a groan, tasting blood in my mouth as I face planted. No sooner that I went down, I was already struggling to my feet just in case the dragon tried one final attack. It hadn’t. 

Blood pooled underneath the dragon, it’s breathing weak as its head rested on the ground. It was bearing its throat to me, waiting for me to deliver the finishing blow. I didn’t want to disappoint it or give it time to change its mind. There would be no final acknowledgment between man and beast, no sense of empathy or anything like that. None of it. That crap can be saved for the movies. 

With no hesitation, I took a few short steps forward and thrust my blade through the bottom of its jaw, and I didn’t stop pushing until the hilt of my weapon touched the scaly skin. Nor did I take it out until the dragon’s breathing had stilled. 

It was dead. I killed the dragon. 

“Why…” Ryu said, appearing behind me as I collapsed onto my ass, dragging my weapon out of the dragon’s skull. “Did you do that?” She asked quietly, kneeling behind me as she retrieved a high potion from her bag. 

I didn’t answer for a long moment, though I knew exactly why I did it. This wouldn’t be enough to make me level up. I might get a Title out of this, but that was a secondary concern. 

I did it because the dragon wasn’t a dragon. 

“To see if I could,” I decided on my answer as pain melted away in my hands as burns were washed away. Burnt and melted skin was washed away like dirt, revealing smooth skin underneath. That stuff was really something, wasn’t it?

“That seems a rather arbitrary reason to risk your life,” Ryu commented, but her gentle voice lacked a judging quality. Gently, I started to unpry my hands from my sword to see that I was right -- my skin had fused with the grip, the cloth that wrapped it having been burned away. 

She wasn’t wrong, I guess, and I couldn’t expect her to understand what I meant with that answer. There was no way for her to. 

The dragon wasn’t a dragon. 

The dragon had been...me.

I’ve been living it up the past couple of weeks. I was in a relationship with Hestia. I was making shit loads of money. I might spend sixteen hours in the Dungeon, but it was hardly like I hated being down here -- if anything, I loved seeing those stat numbers rise. I was friends with Lili, Eina, Syr and maybe even Ryu if the fact she was dumping more high potions on me was anything to go by. 

The past weeks...have been great. Including all of the bullshit.

Only this wasn’t a vacation. This wasn’t a place for me to unwind. This second lease on life wasn’t a free ticket to do whatever I wanted with no consequences. Yet, I had been treating it as one. From making connections to canon characters even though there were better options, to wanting to stick my dick in waifus to all this other stupid shit that I had been doing. 

When I went into the Guild, I might have been nervous, but I fully expected to leave that building with them on my side. Because I was me and the Soma familia was the Soma familia. When I went to the Loki familia, I expected them to throw their weight around because I asked and because they owed me. Instead, the situation with the Guild was a toss-up and glorified popularity contest while the Loki familia kicked me to the curb. 

This second lease on life was just that -- a second life. That meant shit not going my way, it meant things could be unfair, that meant being disappointed. Except here, the stakes were so much higher than they were back in my old life but I was treating them less seriously. Here, if I fucked up or failed, then Lili could die. Hestia could die. I could die. 

And, because of me, we were in this situation. Because I wanted to make a lot of money. Because I wanted to move to a nicer place. Because I wanted to be relevant when the plot started in a few months. Because I wanted to do what was best for me to have fun rather than what was smart -- I should have followed up with the Guild at the very start rather than keeping secrets. I should have Because I was treating this as a vacation, now we were in a shaky spot with the Soma familia, waiting for them to make a response. 

The dragon was me and I killed the dragon. 

I felt light as a feather as I stared at the dragon corpse, idly curling my hands into fists to make sure that everything was alright with them. They felt fine. Ryu worked in silence, letting me think as I came to terms with...everything. It was weird, but after accomplishing such a feat, I was feeling motivated, ready to do something else, and yet there was an exhaustion in me that told me to go to sleep for the next couple of days. 

Right now...what I needed to do...was find a way forward. To find a light at the end of the tunnel, and if there wasn’t one, then I needed to make one. 

“Thanks for saving me earlier,” I told Ryu, glancing at her out of the corner of my eye. She simply nodded in response as she stood up, satisfied that my hands didn’t look like burnt meat now. Now that they were healed, she handed me another potion for the lesser burns on my chest. 

“I was merely keeping a promise I made to your goddess,” Ryuu answered, turning watching me dump the potion onto the onto my chest, likely to make sure that she didn’t need to give me another potion.

“I know, but thanks all the same,” I insisted, scratching at the now smoothed flesh that was still damp from the potion. All of my burns weren’t healed, but the worst ones were taken care of and that was enough for me. Being an adventurer had given me a growing pain tolerance, but...with my hands, if I had been able to feel them at all then I would have lost that fight. 

Ryuu nodded in acceptance, turning her attention to the dragon corpse. “I will retrieve the monster stone. Wait here,” she said, a warning in her gentle tone. She...probably thought I was pretty reckless, huh? Couldn’t blame her for that after this stunt. Still, after this, it was hardly like I was going to run off into the mist to fight some more. 

For starters… I picked up my sword to inspect the damage. “Welf’s going to be pissed,’ I decided, looking at the blackened blade, the dulled edge in some places, the scratches and I could only assume there was some heat damage to the blade. I had entertained the thought of going to another blacksmith that was a higher level, but I didn’t follow through because I thought it would ruin whatever budding friendship I had with Welf. 

But I just got this sword back from getting repaired. Part of that was on me -- both for fighting things that the sword wasn’t made for, and for how I was using it, but I couldn’t imagine that a level 2’s weapon would need such extensive repairs after each fight. I liked Welf, I really did, but it looked like the stuff he was making wasn’t up to what I was asking of it. 

A small sigh escaped me as I set my battered weapon to the side to watch Ryuu begin cutting the dragon open with a wooden sword with ease that I envied. I guess I should check out my gains, yet part of me didn’t want to. I knew I hadn’t leveled up, that exp mark, which at first seemed like the much better option than simply doing a heroic feat, screwed me over. Even my stat gains were going to be relatively minor. The most I could hope for was that I landed a nice pile of exp, only it would be a drop in the bucket of what I needed. 

Jericho

Level: 1

Title: Under Leveled

Progress to level 2: 301,360/1,000,000

Strength: 64 (+1)

Endurance: 78 (+6)

Dexterity: 77 (+1)

Intelligence: 30 (+5)

Sense: 53 (+2)

Development Abilities:

Physical Resistance: The user receives 7% less damage. Effectiveness is determined by the Endurance stat.

Abnormal Resistance: Poisons, Toxins, and Drugs are 7% less effective. Effectiveness is determined by the Endurance stat.

Swordsman: Increased parameters when wielding swords. Effectiveness is determined by Strength, Dexterity, Endurance, and Sense.

Berserker: Increased parameters proportional to users rage.

Skills:

Gamer Body: The user’s body is that of a video game.

Massage: Skilled hands make targets tension and exhaustion melt away. Effectiveness is determined by Dexterity and Strength stat.

Kissing: An intimate act between lovers that, if done well, can bring pleasure to the target. Effectiveness is determined by the Dexterity and Sense stat.

Sex: Greatly enhances parameters when engaging in sexual intercourse. Effectiveness is determined by Endurance, Strength, Dexterity, and Sense stats.​

Dishwashing: Stains and dried on food are easier to remove. Effectiveness is determined by Strength stat. 

So, I got about fifty thousand exp for killing a dragon. Which was great -- especially compared to the other monsters I’ve killed outside of minotaurs. They gave me little more than a hundred, at best, but I couldn’t help but feel that I was being cheated. If I had a normal falna, then I would have leveled up by now. I would have leveled up yesterday when I killed the minotaurs. I could be strong enough to take on Zanis and that other level 2 the Soma familia had.

“You don’t think you leveled up,” Ryuu commented, likely guessing my thoughts based on my expression. She didn’t know that I knew I hadn’t leveled up with this stunt, so she went with the easiest explanation that would make sense to her. I shook my head, my lips pressing into a thin line. 

Part of me wanted to whinge about how unfair it was. I might have if I hadn’t just decided to stop complaining when things didn’t go my way. 

“No, I didn’t,” I confirmed, watching the dragon collapse into ash once Ryuu removed its magic stone. It was easily the biggest on that I had seen so far -- it was about the size of my head in length while being about as wide as my sword was, or about five fingers width. I’m guessing it was going to be worth a lot, even more than the minotaur magic stones. 

At least it wasn’t the only thing left behind. There seemed to be a pile of some kind of hide, a whole lot of it. Given the creature that it came from, I’m guessing that it was dragonhide. Then, where a claw sticking out of a pile of ash some distance away. Unlike the other monsters, the ash wasn’t so quick to vanish into nothing since there was so much of it. Looking at it now...that thing had been flipping huge. 

“Hm. Dragonhide and a claw...both of these are very rare drop items,” Ryuu commented, surprise coloring her tone. I looked at them and still felt some disappointment as I pushed myself to my feet. My gaze lingered on the dragon claw, wondering if more adamantine could be extracted from it to make me a more durable weapon. 

Or...hmmm…I put a pin in a brewing plan in the back of my mind because Ryuu fetched them for me, stuffing them into my bag that I had dropped, then looked at me with a gaze that could best be described as awkward. As if she had something to say, but wasn’t sure if she should. I recognized it instantly simply because I had plenty of experience with that same feeling. 

She seemed to realize that I caught her staring at me because she let out a soft sigh. “I understand your frustration,” she said, her gentle voice filled with empathy, “but if you continue to do this, then you’ll die before you level up. You won’t be able to do anything for Lady Hestia or Lili then.”

The issue was that I’m not sure what I could do for them now. I felt inadequate -- my amazing progress over the past three weeks wasn’t enough. I killed a dragon, and it still felt like I was trapped in a box with a foe that I couldn’t hope to beat, waiting for them to finally step forward to end my entire existence. I was doing what I could. It just didn’t feel like it was enough. 

I turned to Ryuu, holding out a hand to take my bag, but she seemed to have decided that I was still too injured to carry anything...but...maybe…

“Ryuu...please train me,” I said, turning to her, wishing I knew how tightly this place followed Japanese customs to know if I should bow or not. Her eyes widened a fraction at my sudden request, likely not expecting it. I hadn’t expected it either, so there was no surprise there. Right now, too much came down to chance and other people's decision. 

The War Game could have me fighting Zanis one on one, and if that was the case, then there was a good chance that I would win. I could demand that Lili join my familia, and if he was feeling confident, then I could do something like give the order to disband the Soma familia. However, that was a temporary solution. Didn’t have to leave me alone just because I won the War Game. So long as he was willing to swallow the monetary circumstances, he could harass me, burn down my house, attack me in the Dungeon and so on. 

However, given that the type of War Game was decided by a roulette, I could end up fighting the entire Soma familia at the same time. I couldn’t win that fight. I didn’t have exact numbers, but the Soma familia was hundreds of members strong. I would get swarmed, then I would lose. Lili would stay in the Soma familia, and I would be completely at the mercy of whatever demand Zanis made. 

I needed a crushing victory regardless of whatever type of War Game happened. 

“I don’t think my style would suit you, Jericho,” Ryuu commented lightly, not quite a denial, so that gave me hope. 

“I need experience fighting people. I...need a lot of help in a lot of areas, really, but if I have any chance to beat the Soma familia, then I can’t stay as I am right now,” I said, having some trouble putting my thoughts into words. “I don’t care if you treat me like a punching bag. I can take it. I just need to be better than I am.”

And that was the crux of the issue, wasn’t it? But that would change today. The dragon was dead, and it was time to move on from the teenager that constantly thought with his cock and become a goddamn man. 

Ryuu paused, looking at me for a moment before she gave a small nod of her head. “I will do what I can to prepare you for the Soma familia. It won’t be a pleasant experience,” she agreed, giving me a small warning that I wasn’t going to enjoy whatever time I had before this Soma situation came to a head. That was fine. Actually, that was perfect. 

“Then I’ll buy as many potions as I can.”

I had to do all that I could with whatever time that I had...and that meant that I had one more stop before I could go back to the Hostess.