274 A being beyond imagination

Sorry for the delay.

.

.

.

We continue from their visit to Edas Village somewhere in the Beol Mountains.

—

/Later…/

/Chatter!/

"... Come on! More! More!" One of the children asked out loud as they jumped in excitement

"... Alright, alright... But only one more time. I need to follow my Goddess okay?" Silver replied as he focused on his Plasmids

'Around half an hour had passed since Silver and company arrived in the Village, but while Hestia and Artemis went down the road to meet with its residents, Silver was locked in place, bound by duty by his "jailers".'

'Nothing but children, children whose numbers only seemed to increase.'

'It all started with a few questions, curiosity... And then one of them asked for his magic.'

'One thing led to another... And before he knew, this was his fate, to act as a "clown".'

'Maybe it was his fate, he brought this upon himself once he began to show off, he was a fool...'

'Now he was standing atop a small wooden stage he set up for himself, using his Plasmids to create many interesting effects as he told them stories.'

'Sometimes, he threw colorful sand in the air, controlling it to form images of monsters and fairy tales he heard as he grew up, other times, he controlled little dolls as he recreated events he saw or heard over the years.'

'He would spew small fire tongues and freeze the air slightly, causing the children to giggle as they clapped enthusiastically.'

'Even the adults felt admiration, as they sat nearby on chairs Silver made for them.'

'If he saw himself right now, Silver would realize that his Plasmids had been reduced to something akin to the tricks of a party clown…'

'Not that he was against using his powers to such down-to-earth entertainment, it was just that… It was too much already wasn't it?'

'But still, he knew that Hestia and Artemis were okay, he was watching them from afar from time to time, so he was fine with playing around.'

'It was a good experience for him as well, playing with children and listening to their nonsensical ideas and requests wasn't that bad from time to time.'

'Still… He was getting tired, not mentally, and not in his Mind sense… Much less in a physical sense…'

'He felt tired on a spiritual level.'

Phew, these children are quite enthusiastic… Or are they all like that?

Well… The ones in the orphanage weren't that different, although they had fewer questions, that's for sure.

The differences from living within and outside of Orario?

'Exhaling a bit, Silver performed his party trick one more time...'

"Open Sesame!"

'He pulled a small twig from the ground, and with a very exaggerated motion and a chanting that didn't quite mean anything, the twig grew rapidly, becoming a small tree that slowly lost its bark, becoming a translucent emerald sapling.'

'Silver turned the sapling onto a glass sculpture, it may seem meager and simple, but it was quite the consumption of Mind, as permanent alteration of matter was extremely taxing, even if on such a small scale.'

/Clap clap clap!/

'Everyone clapped happily at his display while Silver himself exhaled with a light smile, giving the strange tree to the closest children before stepping down from the stage.'

"Phew..."

"That was… Incredible. Thank you for spending time with them Mr. Adventurer, it must've been tiring, I heard magic isn't that easy to do, they'll never forget it." One of the adults said with a smile as he approached Silver

I don't think anyone will.

"It's really nothing, back home I do such displays daily, people aren't that different." Silver replied with a smile as he looked at the children gathered with their parents on the side

'It seemed they also realized Silver wanted to rest so they slowly led them away, despite their unwillingness.'

"Oh? Are there many children in your Familia?" The man asked with some curiosity

"..."

'Silver looked at the children and then thought about his recent recruits… And even his old ones.'

"Depends on who you ask, haha…" Silver replied with a chuckle as he scratched the back of his head

"Certainly, children will never admit they are one!"

"..."

Yeah... Children...

…

'Following his conversation with the man, he cleaned the area by transforming the wooden stage and chairs back onto logs and planks before moving on.'

'As he made his way deeper where the Village Chief's home stood, he took this chance to talk and listen to the Villagers on the way, learning more about the Village and its people.'

"..."

'But as he walked, he stopped in front of a shrine, and for a moment, his breathing stopped.'

'The shrine itself was rather big, being in the shape of a small house with a triangular roof made purely out of roughly sculpted stone blocks and somewhat shaped like a pyramid.'

(Image)

'It was about two meters tall and three meters wide, and about over a meter deep, housing a single object, a large black boulder that was slightly reflective, like a block of iron.'

'Its surface was a bit rough, like a sheet of iron that had been hammered thousands of times.'

'Silver knew what it was, albeit, he was so shocked by it that he lost his breath, to the point his heart stopped beating... Even though this was the very reason why he came here.'

This is… Supposed to be a scale?

How in the… This isn't a scale, this is a damn boulder.

'These scales were the reason Silver had come to this Village.'

'The several dozen scales surrounding it, protecting it and the entire forest from monsters in a protective circle formation.'

"Ahh… So there you are. It seems the Dragon scales got your attention, they are quite unique, even for an adventurer, or so I heard." A Villager said as they approached Dale from behind

'It was an elderly man with a long gray mustache and a cane, he walked with one arm behind his back and when he talked, his long mustache trembled like the whiskers of a cat.'

"... Yes, they're quite… Large." Silver replied as he recovered his bearings

"Oh? You don't seem surprised, we had visitors before, many decades ago, and they were completely flabbergasted when they saw them. I remember as if it was yesterday..."

"Speaking of them, they were quite like you… A single man and his God came to the Village… Or was it a girl? I don't quite remember anymore…" The old man said as he became pensive

'He approached the scale, touching the shrine, dusting it slightly.'

"... Ironic, isn't it?"

"The greatest monster of them all… From its injury 1000 years ago, its scales fell down into the earth as it fled from its clash with Orario's Ancient Heroes."

"A creature that toppled nations, took uncountable lives, shattered an endless amount of dreams and the being at the very center of all fairy tales, akin to the Dungeon itself…"

"Now its dead scales serve as protection for us, centuries later. Because its very presence strikes fear to even its own kind..."

"..."

"Do you think of us as vile? For seeking protection not with our kind, nor the Gods, but with a monster? One that slayed the uncountable?"

"... No." Silver replied as he shook his head

'He approached the man, showing his gloves, a pair of leathery brown tight gloves, they weren't impressive but they were strong, being made with the skin of Middle Floor Monsters.'

"My gloves are made from the leather of monsters."

"My halberd was made with the metal from within the Dungeon."

"My strength came from fighting in the Dungeon... And my experience came from learning from those that went inside the Dungeon and that train to go inside once more."

"Everything I am came from the Dungeon..."

"While you all use the scales of a dragon for protection. What right do I have to complain, when we're all the same? "

"In the end, all of this comes from the Dungeon, it doesn't matter how you got your hands in it or what the material belonged to in the past... It now has a much greater purpose."

"I can't quite claim these as my own words, but there is a bit of my own opinion in it..."

"Using your enemy's own tactics against them isn't cowardice, it has another name..."

"It's called being resourceful."

"... Hum..."

"... Right, it is not cowardice to hide behind the scales of a dragon, because so do adventurers, using the remains of monsters to protect their own and those they love from those same monsters…" The Elderly man said as he raised his head to feel the sunlight

"It is a cycle, one that is perpetrated by the Dungeon itself, so I don't think there's anything wrong with what you're all doing." Silver said as he turned to look at the scale

Although another thing is encasing it within a shrine and half-deifying it...

"... If only all thought like you… You have quite the unique way of seeing things." The old man said with a dry laugh

"During my years growing up, I've seen several adventurers pass by, and there are also stories of others that came from the times before I was born."

"And they were always either shocked beyond words or spiteful, maybe out of fear, maybe for another reason… It does not matter. Some even had their will and determination shattered at the sight."

'He then turned to the scale, pondering in silence.'

"... Recently, I've been thinking if keeping these is the right course of action."

"The scales protected us for millennia, but they cannot do anything on their own."

"One day, someone will decide to take them, perhaps not out of greed nor spite, but out of necessity. And we won't be able to do nothing but watch, maybe beg…"

"As without them, we can't protect ourselves... Nor can we afford to leave, we don't need to in the first place."

"I may be jumping ahead of myself though... 1000 years have gone by without much trouble, I don't think there'll be much of a change in the next few decades..."

"Though I would wish to depart while leaving the next generations the grace of a choice at the very least... But that is too greedy of me."

"... Well… It's hard to say, they're definitely one-of-a-kind materials..." Silver said out loud as he looked at the scale intently 

"Would you like to take them?" The old man asked as he looked at Silver intently

"... Yes." He replied honestly 

"I can only imagine what a God of the forge would be able to do with it… But I won't, I do not have the right."

I'm not ready.

'He then smiled.'

"If the Black Dragon came from the Dungeon, then there must be something inside that will help me pull a few scales from its skin on my own."

"The Dragon can be killed, it can bleed, these scales and its name are proof of that."

"And in the situation I don't find anything… Then that's that, someone else will, one day."

"... I see. You're an odd one. To say you have desire but do not wish to take the simpler path... It is a heavy oath to follow, a thorny path would most prefer to avoid."

"Hah… Some may say there's no fun in taking the easy road... I agree, most of the time at least…" Silver said as he tapped the shrine lightly

"Besides, it won't do me well to get something so high class for no effort, so for now, these will do just fine standing right here, where they have a use." 

"But… I can't do much for what you said before."

"It is true that someone may come to claim them one day… And as long as they can reach this Village, then they'll likely be strong enough to do so..."

'His eyes then darkened a little as he spoke in a raspy tone:'

"Though, if that is good enough for you…"

"Anyone that tries to do so won't be able to enjoy it for long." 

'Listening to his tone, the Old man's forehead sweated a little, he realized what this adventurer was talking about...'

"... Cough… I've taken too much of your time, young man." He said a bit awkwardly as he faked a cough

"It's nothing, I'm the guest here, take as much of my time as you wish." Silver replied with a smile

"You're kind… Are all adventurers like you?"

"Kind?... I'm not kind... I'm just… Good at listening, some call it... Understanding…"

"And no, adventurers are exactly like the rumors, don't ever trust one." Silver said quickly as he shook his head and arms

"Would that include you? Hohoho!..."

"..."

'Trust an adventurer? One would be better off trusting a goblin.' Silver thought for a moment as he exhaled quietly 

'Don't misunderstand the people Silver knew, those were the good kind of adventurers... And they weren't that numerous.'

'It was just as that saying goes: Honesty attracts good company.'

'It isn't unexpected that of the people Silver interacts with daily, most have good morals.'

'He just chose to keep the real ones close and shun away the false people.'

/Tap…/

"Being understanding can be said to be a trait the kind have, don't undervalue your own traits… Maybe that is why those two like you so much." He said as he tapped Silver's shoulders

"W-What?"

"Hohoho! I may be old but I was young once too! I've seen many youths in my years, I know exactly how they look at each other when in love." He said with an understanding gaze as he chuckled loudly

"And between you and me... Gods and Mortals are so very alike... They may play and hide their emotions, but they always end up the same as us. Maybe that is why we are so similar."

"You're a lucky one, two at once? Goddesses even? And I can see you still have some energy to spare. Not bad, not bad at all! Or so my old man would say if he were still here, Hoho!"

"Well, I guess that's to be expected, a strong man who defeats monsters is often seen as the dream man for the lasses, and you're quite the man yourself!" He said as he tapped Silver's body with his cane, causing a clicking noise to resound

"You also seem to have a good personality, you're good at listening, I can tell that just from looking at your eyes, you must be rather popular back in the city."

"Haha... Not really, I just do my thing..."

"Don't be humble! I say, enjoy it! We're not Elvens, we better make due of the decades we have ahead of us..."

"I uh... Don't want to make this seems like I'm cursing you but... You never know when it may all end... You only live so long, yeah?" He said awkwardly as he touched his chin

"In any case, good luck with all that, it must be tiring, you have my blessing." The old man said as he walked away in a hurry, leaving Silver flabbergasted

"... Phew… Guess it's not so much of a secret now… Well, it was bound to eventually be so." He said out loud with an awkward smile as he turned his gaze back to the scale

Two at once huh... Tired...

One is tiring enough... I barely even started with the other one...

Maybe I bit too much.

'Regardless, after thinking for a little while, Silver turned his attention back to the shrine.'

"Hum…"

I have many questions… Some are easier to answer than others…

In short, from what I know, a thousand years ago, the Dragon was repealed from Orario, and that was how it became known as the One-eyed Black Dragon.

From its injury, it lost one eye and with it, turned back, flying far into the North.

The story says its scales fell from the skies as it flew away like comets, but funny enough, by now, most believe it to be a fairy tale, even though the Dragon claimed the lives of the two biggest Familias ever to exist just twelve years ago.

There is also that kingdom to the far South East that vanished in a single night, and I can't really think of anything else with the ability to do such a thing other than the Dragon.

Still, it could've been an Ancient Monster, anything with the strength of a Level 6 adventurer would raze the continent and cause the same result... Although the kingdom in question used to be the biggest in the world.

But the fact no one knows what truly happened or even recognizes it happened just proves how insane the Guild's ability to suppress and distort information is.

Or maybe how hard it is for information to travel around in this world... People do have to send letters through caravans and pigeons, if you stop both, time just stops in a place.

It could also mean that none survived its rampage...

Nonetheless, with it, I have some questions…

Why didn't Ouranos ever look for these scales? Wouldn't they be easy to deploy around the Dungeon and keep it under control?

Is it because of their origin? Maybe they are simply too valuable to be used in the open or even remotely close to the Dungeon…

Maybe something will happen if the Dungeon feels the presence of the scales...

Or most likely, they are living proof of a myth Ouranos wish to keep as such, a story.

It would do no good to keep reminding adventurers that out there exists something scary enough to drop such a scale, a being that can destroy Orario in a single breath.

As for the people that visited them… Was it Zeus and his Captain? I can't think of anyone else… Hera and someone else? That's a bit of a shot in the dark...

Considering Ouranos was in the mortal world during the time of the Black Dragon, he likely knew where it fled, he may have been the one to collect and safekeep all of the scales dropped in the center of the fight, maybe they are already in use to keep the monsters in the Dungeon to this day, or maybe they were stashed away somewhere inaccessible.

If it was Zeus who came, it was likely in a way to calculate the prowess of the Dragon and to see if a raid would be feasible, and considering they still went on with their plans, it would lead to two possibilities:

The first one being a suicide mission, one where they knew they would die but still chose to go, maybe to keep up the hope of the world…

While the second one is that he did consider the raid possible, but in the end, they fell because a scale sitting on the ground for 1000 years cannot compare to its source, a gigantic mass of such hulking scales.

Just thinking about it… If I were to compare a Wyvern's scale with this one and then adjust the ratio… 

The Black Dragon would easily be over a few hundred meters long… And although that's not really the biggest monster out there, it is still insanely huge for what is currently known.

Of course, these could be uniquely modified scales to fit a certain body part, but they don't look like that… They're simply too numerous and consistent in size.

It would be more believable if these scales were instead talons due to how thick they are… Alas, turning a blind eye to them just because reality is too harsh is not the correct answer either.

Nonetheless, there are simply too many "Iffs".

For the affirmations before, although it's not impossible for Maxim, the captain of the Zeus Familia to have accepted going on a suicide mission, it's not within Zeus' personality to allow such a thing, and it also does not fit with what the surviving members of the Familia thought and knew about the fight.

I really need to pester Ouranos and Fels about information on them, how much do they hide in their vaults...

Speaking of that... Alfia and Zald.

Alfia saw the fight while Zald must've heard from her.

They did not participate in it due to their own respective health conditions, and paradoxically, what was slowly killing them ended up extending their life, much to their displeasure, despair, and depression.

They eventually threw it away for the sake of the future because they couldn't live anymore with the mere thought of fighting it, they did not see themselves even capable of rising to give it a challenge.

It may have been mostly in part due to their terminal diseases, but they were pinnacle Level 7 adventurers, way stronger than their level indicated, maybe even to a degree higher than me.

To break their will to such a degree… 

Of course, the truth could be completely different... It's not like I can ask their now destroyed bodies for the truth of what they felt at the time, but they certainly chose to use their lives as a way to pave the way for the future.

As such, they had hope, meaning, they may not have believed the Dragon to be an unreachable foe...

This is about everything I know about them, the little I gathered from asking Fels and some other deities... Together with some information, I brought with me from... Another past...

The little from faint scarce memories and unreliable rumours and stories passed down from word of mouth.

Well, they weren't the first ones to suffer such a fate, to succumb to the Black Dragon's power...

Another died not so long ago as well…

It seems the Dragon's strength was so overwhelming it traumatized all who saw it. Nothing good for me... The more I seem to learn about it, the more my already exacerbated expectations are exceeded.

As for the second affirmation… Well… If they believed they had a chance... Well, they miscalculated it severely… 

Though in truth, it's hard to say how much they did since the fight's results were never really publicized… Maybe not even Zeus knows the truth…

The Black Dragon could be bleeding in its own nest by now... Or soundly sleeping as if nothing ever happened.

Still, to reinforce that, given Zald's and Alfia's reactions, I wouldn't say it was positive, had the Dragon been left to its death, they would've likely gone there to end it, even if at the cost of their own lives.

After all, they threw them away once for a similar goal, so why not be direct about it?

What kind of monster could resist the dying strikes of two pinnacle Level 7 adventurers?

But... Oh well, it's just another If...

And that's about the extent of what I have on me, to know more, I would have to go after the Gods present in those times… Not just any Gods.

The ones that can actually give me some insight into prejudice or distortion.

The likes of Hermes, Ouranos, Zeus, maybe even Ganesha… Forget about Hera, if Hermes calls her mad then she's beyond saving.

Hermes doesn't call Freya mad and she's quite something…

I've asked Hermes about the past once, but he always spoke about it in short sentences, it's really a pain in the ass, but at the very least, he was direct about it...

Although it's hard to say if his words are cold hard facts or his own interpretation of said events... 

Going back to my previous affirmations, assuming Zeus didn't fetch the scales, I can only wonder what he had in hand to go after the Black Dragon.

Was it arrogance from succeeding twice? Or did he have that much faith in his children?

From everyone in Heaven, Zeus is by far the one who knows the most about the Black Dragon, after all, he saw what truly happened to Ais, he saw Albert's death and his legend.

Maybe he didn't see everything, but he should've had some idea of what was going on while up there when his powers were at their pinnacle.

Gods aren't omniscient, but they have incredible powers while in Heaven.

Nonetheless, from everything I heard and researched about, the Leviathan and Behemoth Raids weren't really that successful…

The Leviathan was the most stable of them with the final strike being dealt by Alfia's Magic.

While the Behemoth fell to Zald after he devoured its flesh, using his newfound gargantuan strength to cut its neck in one strike.

There were very few mentions of anyone else... And that's concerning.

… Ouranos won't answer me if I ask, if I do ask I fear he'll only stare down at me and give me some sort of solemn speech about it.

And I'm sure Hermes won't either, maybe out of respect for both Zeus and Ouranos… And because he would find it entertaining to see me seek the truth on my own and funny because he's an ass.

Lastly, I'm not that much of a jerk to go after Zeus and ask him about the details of his children's deaths… Not when he chose to retire to the mountains.

So this leaves me with only one solution… To Level Up. That's the only way.

And gather equipment that can resist a bout with a being I can only call a God.

"..."

'Once he came to terms with what he had to do, his attention returned to the present, towards the scales once more.'

Urg... I really want to take them...

But I can't, I'm not a monster.

Still, if the dragon moved from Orario to here… I can easily make a line and infer its movement.

'Silver looked at the distance, beyond the white mountain ranges...'

There must be other scales buried in the mountains and snow unless the ancestors of these Villagers took them all and gathered them here…

Maybe this was actually what happened.

It wouldn't be hard to find them, after all, each scale has a massive range where they keep monsters away.

Besides, if the Ouranos of the past needed somewhere to store the scales out of the public's eye, why not throw them inside the most dangerous mountain range surrounding the city? 

If he did so, then he struck gold, because no one ever came to bother them for 1000 years.

While for me... I can only say I'm the unlucky one.

Ouranos may have already swept over the entire mountain range and the path the Dragon took, gathering all of the scales here... 

"1000 years… Funny how the Villagers see it as a fact and part of history while everyone else sees it as a tale to tell their children to go to bed at night…"

"Thinking about that… Even if this Village is big… Almost a Town…" He thought out loud with a frown as he scratched his chin

Wouldn't there be some level of incest?... Even if distant, it's likely that someone would become connected through their Great-Great-Great Grandparents without a doubt…

Unless they bring people from the outside… But they're so far away from the main path... 

'Slowly, Silver's thought derailed as he kept thinking about useless things, but as always, he managed to regain his focus as he moved to do what he came here to check…'

/Touch…/

'He touched the scale, and activated his Plasmids…'

"As I thought…"

...

.

.

.

Notes