Jaena’s eyes, full of excitement, sparkled, and Ban also looked up at the Sky Island with a swelling heart. In fact, one could ask how an island came in such a short time when he threw a spear into the sky, but in truth, that island floating in the sky was Orma’s property. Normally it concealed itself so it wouldn’t be visible and followed Orma around.
The Sky Island was actually said to be a gift that Banan, the God of Abundance, gave to Orma. He didn’t know what kind of relationship Orma had with Banan to receive an island as a gift, but that was all the information available in the game. So strictly speaking, you could say the evil dragon was living in that island as a tenant.
Of course, since the years Orma had been stuck in Hell weren’t short, it was questionable whether the dragon was still staying on that island. Moreover, since dragons were said to carry all their accumulated treasures at once when they moved nests, there was a high probability that they had moved along with the treasures Orma had entrusted to them. Well, even if they had left, they wouldn’t have taken all the treasures, so if they sold what remained, there would be no worries for travel funds, but…
“But… how do we get to that island?”
Well, I don’t know that either.
When the two of them stared blankly at Orma, he also spoke with a troubled face.
“That’s exactly the problem.”
“What?”
“We need that bastard to go up. That’s why I said it—if he moved his nest, there’s no way to get up there.”
“…”
Everyone pondered with their arms crossed. They all put their heads together and began discussing, sharing various thoughts that came to mind.
“How about making loud noises to call the dragon?”
“Even when there’s thunder rumbling in the sky, he snores away sleeping—do you think he’ll hear us just shouting from below?”
“Then how did you call the dragon before?”
“When I threw the spear, it flashed, so he came down on his own.”
“Hmm… Isn’t there a way to scout the inside using Orma-nim’s divine authority?”
“Well, even if we scout, there’s no way to call him.”
This was serious. The pupils of the three panicked people collided anxiously in the air and wavered. It really seemed like there was no solution, just as Orma said. During the brief silence that flowed, something suddenly crossed Ban’s mind.
‘…Faith Shop?’
They said that since his Faith Level went up, he could now use the Faith Shop. But the shop didn’t actually sell what Ban had hoped for. Just strange talismans, old weapons, and skills whose uses were unknown. Ban, who had hoped for something to eat or drink, soon closed the Faith Shop in disappointment.
But wasn’t there something among those things that could break through this situation? With the thought that suddenly flashed, he immediately opened the system and checked the Faith Shop.
[Faith Shop / Cumulative Faith Gauge: 10
*The items sold change daily! We recommend purchasing items you desire immediately!
▷ You Can Curse Too! Basic Curseology Volume 2 / 1
▷ Skeleton King’s Old Sword / 1
▷ Glass Apple for Sacrifice / 2
▷ Frozen Echo / 1
▷ Banan’s Storm / 7]
No matter when he looked, they were items where he really didn’t know what to buy. The numbers at the end indicated how much cumulative Faith Gauge each required. Something like ‘Banan’s Storm’ meant it required a whopping 7 points.
For example, if he opened the detailed information window for ‘Banan’s Storm’…
[Banan’s Storm / Unique Item
A bow imbued with the power of Banan, God of Water and Wind, Abundance and Love.
A legendary bow said to be able to cause storms.
Exclusive Skill: Tale of a Small Storm (Cooldown 1 day)
Strength +10, Agility +10, Charm +3]
They gave such detailed information that there was no chance of buying the wrong thing. Anyway, as Ban was checking the shop items one by one, something caught his eye.
[Frozen Echo / Rare Item
A single-use message conch that can record and play back sound.
Message transmission is possible regardless of who the target is, and be careful when using it as it’s cold!]
Hmm, couldn’t this work? Since it only consumed 1 point of Faith Gauge, it seemed fine to buy it for experimental purposes. After brief consideration, Ban purchased the ‘Frozen Echo.’
Then, just like when his Faith Level reached 2 and he received earrings as a quest reward, a frozen solid conch shell appeared from the empty air and gently fell into Ban’s hand. Except for being a bit cold due to being frozen, it had a familiar appearance that made it seem like he should ask, “Magic conch shell, is the dragon on the Sky Island?”
“What’s that?”
“It suddenly appeared out of nowhere! Did Ban-gong use Orma-nim’s divine authority? I want to do it too! Tell me how to do it!”
“It has nothing to do with me.”
“Hmm… It’s a single-use message conch. It says it’s an object that can record and transmit sound.”
“So you’re saying you’ve never used it either?”
Saying that, Orma frowned and took the Frozen Echo from Ban. Like before, what was he trying to use so readily when he didn’t even know what it was? Wasn’t he trusting others too easily?
You have to be badly screwed over by gods once to know that damn gods aren’t beings you can trust… No, since I’m Ban’s god, I should exclude myself.
Anyway, after examining the strange object this way and that, Orma eventually tapped the conch shell opening to activate it.
<Activating Frozen Echo. To whom would you like to send it?>
A clear voice flowed out from the conch shell. All three flinched simultaneously. It was inevitable since that voice was so much like Ban’s. Orma, his brow deeply furrowed, looked back and forth between Ban and the conch shell before opening his mouth.
“…Gailust Khan.”
<‘Gailust Khan’, searching for target information… 798 years old, Dragon, male. Is this the target you wish to send to?>
“Yeah.”
<After the beep sound, the message to be transmitted to the target will be recorded. Recording lasts for 30 seconds, so messages that are too long may not be transmitted. Beep-.>
Why is the ‘beep’ sound my voice instead of an electronic sound? Ban somehow felt secondhand embarrassment, but Orma looked at Ban with a smile at the corners of his mouth as if it was amusing. Then, as soon as the sound ended, he began speaking in the fierce tone he’d only heard in Hell.
“You pig dragon bastard. You’re passed out sleeping every single day so you don’t notice even when I throw a spear, right? Hurry up and crawl out here.”
“…”
“…”
<…Recording has ended. Transmitting to target ‘Gailust Khan’.>
Hmm, as expected, Orma was being very kind and gentle to me… Jaena and Ban looked at Orma with disapproving faces, but he raised his eyebrows upward as if asking what the problem was and nodded his head. That arrogant look suited him so perfectly that there was nothing in particular to say.
“Ahem, but dragons really do live long. 798 years old!”
“Don’t beastmen also have long lifespans?”
“Hey, but still, they can’t compare to dragons. The oldest person in our tribe is 197 years old!”
“…From a human’s perspective, that age is also distant.”
“What?”
Orma, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, jumped in startled. Ah, come to think of it, how many long years had Orma, who used that dragon as a servant, lived? Just as Ban was thinking of his age that naturally made him respectful, Orma placed both hands on Ban’s shoulders as if telling him not to think strange thoughts, lightly shaking them as he asked with an anxious face.
“A distant age? What’s that like?”
“What? Literally distant…”
“Do you feel distance? Do I seem like an incomprehensible old man to you?”
Wondering why he was suddenly acting like this, it seemed that bothered him. Ban smiled faintly and slowly shook his head. Rather than a grandfather, he often thought he was like a very immature adolescent boy… Well, extremes meet. Sometimes old people show pure sides like young children.
Anyway, Orma’s face became reassured by Ban’s smile. Then, as if remembering something, the moment he urgently opened his mouth.
Suddenly, a tremendous gust of wind blew down from the sky. Along with a shadow that was even darker than the shadow created by the Sky Island. Ban, who had a hunch that something was swooping down on them, raised his head.
What Ban saw was a huge dragon falling from the sky.
…Not flying, but falling.
No, to be more precise, it was a strange and rough flight, as if it had forgotten or was ignoring the law of spreading its wings to descend slowly.
“U-uaaaah!”
“Orma-nim!”
Was the dragon angry? The blue gleaming eyes cutting through the clouds as it flew were focused precisely on Orma. Finally, when it approached so close that they thought they would be crushed to death at this rate, the dragon spread its wings, causing wind strong enough to make their bodies stagger, and shouted in a resounding voice.
“Ormaaaaa!”
