I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 643

Equipment made with a dragon’s magic core, or a dragon heart, boasts significantly superior output and power compared to other equipment. Furthermore, the characteristics of the dragon, the owner of the dragon heart, are reflected in the equipment. Winged Hwan’s innate traits include mind control, feather bombardment, and flight. Among these, mind control is the most noteworthy.

‘If I were to create equipment that fully maximizes this mind control ability and use it myself…’ It could create an enormous synergy with my [Eyes of Command]. If hordes of enemies with weak mental resistance were to attack, I could potentially mind control and defeat them all by myself. However, the problem lies with the enemies we need to defeat right now. The immediate threats are the Black Dragon’s Eye, Ipian, and the True Black Dragon, Night Bringer. These are commander-class monsters with overwhelmingly high mental status ailment resistance. Especially Night Bringer, who is highly likely to be completely immune to mind control, let alone Ipian.

‘Parecian was a martial-type individual among the Black Dragon Legion, so his magic power was relatively low, and I had to forcibly apply mind control by stacking [Elemental Disassembly] several times. Skaerian was only captured because he voluntarily deactivated his barrier.’ The two dragons I captured were special cases. Realistically, using mind control on the remaining two dragons is difficult and inefficient. Then, the second option to consider is feather bombardment.

‘If I were to create a bow or a ranged weapon that utilizes the feather bombardment function… it would display outstanding power.’ If the feather bombardment trait were applied to weapons like bows or crossbows, it would unleash insane firepower capable of wiping out several waves of mobs single-handedly. Suddenly, Burnout came to mind. If that elf archer were still alive, this weapon would have been a great option for her.

“…”

However, feather bombardment is fundamentally a trait specialized for dealing with multiple enemies. It’s optimized for simultaneously striking a wide area rather than a concentrated single blow. In other words… it’s also unlikely to be very effective in the next raid. What we need right now is a powerful single blow that can pierce through the tough dragon scales in an instant.

‘It might be better to give up the feather bombardment ability and create a single magic rifle with ordinary breath capabilities for dragon hunting.’ Anyway, skipping the feather bombardment trait, what’s left is…

‘The flight trait, I guess.’ I was lost in thought. In the game, it was possible to create armor with the flight trait using Winged Hwan’s magic core. There was armor that could use a wide-area flight special ability, allowing all allies in the area to fly temporarily.

‘If I had this equipment…’ It would provide mobility to our glass cannon allies. They could at least escape the dragon’s wide-area attacks once, and it would be possible to operate mages and ranged dealers more aggressively.

“…Okay.”

After much deliberation, I made a decision. Although it seems the most mundane at first glance, I decided to create equipment that could help the survival of our backline allies through wide-area flight. I explained my intentions in detail to Kellybay, and he readily nodded.

“I thought you’d make a flashy weapon like [Isageum]… but this isn’t bad either! Besides, it’s your decision.”

I smiled faintly. For a mage, survivability is equivalent to attack power. Rather than casting a spell and retreating from the battlefield, if they can secure their survival with this equipment and move more boldly, it will surely be beneficial in battle. Above all, the flight function will be a great help in the upcoming battle—the Black Dragon’s Eye raid.

“So, it’s armor, but… what kind of armor?” Kellybay asked, and I answered immediately.

“I’d like a robe for mages, please!” Following that, I rubbed my hands together and chuckled.

“Finally, the time has come to present our great Flame Mage with a good piece of equipment.”

Evangeline, who was listening, tilted her head.

“Flame Mage…? You mean Lily, right?” Then, Lily, who was making something with the alchemist guild leader over there, was startled and looked this way. I frantically waved both hands.

“No, no, the older one!” Why are there so many Flame Mages in this town!

***

After looking around Crossroads and checking on various tasks besides the smithy, I returned to the lord’s mansion late in the afternoon. Ugh, I’m tired.

‘I’d love to take a nap, but I have a lot of work to do.’ First, I wanted to talk to Skaerian. After all, he’s my captured monster, he can talk, and he’s friendly to humans. There might be information I can extract. So, I checked, and… the guy wasn’t in the subspace. Parecian was also gone.

“Where did they go again, these guys…” “…I have a hunch.” Lucas muttered with a sullen expression, and I had a hunch as well. And so, the lord’s mansion garden. As expected, the two problematic dragons were gathered here. First, Parecian was coiled up like he was protecting a precious egg, with his long body wrapped around someone in the middle. Needless to say, that someone was Violet.

“…Kill me…” Violet was staring blankly into the air with a pale face, even drooling. Her condition is getting worse by the day. 《Ah, uh, uhhh…》 And on the opposite side, Skaerian in his human form was pacing back and forth, looking anxiously at Violet. Eventually, as if he had mustered some courage, Skaerian took a step towards Violet after taking a deep breath.

《U-um, I have something to say…》 Then. Kiiiiing-! Parecian immediately got angry. He made a terrifying engine sound and turned his whole body red. Violet, on top of the electric massage chair(?) that was about to switch to battle mode, looked at Skaerian with her haggard eyes. Skaerian, not knowing what to do, stepped back.

《No, it’s nothing…》 Then, he sulked in a corner, whining. 《Uuu, I want to be friends too…》

“…” 《O-okay. One more time…!》 This nerdy, loser dragon didn’t give up and kept circling around, and every time his orbital path got closer, Parecian reacted harshly and wrapped himself around Violet. Watching this from afar, I muttered in a daze.

“Why are they filming a romance fantasy?” “…Huh? Romance?” Lucas asked back, dumbfounded, as if saying, ‘Where do you see that?’, but isn’t that exactly what the setup is? Something that would have a title like or . Violet, who unexpectedly became the protagonist of a dragon-romance-fantasy, the object of contention between the two dragons, was so happy that she even shed a tear. She looks happy, so it’s okay…

Anyway, I couldn’t just keep watching this disaster, so I approached, making my presence known. Then, the two dragons and one person, who noticed my presence, turned towards me. Taat! Violet, who quickly jumped out from between the two dragons with surprising speed, grabbed my pant leg.

“Your Highness! No, one is hard enough, but two is too much! I can’t take it anymore, I’m going crazy! I’m gonna die!” Cutting off Violet’s pleas, I answered simply.

“Double the pay raise.”

“Huh?” “Since there are two, double it. Okay?” Violet had already received a huge pay raise when she became Parecian’s exclusive caretaker. And now, another double! While Violet was stunned by the shocking financial therapy, I beckoned Skaerian with a gesture. I came here today to get some information from this guy.

《Ah, hello, Ash!》 Skaerian awkwardly waved his hand and then hesitantly came in front of me. Watching the romance fantasy or the taming diary being played out by two dragons and one human is also fun. Or, it would be fun for me and this loser dragon to form a nerdy bond.

“Skaerian.” I decided to focus more on the immediate problem. “Tell me about your brother, Ipian.” Without further ado, I went straight to the point, and Skaerian flinched. I looked at Skaerian and spoke each word clearly.

“His strengths, his weaknesses, and… everything else you know.” The last Black Dragon Legion to defeat before going to defeat the True Black Dragon. ‘Black Dragon’s Eye’ Ipian. Of course, I already know information about Ipian. His strengths, weaknesses, and hidden aspects. I’ve defeated him several times in the game. This question is both a task to reconcile the information that is different between the game and reality, and… a test to see if Skaerian is answering that information correctly.

‘I don’t trust this guy yet.’ He acts naive, but this guy is one of Night Bringer’s most powerful children. I don’t intend to trust him easily. ‘Whether you really intend to be on my side or not.’ This Q&A will make it clear.

《Hmm…》 I wonder how much he understood the intention of my question. The dragon’s face, which had been clumsy, instantly hardened sharply, and a smile, as if he was enjoying it, appeared on his lips. Skaerian naturally sat down at the outdoor table in the garden not far away, and stared at me with his golden eyes gleaming behind his glasses.

《Okay. Then… I guess we should start with this. My brother Ipian is the only multi-headed dragon among our father’s children, meaning he has multiple heads.》 At the following words, I clenched my fist tightly. 《He is the one who most resembles our father’s ‘true form’ among us, and therefore, he is the eldest son.》 Ipian, the three-headed dragon. Because each of his three heads can use breath, magic, and dragon fear separately, he is the most difficult monster to deal with among the Black Dragon’s children. …And he is also the dragon that most resembles Night Bringer, the seven-headed dragon.

***

Etty’s honey from the inn. Second floor. Junior’s room. “…You can really do a good job, right?” Hecate, wearing a robe and sitting in front of the mirror, asked with a doubtful voice. Junior, standing behind her, chuckled and flashed the scissors in his hand.

“I’ve cut my siblings’ hair at home from when they were babies to teenagers. I’m better than most hairdressers, you know?” “I’ll trust you, Junior-nim…” Hecate closed her eyes tightly, and Junior took a deep breath, then carefully picked up the hairdressing scissors. Hecate had taken Winged Hwan’s breath head-on in the last raid. Her burned and crushed body quickly recovered, but her burned long hair was gone. Her hair was short, like it was during her school days.

“Actually, since I was appointed as a Glory Knight… since I received the ‘curse,’ my body has stopped growing. My hair doesn’t grow, my nails don’t grow…” Forever frozen in her graduation ceremony appearance. That’s how Hecate had been living, but when she came to Crossroads this time, she wanted to show Lucas a different side of herself. So, to change her image, she bought a dress and shoes that she didn’t usually wear, and… even wore an expensive wig. But this time, even that wig was burned, and Hecate’s hair had returned to its original short state.

Hecate was horrified by her appearance, which was the same as her school days, and had locked herself in her room. And Junior, who was worried and came to see her, learned about the situation and offered a solution. Short hair can also be styled in many ways, leave it to me, the best hairdresser in the Jupiter family…

“By the way, you’re cute enough as you are.” “Absolutely not. Lucas, that guy, didn’t even see me as a woman in this state.” “No, isn’t that just because that knight’s perception is legendary…” After chatting and easing Hecate’s tension, Junior brought the tip of the scissors to Hecate’s sideburn.

‘Cut here, trim here, and use heat and wind magic…’ Junior wasn’t as skilled as a hairdresser in the Imperial City, but he was confident that he could give her a cute style change. At least enough for Lucas, that oblivious guy, to notice the change. After finishing his calculations, Junior moved the scissors forward, and Hecate swallowed nervously, her eyes tightly closed. It was at that moment.

Bang! “Ahem! Hecate, are you perhaps here? I have something to say…” The door suddenly burst open, and Dusk Bringer rushed inside. Hecate, startled by the sudden intrusion, flinched greatly, and Junior, equally surprised, stifled a scream. Snip! And. The scissors, which went much deeper than Junior had calculated, cut off a large chunk of Hecate’s side hair.

“…” “…” “…” The cut beige hair of Hecate fluttered and scattered everywhere. Hecate, who was huddled on the chair, Junior, who was holding the scissors, and Dusk Bringer, who had just opened the door and was still holding the doorknob. All three of them were unable to move, and a hellish silence flowed. The same thought flashed through everyone’s minds. We’re screwed, this is…