While developing the game, a few issues arose.
Was it a problem with the magical tools supported by the Kingdom of Ra?
Nope.
It took some time to set up the new magical tools, just like configuring a new computer, but everything was set up without a hitch, so there were no problems in development.
What about the newbie wizards from the Kingdom of Ra?
Not that either.
There were about four dropouts, but the remaining members were growing splendidly.
Some had unfocused eyes or had lost a lot of weight, but that was just part of intense magical training, so it wasn’t a significant issue.
Our problem was…
“We need a dragon model!”
We needed a dragon model.
In “Dragon Hunter,” the dragon’s movements are crucial.
Sometimes terrifyingly charging at gamers to instill fear, and when their stamina runs low, they had to show signs of weakness to indicate they were weakened.
The strength and weakness had to convey a sense of life, but unfortunately, Lauren and our graphic team from the Irene School could only create a standard dragon look due to their lack of dragon connections.
Creating a vibrant and fearsome dragon was out of the question, so we looked to the wizards of the Kingdom of Ra for assistance. But…
“We haven’t closely observed dragons to that extent, so this is our limit,” they replied.
The people of Ra had seen dragons flying around, but they had never witnessed one charging to ram its body into something or breathing fire, nor a dragon limping in pain.
If this continued, half-baked games would come out, and I sought help from Prince Lethers.
“In this situation, is there a dragon somewhere among the royals that can communicate with us?”
“A dragon that can communicate?”
“Yes, if there’s a dragon that can take the pose we request, then we’d like to seek its cooperation.”
Upon hearing this, Prince Lethers glanced at Ras and then asked again.
“Is the need for a dragon’s cooperation that significant?”
“Yes, it’s essential to realize characters as important as Curie and Karuga from Legend Fighter; if possible, we absolutely need the dragon’s cooperation.”
In “Dragon Hunter,” the protagonist wasn’t the user but the dragon itself. Therefore, the quality of the dragon was vital, and I desperately wanted its cooperation.
“Is there really none?”
“Well, there is one…”
Prince Lethers glanced at Ras again.
Ras wore an expression that said, “Why do you keep looking at me? Don’t you have any other place to look?”
What was going on?
With a determined expression, Prince Lethers stood up and said,
“Wait just a moment, Yuren. I need to have a brief discussion with Ras.”
“……Understood.”
The two entered an inner room.
From inside, we could hear them earnestly discussing something. Words like “ancestor” and “it’s outside,” along with “since you started this, you should take responsibility,” reached our ears, but the exact content was unclear.
About ten minutes later, they emerged.
“Alright, I’ll ask a dragon I know well for help.”
“Thank you so much!”
Hence, we received the glorious opportunity of actual “dragon observation” following “dragon hunting.”
This was the first time I would closely observe a dragon freely, and my heart began to race.
I was excited to see what kind of dragon would appear.
*
The next day, following Prince Lethers’ announcement that a dragon was ready, we moved to a remote and desolate plain in the capital of the Kingdom of Ra, Hamont.
It was a green plain with nothing on it.
“Prince? Where’s the dragon?”
“Haha! It’ll be here soon.”
Where was this dragon coming from?
While I was pondering this, Sora shouted.
“Yuren! Look… over there!”
We all turned to where Sora pointed.
There, we saw nothing but a blue sky.
Thinking Sora was joking around and about to look elsewhere, I suddenly noticed a black dot in the sky.
That black dot grew larger and became clearer.
“Wow…”
“Oh my…”
As that black dot approached, we realized what it was.
It was a dragon.
Not just any dragon, but the ultimate dragon, the Black Dragon.
With black scales that seemed capable of deflecting meteors, claws sharp enough to tear down mountains, and eyes cold enough to pierce the hearts of all humans…
Compared to this dragon, the ones hunted by the Dragon Slayers were like chicks in comparison.
I understood how hunters felt when facing the black dragon in “Dragon Hunter.”
To face such a being and not faint or tremble in fear, even if it was just a game character, I couldn’t help but admire the hunters.
WHOOSH!! WHOOOSH!! BOOM!!!
“GRAAAAWR…”
The Black Dragon landed on the plain, using its massive wings to create winds like a typhoon.
The ground trembled beneath us, reversing our stomachs with its impact.
The dragon glared at us as if it found us displeasing and roared out.
“ROOOAAAAARG!!!!”
“AHHH!!!”
“Mommy!!!”
The dragon’s roar echoed like a bomb explosion, enveloping us in a tremendous sound.
Had I not magically protected my ears, my eardrums would have been shattered.
Is this dragon able to communicate!?
While everyone was trembling in fear, the Master calmly observed the dragon and said.
“Yuren, this dragon seems reminiscent of Fire Dragon Ragnix.”
“Fire Dragon Ragnix!?”
I had heard of it.
The guardian beast of the Kingdom of Ra, Fire Dragon Ragnix.
An ancestral figure from the Kingdom who, during the third demon lord war, burned thousands of demon forces and created a legend; I definitely remembered learning about it in history class when I was young.
“But, Master, how do you know about it?”
“I caught a glimpse of it while fighting alongside during the third demon lord war.”
The third demon lord war was about 500 years ago…
Hmm… Given the Master’s age, it’s plausible.
But did such a divine beast come to be our game model?
Is that even allowed?
I looked over at Prince Lethers, who, for some reason, was sweating profusely.
“Haha! It resembles Fire Dragon Ragnix; it must be just a feeling. Wise one! Haha…”
“GRRR….”
Somehow, that black dragon seemed to be sweating too, attempting to nod in agreement.
Whatever it was, it certainly looked like it could communicate.
“Is that so?”
The Master, recalling memories from 500 years ago, seemed uncertain as he tilted his head while staring at the black dragon.
The dragon then avoided the Master’s gaze, looking elsewhere.
Could there really be some relation?
“Ahem! Back to the main point; this dragon is the only black dragon that can communicate with our Royal House of Ra. If you ask politely and request the desired poses, it will comply most of the time.”
At that moment, Prince Lethers chimed in.
Well, what’s important now is that there’s a dragon in front of us that can communicate, and we don’t have much time.
Representing us, Lauren cautiously approached the black dragon.
“Um… Would it be alright if we take photographs of your entire body… if that’s okay?”
“GRRR…”
The black dragon looked at Lauren and made a displeased sound, but eventually nodded as if there was no other choice.
Seeing this, Prince Lethers commented.
“It seems alright.”
“Great! Then everyone, take your positions, and let’s start shooting!”
We surrounded the black dragon in our prepared positions and activated the crystal ball.
Then we requested the first action we needed for our data.
“Could you charge while roaring over there for the first action?”
“GRRR…ROOOOOOAAAAARG!!!!”
At Lauren’s words, the black dragon charged in the indicated direction, roaring.
Yes! That’s it!! That’s how a dragon charges!!!
As I filmed the overwhelming might of the dragon, I remembered my past experiences with Dragon Hunter.
I still recalled how I misplaced my roll timing and got genuinely hurt back then…
“Next, let’s do a biting action!!”
“CRACK! CRACK!”
When Lauren pointed at a tree and requested a biting action, the black dragon easily bit through the wood with its steel-like teeth, showcasing the might of a dragon’s bite.
But why was there a Capsule Monster between Lauren and the black dragon?
“Now, could you inhale and unleash a big Dragon Breath towards that sea over there!?”
“HUUUURRRGHH…ROAAAARG!!!!!!”
Lauren made the request, and the black dragon inhaled deeply, breathing out a fireball towards the distant sea.
The fireball, akin to a meteor, exploded upon hitting the water.
BOOM!!!!!
“That’s the breath of the legendary black dragon.”
“I’ve never seen it before.”
The wizards of the Kingdom of Ra, including Asti, seemed taken aback, having likely never seen the dragon’s breath before.
As I filmed all of this, Jiren suddenly spoke up.
“Hey, it’s great that we’re gathering data, but is it alright to make the black dragon do those things?”
“Hmm… The dragon seems to be enjoying it; I think it should be fine?”
Jiren appeared worried about potentially angering the dragon with such requests.
I shared similar doubts, but it seemed that the black dragon genuinely enjoyed carrying out Lauren’s requests, so I thought it might be okay.
“Lastly, could you please perform a motion of limping in pain?”
“GRRR! GRRR!!!”
As I asked for the special motion that occurs when it’s low on health, this time it firmly shook its head while snorting.
“Uh… that seems like it doesn’t want to do that?”
“It appears it doesn’t like showing any weakness.”
I had heard dragons are proud creatures.
Especially for the apex dragon, the black dragon, it seemed understandable that it wouldn’t want to show such a side.
I began to think this had to be abandoned when Lauren turned to the dragon and cute-pouted.
“Please, black dragon-sama♡”
There was no way a proud dragon would fulfill such request with mere cuteness.
I thought Lauren had underestimated the black dragon… but suddenly!
The black dragon began to limp and crawl on the ground.
“GRRR…”
Limp… limp…
Thus, we obtained all the necessary data and learned something new.
Dragons are weak against little girls.
