The Flame Dragon Leus rose from its nest.
It howled towards us and switched to combat mode, with the BGM of the OST of Dragon Hunter, “Token of Heroes,” playing loudly.
“Da-da-da⬈ Da⬊ Da-da-da-dan♫”
Though the music I created didn’t match the rhythm exactly, it was enough to warm my heart.
“Alright, Ragnix, I’ll draw Leus’s attention, so in the meantime…”
I stepped forward to capture Leus’s gaze.
As Leus charged toward me, I planned to dodge or run away, then attack its flank. But…
Bang!!!!!
“Huh?”
With a loud explosion, my character was sent flying into the air and collapsed in front of Leus, meeting a traditional headbutt as it rushed forward, resulting in my death.
Then, the mascot character of Dragon Hunter, “Companion Aru,” carted me back to the starting campsite.
[Yuren has died.]
“…………”
“……I’m sorry. It’s my first time, you see.”
The reason for my death was Ragnix.
Ragnix, who was behind me, accidentally shot his cannon lance’s Dragon Punch at me, launching me into the air.
To think I’d experience a team kill like this again after being done in by Hunta in my previous life… I was immediately alert from the start.
“Uh…it’s okay! That can happen in a game. Hahaha!!”
I never imagined my first death during a test play would be from a team kill.
But recalling all the countless team kills I had inflicted in the past, I chuckled and started the game again.
Hoo… Endure, endure, Ragnix is my sponsor. Endure…
“Master! I’ll be counting on you until I get back!”
“Understood! My disciple!!”
I hurriedly dashed to the battlefield, relying on my master’s strength.
Among the remaining three, my master was the only one capable of fighting upfront.
“Ushaaa!!!”
Kuwong! Kuwong! Kuwuuung!
My master swung his hammer with gusto, beginning to smack Leus.
Despite a shorter reach than the greatsword, the hammer’s high damage hit resonated against Leus’s body with a heavy thud.
“Die! Die!!!”
Bang! Bang! Bang!! Bang bang!!!
From a distance, Jiren also joined in, attacking with a heavy bowgun to support my master’s hunt.
Even with close-range weapons, accumulating aggro solely on my master could be dangerous, so I attacked the dragon’s face to disperse aggro and aid my master’s assault.
“Is… is this how it’s done?”
Kwachik! Kwachik! Kwang!
“Yes! That’s how you fight.”
After his early mishap, Ragnix began to fight properly.
He skillfully utilized the cannon lance’s National Combo, dealing damage from a secure distance that was flashy but never risky.
That’s right! Just like that, Ragnix!
Meanwhile, the three of us coordinated well, hunting Leus as I dashed forth.
Did we hunt too well?
Phase 2 triggered faster than expected.
“Kuuaaaaaa!!!”
Whooooosh!!
Suddenly, Leus swung its tail in a 360-degree frenzy.
My master and Ragnix plowed into it in traditional fashion and were knocked out cold.
And just like that, Leus targeted my master, bracing to charge.
This situation! This health!! This angle!!!
My master was in danger.
“W-Watch out!”
Kuwong! Kuwong! Kuwong! Kuwong!
Leus charged toward us like a truck, leading with its massive body.
As I braced for death, seeing Irene’s character show no signs of waking,
Taaaang!!
“Phew… I’m a bit late, huh.”
“My disciple!!”
Yuren appeared just in time to block Leus with a defense.
Thanks to Yuren’s golden timing, Irene’s character was spared, and all four of us assembled on the map.
“Okay, everyone, let’s seriously hunt now.”
“Sure!”
“Sounds good!!”
With Yuren joining, the perfect quartet began to toy with Leus.
Yuren and Irene slashed at Leus in close range with their greatsword and hammer, while Ragnix used the cannon lance to bombard Leus from up close.
Jiren kept Leus’s attacks at bay with various status-altering ammo from a distance.
“Successful tail cut!!”
In the meantime, Yuren neatly sliced off Leus’s tail with an upward slash of his greatsword.
As Leus writhed from the shock, Irene, having used all her potions, called out for help from Jiren.
“Jiren, please heal me!”
“Got it, Master!”
Jiren expertly combined healing ammo to restore Irene’s health.
As Leus began to limp, the final moment approached, and it collapsed after a head strike from Irene.
Finally, it was time for the finishing blow.
“Ragnix!! Please finish it!!!”
“I understand!!”
Fwoosh…
Ragnix moved close to Leus and input the command he had failed earlier.
The cannon lance adjusted and activated all its ammunition, preparing for the ultimate technique infused with Yuren’s essence, the “Dragon Punch.”
“Die!!!”
Kwaaaang!!!!
As the Dragon Punch struck true, Leus’s health fully depleted, falling over and revealing the mission clear prompt.
The hunt was a success.
“Cough…”
“That’s right!!!”
“You did well, Ragnix!!!”
“Pfft… This is nothing.”
Watching the fallen dragon, Ragnix, Yuren, Jiren, and Irene shared high-fives.
Seeing this, Prince Lethers couldn’t help but think, while he was glad to see his ancestors amused, was it really okay for a game about dragons hunting dragons to be so entertaining?
Then he recalled how, not too long ago, as a human, he had hunted humans in the FPS game, Dune, and accepted it as similar.
*
After the enjoyable test concluded, I asked Ragnix.
“How did you find Dragon Hunter?”
“It was enjoyable. It reminded me of the thrill of the hunt that I had long forgotten.”
Ragnix wore a very satisfied expression.
Heh heh heh, so the Dragon Heart is now in my hands.
As my long life in the Kingdom of Ra came to an end, a bittersweet feeling washed over me when Prince Lethers spoke.
“Yuren, so is it time to release it now?”
“We’ll need to do a little more QA testing, but I think we’re almost done, so you can prepare for release.”
“Understood, I’ll instruct my subordinates to get ready for release.”
I had heard that the largest trading company in the Kingdom of Ra, Drake Corporation, would be responsible for the game’s release.
Since Silvia and I had shared several tips and what needed preparation, there shouldn’t be too many issues.
“Oh! One more thing, to connect with the World Tree Network, please arrange a link with the World Tree manager of the Kingdom of Ra.”
“That’s easy enough; I’ll take care of it.”
In the midst of it all, I almost forgot.
The life of Dragon Heart depended on registering Dragon Hunter in the World Tree Network for multiplayer.
This would likely be my final task.
As everything got organized, Ragnix, who seemed to hold many thoughts, finally spoke.
“To be honest…I never expected you to work this hard, Yuren.”
Ragnix appeared to be recalling other humans he had worked with in the past.
Indeed, I too understood well, as I often had low expectations when asking for freelance tasks.
“Even if the Dragon Heart is at stake, to develop a new game magic in a foreign land and raise your disciples, may I ask what motivates your determination?”
Ragnix genuinely seemed curious about my answer.
Hmm… Looking into Ragnix’s eyes, I felt it would be better to be honest rather than trying to wrap up my feelings in flowery language, so I said.
“Because I love games. I wish many people could have a joyful time through games.”
“With that, would you not feel happiness even if a rival surpasses you?”
This was the very issue with sharing techniques.
The emergence of a being that surpasses me.
But I thought it was alright.
Because…
“Then it would be even better. It would let me experience games that I don’t know.”
Yeah, I want to see it.
The unknown games that can only be experienced because they are created in this other world.
Someday, I hope our Irene School will create games only found in this other world, whether in the Kingdom of Ra or the Yura Republic, that will astound me.
In my previous life, someone once told me this.
Life is like a journey meeting unknown pleasures.
I resonate deeply with that sentiment.
“You are pure. More so than any human I have encountered.”
“Human, you say?”
“Hah… It’s no big deal.”
After finishing my story, I got up and left the room.
As I was about to exit, Ragnix gave me a final farewell.
“Yuren… thank you for creating a game that represents our country.”
Ragnix genuinely seemed grateful.
In response, I stepped out of the room.
“Thank you for giving me the opportunity to create ‘Dragon Hunter,’ Ragnix.”
