Ch-180. **Is He a God?**
—
The Light Dragon, Einhasar.
He was a being who summoned “challengers” who met certain conditions and imposed trials upon them.
Countless challengers had passed through him thus far, and at the same time, despaired.
Because Einhasar possessed an authority akin to a divine right — to observe and summon every challenger.
And so, the trials he gave were always the ones that could draw out a challenger’s abilities to the very limit.
To push them to break through their own limits.
“Weak, weak.”
However, Einhasar could not hide his disappointment with the recent challengers.
Because their stats were low?
No. That didn’t matter.
He had always tailored trials to match each challenger’s abilities.
*There aren’t any with grit anymore.*
Their mental fortitude was far too fragile.
In the past year, not a single challenger had even slightly satisfied Einhasar.
Were the trials too difficult?
No — the difficulty had remained constant.
From Einhasar’s point of view, they weren’t even that difficult.
He took challengers into consideration and gave them what he regarded as “easy” trials.
“To think he couldn’t even swing it a hundred times.”
The previous challenger had been especially disgraceful.
He couldn’t even complete a mere hundred downward swings and rolled on the ground.
Of course, the sword weighed a bit heavy — about 50 tons — but still, Einhasar had calculated that the challenger should easily be able to lift it.
*A 1-Star Transcendent should be able to handle that much.*
For a 1-Star Transcendent, it shouldn’t have been hard at all.
Swinging it a hundred times — that was all he asked.
Such thoughtful consideration.
Yet the challenger collapsed after the fifth swing.
A moment when even his “kindness” was made meaningless.
“Challengers these days are more numerous than those of the past, yet even more pitiful. Is it because of the state of transcendence now?”
The Light Dragon Einhasar stroked his golden scaled tail along his jaw.
Humans — most of whom were 1-Star Transcendents — generally took on his trials.
If, in the past, one in ten “normal” Transcendents fell into the category of *not bad*, then recently every single one that appeared was in terrible condition.
Did they get indigestion from eating the wrong star?
Most of them had transcended in an odd way — by eating stars of other godhoods instead of the Goddess’ star.
He could guess the reason.
*The Seventh Deadly Sin’s demon is hunting remaining godhoods… then chopping up their bodies and distributing them to humans. Forcibly transcending them — to what end?*
Demons were running rampant.
Einhasar was aware that they were hunting godhoods whose existence had scattered.
He thought of it as a nasty little game of demons.
*Hmph, not my concern anyway.*
He was a Light Dragon.
Unlike other dragons or Dragon Gods, he had no interest in playing guardian of the mid-realm.
Tormenting challengers was both his joy and his entire purpose.
“Oho. Already the next challenger?”
Einhasar sensed the presence of a challenger who met the conditions.
A new toy.
No — a new challenger.
Smiling faintly, Einhasar opened a warp and initiated forced summons.
But—
“…Summoning failed?”
What?
Summoning failed?
*Did I see that wrong?*
Impossible.
Even if he wanted to see wrongly, he could not.
He possessed the absolute Dragon Eyes that penetrated all truth and reality.
Even Dragon Gods could not speak of truth before him.
So he tried again.
“…………Hm?”
Another failed summon.
Strange. The authority to summon challengers was absolute.
A mortal who met the conditions should *never* be able to resist his summon.
Even if one possessed an artifact with the unique ability “Summon Rejection.”
…Resistance should still be impossible.
*There are only a few rare cases of unsummonable beings.*
There were rare exceptions.
For example — one directly blessed by a god.
Saint Kings, Saint Maidens, such beings could not be summoned.
Though those two never challenged him anyway, so they were excluded.
*I’ll know by checking their status window.*
With his absolute Dragon Eyes, he could confirm whether a challenger possessed a god’s direct blessing.
A mortal could not reject that.
They wouldn’t even be given the chance to reject it.
Even Dragon Gods admired the power of his Dragon Eyes.
Those eyes, which pierced through everything, were something even they envied.
And yet—
“…???”
Observation failed?
…Such a thing had never happened before.
An impossible — and intolerable — event had occurred.
The Light Dragon, Einhasar.
For the first time in his life, his expression hardened with raw bewilderment.
*…What in the world is this thing?*
—
—
I was simply impressed.
The *Ring of the Radiant Pureblood*.
The “Unobservable” function could even block the Light Dragon’s gaze.
*Remarkable.*
The Light Dragon Einhasar, the one who presides over Main Quest 10.
His forcefulness was absolute.
Because the quest was designed that way.
*A function that prevents even the forced start of the quest, huh.*
But there was one question.
*Doesn’t the ring only block observation? Why did the summon fail too?*
To start the quest, one had to travel to the Light Dragon’s Nest.
Normally impossible, so the dragon forcefully summoned challengers. Everyone who reached Main Quest 10 had always been summoned without the right to refuse.
Every character I ever played that reached Quest 10 had been summoned.
But the *Ring of the Radiant Pureblood* merely blocked observation.
It shouldn’t have been linked to summon failure.
*…Then how am I supposed to start the quest?*
Admiration aside, it was a bit concerning.
No one knew where the Light Dragon’s Nest was.
Even if I wanted to walk there, I couldn’t.
But that applied to the Light Dragon as well.
Einhasar was obligated to grant the challenger a trial.
So—
*You come to me.*
Neither of us could go to the other.
I folded my arms lightly and took a deep breath.
After a while—
ZIIIIIIIIIING—!
“Wh-what!?”
“A portal!?”
“A golden portal is opening in the sky…!”
People panicked all at once.
From the sky, a massive golden rift appeared.
In a place impossible not to notice.
And who could forcibly open a warp like that?
I slowly raised my head.
And smiled.
*You came.*
—
—
Auril looked up at the sky.
*Spatial transference!*
A massive circular portal in the sky.
That was spatial transference.
Not normal warp-based transportation, but a power that invaded space and tore it open.
Only mighty beings possessed such dominion.
Like Karas, the godhood within the Tower — only the supreme beings inherited such authority.
*…The godhoods of the tower can instantly move to demons.*
But not unconditionally.
There were set targets.
For example, the godhoods of the Tower possessed the authority to track demons when they looked up at the sky and forcibly drag them in.
Likewise, that golden “something” must have come looking for someone who met its conditions.
*No way… again?*
Randolph.
Come to think of it, people called him the “Demon of Greed.”
He had acknowledged it himself, so there was no doubt.
If another godhood was tracking Randolph, then—
“What is that…!”
But when the being finally appeared, Auril froze in shock.
Not a godhood.
Yet that golden-shining figure was someone who could very well be called a god.
“The Light Dragon Einhasar!”
It was impossible for Auril not to recognize him.
The Light Dragon Einhasar.
One of the most famous dragon species among all dragons.
One of the guardians who abandoned his original duty — the protection of the mid-realm.
The tales about him were beyond counting.
But the most famous one was—
*The only dragon who survived the battle against Annihilation.*
Long ago.
Countless dragons tried to stop Annihilation and protect the mid-realm.
Thousands of dragons banded together to confront it, but 999 died, leaving only one survivor: the Light Dragon Einhasar.
…Though he went insane afterward.
*Why is the Light Dragon Einhasar here?*
Auril’s eyes filled with confusion.
And that confusion was resolved moments later.
FLAP! FLAP!
…The giant golden wings flapped as he descended directly in front of them.
Then the Light Dragon spoke while looking down at Randolph.
—Get on.
“…?”
What?
Get on?
Did the Light Dragon just offer his own back?
That was something unheard of.
There was a reason he was called the Mad Dragon.
He was the type who never gave his back to anyone.
He would sooner sneer and look down on others than ever offer his back.
“Huh…?”
Yet Randolph naturally climbed onto Einhasar’s back.
As if he had been expecting it.
Come to think of it — Randolph suddenly stopping and folding his arms earlier had already been strange.
*Then did Randolph summon the Light Dragon?*
Unbelievable — but at this point, it had to be true.
The Light Dragon flapped his wings again and soared back into the portal.
Watching that scene, Auril murmured softly.
“What in the world…”
“Do not doubt it. Lord Randolph is a god.”
Hudson muttered beside her, stepping forward against his will.
Any other time, she would have dismissed it as a dog barking nonsense.
“…”
But now, she had no choice but to believe it.
Randolph.
He was a god.
—
—
When the score for Main Quest 9 was updated, several players immediately rushed to the *Tower of the God of War*, only to witness something unbelievable.
—*A Light Dragon has appeared!*
—*Einhasar is in front of the Tower right now!!*
The appearance of the Light Dragon Einhasar!
Everyone saw it, yet none could believe it.
The Light Dragon had never left his nest.
There was no chance of a mistake.
Because Einhasar was someone you *must* see whether you want to or not once you reach Main Quest 10.
—*The Light Dragon? Why would he go out there?*
—*He flew away with a guy wearing an Emperor Penguin suit on his back*
—*??? He let someone ride him? That Light Dragon??*
—*So he’s treating the Light Dragon like a pet?*
—*Who’s the Emperor Penguin?*
Naturally, all attention focused on the Emperor Penguin who had summoned — and ridden — the Light Dragon.
And his identity was found immediately.
—*Locals say he’s the guy who fought the Champion?*
—*…Then there’s only one person that could be*
—*Randolph?*
—*If it’s Randolph, yeah, he’d be starting Main Quest 10 right about now*
—*No, listen — it wasn’t a forced summon, the Light Dragon personally came!*
—*Hold on. Does that even make sense?*
—*What is he, a dog responding to his owner’s call?*
—*What the hell is Phantom doing out there?*
—*Is he actually a god?*
The global Player Chat exploded.
And of course, the opinions aligned around the eyewitnesses.
—*So the Light Dragon personally carried him away?*
—*No, he was totally acting like a pet*
—*So Randolph tamed a Light Dragon??*
—*Holy crap. Phantom tamed *even* a Light Dragon. What even is he…*
—
—
The Light Dragon Einhasar grimaced.
It wounded his pride — but there was no helping it.
Imposing trials on challengers was his calling.
Taking the humiliating step of going to fetch one personally and carrying him — still, the trial must proceed.
However, *the content of the trial was his to decide.*
*I cannot figure him out at all.*
Even after observing—no, trying to observe—there was no way to know what this one was.
He couldn’t tell his level.
Whether he was strong or weak, or something else entirely.
*Fine. Let’s see just how remarkable you really are.*
So the only choice was to test him directly.
The Light Dragon grinned inwardly.
…He could already picture the despair twisting the challenger’s face.
The challenger might be unusual — but in the end, challengers were all the same.
—
