The Healing Solaris Cleric-Chapter 299: The Black Sea (2)

"Compared to western dragons, which one is stronger?"

"There are individual differences, but generally, western dragons are stronger."

Kai, having understood Iska's explanation, gave him a look urging him to continue.

"The Church of Muldine put tremendous effort into creating a new dragon species. They were so determined that they even traveled to the eastern continent to dissect dragons and extract their cells."

"That's extreme."

"That extreme obsession eventually created the monster Sea Serpent Harley." Letting out a faint sigh, Iska furrowed his brow. "Harley may have been based on an eastern dragon, but it is on an entirely different level. Not only is it ferocious, but since it was created with western dragons in mind, it is also skilled with magic. On top of that, it is very intelligent."

"Is such a formidable creature still alive? The Church of Muldine was defeated and destroyed ages ago..."

"Didn’t I mention that creature was the Church of Muldine’s secret weapon? If the Church of Muldine had been able to fully control Harley, the history of the continent might have turned out entirely different."

"What do you mean by that?"

"When I said Harley was highly intelligent, I was not exaggerating. The Church of Muldine placed a controlling spell on Harley, but it managed to break free on its own and disappeared. From the perspective of the Church of Muldine, which had planned to use the Sea Serpent to ambush the continental allied forces, it was a case of being stabbed in the back by their own weapon."

After listening to Iska’s explanation, Kai nodded. "That is indeed an incredible creature. So, what is it that you would like me to do?"

"When the Church of Muldine attempted to use Harley, I gave my children a revelation."

"No way..."

At Kai's remark, Iska nodded with a troubled expression. "It was a revelation to stop Harley."

"Wouldn't it be better for the merfolk to fight in the sea?"

"The Sea Serpent possesses immense magic resistance. The merfolk's magic is not enough to oppose it."

"I see... So, is that why the birdfolk are currently trapped in the Black Sea?"

"That’s correct. Rescuing them is my request."

Ding!

[Sky God’s Request]

Grade: A

The brave birdfolk have been trapped on an island in the Black Sea for hundreds of years.

Avoid the gaze of the sea’s ruler, the Sea Serpent Harley, and rescue them.

Reward: +10 level increase, +100,000 Fame.

A Grade A quest, and the reward... not bad.

If the quest had been about slaying the Sea Serpent, its grade would have been classified as S. However, fortunately, all the Sky God desired was the rescue of the birdfolk.

"I need the exact location of the birdfolk."

"Here is a map marking their location."

"Thank you. And I will need a large number of teleport scrolls for the rescue... but since I received the Sky Watcher skill earlier, I'll provide that on my own as service."

"I appreciate that."

Updat𝓮d from freewēbnoveℓ.com.

After unfolding the map he received from Iska and confirming the location, Kai prepared to leave.

"When will you get going?"

To that question, Kai responded confidently, "I will go right now."

***

The reason why the number of players who explored the ocean region in MID Online was small was simple. Ships were expensive. Moreover, without sailing skills, players had to hire not only a helmsman to steer the ship but also a crew to maintain it. However, Kai knew a way to take care of that troublesome process in an instant.

"Enhanced Summon, Mimic."

Following his command, Mimic was summoned and transformed into wyvern form.

Then, Kai climbed onto its back. "Alright, do you see the location marked on this map? That’s our destination today."

"Kkaaaak!" Mimic let out a joyful cry, overly excited.

Lately, its master had been summoning it often, allowing it to explore the world as much as it wanted.

Larger than a typical wyvern, Mimic soared into the sky with powerful wingbeats.

"Kiruk, kiruk!"

Having been born from Aosa's core not too long ago, Mimic was essentially like a child in human terms. Naturally, it loved nothing more than visiting new places and eating delicious food. So when it witnessed the sea for the first time in its life, cries of joy naturally escaped from its mouth.

"Kakakak, kakakakak!"

However, most journeys were only exciting at the moment of departure. After flying through the sky for four hours, Mimic became rapidly exhausted, and its wingbeats inevitably slowed down.

"Dang it."

Kai, who had been reading a book atop Mimic’s back, blinked. The drop in speed was so noticeable that he could feel it on his skin.

Was it too much for the Mimic to fly to the Black Sea in one go, even with its extraordinary stamina?

But it wasn’t a major problem. After all, the one riding on its back was none other than himself.

"Heal, Cure, Bless."

With the buffs filled with sincerity, Mimic’s stamina was instantly restored.

"Mimic, hang in there just a little longer."

If this had been reality instead of a game, he would have had no excuse if the labor office had received a complaint about overworking someone. But, unfortunately, Mimic was an innocent creature that knew nothing.

"Kkaaaak!"

Grateful to its master for healing its exhausted body, Mimic increased its flapping speed once again.

About two more hours to go.

Kai turned his attention back to the book he was reading.

***

A young birdfolk child was flying through the dense forest filled with towering trees. However, his gaze was fixed not ahead but on the vast sky beyond the leaves from the start.

I want to fly higher.

He had been flapping his wings powerfully and flying for a long time, yet his desire to soar remained unsatisfied.

I want to roam that vast sky as if it were my home.

According to the elders, there was once a time when the birdfolk could freely fly through the skies. Of course, that was a dream they couldn’t even dream about now.

The ruler of the sea. The Sea Serpent, Harley, roamed the region, hunting the birdfolk. Because of that, the birdfolk had no choice but to live within the forests where the dense trees concealed them. Naturally, their flight was also limited to the forest. The moment they rose above the treetops, Harley would appear and devour them.

“Damn Harley.”

The island where the birdfolk currently lived was covered with thick clouds all year round. That, too, was a product of the Sea Serpent Harley’s magic.

I want to see what the sun looks like too...

The bright white sphere that the elders described over and over again, shining so brilliantly that it was blinding.

“Dang it!” The child, unable to satisfy his longing for flight today as well, spat out a curse and slowly descended.

“Why are you coming back so late?”

When he returned home to the village hidden within the forest, his mother looked at him with worried eyes.

“I’ve told you countless times, you must never fly too high.”

“... I understand.” Reluctantly nodding, the child grabbed a towel and said, “I’m going to go wash.”

Approaching the village’s communal lake, the child stared at his reflection in the water.

A hawk. His upper body, which had inherited a powerful bloodline even among the birdfolk, closely resembled that of a hawk, a creature called the emperor of the skies.

A body covered in noble white feathers. A sharp and sturdy beak, perfect for tearing apart prey. And finally, fierce eyes that could see eight times farther than a human’s.

His friends always envied him, but to him, these traits felt utterly meaningless.

“Damn it, emperor of the skies, what a joke...”

The boy didn’t like the birdfolk because they were cowards who couldn’t even fly beyond the treetops of the forest.

And... I’m just another coward like them.

That was why he hated all the birdfolk, himself included. They were a race of cowards who couldn’t even spread their wings freely out of fear of Harley.

Every single day feels like a gear spinning in place, dull and repetitive.

Just as the boy let out a faint sigh, the area around the lakeshore suddenly became busy.

“What? Is that really true?”

“Yes, because of that, the Elder Council has been called.”

“You’re sure you mistake it for something else?”

“No. Everyone in the patrol team reported seeing the sun in the western region.”

“But there should be Harley’s dark clouds...”

“They said only that part of the clouds had been pierced. When checked later, it had already closed back up.”

The boy’s ears twitched as he eavesdropped on their conversation.

The sun? A break in the dark clouds?

That was the moment when his dull, repetitive life took an unexpected turn.

***

“The western region they patrolled today should be around here.”

After hurriedly leaving the village, the boy used the conversation he had overheard to navigate toward the western region.

They definitely said the patrol team saw the sun. Then maybe I can too...

A sense of excitement swelled within him at the thought that he might see the sun today. Because of that, he forgot all about the exhaustion from flying all day and flapped his wings powerfully once again.

Where... where was it?

As always, his gaze remained fixed on the sky. However, no matter how hard he looked, he couldn’t find the gap in the dark clouds, let alone the bright sphere presumed to be the sun.

“Huff, huff...”

His excitement cooled as quickly as it had risen, and the fatigue he had ignored due to his excitement surged.

“I should rest for a bit... Argh!”

The boy, who had been flying steadily, suddenly lost his balance and plummeted to the ground. A sharp pain shot through his left wing, which had been deeply cut by a jagged tree branch, and blood flowed out from the wound.

“Ow...”

The western region of the forest was not a place the boy often visited. His usual flight paths were so familiar that he could navigate them with his eyes closed, allowing him to fly while looking at the sky. However, this was unfamiliar territory, and he had forgotten the obvious fact of looking ahead when flying through a new route.

W-what do I do...?

He was deep in the forest, far from the village. He had no food, and he was injured. On top of that, he hadn’t told anyone that he was coming here. Listing out the conditions, he was a lost child.

Fear caught up to him, and tears welled up in his eyes.

“M-Mom...”

He sobbed, but there was no one to answer him. Instead, as night fell, the rustling of leaves in the wind only made the forest seem more eerie.

As the terrified boy sat in place, unable to do anything but cry...

“Hm? Is someone there? Sacred Flare.”

The sun appeared before his eyes.

1. The author used 2 different words for dragon 용 and 드래곤. 드래곤 is dragon transliterated and is usually associated with the western dragon whereas 용 is the eastern dragon that is more slinky image ☜