Chapter 78 goblin's Crown

"Oh?"

The Dwarf, holding a wine flask, looked at Naruto in surprise.

"Goblin Slayer, you've actually seen a dragon with your own eyes?!"

"Could it be that the ballads sung by the bards in Water Capital are all true?"

Three black lines appeared on Naruto's forehead.

There were many versions of the ballads, and bards, for gold and popularity, made them increasingly outlandish.

He wasn't sure which version the Dwarf had heard.

"I saw one in Border Town."

"Shhh~"

The Dwarf took a sip of wine, looked at the increasingly massive Lizard Monk, and replied, "The dragon you speak of is a pure-blooded dragon species, the highest-tier race on the continent."

"Any mixed-blood is merely a sub-dragon species."

"Lizardmen are quite special; they worship dragons, but they worship the 'Ancestor Dragons' from ancient times, not pure-blooded dragons."

"Roar!!"

The newly transformed Wyvern craned its neck towards the sky, a muffled, thunderous roar rumbling in its throat.

The dragon transformation was complete.

The Lizard Monk seemed to be announcing his existence, his birth, and his power to the vast Water Capital.

"Keep it down, keep it down!"

The Lizard Monk's companion quickly said.

The Lizard Monk, who was about to spread his wings and soar, circling a few times above Water Capital, immediately calmed down, pacifying the tumultuous, scorching Dragon Blood within him.

"Come on up."

The Lizard Monk spoke human words, his voice, coming from his dragonized throat, was even deeper and more majestic.

He lowered his massive, fierce dragon body, his wide dragon wings pressed to the ground, forming a slide connecting to his back.

His size was slightly smaller than the dragon killed by Gun Goddess Heather, but it was enough to carry Naruto and the others.

The Silver Knight, with a spear on his shoulder, smiled and said, "Let's go, we'll ride the dragon to Great Snow Mountain."

"Everyone, this mission must be quite profitable, right? Hahahahaha—"

The Silver Knight proudly turned, stepped onto the dragon wing, and strode onto the dragon's back.

"A companion who ascended and transformed into a dragon, that is indeed something to be proud of."

"Let's go, Goblin Slayer."

The Dwarf, after gulping down several mouthfuls of wine, swayed unsteadily and climbed onto the dragon's back.

"Riding a dragon to Great Snow Mountain will save a lot of time."

With such a good thing, Naruto certainly wouldn't refuse.

"Everyone, hold on tight! My companion just transformed into a dragon recently, and the blacksmith hasn't forged a dragon saddle of the right size yet, so don't fall from high up!"

"If you really can't, grab onto the dragon's back spikes."

The Silver Knight stood at the very front, near the dragon's head, and turned to the others.

The Dwarf, who was a bit tipsy, quickly reached out and clung to the dragon's back spikes, and the Priestess of the Earth Mother God did the same.

However, the aloof and introverted High Elf Archer seemed quite confident in his balance and agility, and made no move.

As for Naruto—

Any Ninja who has practiced "Tree Climbing" has no fear, let alone him, who has mastered Chakra shape transformation to a "Master" level.

Naruto crossed his arms, his expression normal.

His two feet seemed to be simply standing on the dragon's back, but in reality, the tiny amount of Chakra released from his soles had already formed suction cups, firmly adhering to the dragon scales.

No matter how the Wyvern, transformed from the Lizard Monk, flew or performed difficult maneuvers, it couldn't shake Naruto off.

"Then you all stand firm, be careful not to fall."

"Falling from high altitude isn't as simple as just dying; your bones will probably be gone, and it'll be hard to even collect your remains."

Seeing the High Elf Archer and "Goblin Slayer" acting so "cool," the Silver Knight shook his head and said nothing more, only telling his companion to take off.

"Roar—" The Lizard Monk let out a low growl, fully extended his dragon wings, and began to flap them forcefully, stirring up gusts of hurricane-force winds.

"Mommy, mommy, the dragon's flying up~"

A child whose balloon was blown away excitedly shouted.

"When you become a powerful adventurer in the future, you'll also be able to ride a dragon and soar freely in the sky."

The young lady, while protecting her child and shielding him from the strong wind, said with a smile.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

The wide dragon wings flapped rhythmically, the dragon's claws lifted off the ground, and the majestic dragon body slowly ascended, finally flying higher and higher, tilting towards the sky.

"!!"

The aloof High Elf Archer's face changed dramatically, his body leaning back, almost falling off the dragon's back.

Fortunately, he reacted in time, quickly grabbing a dragon's back spike with one hand, preventing himself from falling.

"That was close—"

"I almost fell to my death just now!"

The High Elf Archer breathed a sigh of relief, his effeminate, handsome face changing colors, then he curiously looked at Naruto.

Unfortunately, he didn't see Naruto in a disheveled state.

The other party was like a wooden stake, as firm as a green pine, tightly fixed to the dragon's back.

When the dragon's back tilted, he also tilted.

Even when it reached a 90° right angle, there was no sign of him falling. Naruto stood tall, arms crossed, his expression normal, with only his robes and hair being blown by the strong wind.

The High Elf Archer's face was grim.

It seemed only he had failed to show off.

It was a bit awkward.

The Dwarf chuckled and said, "Goblin Slayer, you're quite capable."

"Is it a miracle like [Stability] or [Immovable]?"

"Wasting the usage count of miracles on such trivial matters is a bit too childish."

The Silver Knight took a deep look at Naruto, then just shook his head.

By the time the Lizard Monk flew high into the sky and his flight completely stabilized, the vast and bustling Water Capital had become the size of a sandbox, with buildings scattered like colorful beans, densely packed.

Looking down at the earth, the scenery was magnificent and grand.

Naruto, the Dwarf, the Priestess, and others couldn't help but take a few more glances, while the Silver Knight was already accustomed to it.

He held onto a dragon's back spine with one hand, and with the other, pulled out the request form from the side pocket of his backpack, saying to everyone, "Let me explain the quest to you."

"First, the client is a Viscount near Great Snow Mountain. He has territory and a manor outside Great Snow Mountain."

"According to his description, Goblins have been continuously appearing in Great Snow Mountain recently, plundering the villages at the foot of the mountain, and his subjects in his territory have been greatly troubled and suffered immensely."

"He has also dispatched knights and retainers multiple times, or posted requests to the adventurers' Guild, asking adventurers to eliminate the Goblins in Great Snow Mountain, but all have ended in failure."

"Finally, out of desperation, he sent someone from Great Snow Mountain to Water Capital to post a high-level request, requiring at least five Silver-rank Adventurers to form a party."

"The reward for the quest is also quite considerable—"

The Silver Knight folded the request form and put it away, then smiled and held up five fingers: "A total of fifty gold coins!"

"Oh wow~"

"If it's just killing Goblins, this amount of reward is indeed a lot!"

"We've hit the jackpot this time."

"It seems this old man can buy more fine wine~"

Clearly, the eyes of the other few lit up upon hearing such a generous reward.

The Silver Knight leaned on his spear and laughed heartily.

Then, his laughter ceased, and he said with a serious expression, "I fought for this request form with others early this morning, and almost got into a fight."

"Plus, my companion transformed into a dragon and is directly taking you to Great Snow Mountain without complaint."

"As the initiator, it's not too much for my companion and I to first take 10 gold coins as a hard-work fee, is it?"

"This—"

The High Elf Archer's face changed dramatically.

The mission hadn't even started, so how could they divide the reward right away?

And to directly take one-fifth as a hard-work fee.

Could that still be called not too much?!

The straightforward High Elf Archer was about to retort, but seeing that Naruto, the Dwarf, and the Priestess said nothing, and then remembering that he was currently on the dragon's back.

His face changed between clear and cloudy, finally lowering his head and choosing to remain silent.

In someone else's territory, wouldn't he be at their mercy?

It was better to be honest.

"Hmm, since you all agree by default, I'll continue with the remaining reward distribution."

"Anyway, an even split is definitely impossible and unfair. Let's distribute it according to contribution. Whoever kills more Goblins gets more gold coins, how about that?"

The Silver Knight asked with a smile.

"What—what about me…?"

The Priestess spoke weakly.

As a support, she couldn't just grab her staff and charge into battle, could she?

The Silver Knight laughed heartily: "Don't worry, as long as you play your role well, you won't be short on gold coins."

"That's fine then…"

The Priestess sighed slightly in relief.

"Does anyone else have questions?"

"This old man doesn't. Whoever kills more green-skinned imps gets more money, that's very reasonable."

The Dwarf was about to take a drink, but the wind blew the wine all over his beard.

"Goblin Slayer, what about you?"

The Dwarf wiped the wine from his big beard and turned to look at Naruto.

Naruto had already changed from a standing posture to sitting cross-legged.

"No problem."

Naruto replied with his eyes closed.

He was taking the opportunity to Extract Chakra; there might be a big battle soon.

As for the reward distribution?

Let's talk about it when these people can survive.

"Good, then it's decided!" The Silver Knight clapped his hands and said.

After discussing the reward distribution, this temporarily formed adventurer party fell silent again.

Only the constant howling of the strong winds remained.

There wasn't much else to talk about anyway.

It was a temporary adventurer party, and it was about eliminating Goblins.

The Silver-rank Adventurers present didn't think that killing Goblins required any elaborate plan.

Leaving aside everything else, even the Wyvern beneath their feet could single-handedly take on a medium to large Goblin tribe.

So, the High Elf Archer and the Dwarf both felt that they might not get much reward.

If it weren't for the quest requirement of at least five Silver-rank Adventurers, the Silver Knight and his companion, the Lizard Monk, probably wouldn't have brought anyone else and would have just taken all fifty gold coins for themselves.

"Whoosh—" The strong wind howled, carrying ice and snow, the sea of clouds churned, and the air temperature noticeably dropped a lot.

"We've reached the Great Snow Mountain region, haven't we?"

Naruto, who was sitting cross-legged and Extracting Chakra, opened his eyes, and a pop-up window immediately appeared.

[Goblin's Crown]

[Source World: Goblin Slayer]

[Recommended Level: 15 ~ 30]

[Description: The ice and snow of Great Snow Mountain cannot conceal the stench of Goblins. Here, due to the scarcity of food, those green-skinned imps have become even more rampant and arrogant. Also, due to the harsh environment, adventurers are scarce, and the Goblin population has proliferated. Not only humans, but surrounding species are also deeply affected. Now, they have chosen their king and are planning a greater conspiracy!]

"Sure enough, once we reached the place, the dungeon description automatically popped up."

"Recommended level is 15 to 30?"

Naruto mused inwardly.

He was currently level 16. If purely looking at levels, it was clearly impossible to wipe out all Goblins in one go.

But!

Naruto wasn't an ordinary level 16 "player." The power he wielded was like a cheat, making it easy to kill monsters beyond his level.

[Main Quest: Goblin's Crown]

[Quest Content: The Goblins hidden in Great Snow Mountain have accumulated to a terrifying degree. Under the interference of an Outer God, a Goblin king was even born through 'Divine Revelation'. It is one of the Sixteen Demon Generals of the Underworld. Although its strength is at the bottom, its wisdom and leadership are among the best, making it the BOSS of the current Underground City dungeon. Kill it, kick off the crown on its head, and end the Goblins' ambition!]

[Quest Reward: Unlock new dungeon, Goblin's Crown (Gold), 5000 Exchange Vouchers, 8000 Experience Points]

"As the new dungeon opens, the main quest to eliminate the Underground City BOSS is also triggered."

"Gold quality—another legendary equipment. I wonder what kind of equipment effects this [Goblin's Crown] has."

Naruto became even more excited.

He felt that after clearing a few more dungeons, a full set of golden legends wouldn't be a dream.

Not long after.

The Wyvern emerged from a cold sea of clouds, fiercely flapping its wide dragon wings, trying to change its flight path.

Because a majestic and grand Great Snow Mountain suddenly appeared in front.

"Everyone, hold on tight!"

The Lizard Monk let out a deep, powerful, almost roaring sound, controlling his dragon body, quickly ascending and flying upwards.

The Silver Knight and the others looked at the approaching Great Snow Mountain, their expressions changed drastically, their backs sweating nervously, each hugging the dragon's back spikes, afraid of falling off.

The Wyvern's flight angle suddenly became vertical, rushing past the steep, bluish-gray cliff face, its dark dragon shadow projected on the rocks constantly rising and falling.

"Whoosh"

The Wyvern cleared the mountain peak, and its body finally stabilized.

The Silver Knight, the Dwarf, and others broke out in a cold sweat, almost collapsing to the ground.

"That was too thrilling just now!"

"I felt like I was going to fall off the dragon's back!"

"So scary, I'll never dare to ride a dragon again."

"By the way, where's Goblin Slayer?!"

The Dwarf, still shaken, quickly searched for Naruto's figure and found him still sitting cross-legged, not having moved at all.

"Truly incredible—"

"No wonder you, sir, were able to advance to Silver-rank Adventurer at such a young age. You really have some tricks up your sleeve."

The Dwarf said with immense admiration.

The Priestess also cast surprised and admiring glances.

The Silver Knight, on the other hand, felt that miracles like [Fixed] were truly useful. If he knew how to use them, he wouldn't need to spend a fortune customizing a dragon saddle.

Facing everyone's reactions, Naruto remained calm.

He suddenly brightened, pointed ahead, and said, "There's a castle there. Could it be the Goblin's main base?!"

On a snowy cliff, an ancient and majestic castle stood.

The castle's defensive ramparts were already built like an impregnable fortress, with towering and sturdy walls. Two sides were bottomless cliffs, one side was a snow-covered slope, and another side was a steep cliff, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. There were no mountain hollows with accumulated snow nearby, so there was no need to worry about avalanches at all.

A natural military fortress!