Chapter 17: The Heroic King’s Tomb (II)

“What now…?” Louis’s jaw dropped at the sight of these new arrivals.

Armor and weapons covered with frost, skin pale as if afflicted by hypothermia, hair dusted with ice crystals—thirty figures materialized before them, their eyes glowing red.

“Humans?”

“No way! Humans aren’t that blue, and they don’t have red eyes!” While Khan and Kani debated what manner of beings had appeared, Louis was stunned.

Despite never having seen such creatures before, he knew exactly who—or rather, what—they were.

Ice generals!

These warriors had sacrificed themselves for their king without hesitation. Even after death, they continued to endure torment in order to protect his eternal rest. The unexpected appearance of the ice generals left Louis bewildered.

These were beings who had suffered even after death to protect their king’s eternal rest. The sudden appearance of ice generals left Louis bewildered.

Why are they here? Wait… Does this mean we’re actually—?!

Louis’s eyes widened slightly. There was only one place where these creatures could appear.

The Heroic King’s Tomb!

Before the events of the original story unfolded, there lived the legendary Heroic King, credited with saving the world. His final resting place was within an icy mausoleum known as the Heroic King’s Tomb.

So, the Heroic King’s Tomb is here?!

In the original work, the Heroic King’s Tomb did make an appearance. However, the author never provided detailed information about its location.

In the original story, the Heroic King’s Tomb was merely a backdrop for a fortuitous event involving the protagonist and his companions. Louis’s eyes sparkled as he recalled this particular plot point meant to benefit the hero.

That’s right! It must be here somewhere! His eyes gleamed like stars twinkling in the night sky, and a smile spread across his face.

At that moment, the stone statues detected their presence and charged toward them.

“Khan, Kani!”

“Whoa! Scary-looking dudes coming at us!”

“It’s on!” The bored twins were thrilled by the sudden turn of events and eagerly drew their weapons.

Louis activated Dragon Heart, matching their enthusiasm.

Let’s deal with these guys first before thinking about our next move.

After dispatching the charging ice generals, Louis pondered what to do about the Heroic King’s Tomb. However, the twins wasted no time and took immediate action.

“Haah!”

“Hooh!”

The energetic twins charged fearlessly with battle cries that belied their small size and adorable enthusiasm. Despite their diminutive stature, the results of their actions were brutal.

Crack! Boom!

Crack! Boom!

Their weapons effortlessly sliced through the stone figures, causing lightning-infused explosions upon impact.

While the hatchlings, each possessing tier-two warrior capabilities, wreaked havoc among the ice generals, Louis wasn’t idle either.

In this situation…

His eyes sparkled as he selected the appropriate Holy Magic for the moment at hand.

As one of his four attributes, Time resonated within him. Louis extended his hand and commanded:

“Slow down!”

The Attribute Power manifested as per Louis’s order. This miracle, previously used against the twins, now affected the ice general’s weapons. The flow of time for both the ice general and its weapon was completely separated from that of reality.

“Gwor?!”

“Aghhh!”

The ice general shrieked, flustered by its immobile weapon. However, slowed to just one-hundredth of real-time, there was no way it could be wielded even by a dragon.

With their enemy rendered defenseless, the twins reveled in the moment.

“Take this!”

“Pow! Pow!”

The twins swung their swords freely, effortlessly cutting down the weaponless ice generals one after another. It didn’t take long to dispatch all thirty of them.

“Boring…”

“Not fun at all.”

Disappointed that their first battle had ended so quickly and anticlimactically, the twins appeared crestfallen despite their swift victory.

Meanwhile, Louis paid no attention to his siblings’ mood as he was preoccupied with his own thoughts.

Okay, let’s think calmly about this. If this is indeed the Heroic King’s Tomb…

Louis recalled details from the original novel he’d read in his previous life. The dragon’s brain helped him easily retrieve memories from his past existence.

The Heroic King’s Tomb is a type of dungeon.

Traps to deter intruders disturbing the king’s eternal rest and guardians such as ice generals. Numerous passages leading to the heart of the tomb. Sweet rewards awaiting those who overcame all obstacles. It was a typical dungeon commonly found in fantasy stories.

Moreover, the Heroic King’s Tomb appeared early in the plot specifically designed for the underpowered protagonist’s party to level up.

In other words, it’s a beginner-friendly dungeon with great rewards!

Although countless adventurers visited after its discovery, the main treasure belonged solely to the protagonist’s group according to the original storyline.

Louis stroked his chin, carefully recalling the details.

I’m unsure how much time has passed since the novel, but this tomb is definitely undiscovered yet!

The quietness of this royal tomb proved his point.

In other words… I can monopolize all the rewards here for myself!

Louis’s eyes gleamed with delight.

Hidden treasures awaited him within these walls. An opportunity to claim them without any competition had presented itself. How could he pass it up?

He urgently turned to the twins.

“Hey, you two!”

“What?”

“Yeah?”

Seeing their disappointed expressions, Louis grinned at them.

“Wouldn’t you like to try something more exciting?”

It was a blatant attempt to lure them in, and the bored twins eagerly took the bait, nodding vigorously as they rushed toward him.

“Yes!”

“We’re in!”

Louis couldn’t help but grin as he watched them reveling in their newfound excitement—though his satisfaction stemmed from a completely different reason than theirs.

The first thing Louis did with the twins was search for the entrance to the heart of the royal tomb.

The only path I remember is the one taken by the protagonist’s party. Following their footsteps will be the safest way to reach the core.

Along the way, they encountered ice generals multiple times, but just like before, they dispatched them effortlessly.

Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind.

Hmm… With our current strength, could we simply blaze a new trail?

They had a tier-1 mage proficient in four attributes and a tier-2 warrior specializing in mind-type magic. Add to that a luggage carrier who also served as an assistant. Their combined power surpassed that of the protagonist’s group at the beginning of the original story.

However, Louis shook his head.

No, there’s no need to take unnecessary risks when we don’t know what challenges lie ahead.

Having developed a habit of cautiously probing for potential death flags before proceeding, Louis insisted on taking the safest route.

Soon after…

“Here it is!” Louis’s eyes sparkled with delight as he took in the sight before him.

There were fifteen passages lined up, each guarded by a different animal statue. Louis stood confidently in front of one depicting a horned predator without any hesitation.

This is it, no doubt about it!

The fifteen statues varied greatly in appearance, and there was only one featuring a horned predator. The passage behind this particular statue was the same path taken by the protagonist’s party in the original story.

As Louis grinned to himself, Fin, who had been quietly following along, cautiously asked:

“Louis, where exactly are we?”

Louis responded nonchalantly:

“The tomb of the Heroic King.”

“Heroic King… Y-you mean Valencio?” Fin exclaimed, startled, but Louis ignored him.

There will be plenty more surprises ahead, so no need to get worked up now!

Louis chuckled inwardly and turned his attention toward the twins.

“Are you two ready?”

“Yes, sir!”

“Just give us the signal anytime!” The twins playfully saluted, fully immersed in this adventure game.

Louis played along. “Excellent. Let’s move out, soldiers!”

“Onward!”

He was willing to indulge them as long as it motivated the twins for what lay ahead.

I’m counting on you, my dear twins! If everything goes well this time…

He would forget all their previous mishaps! With that thought, Louis followed closely behind the twins.

As soon as they entered the corridor, Louis and the twins sprang into action.

“Khan! Arrows coming from your right side. Be ready!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Kani, blades flying toward you on the left. Watch out!”

“Aye!”

“Kids, boulders rolling down ahead!”

“Bash!”

“I’ll bash too!”

Louis commanded, and the twins followed his lead without hesitation. Their casual demeanor allowed them to effortlessly dismantle the Heroic King’s defense system that had been maintained for thousands of years.

“Heh…ha…” Fin observed their progress with an awkward smile from afar.

Despite their young appearances, they’re still dragons after all…

On average, the twins looked about eight years old. The stark contrast between their short limbs energetically swinging weapons and the helplessness of the traps and ice giants crumbling before them was quite surreal.

Meanwhile, Louis, who had been directing the twins, cheered inwardly.

This is definitely the right approach!

Following the same path as the protagonist of the original story was proving fruitful. The superior intellect of his dragon form allowed him to recall all the traps from his previous life’s memories, and with Louis’s abilities, he could easily handle any unexpected obstacles. With their knowledge of trap locations and ample firepower, Louis’s group advanced without hindrance.

Soon after, they slowed down considerably upon entering an area devoid of traps.

“We’re done!”

“That was fun!”

“It was awesome!”

It took them only about fifteen minutes to traverse the treacherous kilometer-long passage filled with traps.

Despite their exertions, none of them was even winded. As the twins clapped excitedly, Louis charged ahead.

We’re almost there!

The current area without traps served as a breather for them. Beyond this lay the final stretch they needed to clear before obtaining what they desired.

Finally, Louis’s group stopped at the end of the trap-free corridor. The sight that greeted them had the twins exclaiming loudly.

“Louis, Louis, look at all those things up ahead!”

“There’s so many ugly ones, Louis!”

“I see them too. Look!”

What halted their progress were countless ice generals blocking their path.

Are there about a thousand of them?

In the original story, one thousand ice generals appeared before their eyes. However, more concerning were the ten giants standing firmly behind the ice generals. These giants were twice as tall as the average height of the ice generals.

Let’s see… Is that it?

As Louis scanned past the ten giants, he spotted a small door.

There it is!

His eyes twinkled at the sight. The stone door resembled a delicately crafted piece of art, and beyond its magnificent entrance lay Louis’s ultimate destination. Unfortunately, numerous obstacles stood between him and his goal.

Louis subtly shifted his gaze.

Louis smiled as he looked at his twins standing beside him.

These brave little ones!

The twins were undaunted by the thousand-strong army before them. Instead, they bounced on their toes with excitement, eager to get into battle.

“Oh-ho!”

“He-he!”

Dragons are born destined for greatness, and these young Supreme Beings bared their teeth while looking down upon those deemed inferior to them. It was clear that they could tear out any enemy’s throat at will. Their reaction reassured Louis of their capabilities.

“What do you think, my darlings? Exciting, isn’t it?”

“Yes, absolutely!”

“You’re the best, Louis!”

“Let’s go!”

“Yeah!”

With fierce grins reminiscent of dragons, the children charged forward, followed closely by Louis.

And Fin witnessed firsthand why dragons have long been revered as the most powerful creatures on earth.