#1261 The Difference Between the Two 

The person summoned at Ritheseus’ request is... 

S-rank adventurer Corey. 

“What’s this about?! If it’s a quest, you’ll have to go through the guild! I can’t accept anything else!” 

That’s a perfectly reasonable objection, and it makes me feel a little guilty. 
Sorry, Corey. I’ll explain things to Silver Wolf later. 
An ex post facto report, but still. 

“Sorry about this, Corey. But I’m invoking presidential authority to issue this quest directly.” 
“Presidential authority...? President Ritheseus?!” 
“The quest is simple: dragon slaying.” 
“Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!” 

Of course, Corey screams. 
No adventurer guild in history has ever issued a dragon-slaying quest.  
Everyone knows it’s impossible. 

“Hah? I was wondering what kind of stunt you’d pull, and this is all? Pathetic.” 

That snort comes from Bloody Mary, watching on the sidelines. 

“You call this dragging out some scrawny human to fight a dragon? And you dare act like you’re serious?” 
“He won’t be fighting alone. I’ll join him.” 

Ritheseus raises his sword. 

“Why don’t you choose a dragon opponent for us? The two of us will take them on.” 
“Hmph... a mere human presuming to speak so boldly.” 
“Uh, but... preferably not one of the strongest, please.” 
“What’s that supposed to mean?!” 

It’s hard to tell if he’s being arrogant or humble. 

“Then allow me.” 

A dragon steps forward. 

“I am Glintz Dragon Dolpanera! I may not have been counted among the Decem Dracones, but I pride myself as a warrior worthy of the name of dragon. Arrogant humans, I’ll show you the wall between our species you can never cross!”  
“Then let’s have at it.” 

What is Ritheseus thinking?! 
Challenging a dragon head-on is pure suicide! 

“M-Mr. President?! I don’t get any of this, but no way! Th-th-the only thing to do is run when you encounter a dragon...!” 
“I’ve heard plenty about you, Corey. Don’t worry. Trust the farm.” 

The dragon charges forward, its looming form like a titan’s assault.  
To a human, a single swipe means instant death. 

“Here I go... Sacred Magic Secret Blade!” 

The blade in Ritheseus’ hand erupts with blinding light, striking the dragon. 

“Guh-bahh?!” 

That’s the sword I forged as a gift for him.  
So he’s still using it, huh? 

Though my handiwork, it somehow ended up equal to a holy sword, capable of firing projectiles.  
And right now, that light blast can actually push back the dragon’s massive body! 

“Impossible... a human can stop a dragon’s charge?!”  
“Now, Corey. Your turn. Show the power you gained through the farm.” 

Corey looks panicked, but as a prodigy who was made S-rank adventurer, he steels himself. 

“Got it... Corey, going in! Qi Force, Full Release!!!” 

His whole body erupts with some kind of aura! 
No, it looks like actual qi...! 

“Corey: Wolf Varin Low Kick!!!” 
“Ogobogehbahhh!” 

Corey’s kick slams into the dragon, flipping it over!  
That shock was enough to topple even a dragon! 

“No way, a human delivering this kind of impact to a dragon...?!” 
“Thinking during a fight? That’s careless.” 

Ritheseus is suddenly overhead the dragon. 

Huh? Is he floating?  
How is he flying? Martial arts air technique? 

Meanwhile, the dragon is sprawled on its back, belly exposed, completely vulnerable. 

“Arrogance born of being the superior lifeform... Allow me to exploit it. That’s what battle is.” 
“Eh?! Wait, um...!”  
“Satellite Zapper!” 

Whoa?!  
Ritheseus fires another massive blast from his sword, easily rivaling the earlier one! 

And it lands right on the dragon’s exposed stomach! Even a dragon can’t just shrug that off! 

“Guooooooohhh! Guh, gughghhh!” 
“Blocked it with a barrier at the last moment, I see. But even so, you can’t move now.” 

The dragon is trapped. 
If it budges in that state, the barrier fails and it takes the blast full force.  
With its stomach as the target, even a dragon wouldn’t survive. 

Its only options: 

1. Overpower the blast with maximum barrier output. 

1. Wait until Ritheseus runs out of stamina. 

But the clash is evenly matched; it can’t push back.  
Worse, Ritheseus shows no signs of tiring.  
Instead, the dragon’s barrier is faltering. 

And let’s not forget. 
Corey’s still here.  
He’s free to act while the dragon’s tied down.  
Even something silly like tickling its side would break its focus and drop the barrier. 

It’s checkmate. 
Then... 

“Let’s end it here.” 

Ritheseus stops his blast. 

“Going further will get someone hurt. That’s not what I’m after.” 
“I... I’m spared...?!” 

The dragon admits that Ritheseus clearly had the upper hand.  
Had it continued, the humans would have won. 

“Showing mercy? How insolent, human.” 

Bloody Mary’s face twists in rage, wounded pride boiling over.  
She looks ready to revert to dragon form any second. 

“Stop, Mary.” 

Ardheg intervenes. 

“They showed their power while holding back enough not to wound Dolpanera. That deserves respect.”  
“Hubby...” 
“Dragons are no longer the absolute rulers. That idea is outdated.” 

H-He’s right...! 

Could this be... all because of Veil? 
She's been handing out dragon essence gonkotsu ramen worldwide. At this point, there’s barely anyone who hasn’t eaten it. 

And by consuming that ramen, mankind as a whole has been powered up.  
To the point where, “A power level of just 530,000? Pathetic.” 

But since it comes from dragon essence, it doesn’t strengthen dragons themselves. 

“On top of that, Corey and I received special training at the farm. Among humans, we’re exceptional.” 
“...” 

Bloody Mary can’t find a rebuttal. 

“Of course, not every human is like us. But once upon a time, even the mightiest human couldn’t defeat even the weakest dragon. Now, the strongest human might just manage against the weakest dragon. The gap has narrowed.” 
“Grr... you’re right.” 

Anyone watching that duel can tell he isn’t lying. 

“When strength draws close, the order forged by overwhelming power collapses. Chaos begins, and that hurts both sides. Before that happens, shouldn’t we create a new order?” 

That’s what trade between nations and dragons is about: 
Forging a system of laws to prevent mutual harm. 

“...Humans always had potential.” 

Ardheg, the Emperor Dragon, speaks. 

“I didn’t slay my father, the former Geyser Dragon, alone. Arowana and Puffer aided me, and they are humans of this world.” 
“Oh, hubby...”  
“Ritheseus’ proposal is worth serious thought. Not just for my daughter’s sake, but for the future of all dragonkind.” 

Thankfully, Ardheg is a dragon you can reason with. 

Watching from the side... 

“Ritheseus has really grown as a statesman.” 
“Perhaps his era has already begun?” 

The Demon King and Arowana continue munching roasted beans together in peace. 

========== 

“530k power lvl” – dragonball reference, frieza’s power level in his first form is the same amount