“Points Are Seriously Getting Dangerous”
It had been three days since I invited Rei, the Golden Dragon, to my home.
Since feeding him was the goal, I couldn’t afford to slack off on meals. On top of that, Rei, being an insatiably curious dragon, kept asking for books, so I kept summoning and purchasing them. As a result, my points quickly dwindled.
When my point balance dropped below 10,000, I started feeling a deep sense of crisis.
“That’s why I’m heading to the dungeon to earn some points.”
“Earn? How?”
Rei, who had been happily lounging on the cushion and enjoying his reading, tilted his head curiously.
“Yeah, remember what I told you before? My unique skill requires points to activate. To get those points, I need materials from magical beasts or monsters.”
“Ah, now that you mention it, I remember. Likely, they serve as a catalyst for the summoning…”
No, it’s just regular online shopping.
As Rei nodded sagely, I explained my current point balance. He frowned, his elegant brows knitting together.
“…That’s quite low.”
“Well, that’s because I’ve been buying all sorts of things you wanted.”
“Ah… I apologize for that.”
Dragons need sleep, too.
When Rei mentioned this, I couldn’t exactly let him sleep on a cushion, so I bought a sofa bed just for him. Since he’s quite tall, I chose something large and sturdy, which naturally wasn’t cheap.
On top of that, I also bought a three-piece bedding set, some underwear, and loungewear. Rei, who took a liking to the comfortable, loose-fitting clothes, now favors sweats over his previously divine, flowing garments.
Though I wasn’t buying anything outrageously expensive, the small expenses had piled up.
“Well, you’re a guest I invited, so don’t worry about it. But my point balance is getting tight, so I’ll hole up in the dungeon for a bit to earn more. Food’s in the fridge and on the table, so help yourself. As for books, feel free to read anything from the loft.”
I waved casually as I left the relaxed dragon in his loungewear to watch the house. At that moment, Rei hastily got up from the cushion.
“Wait. I can’t just sit idly by. You’ve used a lot of those points for my sake, haven’t you? In that case, let me help you with the dungeon combat.”
That was a very earnest suggestion, fitting for the noble Golden Dragon.
But there’s a slight catch.
“I appreciate the thought, but for some reason, the system only accepts materials from beasts I personally defeat or gather with my own hands.”
In other words, anything Rei defeats won’t earn me points. That’s also why I had my cousins pay me in local currency for their purchases—it wouldn’t count otherwise.
“Is that so…? Then I suppose I can’t assist even a little?”
“Assist how? By, like, half-killing them or something?”
I was dumbfounded by the sudden proposal.
Would that even work? My familiar, Ketsue, seems to count as part of my efforts since the beasts he defeats do convert into points. But I’ve never fought alongside anyone else, so I don’t know how shared efforts would be treated.
“Hmm. I’ve only fought with Ketsue, so I’m not sure…”
“Then let’s try it. If it doesn’t work, I’ll offer the monster meat as payment for staying here. After all, I should earn my keep.”
“Oh wow, Rei’s acting human.”
Perhaps he’d been influenced by all the Japanese books he’d been reading. Smiling proudly, Rei said, “It’s the principle of ‘those who do not work shall not eat,’ is it not?”
“Also, I’m a divine beast. My luck stat is quite high, so I should be able to improve the dungeon’s drop rates.”
“Seriously? Alright, let’s go together!”
Good drop rates would be a blessing. Since I wasn’t planning to sell the meat, it wouldn’t matter if it couldn’t be converted into points. If I could get some tasty meat, it wouldn’t be a waste. Plus, we might even find treasure chests or useful magical tools.
“Alright, let’s do this!”
“Meow!”
“It’s been a while since I entered a dungeon.”
And so, the three of us—two people and one beast—formed a temporary party and ventured into the dungeon.
◆◇◆
As expected of a dragon.
Rei was unbelievably strong.
“Hmm, have they gotten a little weaker?”
He casually picked up the floor boss of the lower levels with one hand, studying it intently.
By the way, the floor boss, which Rei had casually flicked with his fingers, leaving it battered and broken, was a Minotaur—a supposedly formidable opponent. It was a magical beast boasting a body as hard as steel and strength rivaling that of a troll. When it was just me and Ketsue, it was a tough fight.
With resistance to magic, the Minotaur had brushed off beginner spells with ease. Using intermediate-level magic, it had taken me significant time and effort to wear it down and finally defeat it.
Yet Rei had effortlessly brought it to the brink of death with just a flick of his hand. Ketsue, rather than being terrified, had a blank expression of complete disbelief.
It was as if a vast, cosmic void had opened in his mind. Cute, but also indescribably pitiful.
(I get it. It’s soul-crushing. We worked so hard to take that thing down.)
“Tohma ? Are you not going to finish it off?”
“Oh, uh, sure. I’ll take you up on that.”
The Minotaur, dangling limply in one hand, didn’t move a muscle. Its massive, dangerous battle axe had been sent flying far away when it took Rei’s first hit.
Though I could probably finish it with magic now, I opted to use a magic weapon instead. Drawing a short sword imbued with magic to enhance its sharpness, I channeled plenty of mana into it. With a light stroke, the Minotaur’s bull-shaped head slid clean off and fell to the ground.
“Alright! I leveled up. Which means…”
The Minotaur’s body glowed faintly and transformed into drop items: a massive hunk of meat, a crimson mana stone, enormous horns, and lastly, a small treasure chest.
“Yes! Treasure chest acquired! As expected of a golden dragon, luck stat MAX!”
The enormous battle axe the Minotaur had wielded remained intact as well, so I gratefully collected it.
“If I leveled up, that means cooperating to defeat it works, right? So, the drop items should also convert into points…”
I tested converting the crimson mana stone into points. It worked, netting me 20,000 points.
“Yes! It worked!”
“Oh, I see. That’s good to hear.”
I cautiously appraised the Minotaur’s meat, which turned out to be edible and delicious. I stored it in my Item Box. Since the horns and axe weren’t needed, I sold those off.
“Now then, what’s in the treasure chest… jewelry?”
Inside was a brilliant ruby ring set in a platinum base adorned with small diamonds.
It was beautiful, but not something I particularly needed. When converted, it yielded a whopping 1.8 million points.
“Whoa! That’s a huge score! A great start!”
“Hmm. If assisting like this can cover my lodging fees, it seems worthwhile.”
“More than enough! Since we’re here, I’d like to keep going. Rei, will you join me?”
“Of course. This dungeon seems to have a lot of tasty meat, so I’m looking forward to it as well.”
And so, the two of us, along with Ketsue, went on a rampage, hunting magical beasts and monsters. Having the strongest dragon at my side meant I didn’t have to worry about running out of mana or protecting Ketsue, making it incredibly reassuring.
Though Rei occasionally underestimated his strength and accidentally one-shot floor bosses, we steadily cleared the dungeon without issue.
We got so into it that we ended up spending over ten hours inside, only snapping out of it when Ketsue scolded us for real.
“Fssshhh!”
“Sorry, sorry! I got carried away and lost track of time… You’re hungry, right? My bad.”
“Fsssh!”
“Me too? …Hmm, you’re right. I get it. My apologies.”
The sight of a grown man and the strongest dragon bowing their heads in shame as a tiny cat reprimanded them was something I never wanted my cousins to see.
That evening, we made a late dinner based on Ketsue’s request: Minotaur tartare steak.
According to the appraisal, the Minotaur’s intimidating meat was actually premium-grade red meat that could be eaten raw. I carefully pounded the meat, mixing it with egg yolk, onions, garlic, parsley, spices, and herbs, seasoning it with a special sauce. The result was a tartare steak that was absolutely exquisite.
“Next time, let’s try yukhoe.”
“Meow.”
“Hm? Roasted beef would be better than tartare? You’ve got a point. Minotaur sashimi or seared steak sounds great, too. This meat is amazing!”
I had thought Rei, a dragon accustomed to eating raw prey whole, would be bored of raw meat, but he seemed deeply impressed by the tartare steak.
“It’s incredible how much of a difference cooking makes, even with raw meat. This is delicious. Alright, let’s hunt more Minotaurs tomorrow.”
His enthusiasm was contagious.
In just one day, I had leveled up and earned over 5 million points.
Teaming up with a dragon to conquer dungeons wasn’t just good—it was the best.
“Well then, Rei, let’s do it again tomorrow. I’ll pack us some Minotaur roast beef sandwiches for lunch.”
“Understood. Leave it to me.”
