Chapter 430: O Dragon, O Dragon! Part 7

"As expected of Madam Muscle... With tanks acting as her bodyguards, she really is unstoppable."

"Oh, Pencil, good morning."

"Is your head currently being chewed on, Argent Owl-chan-san?"

"Ah, this much is nothing. Power is justice!!"

Squish! Ripping a small dragon off her head with sheer grip strength, she slammed it into the ground and stomped it to a pulp. A rather unfunny amount of damage effects were leaking from Argent Owl's head, but even those quickly vanished due to her HP regeneration.
Pencilgon watched this with a drawn-back expression, but pulling herself together, she gave orders to the knights behind her via hand signals.

"So? I've been wondering for a while now, but what exactly are those things behind you? They don't feel like players."

"Fufufu... I'm glad you asked! Well then, I'm going to show you something explosively interesting right now...!"

Floating a wide grin, Pencilgon spun around and barked out orders to the knights in a sharp tone.

"Mandys Heavy Infantry Corps, everyone ready your weapons!!"

""""Yeaaaaaahhhh!!!!""""

"Wah."

The knights, who had maintained absolute silence up until now, suddenly let out a rather cheerful cry.
As if that was the signal, stems and leaves that had been hidden beneath their helmets popped out with a boing, and fourteen knights—Power-Type Human Dragoras armed with Imron-brand weapons and armor—readied their weapons in unison.

"Oh, nice! I don't hate this kinda stuff. Mandys Archer Corps! Ready your bows!!"

"Ah, am I supposed to do this too? Uhー, Mandys Engineering Corps, everyone get ready!"

Following the Super-Farmer's signal, relatively slender Human Dragoras equipped with bows and arrows sprang into action, and at Zenith Guevara's signal, relatively small Human Dragoras also moved in unison.

"What is this?"

"Fufufu, the Zeni-Geva Farmer brand proudly presents the Human Dragora Series for this fall season! You could call this a demonstration!!"

Human Dragoras were a system that players could customize freely, similar to Conquista Dolls. However, unlike Conquista Dolls where a player could only contract with one, Human Dragoras had no such restriction.
Therefore, it was entirely possible for a single player to drag around Human Dragoras until they reached the 15-member party limit.

Of course, there were demerits as well.
Fundamentally, a Human Dragora's lifespan was seven days. Once seven days passed, the Human Dragora would revert into an item called "[Name]'s Dormant Bulb," and while its memories and character traits would be inherited, its level, stats, and accumulated EXP would all be reset.
And to turn it back into a Human Dragora state, skills from the "Farmer" job line were required.

"This time, I asked the Super-Farmer over there for an unreasonable favor and had him go all out."

"I made these, ahe."

Magnificently ignoring the Super-Farmer who was posing with a double peace-sign ahegao, Pencilgon continued.

"Leveling them up was a massive pain in the ass, but we powered through the grind and got them all to Level 99! Now is the time to show your true power!!"

""""Yeaaaaaahhhh!!!!""""

In the next instant, clods of dirt that Brockentried physically threw by splitting the earth blew several Human Dragoras away.

"M-Mandy Number Six! Number Eleveeeen! Damn it, everyone charge! Aim for Brockentried's thorns!!"

"Not the head?"

"No, no, no matter how you look at it, those tentacles are the linchpin of its energy supply, right? They'll probably regenerate from the ends, but it should distract it. Over there! You guys join the attack too! Zeni-Geva-kun, do the thing, let's go with the three-stage volley!"

"She's seriously working us to the bone... And besides, the Archer Corps is over there!"

"Charge!!"

Watching the group charge in with a chorus of Waaa, Gyaaa, and Yeah, Yeah, Argent Owl let out a single sigh.

"I think leaving me out of the fever time is a liiittle unfair!!"

Then, floating a ferocious smile, she too dashed toward Brockentried.

『Nguuuo! How annoying!!』

Brockentried, which somewhat resembled a Galapagos tortoise, was a dragon equipped with high toughness and sluggish but heavy, crushing attack power—exactly as its appearance suggested.

Therefore, it was robust, yet... defenseless.

While it did possess "thorn tentacles" as a means of close-range interception, their intended purpose was to pierce the ground for "absorbing" and "expelling," not for swatting away bugs.

『Nuuu, uoaaah!!』

"Hiiii, stale old man?"

『You, are...!』

Brockentried had a deeply vindictive personality; it never forgot a wound it received, and possessed the bad hobby of laughing at the deaths of its enemies. 

That was precisely why the "bug" that had just punched it in the jaw was fresh in its memory. For an instant, all of its attention was drawn to Argent Owl, who had appeared right before its eyes.

"Number Three! Lend me a shoulder!!"

"Yeah!!"

Comparing her to a certain pervert who frequently became a stain on the wall was simply a mistake, and calmly comparing her to a pro gamer who maintained an 80% win rate in official matches was also a mistake; Arthur Pencilgon as a player was not actually bad at controls.

Originally a spear user, her stat build was heavily invested in mobility. Using the back of one of the Human Dragoras as a stepping stone, Pencilgon's body leapt up onto Brockentried's back.

"Alley-oop."

Brockentried's movements were sluggish, but surprisingly few players attempted to climb onto its "back" to fight. After all, monsters that could best be described as Dragon-ified flora grew in thick clusters on its back, and they would attack anyone who tried to do anything.

However, Dragon-ified flora had one weakness that could even be called fatal.

"Wahahaha, armor-piercing is the best!!"

With a swish, the tip of her spear effortlessly sliced through the stem of a plant that looked like a viciously mutated Venus flytrap.
Plant-type monsters essentially had the "part destruction" mechanic applied to their entire bodies. Thus, simply severing them from their stems easily neutralized them. Even if the stems were somewhat hard, they were no different from tofu in the face of the Holy Spear Caladbolg's passive absolute armor-piercing effect.

"Fufufu, ahahahahahaha! It's time for fun crop-ravaging!!"

"Let's just call it a Harvest."

"Oh my, Argent Owl-chan, your head is still being completely chewed on, are you sure you're okay?"

"If it thinks this level of interference can stop me... it's sorely mistaken!!"

Pencilgon watched in sheer horror as Argent Owl forcefully ripped a stem out of Brockentried's back with her bare hands while her head was still being gnawed on. Deciding she had her own job to do, she quickly manipulated her Inventoria.

"Ta-da! Super-Farmer-brand Fameflower Markers! Here we go!!"

Originally an item meant to be planted in soil, Pencilgon had guessed that the back of Brockentried—which grew clusters of plants even if they were Dragon-ified—would fulfill the conditions. It seemed her assumption was not wrong.

"Alright, alright, we're falling back!"

"What's this? What are you planning?"

"Engineering Corps! Fameflower Bombs, ready!!"

Markers. Bombs. Certain things could be understood just from the words. Her eyes widening at the future that would arrive in a few seconds, Argent Owl also jumped off the Green Dragon's back. Immediately after, the softball-sized "buds" thrown onto its back detonated all at once.

『Whaaaaat!!?』

"Alright, back cleared! Listen up everyone, let's go rock climbing on its back!!"

"""Yeaaaaaahhhh!!!!"""

Mixed in with the cries of the Human Dragoras, the players also raised their cheers.
Seeing the swarm of bugs (players) charging with bloodshot eyes, Brockentried couldn't help but let out a groan.

Author's Afterword

• Mysterious Bulb:
  A wildcard (Parpunte-style) item. If planted and grown using "Farmer" type skills, it will grow into some form.
  The most common outcome is a food ingredient item, followed by material items used for accessories.
  And there is roughly a 30% chance it will grow into either a Monster or a Human Dragora.