[MashUp] Ch 9: The Green Chaos Dragon

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Afternoon — 2:17 PM

Takuma stepped out of the taxi at the base of a mountain.

The driver gave him a look like he'd lost his mind. "Kid, you're really going up there without any gear? Got a death wish?"

Takuma tossed the fare onto the seat, already walking toward the shadowy trail without a backward glance. "Appreciate the concern."

His goal was clear.

The Phantom Matsutake.

According to the permit, its flavor began fading by the minute the moment it sprouted. Letting it lose quality was nothing short of blasphemy against his Lv.2 [Housekeeping Template].

The path was steep and slick with mud.

But his body moved with unnatural ease, every step landing perfectly, as though the mountain itself had been paved for him.

And yet— The higher he climbed, the stranger the forest became.

Too quiet.

No birdsong, no chirping insects. The whole place felt… dead.

The air was thick, tainted with a coppery stench that pressed on his lungs.

Every primal instinct screamed at him.

Turn back! Leave now! Something ahead will kill you!

But clashing against that primal fear was something fiercer—The Housekeeping Template's hunger for perfect ingredients.

That obsessive drive for flawlessness beat against his skull like a war drum.

Just ahead. There's something fit to be served at a god's table.

So Takuma kept climbing.

He pushed through the undergrowth and emerged into a clearing.

At the center, a single mushroom glowed faintly, flawless in shape, size, and color. The scent hit him like a spell—pure, intoxicating umami.

"Phantom Matsutake. Found it."

His lips curled in a satisfied smirk.

But as he reached for it, his body froze.

Because beyond the mushroom, crouched in the shadows—

Not a stone. Not a tree.

But a coil of massive, green-scaled dragon, each scale bigger than a millstone.

The body sprawled across the clearing like a mountain. Two jagged horns pierced the sky.

And one golden eye, molten and immense, narrowed on him with frigid malice.

"——!!!"

Tohru's pupil shrank to a razor slit.

Impossible!

This human… how had he gotten here?!

She'd crashed into this world half-dead, power leaking away by the minute.

But even at her weakest, the Perception Blocking Barrier she set should've repelled anything with a pulse. No creature should've been able to notice her presence, let alone stand here.

Yet this man…

No magic. No aura. Just a fragile, ordinary human.

One who should've wandered in circles until he collapsed in terror.

So why the hell was he standing in front of her?

Meanwhile, Takuma's mind was also storming.

Fuck...

This is supposed to be the normal anime world? Right?

Since when does the grand prize at a supermarket lottery include a living, people-eating, European-style dragon?

What next? Curses and Ghouls?

"Leave."

That voice detonated in his skull, vast and merciless. A voice that could crush a soul into dust, compelling any mortal to their knees.

Takuma only arched a brow.

His eyes drifted from that burning golden slash back down to the glowing matsutake.

Then, under the dragon's gaze—

He stepped forward.

Calm. Unhurried.

Tohru's breath hitched.

This evil human hadn't just resisted her will.

He was ignoring her. Walking toward the mushroom.

As if she were the background.

Takuma's voice was steady.

"Sorry. I was planning tonight's menu. This mushroom's the main course."

Tohru's pupil blazed with fury, her killing intent thick as tar.

A mere human… dares treat me like a stray dog in his way?!

"I said LEAVE!"

The roar scorched the clearing, but Takuma didn't even flinch.

He stepped closer.

Three meters from the matsutake.

Boom!

A claw the size of a house slammed down, shattering the ground inches before him.

Shards of stone whistled past his cheek.

Takuma stopped.

Not from fear.

He tilted his head back. And now he saw it.

High on the dragon's spine, near the neck—

A sword.

Ornate, gleaming white-gold, sunk deep into flesh.

The scales around it torn and curling, golden blood weeping endlessly. The reek of iron and rot told the rest.

Takuma exhaled slowly.

This wasn't intimidation.

This beast was bleeding out. Guarding its pride with what little remained.

Like some half-dead alley cat, baring its fangs even with its ribs showing.

Pathetic. And kinda funny.

Without hesitation, he sidestepped the claw and vaulted onto her back.

Tohru's eye widened as Takuma reached for the sword.

The instant his fingers closed around the hilt—

——Whum!

A tidal wave of chaos poured into his skull.

The wails of collapsing worlds. The death-cries of fallen stars. The final screams of gods butchered in despair.

His vision ran red.

Veins bulged across his temple. Agony lanced his soul like a thousand steel needles.

But his grip didn't falter.

The flood of madness slammed into his Lv.2 [Housekeeping Template].

And was neatly sorted.

Cosmic wailing? Background noise—mute it.

Doom of the divine? Junk—sort and discard.

Gods dying in agony? Stubborn stain—scrub it clean.

This wasn't a curse.

Not to him right now. Just filth cluttering his mental living room.

And cleaning was his specialty.

Now, he could rip the sword out in one go. But that risked blacking out, maybe permanent damage.

Unacceptable.

He frowned.

Why risk his health for some random lizard? Dinner mattered more.

No losses, no compromises.

So he braced, drew carefully—

The blade slid free a third of the way, tearing through fused flesh.

"—!!"

Tohru's eye shrank to a pinprick.

Impossible. He'd actually… moved the Dragon-Slaying Sword?

And the curse gnawing her soul lightened, if only slightly. For the first time in forever, she felt relief.

Takuma released the hilt, stepped back, and shook off the dizziness.

As expected, partial extraction kept the backlash manageable.

Then he jumped down.

Didn't even glance at the dragon again.

He bent, plucked the matsutake.

Job done. He turned to leave. From start to finish, his goal had never wavered.

"..."

Tohru was dumbstruck.

He's… leaving? Just like that?

But… the sword…!

Her pride as a chaos dragon cracked beneath the weight of desperation.

Her voice, trembling and weak, slipped out.

"W-wait!"

His steps paused. He didn't turn. "Something wrong?"

Her massive body shivered. She never thought she'd bow to a human.

"That sword… aren't you going to… finish pulling it out?"

"Why should I?" His tone was casual, like it was obvious.

"That mushroom was payment for pulling a third. We're even."

Even?!

Her mind reeled.

"Then… then the rest—"

"That's another deal." Finally, Takuma turned.

His eyes glittered in the dark, cold and sharp as twin stars.

A smirk tugged at his lips.

"I'll be back tomorrow. Bring me something of equal value as payment."

"If you're dead by then, or can't give me anything worth my time—"

He paused, voice flattening to iron. "Then you can just die. I'll take your corpse for ingredients. At least the trip won't be wasted."

"That'll be your punishment for yelling at me earlier."

And with that, he vanished into the trees, leaving the dragon frozen in shock.

Pain. Shame. Rage.

But beneath it all, a fragile spark called hope.

All she could do was wait.

Wait for that devilish evil human to return tomorrow.

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