I'm Actually Not Overpowered!

"W-we... we need to go in!"

"We can handle the risk!"

"There's no need to fear an anonymous stranger's words. I believe in my ability to survive!"

As the stubborn Adventurers kept clamoring for a change in the rules, the atmosphere suddenly became tense and the man who stood beside Zabdel gave a light chuckle.

"Oh? Is that so...?"

His deep voice sounded so menacing and terrifying that everyone quaked in their boots.

Zabdel also shuddered, wringing his hands in frustration.

'Those guys have done it now. Why did they have to piss off this guy, of all people...? The Dragon Slayer himself.'

Common sense should tell everyone to be quiet, but the very desperate Adventurers were beyond reason. They opened their loose mouths and kept pushing their luck.

"Who the hell are you?"

"This is our town. You can't just come here acting like a big-shot, issuing orders here and there."

"Tch. Crazy bastard!"

The Dragon Slayer stared at the brazen individuals with both pity and disregard. They were not worth his time.

"It seems you all have a death wish. Very well..." The man turned in Zabdel's direction and gave a reassuring smile.

"Very well... you should all go in and see with your own eyes... the kind of monster you're up against."

The truth was that only a few people had ever laid eyes on the Earth Dragon—and they were all highly ranked Adventurers.

None of them were interested in facing the fearsome thing after the horrors they had already witnessed, so only the ignorant dregs among the Adventurers dared think of challenging the unknown.

"A-are you sure?" Zabdel asked in shock, looking at the man with both reverence and nervousness.

This interaction incurred the surprise of everyone who watched. What kind of man could command the subservience of their Vice Guildmaster?

"Yes. It should be fine. They won't die since I'm here, but... sometimes it's important for people to see certain things for themselves."

Zabdel agreed with the Dragon Salyer, and finally allowed the Adventurers entry—albeit with a single condition.

"Be careful, especially on the 9th Floor." He warned gravely.

With that, the Adventurers, numbering about a hundred—if not more—stormed the Labyrinth, seeking adventure and profit.

**************

'Alright, this is good...' I smiled, walking beside Zabdel as we traversed the Labyrinth.

Several Adventurers walked a small distance from us, while a few dared walk ahead. I could do nothing but secretly fist bump myself, considering how everything was going according to plan.

'Having witnesses will be good for publicity. It would be an added bonus if they owed me their lives...' An evil grin began to form on my face, but I controlled myself.

The minor monsters that popped out of nowhere were handled by Zabdel and the other Adventurers, leaving none for me. As much as I wanted to get the Exp, it was more important to keep acting like the almighty Dragon Slayer.

Maintaining my status as the all-powerful savior of the Adventurers was my top priority, after all.

I had Sarah and Byron do a little public relations for me, using both their influence as A Rank Adventurers, and their connections. That way, I would have a nice welcoming party once the job was done.

I could see a few Adventurers shooting dirty looks at me, but I ignored them.

'Most of these people must have died in my first turn. I'll be saving them from that, yet they have no idea...'

Such was the fate of a Hero, I suppose.

We finally arrived at the 8th Floor, near the large area that was the 9th Floor, and I ensured to sharpen my senses while waiting for the enemy.

'Nothing yet, uh? I guess we're early...'

I nodded at Zabdel to indicate the area was safe, allowing the Vice Guildmaster to grant permission to the Adventurers to proceed.

'Ler's hope this goes well...'

***************

Two hours.

Even after two hours, no Dragon showed up.

At this point, several Adventurers were already scoffing at the Dragon Slayer for being on edge so much. Even Zabdel found his belief in the words of the man wavering.

'Is the Dragon really going to show up...?' The Vice Guildmaster thought to himself.

"Oi, I heard you're the one who said that monster would come here today." A taunting voice rang out, alerting Zabdel.

It belonged to none other than Busu, a veteran C Rank Adventurer who was known for his workaholic nature. The heavily built man was currently harassing the Dragon Slayer, sneering as he spoke.

"You nearly cost me my profit for today, ya know! What would have happened if we had all listened to you and stayed out. Tsk!"

He was obviously provoking the Dragon Slayer, hoping to get some form of reaction. Zabdel glanced around and noticed several stares converging in the outcast's direction.

'Are they trying to infuriate him? Or is it to make him start trouble so they can have a reasonable cause to use their superior numbers to beat him?' Zabdel groaned internally.

None of the Adventurers that were taken down by the mysterious man were around, so all the complicit Adventurers were ignorant. Of course, there were a few Adventurers who didn't seem to care about the conspiracy.

There was a blond girl, an extremely muscular man, and also a very thin, but lanky, individual. These three seemed uninterested in the current tension brewing, only actively fulfilling their tasks and mining ores.

A few Adventurers even talked about venturing to deeper floors, but since most were low-leveled dregs, it was all talk, none of them was going to act on it.

It would be suicide for weaklings to challenge a double-digit Floor.

"Really? What exactly is your aim with these theatrics?" The Dragon slayer hummed gently.

"Tch! What are you... when did I say I wanted to achieve anything? I was just stating the truth, ya know?"

"Is that so?" At this point, a sharp gaze proceeded from the Dragon Slayer aimed at the impudent Adventurer.

"Oi, don't you think you're being rude, brat? You're in the wrong, yet you don't seem apologetic at all!" Busu moved closer, testing his limits.

Zabdel watched everything in silence, pretending not to notice.

'What will he do...?'

To be honest, Zabdel wanted to see for himself how the Dragon Slayer would handle Busu's taunts. So far, the Dragon Slyer had done nothing, which felt odd to the Vice Guildmaster.

Usually, the strong would exercise their strength in order to trample weaklings who acted conceited. Yet, the Dragon Slayer did no such thing.

It was almost as if he was weak.

'Was he bluffing all along? There's no Dragon here too...' Zabdel was lost in thought, unsure of what to believe.

'No! I know what I felt back then...' Now watching with unmitigated interest, the middle-aged man waited for an action from the young boy.

Then...

>SHUUUUU<

... It finally came.

A strange object suddenly appeared in the grasp of the Dragon Slayer, almost like space itself warped. Zabdel's jaw dropped, considering he had never experienced magic so precise and well designed.

Even he, a Mage of the highest caliber, could not completely understand it.

However, the highlight of the Dragon Slayer's actions was not the Magic he used, but the item he brought out.

"WHATTT!!!" Everyone instantly leaped back in shock the moment their brains could process what the bony object represented.

"T-that is...?!" Even Busu stumbled backward as he gasped for air.

"That's right. It's a portion of the last Dragon I defeated. He was much tougher than the one I sense here, and I obliterated it till there was only one fang left from its corpse."

Everyone could sense the torrent of energy the object emitted, so that meant the monster had been slayed just recently.

"Do not doubt my words when I say this..." The Dragon Slayer glanced at everyone in the room.

Stifling silence ensued.

"... The Dragon will come. In fact..."

The Dragon Slayer pointed in a direction, a cocky grin planted on his face.

"... It's already here."

>BOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!<

The entire area rumbled with an unearthly sound, and a beast emerged.

It had horns and glistening, scaly skin. Its fierce eyes and menacing presence were enough to tell the audience what kind of monster it was.

"I-it's a DRAGON!!!" A screech pierced the air, causing everyone to run for their lives.

Busu abandoned his earlier mission of picking on the young man and took to his heels. Fear and shock were written on his reddening face.

Everyone was wrought with fright, and regret mixed with shame almost swallowed some Adventurers whole.

The Dragon in sight was an Earth Dragon, and it was stronger than every Adventurer there, even combined.

It's massive form and majestic body caused many to lose their will to fight, and even the stubborn ones knew this was a fight they couldn't win.

"GRRRRRRRRR..." The Dragon growled, ready to begin devouring its prey.

Everyone it stared at was nothing but food. This caused the unstoppable beast to grin in delight. However...

"What do you think you're looking at?"

... A voice snapped it out of its daze.

It came from behind, where a lone man stood—garbed in black, but pulsating with energy.

He had a wild grin on his face, raising his sword in defiance.

"Your enemy is right here!"