This Is Way Too Weak

Inviting Dumbledore to the Muya Continent had merely been something Josh said offhandedly. After all, stabilizing Magic Gates was still only a concept to him; he had yet to put it into practice. However, Dumbledore seemed quite interested and casually replied that he would definitely visit Josh's world if he had the chance.

The matter was left at that, because they were both people of action. Once they had made up their minds, they immediately got moving. There was no real need to celebrate Christmas anyway, so setting off directly to settle these matters suited their style better.

The target Josh and Dumbledore chose was the Hungarian Horntail, one of the most dangerous dragons of all. It was covered in black scales and resembled a lizard in appearance. It had yellow eyes, bronze horns, and a long tail studded with similarly bronze-colored spikes.

Its spikes were the color of concrete and exceptionally tough. Its hatchlings broke out of their eggs by striking the shells with their tails, since their tail tips were already well developed at birth. Hungarian Horntails fed on goats and sheep, but whenever possible, they also ate humans.

Its sense of smell was poor, because the flames it expelled from its nostrils damaged its olfactory senses. However, its eyesight was incredibly sharp, capable of clearly spotting an ant from hundreds of meters away. All in all, it was an extremely dangerous creature.

For ordinary wizards, that was.

"So we're catching one of these things to use as mounts?" Sitting in the airship, Garen held photos of the dragons and asked with a puzzled expression.

Yes, they were traveling by airship rather than Floo Powder, a ship, or anything else. This thing had appeared in the prequel story of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The main reason they had chosen an airship over other methods of travel was Garen.

The guy got a little seasick, and he was also extremely resistant to crawling out of a fireplace.

"Man, this thing probably isn't even ten meters long, right? Are you sure it'll look imposing enough to ride around?"

Well, Garen's complaint was indeed valid. Josh had overlooked something: the dragons here seemed to be especially small. He had been fooled by the figure of thirty feet and thought it was quite long, but after Dumbledore explained it to him, he realized it was only around nine meters!

"It is a little small, but it should be possible to modify and raise it, right?"

Josh rubbed his chin as he spoke uncertainly. In his mind, dragons ought to be at least fifty meters long even as juveniles. Ones nearing a hundred meters would not be considered large either. Smaug in The Hobbit was over a hundred and forty meters long.

As for Ancalagon, well, Josh did not expect to ever compare one to that thing. He remembered a picture comparing the dragons of Middle-earth. Smaug had been dead last, while Ancalagon was several hundred times larger than him!

"If it can be raised and modified, then it'll do. Honestly, if it's really that small, there's no point in riding it around. It's too small to intimidate anyone. The dragons in Valoran aren't particularly strong either, but they're much bigger than this thing."

Garen nodded, suddenly thinking of the bizarre creatures back in his homeland.

"Valoran? Right, why does your Baron Nashor have a noble title?"

"I don't know. The monsters gave it that name. No one knows how big it is, and no one knows how strong it is. In any case, it isn't something ordinary people can provoke. Everyone who has provoked it so far has died."

Garen thought for a moment before answering.

"Well, maybe once you reach around the Eighth Tier—Level Sixteen—or the Seventh Tier would do. Then find one or two teammates, a warrior and a mage. You tank the damage while the other two deal damage, and it won't be long before it dies. Of course, if you have a divine skill called Smite, it'll die even faster."

"...Why do I sense such intense malice?"

"That's just your imagination."

The airship was fast, and before long they reached their destination, Hungary. Hungary had a temperate continental climate, with warm winters and cool summers, so winter here was not particularly cold. It was no problem at all for Josh and Garen.

"Welcome, Lord Dumbledore." The one receiving them was an official from the Ministry of Magic. Naturally, he also worked for the diplomatic department; otherwise, this task would not have fallen to him.

"And this must be Lord Augustus, who defeated Voldemort. Merlin's beard, you truly are a great mage. Allow me to introduce myself. You may call me Fular. I am your guide for now, and it is an honor to handle this assignment."

Fular was a middle-aged man who looked quite amiable. However, Josh could tell that this man was probably only around a First Tier wizard. A First Tier wizard was nothing in Josh's eyes, but in this world, he could already be considered fairly strong.

It was clear that they were extremely wary of Josh and his companions' arrival, but because of their status, there was nothing they could do to them. More importantly, Josh and the others had acted too quickly and had not submitted any travel documents at all. The United Kingdom Ministry of Magic could not control Dumbledore or Josh, while Hungary was a weak nation with no diplomatic leverage.

The Wizard World was not the world of ordinary humans. It might follow the same rules in name, but it was far more straightforward in practice. My fist is bigger than yours, so I make the rules, and you can only obey. Wasn't Voldemort an example of that? Though the guy's situation in this world was rather tragic now.

"Hello, Lord Fular." Dumbledore was somewhat embarrassed as well. He knew roughly what was going on. "Rest assured, we are only here to seek Hungarian Horntails. We have no other intentions. Of course, it would be even better if you could take us to see those dragons."

"Only to see dragons?"

Fular relaxed a little. If they were here to see dragons, then this would be much easier to handle. Truthfully, he had been terrified. One was a White Wizard who had remained formidable despite living for over a century; the other called himself a mage and had dealt with the Dark Lord who had thrown the United Kingdom Wizarding World into chaos. He felt either one's arrival could bring disaster upon the country.

And now two had arrived at once, along with a Crownguard without a surname who served as Lord Augustus's guard. He had been trembling with fear, but if Dumbledore said they were here for dragons, then perhaps things would turn out much better. People of their status would not lie to a minor figure like him, would they?

"Of course." Josh nodded. "I plan to catch one as a mount for myself and my companions. And if they're good, I may be purchasing these dragons from you for a long time. But may I ask you a question?"

"Of course, Lord Augustus."

"Just call me Josh. We're only guests, after all. Are the dragons here really this size?"

"This size?" Fular did not understand what Josh meant at first, but he quickly grasped it and said in disbelief, "A thirty-foot dragon should be the standard size for an adult dragon, shouldn't it? Good heavens, that's already a massive creature nearly ten meters long. Do you truly think it's small?"

"It is a little small." Josh looked somewhat disappointed, but this was within his expectations. "Still, it's fine. Can you take us to see them? Of course, we don't want the ones raised in captivity. They've lost their wild nature. I need wild ones. Do you understand?"

"Even captive ones wouldn't just let you use them as mounts."

Fular's mouth twitched, but he did not say those words aloud. He nodded helplessly and said he would need to report the matter to his superiors. Naturally, Josh and the others expressed their understanding. The result was also very smooth. When the Hungarian Ministry of Magic heard that these three terrifying people had come solely for dragons, they immediately agreed. They could do whatever they liked.

Adult or juvenile, male or female—it was all up to them. Even dragon eggs were fine. Of course, if the number was too large, they hoped Josh and his group would pay some price. They did not dare demand anything excessive; being paid at all would be good enough.

Naturally, this outcome satisfied Josh and the others greatly. After making some preparations, they entered a primeval forest under Fular's guidance. According to Fular, this forest was the habitat of Hungarian Horntails, and it contained a large number of untamed Horntails.

As for why ordinary people had not discovered this place, Josh did not even feel like asking. If it could be discovered so easily, and their defenses were so poor that ordinary people got attacked by Hungarian Horntails, it would probably become the laughingstock of Wizarding Worlds everywhere.

The entire forest was enormous, and the trees were thick and lush. Entering it rashly without sufficient preparation would be extremely troublesome.

"We'll spend the next ten to fifteen days searching for Hungarian Horntails here. Of course, if you want larger ones, it may take longer."

Fular spoke as he led the three of them forward.

"Wild Hungarian Horntails have a very strong sense of territory and combat awareness. The weaker ones are driven to live on the outskirts. Most of the Horntails we capture also come from the outskirts. The deeper we go into the forest, the stronger the Horntails become, so I think it would be best not to venture too far in."

"You said their territorial instincts are strong, right, Fular?" Garen suddenly asked.

"Yes, Lord Crownguard. Why?"

Garen ignored him. He suddenly stopped walking and closed his eyes. Josh and Dumbledore sensed something as well. Dumbledore was about to draw his wand, but Josh stopped him and shook his head to indicate that it was fine. Dumbledore did not continue.

Suddenly, Garen opened his eyes. A mass of yellow energy erupted around him, and then he vanished in an instant. Fular looked utterly confused, unable to understand what had happened. And what was that yellow thing? Magic power?

Boom!

A deafening crash rang out as an unconscious lizard-like creature flew backward from the brush and landed right in front of Josh and the others. Fular jumped in fright and immediately drew his wand, but he quickly realized what had flown out—damn it, it was a Hungarian Horntail!

And although this Horntail was not yet an adult, it was at least twenty-five feet long. It looked utterly miserable. Dragon blood continuously seeped from its nostrils and mouth, and there was a large fist mark on its face. Several of its teeth had even been knocked out.

"If I'm not mistaken, we must have entered its territory."

Garen slowly emerged from the brush. He shook his hand as though he had casually dealt with a minor inconvenience, his face completely unconcerned. The sight made cold sweat pour down Fular's back.

"And even though we're at the edge of the forest, this thing doesn't seem small. Are you sure this is considered weak? I think it's way too weak!"