The eastern continent, a place that looked like countries in east Asia. The people and culture here are quite similar to Earth's east Asia. When Ben saw them for the first time, he assumed Earthland was like Earth in another dimension or universe, that's why there were many similarities.
It didn't matter to him because it was more comfortable that way. He would be familiar with many things, which would make things easier, especially when he has foreign affairs. He won't be shocked by how different their cultures are, so he could be more careful to not offend them.
Difference is a beautiful thing for him, but that beautiful thing was ruined now. The eastern continent that Mira liked as a holiday destination was destroyed. The damage here was worse than in Alakitasia and Ishgar.
Towns and villages were destroyed. Some had been completely wiped out and only large craters remained where towns and villages once were. It looked like the dragons were really angry or the battles were extremely destructive.
Ben didn't expect to find a lot of survivors, but they found a group after walking around for a few days and hunting dragons. The dragons here were more powerful than the ones in Ishgar and Alakitasia even though they had a lot of injuries. Well, the weaker ones were eliminated before them, so the ones that attacked this place were stronger.
Among the first group of survivors they found, there was no mage. There are kids that had the potential to become mages though. They didn't have time to teach these kids magic. They still didn't know anything about magic, so it will take a long time for them to learn.
The people here refer to magic power as chakra or chi. Although it is basically just magic power made of ethernano, so it's the same thing. The ways they use their magic is different than mages on Ishgar or Alakitasia, but the basic concept is still the same.
Anyway, Ben asked the survivors of the towns and villages why they were completely destroyed. The older survivors told him that the destruction was caused by the battles between invading dragons and their guardian deities or gods. The eastern continent was known to worship their gods that each protected a area.
Gods are magical creatures with a higher rank than dragons. However, that doesn't mean they can't win battles between them. As long as they were more powerful than the gods, then they can win. Thousands of dragons led by a individual like Acnologia would easily win the war against some local gods.
The mages helped their gods, but they didn't have enough power to fight against the dragons. Their help gave the civilians time to evacuate though. There weren't a lot who survived in the end when the dragons attacked the survivors, but at least there are still survivors left to continue this continent's legacy.
"Do you know if there are mages who survived and still want to fight the dragons?"
"Mages? Are you talking about martial artists?"
"Yeah, them. The ones who have incredible power."
"Um, there were three martial artists in our group before. But they left to form a group with other martial artists. They said they wanted to attack the remaining dragons here."
"Where were they going?"
"I think they were going to the west, to Mount Suiji where more martial artists would gather. They left last month, so I think they've started attacking the dragons."
"Mount Suiji, huh? I've been there once. Alright, thanks for the information."
Ben's group left after giving the survivors supplies. They prioritized giving medicine because these survivors usually have their own sources of food. Medicine was hard to find, so many sick survivors can't be treated properly.
Ben headed to Mount Suiji using trucks that have camouflage magic, smell erasing magic and sound canceling magic to prevent the dragons from finding them. Ben knew how good dragon's senses are, so he needed to avoid their detection while moving around.
They quickly arrive on Mount Suiji and Ben released his magic power a little to make his presence known, but not enough to be sensed by dragons. The closest dragon is kilometers away from this place, so there won't be any problem.
A while later, some middle-aged people suddenly appear there. Ben didn't know any of them, but he knew they were rather strong. They could be S-Class mages on Ishgar and he also knew they were some of the strongest there. There's only one person in the group than them and even that person is weaker than Wendy.
"Who are you? State your name."
The martial artists threatened him by raising their weapons, but Ben wasn't intimidated one bit.
"Name's Ben, I'm a mage from Ishgar. I'm here to recruit you for my dragon hunter team. We are hunting dragons and have defeated the ones on Ishgar and Alakitasia already."
Ben didn't engage in chitchat and got straight to the point. The martial artists are surprised and they can't help but look at Ben's group. They were impressed with the group's transportation, but they laugh when they see the group members were mostly young mages.
"Ha ha ha, did you really kill dragons with these kids? You sure know how to spout bullshit. Go to the shelter, kids! The dragons will eat you if you roam around."
Ben just grinned and didn't need to say anything for the 'kids' to take action. The kids suddenly run at a very high speed and placed their weapons on the martial artists necks. This has happened a few times, so they know what to do when people look down on them.
"These kids aren't even the strongest individuals in our group, but they can kill you if they want too. So, are you willing to listen."
The martial artists swallow their saliva and agree to talk to Ben. They take the group to the peak that was protected by a space barrier. It's not as good as Ben's barrier, but at least it can prevent them from being detected, so the dragon's won't find them.
Inside the barrier is a whole different place. They are many building that were invisible from the outside and there were many people too. There must be hundreds of people here and they're either mages or martial artists at different levels.
The middle-aged people take Ben to the biggest building at the peak while the rest of the group stayed in the main plaza to rest. Ben followed them to meet the strongest martial artist here. He was quite surprised to see the person that led them is a young woman, well, looks like a young woman.
"You want us to join you in hunting dragons?"
"Yeah, it seems you've heard about it already. I need more people to join my dragon hunter team. We only have 184 people while there are thousands of dragons. So we need more people and I heard you are also planning to hunt the dragons. Isn't it better to team up and attack the dragons together?"
The woman smirked after hearing that proposal. "Why should we join forces with you?"
"Real simple. You need us. Our group has Dragon Slayers who's magic is effective against the dragons, Dragon Slayer weapons that can injure the dragons more effectively and the most important thing is you need us because you're weaker than us."
Ben released his magic power after that it and it overwhelmed the whole mountain, including everyone in his group. The strongest martial artist can't even hold her ground and fell on her knees even though she was sitting down before. Other martial artists have it worse, they are lying flat on the ground and a lot of them were passing out.
"Even with this power, I am not sure I can defeat the dragons alone. I am a Dragon Slayer and my magic is effective against dragons, but I don't have that confidence. Do you think you can do it without us?"
Ben needed to do this because these people had a lot of pride. It can also be said they're extremely arrogant. If he didn't show them how strong he is, then they won't join him. He needs more people to fight the dragons and they have many people, so he really wants them to join him even if it's out of fear.
'I don't want to end this alone. I'm only here for my kids, sisters, friends. If they have the power to fight, then they need to fight. This is their world, their lives, their freedom. They need to fight for themselves.'
No one can stand because of the pressure of Ben's magic power. It isn't even his full power, but it's enough to make them submit. Then as he wished, the martial artists finally join them even if it's out of fear.
Ben treated them equally by giving them good Dragon Slayer weapons. Well, the stronger they are, the better the weapons are because they can wield stronger weapons and their attacks will be stronger. Ben also forged armor from dragon scales for everyone to protect them.
After the martial artists joined, the group had 523 people in total. Ben took them to hunt a dragon so that the martial artists will know how they hunt. Only 20 people attack the dragon that was their target and no one was a Dragon Slayer, but they won already, so it shocked the martial artists.
Ben smirked seeing their shocked expressions. "Do you regret joining us now?"
