Ch.48I Did It, Mister (6)

“Dodge to the left! Jump between the third ravine! You can buy time there!”

I shouted as I helped Alreina to her feet.

“What…?”

“Jump!”

I grabbed Alreina’s wrist and ran as fast as I could.

The Scarlet Dragon’s breath struck the spot where we had been standing.

“Ugh!”

Alreina, who had been thrown to the ground by the impact, regained her senses and jumped to her feet.

“Mister!”

“I’m fine! Keep running!”

I got up unsteadily and pushed Alreina’s back.

We barely managed to enter the third ravine, avoiding the second breath attack.

“Huff, huff…”

Alreina collapsed to the ground, clutching the wound on her side.

“Let me see that. I’ll treat it.”

I forced Alreina to lie down and removed her hand from the wound.

Judging by the shape of the wound, she couldn’t avoid the dragon’s claws.

“I don’t have… any Healing Potions… They all broke when I was attacked…”

Alreina spoke with difficulty, gasping for breath.

“It’s okay. I have some.”

I took out two potions from my waist and poured them all over Alreina’s wound.

“Argh!”

“Bear with it a little. It’ll heal soon.”

After pouring the two potions, her torn skin began to visibly regenerate at a rapid pace.

“Mister…”

Alreina, her color returning, looked up at me with half-open eyes.

“How did you get here…?”

“I don’t know either. Anyway, that’s not the issue right now.”

I turned to look at the Scarlet Dragon standing at the entrance of the ravine, quietly recovering its magical power.

I need to land an effective hit now, but it’s difficult with Alreina’s current condition.

We’ll have to dodge one more time and strike in the next turn.

“Alreina. Listen carefully. We’ll counterattack after avoiding the next area attack. We need to time it right to move to the next ravine.”

“Yes, mister…”

“What weapon do you… Where’s your weapon?”

“I lost it…”

Looking back, I could see the Frost Roar lying at the dragon’s feet.

I need to get that, but with Alreina’s current condition, the next attack will come by the time she reaches it.

Calculating the cooldown time, it makes more sense for me to run.

“Drink this and stay here.”

“Where are you going? Mister! It’s dangerous!”

I placed another potion in Alreina’s hand and ran toward the dragon.

“Damn it!”

As I got closer to the dragon’s body, an incredibly hot aura enveloped me.

With my breath catching in my throat, I gritted my teeth, rushed in, and picked up the Frost Roar from the ground.

A terrifying cold sensation traveled from my hand up to my shoulder.

If I keep holding it, my arm will surely freeze and fall off.

The Frost Roar is too powerful a weapon for an NPC like me with no strength.

“Here, Alreina.”

I hurried back and placed the Frost Roar in Alreina’s hands.

“Mister! Your hands are freezing!”

“Of course they are, I was holding an ice elemental weapon. Don’t worry.”

Looking back, I saw the Scarlet Dragon, having recovered enough magical power, preparing its next attack.

Let’s see what attack it is. Oh no. It’s the Wall of Flames?

Has it already moved beyond its normal pattern? This isn’t good.

All boss monsters attack with normal patterns until their health drops below a certain level, then they enter phase two.

This means Alreina must have done well and significantly reduced its health before I arrived.

The problem is that you need to have sufficient health and items stockpiled when entering phase two, but Alreina is completely depleted.

She’s recovered some health with the potions, but she doesn’t have any mass recovery potions, and I don’t have enough potions either.

At this rate, we won’t survive phase two. Is there any way…

After carefully surveying our surroundings, I came up with a good plan.

“Alreina. Listen carefully to what I’m about to tell you.”

After explaining my thoughts, Alreina shouted:

“That won’t work! It’s too dangerous!”

“No, it’s our only option. Otherwise, we’ll all die here.”

“But mister…!”

“Do you trust me?”

“What…?”

Alreina looked at me with wide eyes.

“You trusted me to get this far, right? So trust me this time too. I’m never wrong.”

“Okay, mister…”

“Good. Give me that.”

I took the Flame Ward Shield from Alreina’s hands.

I staggered slightly under its enormous weight before regaining my balance. I can’t believe Alreina carried this around.

“Alreina. We can succeed. If you move exactly as I told you. Can you do it?”

“Yes. I can do it. If we succeed in this hunt…”

“Run!”

As the cooldown ended, I pushed Alreina’s shoulder.

Alreina blinked away and ran along the ravine’s slope as the Scarlet Dragon’s breath erupted from its mouth.

This breath was completely different from the previous flame breath.

A long curtain of fire stretched out, lashing the ground violently like a whip.

Chased by the wall of flames, Alreina finally crossed over the ridge of the ravine and disappeared behind the slope.

Having momentarily lost its target, the Scarlet Dragon hesitated before turning its gaze toward me, still standing in the middle of the ravine.

“Over here! Come here!”

I shouted, holding the Flame Ward Shield with both hands, and soon the wall of flames that had been stretched along the ridge began to surge toward me.

A tremendous wave of flames came crashing down on me.

“Urgh!”

Although the shield split the flames to the sides, it couldn’t completely block the heat.

I firmly planted the shield on the ground, crouched behind it, and drank all my remaining potions.

The potions temporarily allowed me to withstand the heat. But the effect wouldn’t last long.

The small amount of potions I had wouldn’t be enough to endure the wall of flames.

The surface of my clothes began to burn bit by bit.

“Alreina! Hurry!”

* * * * *

After circling widely behind the ridge and climbing back up, Alreina first looked for the mister.

She couldn’t see him, but instead saw the edge of the Scarlet Dragon’s wall of flames splitting apart.

He must be there!

Mister! Just wait a little longer! I’ll save you!

As she rushed to the edge of the ridge, an intense pain surged from her side where the dragon’s claws had wounded her.

But Alreina gritted her teeth and raised the Frost Roar high.

She leaped high toward the Scarlet Dragon’s exposed neck below the ridge.

Magical power exploded from Alreina’s body, enveloping the Frost Roar.

* * * * *

Beyond the wildly dancing wall of flames, I could see a brilliantly shining meteor falling toward the dragon’s neck.

After the meteor momentarily flickered and disappeared behind the dragon’s horn, the wall of flames began to subside.

With a terrible cry, the Scarlet Dragon’s massive body slowly began to topple sideways.

Alreina succeeded!

The plan worked perfectly—using me as bait while Alreina attacked the dragon’s neck from the side.

This is a strategy that would never work when playing alone, because you can never escape being the dragon’s target.

But it became possible because I inadvertently turned this into a two-person raid.

I was worried whether I could withstand the wall of flames, but well, it’s just a dream.

THOOOOM!

As the dragon collapsed completely, the ground shook and the soil in the ravine crumbled.

But where’s Alreina?

I saw Alreina staggering on top of the dragon’s head before falling to the ground.

“Alreina! Ugh!”

My whole body was burning, but I mustered all my strength and ran toward her.

The fallen Alreina was shaking her head vigorously, trying to regain her senses.

“Stay still, Alreina. It’s because you used your magical power too rapidly. Here, take this.”

I fed Alreina the potion I had saved for the worst-case scenario.

“You did it. You’re amazing.”

“Thank you… Without you, I would have died…”

“But you didn’t die. So…”

Suddenly, I began to lose strength in my body.

Looking down at my hands, I saw my body gradually fading away from the fingertips.

Am I waking up from the dream? There’s no time.

“Alreina. Listen carefully. The reason you were hurt by the Scarlet Dragon’s claws is because your level isn’t high enough to follow the strategy guide yet.”

“I’m sorry… I tried my best…”

“It’s not your fault. You progressed too quickly because of the strategy guide. But at this rate, I can’t guarantee your future journey.”

“What should I do then…”

“Go to Tenata Forest. It’s not far from here. Find the Witch of Sighs there. Ask the witch for guidance…”

* * * * *

I opened my eyes. Looking to the side, I saw Mirella sitting there.

“Mirella…?”

“I heard voices talking in your room and came in surprised. I was worried you might be getting kidnapped again like last time.”

“Room?”

Looking around, I realized this was my room. I was on my bed.

I raised both arms and saw I was still wearing the indoor clothes I had changed into earlier. No signs of burning.

What’s going on here?

Well, I just woke up from a dream.

Since I received a letter from Alreina saying she was about to face the Scarlet Dragon, she must have already killed the dragon and moved on to the next stage.

But I just helped Alreina now, so the timeline doesn’t match at all. Of course it was a dream.

“Should I sleep next to you?”

When Mirella asked, I smiled and shook my head.

“It’s okay. I just had a dream.”

“A nightmare?”

“Well…”

Would a dream where I almost burned to death from a dragon’s breath be a nightmare?

“No, a happy dream.”

* * * * *

“Mister!!”

Alreina screamed as she bolted upright in bed.

“Hero! Are you conscious?”

The people surrounding the bed asked worriedly.

“Mister! Where is he?!”

“Excuse me? What mister are you talking about?”

“There was a mister here?!”

The people looked at each other before responding.

“There was no one else besides you, Hero.”

“What happened? Why am I here?”

“You defeated the dragon and temporarily lost consciousness. You probably exhausted all your strength. The standby unit immediately brought you to the royal palace.”

“Royal palace…? Then the mister… What about the shield?”

“It’s right here.”

The half-melted Flame Ward Shield was leaning against the wall in the corner of the room.

Looking at it, Alreina fell into deep thought.

She clearly remembered being hit in the side by the dragon’s claws and just as she was about to give up, the mister suddenly appeared. Telling her not to give up.

Then she received treatment from him and a new strategy.

The plan was for the mister to act as bait while she struck between the misaligned scales at the back of the dragon’s head—its only weakness.

An attack impossible to execute alone, which is why it wasn’t in the strategy guide, but possible with two people, as he had said.

That’s how she killed the dragon, and then… and then…

She couldn’t remember.

Perhaps… it was a dream or a hallucination she saw in a moment of crisis…

There’s an ocean between her and the mister. How could he have crossed the sea to help her and then disappeared without a trace?

Alreina laughed hollowly before breaking into tears.

After longing to see the mister so desperately, she couldn’t even have a proper conversation with him when they finally met…

“Excuse me, Hero.”

A palace official hesitantly addressed Alreina as she wept.

“People are waiting outside.”

“People? Waiting for me?”

“Please go out to the terrace and see.”

Confused, Alreina pulled back the curtains and stepped onto the terrace.

“The Hero has appeared!”

“WAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!”

Following someone’s shout, an earth-shaking roar erupted.

“Hero! Hero!” “Long live the Hero!!!”

Tens of thousands of people filling the square in front of the royal palace cheered in unison.

“Savior of the East! Long live the Hero!!!!”

Faced with the endless cheers of the crowd, Alreina was too stunned to react.

“Please wave your hand, Hero.”

“Ah, yes…”

As Alreina slowly raised her hand, the people’s cheers rose to the heavens.

Mister… I… I did it…