Ch.94Chapter 94 – A Wild Dragon Appears. (2)

Naturally, we were at a severe disadvantage against the dragon.

First of all, our attacks weren’t effective.

Whatever material those scales were made of, even striking with all my might using a halberd only left minor scratches.

‘It’s not just about hardness.’

This was my guess based on the sensation I felt when striking with the halberd, and seeing a blue energy flowing between the scales.

The scales were already hard, but that energy seemed to be making them even stronger.

It was just a hunch, but it felt similar to when Beatrice strengthened herself.

I didn’t understand the exact mechanism, but what was certain was that the already tough dragon had become even tougher.

And it was likely a technique I couldn’t use right now.

Even considering just this advantage, it would be difficult to defeat it with our current abilities.

And high defense wasn’t its only strength.

The sound of the dragon’s claws tearing through the air was enough to make my body tremble.

With a body that massive, simply moving was enough to become a deadly weapon.

Especially those heavy, sharp claws and teeth—I was certain they would literally shatter anything they struck.

The one fortunate thing was that despite our aggressive approach, it wasn’t breathing fire or taking to the sky.

If it had just stayed in the air shooting breath attacks, we would have had absolutely no chance of winning.

So why wasn’t it using its breath?

The answer was written on its face.

‘It’s looking down on us.’

If it were human, that expression would probably be a sneer.

Though its face was clearly not human, I could see it raising one corner of its mouth in a way that conveyed contempt.

It was looking down at us as if curious to see how far these tiny creatures would struggle to survive.

As if it were the absolute ruler, gazing down upon lesser beings.

“Damn it, my blade won’t penetrate at all!”

One of Haven’s party members shouted in a voice that sounded close to tears.

Befitting veteran adventurers, their equipment was of high quality, but still inadequate to pierce the dragon’s scales.

-Kaang!

When I struck the scales hard with my halberd, the dragon swung its claws at me.

From the beginning, the dragon had been targeting only me and Beatrice.

The reason was simple.

Our attacks were the only ones having any effect on the dragon.

I suspected that even this would have been impossible without Christina’s blessing.

“Ha, this is really frustrating!”

I saw Beatrice deliver a powerful punch, stamp with her knee, and quickly retreat.

The scales where her attack landed were slightly cracked, but it wasn’t a critical wound.

The dragon tried to swat Beatrice away with its claws as if annoyed, but she had already withdrawn.

Then an explosion occurred near the dragon’s face.

“Still not much effect…!”

Sera had been targeting the dragon’s face with magic missiles and explosives.

Whether due to the dragon’s size or her own skill, none of her attacks had missed so far.

Though the dragon primarily targeted me and Beatrice, Sera’s attacks seemed to irritate it enough that it occasionally turned its attention to her.

And now the dragon swung its claws toward Sera.

“‘Protect the young lambs.'”

The dragon’s claws were blocked in mid-air.

A shield of light suddenly appeared, preventing the dragon’s foreleg from moving properly.

Christina had been summoning shields like this to interfere with the dragon’s movements.

But they weren’t permanent.

-Crack-crack-crack

The ominous sound we’d heard several times already.

It was the sound of the light shield beginning to break under the dragon’s strength.

“Move, Chris!”

“Yes!”

As the shield finally shattered, the dragon’s claws plunged into the ground.

Fortunately, Sera and Christina had already moved far enough away while the shield held.

When the dragon’s attention turned to Sera and Christina, that was the best opportunity for me and Beatrice.

I quickly rushed in, striking and stabbing at areas that might be vulnerable.

However, the effect was minimal.

“Damn it, does this thing even die?”

“Helmet, shut up and just keep hitting!”

Beatrice responded to my complaint.

At a glance, it might seem like we were one-sidedly attacking, but we weren’t at an advantage at all.

The problem was that the scales severely reduced the power of our attacks.

To the dragon, our attacks were probably like mosquito bites.

‘This isn’t working.’

I felt that even our somewhat effective attacks were only landing because the dragon was being careless.

It seemed to be deliberately taking hits, as if saying, “Let’s see how much you can do.”

And our stamina wasn’t infinite.

Eventually we would start to tire, and exhaustion meant death.

-Krr.

A mocking growl.

Its intention was obvious.

‘It wants to toy with us slowly.’

As black as its scales, this creature had a dark heart.

At this moment, we needed to gain the upper hand somehow.

While the dragon was still being careless.

While it clearly intended to toy with us.

‘If not now, we won’t win.’

If it got bored and started fighting seriously, we would die.

If we collapsed from exhaustion, we would die.

‘The question is how.’

I couldn’t face the dragon with just the cards I had.

So I quickly surveyed my companions.

Someone who might have something that could turn this situation around.

There was only one person.

“Beatrice, don’t you have anything bigger?”

Though she primarily fought in close combat, Beatrice was a mage from the Magic Tower.

If she knew more than just physical combat, she was the only one who might have the firepower to deal with the dragon.

So I asked with hope, and Beatrice’s urgent voice responded.

“I do have something!”

“Then start it right now!”

At my voice, Beatrice shouted back as if spitting out the words.

“If I stop moving, I’ll get torn apart by that thing!”

She had just successfully landed an attack and was retreating, so her voice was urgent.

‘So she does have something.’

I didn’t know what she could do, but she didn’t say she couldn’t launch a powerful attack.

The reason she couldn’t was because she would have to stop moving.

In this situation, stopping to face the dragon meant death.

“If we buy you some time, could you do it?”

“Maybe!”

Beatrice, who had been moving through the air using chains, landed beside me.

Simultaneously, she cast some spell that created an explosion, spreading a cloud of dust.

“In here, I can buy a little time.”

Beatrice said confidently.

And as if in response to her voice, the sound of something cutting through the air headed toward us.

I quickly grabbed Beatrice and rolled across the ground.

“Hey! If you like me, just be honest about it!”

“Stop talking nonsense, I just saved you!”

As Beatrice was about to shout something, the dragon’s claws grazed just above me, and she closed her mouth.

Then she spoke fiercely, as if frustrated.

“Damn it. Did it use some kind of vision magic? This level of spell isn’t even enough to blind it.”

The dust cloud was thick enough that we couldn’t see the dragon, but it seemed the dragon could see through it just fine.

The only reason we had been able to dodge earlier was because we’d noticed the sound.

‘…It’s watching us.’

If I concentrated, I could feel its gaze.

It must be using some method to see us.

Yet it wasn’t continuing its attack, which suggested it was waiting to see what we would do.

There was even a sense of leisure, as if it was giving us a chance since we’d dodged its previous attack.

Catching my breath slightly in the dust cloud, Beatrice spoke.

“…I can fire something big enough to hurt that thing, but the incantation takes time.”

Beatrice spoke while catching her breath, as if the physical exertion had been greater than expected.

“To do that, I need to concentrate, so I can barely move. The others can’t really draw its attention, so basically you’d have to distract it alone—can you do that?”

Beatrice’s point was valid.

Though the dragon occasionally glanced toward Sera or Haven’s group, it mostly focused on me or Beatrice.

We had been sharing the burden of drawing its attention.

With just one person, we might collapse pathetically.

“Do you think you can hold out alone until I finish my incantation?”

Without Beatrice, I would have to draw the dragon’s attention by myself.

I would have to take the brunt of most attacks.

“…Sometimes you have to gamble to survive.”

As I said.

If we continued like this, we’d be sitting ducks.

If the dragon changed its mood even slightly, we’d all be dead.

If not now, we wouldn’t even get a chance to place a bet.

“Start, Beatrice.”

At my words, Beatrice clicked her tongue once.

Then she said quietly.

“…I’ll get ready.”

“First, release the contract.”

She had said she could release it for about 10 minutes, right?

Anyway, she needed to release it now.

For her to safely complete her incantation, she needed to be away from me.

Beatrice nodded and took out what looked like a bone from her chest.

Then she crushed it while chanting a spell and scattered the powder into the air.

-Crack

The sound of something breaking.

And my left arm was free.

“But how are you going to draw its attention?”

“I’ll find a way.”

I rarely showed this to others, but this was an emergency.

I gathered strength throughout my body.

Feeling red sparks racing through my body, I raised my halberd.

To somehow draw more of its attacks to me, to make a more threatening attack, this was my only option.

‘I always end up relying on this.’

The power that Christina had warned me to be careful about its cost.

In the end, this was my only recourse.

Breaking through the dust cloud, I swung my halberd while scattering red sparks.

-Thung!

The dragon blocked my attack aimed at its face with its claws.

‘I knew it would block anyway.’

Normally I would have stopped and fled, but now I needed to buy time for Beatrice to move away and start her incantation.

I quickly swung the halberd again, sticking close to the dragon’s body to draw its attention.

-Thung! Thung!

The impact sounds spread.

Shock waves of a completely different dimension from before reverberated.

‘So even this isn’t enough!’

It was still insufficient to pierce the tough scales.

I dodged as the dragon swung its claws mockingly.

‘But that’s fine. Just need to buy time like this.’

I couldn’t see where Beatrice had gone.

But I was certain she was casting her spell.

It was all up to her now.

So I had only one job left.

“Look at me, you damn lizard!”

I rushed at the dragon and repeated what I had been doing.

The claws narrowly grazed above my head.

I dodged the teeth and swung my halberd toward its eyes.

I clung tenaciously to it while narrowly avoiding attacks that would be fatal if they connected even once.

As my sense of time gradually dulled, I was attacking when it happened.

The dragon stomped hard on the ground, and its front paws dug into the earth.

-Kruk!

It seemed to have trouble pulling them out immediately, and I saw a moment when it paused to exert some force.

‘Chance!’

I quickly climbed up the dragon’s foreleg to target its face.

No matter how tough the scales were, there were areas not covered.

For instance, the eyes.

I jumped up and brought down my halberd, aiming for the eyes.

-Kaang!

“Damn it!”

The dragon blocked its face with its other foreleg.

It looked at me with a smug expression, as if it had succeeded in tricking me.

Then it flicked its claws.

“Damn!”

I quickly blocked the claws with my halberd.

And I soon realized that was a mistake.

I was already airborne from jumping, and now I was sent flying toward the ground.

-Kwung!

“Kuhuk!”

Air burst from my lungs and I started coughing.

For a moment, my mind went hazy.

“Mr. Kay!!!”

Sera’s scream brought me back to my senses, and I saw the dragon’s foot coming down to crush me.

Christina hurriedly began an incantation, but it was too late.

I raised my arms with all my might toward the sole of its foot.

-Kwaduduk!!!

“Eeek…!”

I felt tremendous pressure and weight.

A weight that felt like it would crush every bone in my body ran through me.

‘I can’t… hold this!’

Unbelievably, my body started to sink into the ground.

At this rate, I would be flattened.

“Eeek…!”

I tried to hold out with all my might to survive, but it was still too much.

Gradually the strength in my arms faded, and the foot began to descend toward my body.

“Mr. Kay! No! Move your foot! Now!”

“Sera! Calm down!”

“Let me gooo!!!”

I could hear Sera’s screams.

Christina seemed to be trying to restrain her somehow, but Christina didn’t have the strength to stop Sera.

“Restrain Miss Seraphina! She’ll die too at this rate!”

Haven’s urgent voice could be heard.

“Mr. Kay!!!”

My body sank deeper into the ground, and I could hear Sera’s voice next to the foot.

I could faintly hear a straining sound as she exerted force.

“I’ll get you out right now…!”

Even with Sera’s incredible strength, this weight was too much.

My body was sinking deeper and deeper into the ground.

I was one step away from being crushed to death.

-Kruk, kruk

I could hear a mocking sound.

To this creature, I was no different from an insect.

An insect it could step on and kill.

“Eeeeek!!!”

I could see Sera trying to lift the dragon’s foot with all her might.

At this rate, Sera would be crushed into the ground like me.

If I fell, she would be next.

And then, the next one.

I felt something snap inside me.

-Crackle!

“You think I’ll just die here like this?!”

Red lightning began to surge fiercely.

With all my might, I lifted the dragon’s leg.

Little by little, the leg began to rise.

-Kruk?

“You, damn, lizard, bastard!!!”

The red lightning sparked more intensely, and in response, I gathered all my strength.

“Aaaaaaaaahhh!!!!!”

Not even knowing what sounds I was making.

Ignoring the pain in my chest that felt like my heart would burst.

I lifted the dragon’s leg and threw it off.

-Kryaaaa!!!

Whether it hadn’t expected me to succeed in lifting it, or it had been putting more weight than anticipated—

The dragon lost its balance and its posture faltered.

“Mr. Kay!”

“Get back!!”

Passing by the relieved Sera, I picked up the halberd that had fallen to the ground.

Then I charged at the dragon and swung.

I saw the dragon quickly raising its foreleg to block the attack.

The halberd cut through the air with a terrifying sound and connected with the dragon’s claws.

-Seoguk!

The dragon’s claws were severed.

Surprised, the dragon retreated with unexpected agility for its size.

“Huu….”

Smoke came from my mouth.

Was my insides burning because of the red lightning?

‘It doesn’t matter.’

As long as everyone could get out of here alive, nothing else mattered.

Catching my breath, I looked at the dragon.

“…Now, are you finally taking this seriously, lizard?”

Though it was a dragon, I could see its eyes wavering.

Its eyes darted back and forth as it looked at me.

Suddenly, what appeared to be a magic circle appeared on the dragon’s face.

And its surprised expression turned to rage.

[Blood….]

So it could speak.

The dragon’s mouth, which had only made animal sounds until now, slowly opened.

[BLOOOOOD!!!]

A roar filled with rage began to echo.