Ch.94The Strange Level of an Exam Student (2)

The building we jumped from was about 30 stories high.

It was certainly lower than when we first fell from the sky during our initial summoning, but to the people looking up from below, we must have still appeared like “humans falling from the heavens.”

“Sh-should I make a parachute with my blood again?” Marna asked nervously as she looked down beside me. After checking the numerous gazes from below, I shook my head.

“No. If we descend that slowly, we’ll become immediate targets.”

“Hehe. That’s right. In situations like this, it’s better to just land directly.”

“I agree. The moment we slow our descent, the probability of being sniped increases dramatically.”

All four of us had enough vitality to withstand a fall from such a height without injury.

But as soon as those words were spoken, our prediction came true.

“Haha! You can’t dodge in mid-air!”

“There are four of them! Shoot them all!”

“Let’s take down the weakest one first!”

As if they had been waiting for us to land, examinees who had been hiding below emerged triumphantly like villains.

Slashes, electricity, fireballs… various special abilities rained down on us like hail.

And then.

“You all are in the way.”

KWAAAA—!

The sea monster swung her arm widely in the air.

With that single motion, a massive stream of water poured from her fingertips like a waterfall, surging toward those below.

The rising special ability attacks were instantly engulfed and disappeared, and the ensuing tidal wave was nothing short of catastrophic.

A massive wall of water crashed down, swallowing the attackers in an instant.

“AAAAHH!!”

“What the hell is this—!”

The screaming examinees were lifted into the air like scattered leaves.

The current swept them away, and their bodies, propelled like whales breaching the surface, bounced across buildings and roads, tracing arcs through the air.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

For a moment, the entire city seemed to spin like a giant washing machine before falling silent.

Only the wet streets remained, holding moisture as if to testify to what had happened.

THUD.

On the thoroughly soaked asphalt, we landed one after another as if we had precisely calculated our landing spots.

A single water droplet bounced off the tip of my boot, breaking the silence.

Zero lightly dusted off one hand with half-closed eyes, while Marna carefully placed her toes down and exhaled.

Simhae spun once like a fish emerging from water as she landed, then brushed back her hair with a grin.

“Landing, successful.”

“…We survived.”

“By the way, Ms. Kim Simhae. Your ability is quite impressive.”

“Oh my~ You’re making me blush with such praise!”

But the peace didn’t last long.

“KRAAAAA!!”

A deep roar split the sky, and a massive shadow appeared between the buildings.

Red eyes flashed, and hot breath poured through razor-sharp teeth.

Vast wings flapped, cutting through the wind, and the dragon glared down at us with the gaze of a predator eyeing its prey from above.

An overwhelming presence that seemed to bear down on the entire city.

It was no longer something that could be described as a mere “threat from an examinee”—it was literally a “threat” directed at us.

“Why is that thing doing this now?!”

That crazy dragon bastard.

Now it was truly flying straight toward us, seemingly targeting only us.

“Simhae! Can you do what you just did one more time?!”

Turning to her, I was mentally calculating how much I needed to conserve my mask usage.

But Simhae confidently flicked her forehead with her finger and smiled cutely.

“I told you~! I’m an aquatic type, so I can’t handle the sky!”

Damn, that’s right. Sea monster types are weak against flying attributes.

Then what about Zero?

“…A dragon. This is my first time facing such an enemy.”

“Huh?”

“The facility where I was raised didn’t have data on fighting mythical creatures.”

“…Then Marna?”

“Me too… I can’t analyze its blood flow structure, so I can’t control it…”

…Now I was the only one left.

“Mr. Janghoon! Fighting! That dragon thing is nothing—you can take it down in one shot!”

“That’s right! We believe Mr. Janghoon can defeat any legendary creature—he’s the real deal!”

“Oh… oppa… you’re amazing…”

“Indeed, you’re a man worthy of my virginity~!”

…Fuck.

When I came to my senses, the area around me was suddenly empty, and everyone’s eyes were fixed on me alone.

The dragon in the sky was gathering flames, taking aim at me, and there was absolutely no chance to escape.

“…What sin did I commit to deserve this.”

I took out my mask.

There was no choice now.

Since it’s come to this, let’s have a dance of blades between “monsters.”

***

A being called the “strongest creature” in fairy tales and legends.

Dragon!

What’s a dragon’s true strength?

Obviously not its brain, but its instinct! Ferocity! And insane power!

Yes, I, Dragon Girl Eclipse, who contracted with such a “beast of the wild,” am the true protagonist… no, perhaps even the ruler of this world!

That must be it!

It definitely must be!!

The girl who confidently asserted this… no, the adult with a child’s mind, Eclipse.

Her reason for applying to the Hero Exam was quite grandiose.

“Why… ugh, why are there so many weak humans in the world-rawr! They could all just make contracts with awesome monsters like me-rawr! Why do they keep crying and running away~? Idiots!”

Eclipse was a natural-born wild child who had lived in the mountains wearing nothing but a bikini, chewing on wild berries.

Never properly attending elementary school, she dominated the mountains with her strength alone.

This dragon-person descended to the city because of a single rumor.

“I heard all restrictions have been completely lifted for this Hero Exam!”

Destiny. Or inevitability.

Finally, her era had arrived.

“Kuhaha! I knew I was the protagonist of this world-rawr~!”

Thus, Dragon Girl descended upon the city as soon as she became an adult.

Having contracted with a high-level monster possessing a fire-attribute heart, she jumped into the examination site relying solely on her wild nature.

And she easily passed the first exam, which had a mere 0.01% pass rate.

“Examinee Eclipse… in terms of ability alone, she’s at least B-rank or higher. However, how should I put this… if only she had studied a bit…”

Eclipse’s examiner rubbed his forehead and sighed deeply as he watched her.

“Hehe. Thank you for the compliment~!”

Before he could finish speaking, she smiled brightly like a “puppy that still wags its tail after being scolded.”

The examiner wanted to tear his hair out, but as an adult, he decided to give one last piece of advice.

“But Examinee Eclipse. Never fight with ‘pre-approved candidates’ like Examinee Zero. Understand? She’s an individual who ranks within the top 15 of the S-rank hero list.”

“Ooh~ An S-rank hero! So cool~!!”

“…That’s not cool, it’s dangerous.”

But she was already in her own world.

With sparkling eyes looking at the sky, she declared firmly:

“So if I defeat that examinee called Zero, I’ll be the number one in this exam site-rawr?”

The examiner’s eyes blinked.

“How does that logic work?!”

This is truly why people must receive elementary education.

The world is vast, scary, and above all… the real problem is that someone like her is genuinely strong.

The way she proclaimed such nonsensical logic without batting an eye made her seem like a wild rabbit raised in nature.

But this rabbit, once airborne, could spew fireballs powerful enough to devastate a city like a meteor dragon.

Despite the examiner’s concerns and dissuasion, as soon as the second exam began, Eclipse transformed into her complete dragon form and was leisurely flying above the artificial city.

With a single goal.

‘Zero-nim~ Where are you~! Come out-rawr~! I’ll prove that I’m the strongest in the exam site!’

It was a childish cry through and through.

Her speech pattern was that of an immature child, like a kindergartener announcing “I’m the strongest~!” at a school presentation.

But what erupted from her mouth was real.

What echoed through the sky wasn’t a baby’s cry but literally a dragon’s roar.

A primal howl that tore through the atmosphere with just its breath and made the city’s windows tremble with its shockwaves.

A dominating presence that made even the examinees on the battlefield below instinctively look up at the sky.

“KRAAAAAAANG!!”

The childlike cry soon became a massive sky-rending roar that shook the entire artificial city.

She was serious. It wasn’t a joke or an act.

At this moment, she had truly become a complete dragon flying through the sky, convinced she would become the world’s strongest.

‘KRARARARA!! I’m the number one in this exam site-rawr!!’

As Eclipse flew recklessly through the sky, she suddenly detected a rather strong energy from below.

Something… very wild and… beast-like… and…

‘A strong scent-raaaaa!!’

Strong enemy detection complete!

Combat preparation complete!

No need for greetings or anything else!

She charged forward with her mouth wide open, filled with flames.

And then.

“URAAAAA!”

THWACK!

“KWEEK?!”

At that moment, a masked man powerfully launched his fist toward the approaching dragon’s mouth.

Eclipse’s entire body staggered, losing balance instantly from the impact.

‘A m-male… hit me-rawr?’

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Her heart was racing.

Strange.

It hurts… but why does it feel so good?

‘You’re the first male to hit me like this!’

With a KWANG! as she landed, it was the moment when “red hearts” appeared in her eyes.