[Selection complete!]
[Argh! What the heck!]
At Seung's tense outcry as he stared at the screen, Harona shouted in alarm.
She watched as the chained dragon stomped—thud! thud! thud!—its way toward Kim Ji-eun in Arena II.
[We have to save Kim Ji-eun, that idiot!]
But it was too soon to celebrate.
The reason was—
[I won the bet... huh?]
[What, what?! The other side opened too?!]
Because the door to Arena I, where Kim Yul was, also opened.
[Why open both? Are they trying to kill everyone or what?!]
[Uh... Uh? Maybe they didn’t get along after all...?]
[That can’t be it! That guy’s up to something again, isn’t he?!]
At the unexpected turn, Harona shrieked even louder.
But she should’ve saved her breath, because more screams were coming.
[Th-that...! What is he doing now?!]
[He’s... digging a hole, I think...?]
There were still plenty of things left for her to scream about.
[Crazy! What’s wrong with the dragon!!]
---
[The ‘Disobedience to Orders’ title is causing a penalty backlash!]
Rebel trait.
And the Disobedience to Orders title.
I thought they’d be useful, but...
[You can move more freely in restricted areas.]
[Agility stat increased by 99%!]
[The dangers of restricted areas are reduced.]
[Defense increased by 99%!]
I didn’t expect this much.
[Agility stat increased greatly!]
[15 → 30]
[Defense increased greatly!]
[10 → 20]
Just how strong is Agility 30 and Defense 20?
Taaat-!
“Eunho! Be careful!!”
“Are you nuts, mister?! You can’t just jump down from there—!”
“!!”
I dropped from a height equivalent to a third-floor building, landing instantly on the ground.
And didn’t even twist an ankle in the process.
This is... something else.
“Thanks.”
And they went out of their way to worry about me.
“Young man! Young laaady!”
“You really came?!!”
As I tried to suppress a smile threatening to spread, the security guard and the cleaning lady rushed over as if they’d struck gold.
“What is this place? And what’s that dragon-thing?!”
“It looks like an arena.”
Arena.
A place where monsters and humans are forced to fight for the entertainment of others.
The two elders turned pale as they muttered, “So that’s it...”, but Ji-eun only tilted her head in confusion.
“But that dragon... doesn’t it look odd?”
“You’re right, miss! It’s a bit strange, isn’t it?”
“Why’s it not fighting us, just digging at the ground?”
Gradually, the others regained their composure and nodded in agreement.
“Hyung!”
As soon as the opposite door opened, Jaehyuk dashed in, startled.
“Hiiiiiiik! D-d-dragon...!”
He was first overwhelmed by the monster’s massive presence.
“...Eh? But why is it doing that?!”
And again when he saw the dragon burrowing into the dirt like a mole cricket.
“Do dragons dig too, hyung?”
Jaehyuk frowned and shot me a question only he would ask.
“Of course not.”
“Then why...?”
“It thinks the enemy is underground.”
“Huh? Is it blind, that dragon?”
“On the contrary, seeing too well is the problem.”
“...?!”
Because it can see perfectly fine, it’s digging straight at the enemy it sees.
The enemy that only exists within the “illusion” I showed it.
“That orb I got earlier.”
“...Ah! You mean the one from defeating the Nightmare Boss?”
“I used that.”
[Orb of Vision Distortion activated!]
▣ Orb of Vision Distortion
- Shows the targeted recipient a hallucination chosen by the caster.
The contents of the hallucination are determined by the caster; duration is about one minute but varies by the target’s willpower.
A mystical item that lets you show any hallucination you want to the target.
I activated it at the same time as opening the door.
Instead of seeing people standing there, it sees a hallucination of a millworm biting its ankle underground.
‘I wasn’t sure it’d work.’
Guess the hallucination is pretty realistic.
Maybe because I modeled it after the millworms I fought at the academy.
Anyway—
[‘Refined Flame Dragon’ is under the influence of the hallucination!]
[Remaining duration: 50 seconds, 49 seconds, 48 seconds...]
The illusion has 47 seconds left.
I wish it lasted longer, but for now I’m grateful for the time it bought us to escape and regroup.
“Summon.”
I fiddled with the unfamiliar sword hilt.
Logically, it was risky to switch weapons right before a real battle, but my body didn’t care.
I already liked how it felt in my hand, unfamiliar yet perfect.
Even though I’d barely handled it, I “understood” how to grip it and how to swing it.
[‘Human Whetstone’ title activated.]
[Sharpening a weapon barehanded greatly increases the speed.]
[Weapon comprehension rises.]
Probably thanks to sharpening it myself earlier, triggering the “Human Whetstone” title.
That’s the prep done.
Finally...
“Shop.”
[A gift ‘Ember of Endurance’ sent to target ‘Lee Eunho’!]
[‘First Patron’ title: 10% discount applied.]
[Duration increased by 10%.]
Before the dragon regains its senses, if I hurry and send out the items, that’ll be everything.
“I’ve sent you the item. When I count to three, swallow it.”
“An item?”
[You have received a gift from Lee Eunho!]
[Would you like to open it?]
And just like that, with the gift I sent to myself as the cue—
Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop...
Gift boxes popped up everywhere like soap bubbles.
Slik!
And inside them, the tiny embers.
“This is...”
The ember sat next to the ‘Ice Shard’ that had blocked the bird monsters’ ice attack.
Whether a pun or not, a bright red, oval-shaped seed blazed fiercely.
Is “blazing” an exaggeration for something so small?
Anyway, holding the tiny flame in my palm, I said,
“When I count to three, swallow it together.”
“Okay!”
“Ugh! It’s—!”
“Careful, Jaehyuk.”
Jaehyuk nearly dropped his, juggling it between both hands before finally grabbing it again.
Glancing at his little juggling act,
“One, two... three.”
Gulp!
As the ember entered my mouth, the first sensation was a heat so intense it nearly burned the roof of my mouth.
Luckily, as it slid down my throat, the heat faded bit by bit.
The seed seemed to melt inside me, spreading warmth to every corner of my body.
[You have consumed the ‘Ember of Endurance’!]
[Temporary skill, Flame Resistance (Lv.1) unlocked.]
[Duration: 3 minutes 18 seconds]
“We have to attack together.”
Preparation complete.
“Everyone, aim for the left wing.”
“Got it!”
“Yes, hyung!”
“Okay!”
“Understood, young man!”
From Ji-eun to the security guard, everyone’s responses followed one after another like a relay.
Hanul, who had crossed over after Jaehyuk, trembled with fear.
“If you’re scared, you can stay in the back. Hide with Yul.”
“N-no! You even gave me the sword you trusted... I’ll be okay!”
“No need—”
I was about to say “No need to push yourself,” but stopped.
I could feel his determination in his tightly shut lips.
“...Let’s go.”
And I ran, leaving those brief words behind.
─ Ssak!
A breeze brushed my back.
Whether it was from the others’ movements or the penalty effect, I couldn’t tell.
“Yes, hyung!”
“I’ll run too!”
“Alright! Let’s go!”
Tadak!
Everyone gripped their weapons and lined up in front of the dragon’s reddish-brown scales.
The shadow of the dragon covered all of us, making us feel like little toy soldiers before a skyscraper.
Even with its head buried in the dirt, it was so huge we had to look up at it.
Suppressing the instinctive intimidation, I waited until everyone’s tension, fear, and courage had all arrived.
“Attack!”
“Ajaajajaja-!”
With Jaehyuk’s war cry, everyone’s weapons stabbed, ripped, and slashed at the wing.
Ji-eun’s dagger struck the highest point out of reach of the others’ weapons.
The cleaning lady, stretching high like washing a window, drove her spear just below.
The security guard stabbed and severed between the wing bones that spread across the ground.
“Like this...”
And I—
“Accelerate!”
“Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...”
Taaat!
Leapt up the dragon’s tail.
With my stats doubled, I raced upward in an instant.
Running, running, and again, I stopped atop the dragon’s nape.
Standing on the uncertain border between neck and back, I searched for the softest flesh and stabbed in.
A barely visible gap between the scales.
Kwa-duk-!
Harder than anything I’d ever faced.
Its hide was as tough as a wall.
But—
Kwa-duk! Kwak! Kwaduk! Kwaduk...
I didn’t stop.
Faster than even the doubled speed I’d gained from the penalty.
Until my shoulders burned as if on fire.
「00:15」
Ten stabs, and a scratch appeared.
「00:10」
Twenty stabs, and the scratch split open.
And finally—
「00:05」
Thirty stabs, and bright red flesh showed beneath the hide.
I kept stabbing, tearing the wound open wider and wider...
─ Pook!
So I could pour in what I’d prepared for this very moment.
Tick-tock-!
“...It’ll work, right? Right?”
The security guard voiced his anxious question just as—
[‘Refined Flame Dragon’ has broken free from the hallucination!]
─ KWWWAAAAAAHH!
The dragon roared as it awoke from the illusion and from time’s hold.
‘I have to get down...!’
Damn.
I mistimed it.
The thing was tougher than I thought.
Wobble!
“Eunho!!”
“Ugh!”
As I slid down the dragon’s heaving back, I lost my balance.
It was only a moment, but in that opening, the beast lunged at me, venomous and furious.
Like a mosquito hunting for blood on its own back.
And—
─ FWOOSH!
‘!!’
[Under the effect of Breath!]
Hot.
It felt like my flesh was burning away.
But—
[‘Flame’ detected.]
[Ember’s effect: Flame Resistance (Lv.1) activated.]
[With high Endurance, you endure the pain!]
‘I won’t die from this!’
Crash-! KWAANG-!
Maybe it’s the dragon who really needs an Ember of Endurance.
The tail digging into the ground like a collapsing temple pillar, the snorts and breath spewing endlessly in all directions—those said it all.
It was in agony.
KWAAAAAAANG-!
The beast writhed in pain, then suddenly jerked its head up.
Flap! Flap-!
A sandstorm rose.
...On just one side.
“Shit! It can’t fly, right? It can’t fly?!”
The left wing had already been shredded by our attacks.
─ KWWWAAAAAAAH!
Its eyes rolled back.
And—
“!!”
“Eunho!!”
It charged.
‘Fast!’
So fast.
So fast that even at double speed I barely dodged, and if not for double speed I wouldn’t have even tried.
KWAANG-!
As I dodged its claws, its tail came right after.
I managed not to get hit head-on, but with my center of gravity lost, I tumbled backward.
Thud!
Landing on my rear, I barely sat up before it lunged again, jaws gaping wide right in my face.
Every tooth was as big as a temple pillar, filling my vision.
‘Too close!’
Dangerous.
Even with flame resistance, unlike fighting the bird monsters, the heat was still real.
I’d barely survived the brush with its earlier breath, enduring it only thanks to my Endurance stat.
At this distance, a direct hit would be fatal...
‘Isn’t it time yet?’
A whirlpool gathered deep in the beast’s cavernous throat.
And before I could even step back, a flame storm formed in an instant.
─ KHEUK...!
And vanished just as quickly.
Finally.
─ ?!
I could sense the dragon’s eyes rolling.
“...Slow.”
Ha.
It still has time to roll its eyes?
“It should be paralyzed by now.”
Its breath blocked—so the poison is definitely working.
“Maybe because it’s so big?”
As I clicked my tongue at the thought—
KWOONG-!
The dragon’s body collapsed to the side.
Jaws still gaping, unable to close, just as it had stood.
And then, a massive quake and a storm of dust hit all at once.
“Keh...!”
I squeezed my eyes shut, but dust still got up my nose and into my mouth, making me gag.
But I couldn’t complain—my situation was too good.
The divine beast in front of me was so stiff, it couldn’t even gag.
─ !!
Its rolling eyes couldn’t close or open, but the bewilderment was obvious.
So I decided to explain it myself.
“You’re poisoned.”
Why it ended up sprawled like that.
“I poured it down your throat. Earlier.”
Why I kept stabbing the nape so desperately.
“I was worried you were too big... but twenty doses was enough.”
Why the two white snake venom sacs I’d carefully saved were now completely empty.
─ ......!!
The dragon roared.
Not with its blocked throat, but with its whole body.
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