As if to prove he had taken a critical hit, the Dragonwing Soldier could no longer fly and slowly descended to the ground.
Then he looked straight at me and said,
“It was my mistake. I didn’t expect you to have such a hidden move.”
“What you see isn’t all there is.”
“I had wondered why my master kept mentioning you. Now I understand why.”
Soon, the gaping hole in his chest began to close, with the surrounding flesh wriggling as it regenerated.
He was focusing all his energy on recovery.
Once he could fly again, he’d undoubtedly retreat from the battlefield.
I need to finish this before that happens.
I quickly closed the distance between me and the Dragonwing Soldier.
In response, all the Dragonfang Soldiers on the battlefield ignored their current enemies and charged at me in a frenzy.
They were trying to buy even a little time by using themselves as meat shields.
My entire field of view was filled with Dragonfang Soldiers.
A few of the closest ones swung their blade-like arms at me, but I dodged them with slight, subtle movements.
Then I stepped back and raised the corners of my lips into a smirk.
Honestly, this just makes things easier.
After all, a good hunt is all about the thrill of a drive hunt.
[Activated ‘Octopus Limbs’.]
[Activated ‘Amplification.’]
[The rank of ‘Spiral Explosion’ has increased. (B+ → S+)]
[The rank of ‘Mysterious Yin Jade Demon Finger’ has increased (B+ → S+)]
[The rank of ‘Inferno Fist’ has increased. (B+ → S+)]
[Cooldown: 04:29:59]
I extended my staff forward and clenched my other fist.
Whooooosh—!
A raging whirlwind pulled all the enemies into one spot.
Then, as the compressed air exploded, a storm of flames swept through the area.
Boooooooooom—!
Dust and smoke temporarily clouded my vision, but the results could be confirmed another way.
[Draconic Soldiers Eliminated]
▷Dragonscale Soldiers: 25
▷Dragonfang Soldiers: 66
▷Portal: 1
Dozens of Dragonfang Soldiers had now become fodder for the side quest.
Even the Dragonwing Soldier behind them seemed to have taken a hit.
Spiral Explosion has the effect of partially ignoring enemy defenses.
To pierce through his A+ rank [Elemental Resistance], I had pushed forbidden skills to S+ rank using [Vendetta] and [Amplification].
Thanks to that, instead of healing, the hole in his chest had widened even more.
But it still wasn’t enough.
One more time.
I closed in on him with Feather Step.
Perhaps realizing that the damage now outweighed any benefit from healing, the Dragonwing Soldier swept a hand toward me.
Of course, I had anticipated this and was already dodging to the side.
A crushing pressure swept past me.
At the same time, I pointed my index finger forward, and a blast of frost shot out.
[Mysterious Yin Jade Demon Finger]
[Chain Explosion]
Boom!
Two successive explosions went off, and the Dragonwing Soldier was blanketed in white frost.
At the same time, system notifications appeared.
[‘Pain Delay’ has been activated.]
[‘Retrocovery’ has been activated.]
[Cooldown: 2 days 23:59:58]
The penalties from Vendetta and consecutive prohibited skills hit all at once then were cleanly healed all at once.
If I wanted to use them again, I’d have to bear the damage myself.
But that probably won’t be necessary.
Crackle, crackle…
The enemy had already taken enough damage, and the frost was quickly spreading over his body.
It was only a matter of time before he fell.
Realizing this too, the Dragonwing Soldier spoke in a calm voice.
“Survival no longer seems possible. I will now change my approach.”
I didn’t have to ask what he meant.
A surge of energy exploded from his entire body like a shockwave.
He had abandoned recovery and was now channeling everything into battle.
If I’m going down, I’ll take you with me…is what he’s thinking.
No doubt he had decided I was a threat to the Craftsman Dragon’s amusement.
The Dragonwing Soldier violently swept his arm through the air.
I immediately cast Ghost Dance and retreated.
Boooom—!
The immense pressure crushed not only the spot where I had been standing just moments ago, but the surrounding area as well.
As he approached, he spoke.
“If you survive until I fall, then the victory is yours.”
“Yeah? Guys, gather up.”
At that, the party members who had been watching took their positions around me.
A look of confusion appeared in the Dragonwing Soldier’s eyes.
“A puzzling choice. You’ve seen my attacks. Wouldn’t it be better to spread out?”
“You said we win if we survive, right?”
Why bother struggling to endure it by scattering?
At some point, a card in my hand began to glow.
[Activated ‘Retreat (4-Person)’.]
Fwoosh—
A trail of light wrapped around the four of us.
The Dragonwing Soldier reached out in a hurry, but—
“Hold on.”
“Well then, take care.”
Flaaash—!
Before he could say anything else, my vision was flooded with white.
The next moment, we had been transported far away.
Kinda wish I’d grabbed the card drops.
The Draconic Soldiers had dropped a pile of B-rank items, and the Dragonwing Soldier would have dropped an A-rank item upon falling.
But the situation was what it was. We didn’t have time to collect them.
Of course, while it was a bit disappointing, there were no regrets.
Clinging to small gains usually means losing something bigger.
To withstand the A+ rank creature’s final outburst, I would’ve had to use [Sanctuary (S)].
And in that case, grabbing the cards wouldn’t have been that profitable anyway.
There was no guarantee he’d fall before Sanctuary’s duration ran out.
What mattered most was that we’d totally screwed over the Dragonwing Soldier.
Boom-boom-boom—!
As expected, the sound of constant explosions echoed from far away.
He showed no emotion to the end, but I guess he was pissed off after all.
Judging by how he’s taking it out on the others left behind.
In a way, we had dumped the bomb and run. But I didn’t feel bad about it.
They had it coming.
If they neither helped in the fight against the Dragonwing Soldier nor chose to retreat, then getting caught in his rage isn’t my fault.
Still, if anyone stuck it out to the end, they’d probably walk away with at least one solid card.
Clearing my thoughts, I looked around.
The first effect of [Retreat] was to (1) leave the battlefield and (2) regroup with a random ally.
And of course, “random ally” meant another student.
Sure enough, a little distance away stood Geum Joh-an and Song Cheon-hye from the disciplinary committee, along with a few students who looked like members of the expedition team.
They eyed us warily, and a few subtly reached for their weapons.
Right, we’re still wearing the handkerchiefs.
They’d have realized we were students after seeing us use item cards, but since we were disguised with [Handkerchief of Deceptive], they wouldn’t know exactly who we were.
For all they knew, we could be looters targeting cards or people who’d struck a deal with the Craftsman Dragon. So, of course, they were on guard.
Not that it couldn’t be cleared up with a conversation.
Might even be a good chance to trade cards.
Just as I was about to speak, Song Cheon-hye’s gaze landed squarely on me.
She studied me closely from head to toe, and her previously guarded expression eased up noticeably.
Then she turned to her group and said,
“Please wait here a moment. I’m just going to talk.”
Approaching us with a friendly tone, Song Cheon-hye said,
“So it was you, after all.”
“You? Not sure what you mean.”
It could’ve just been a bluff, so I played dumb for now.
But she spoke again.
“Deny it all you want, it won’t work. You’re Kim Ho, aren’t you?”
“……”
I exchanged glances with my teammates.
“Well, no point hiding it now.”
We all removed our handkerchiefs and returned to our true appearances.
At the same time, I muttered under my breath,
“These things are junk. Why does everyone see through them?”
“Hmph. My eyes can’t be fooled. Every little move you make gives you away.”
Looking pleased with herself for having figured out my identity, Song Cheon-hye wore a triumphant smile.
In contrast, my party members had somewhat mixed expressions. As if something she’d just said was bothering them.
Go Hyeon-woo stepped forward to ask on everyone’s behalf.
“How did you know that, Miss Song?”
“That’s…”
Only then did Song Cheon-hye seem to realize she’d made a slip of the tongue.
She quickly tried to cover it up, thinking fast.
“Well… I’ve seen him a lot; that’s how I know.”
“You mean you’ve been watching Kim-hyung all this time?”
“I meant I’ve watched a lot of replays. I hope there’s no misunderstanding.”
“I see. Understood.”
Go Hyeon-woo still looked full of questions, but for now, he nodded as if he accepted the explanation.
Fair enough. While he did have some connection to Song Cheon-hye, they weren’t close enough for him to press her on it.
So I took over and asked in his place.
“How much have you watched, exactly? Until the crystal ball wore out?”
“Hey, what kind of question is that?”
“You said you could tell just from small movements. No way that’s possible from watching once or twice.”
“……”
“Come on, you watched a lot, didn’t you?”
“…Well, yeah, but it was strictly for analysis purposes, okay?”
I let that excuse go in one ear and out the other and tattled to Seo Ye-in.
“She keeps watching me.”
Seo Ye-in immediately stepped in front of me and said,
“Stop watching.”
“I said it was for analysis!”
“Stop analyzing.”
“……”
Song Cheon-hye crossed her arms.
Electricity crackled around her, a clear sign she was annoyed.
“Stop watching the replays? And who exactly gave you the right to say that?”
“He’s my butler.”
“That’s not a good enough reason. And what if I don’t stop?”
“Then I use force.”
Seo Ye-in quietly reached for her immortal pot.
The two of them faced off, staring each other down.
Of course, it’s not like they were seriously trying to fight each other.
It just kind of turned into a roleplay situation by chance.
So I didn’t step in and simply watched them go at it.
Go Hyeon-woo also had a sparkle of excitement in his eyes. Give him some popcorn, and he’d probably enjoy the show.
Hong Yeon-hwa glanced between the two, clearly torn about whether or not to step in.
But the little roleplay didn’t last long.
A deafening roar shook the entire city. It was loud enough to rupture eardrums.
Goaaaaaaar—!
The red barrier blanketing the sky trembled violently.
Song Cheon-hye looked up at it with a worried expression.
“What the hell is that…?”
“Looks like someone’s angry.”
“The Craftsman Dragon? What happened?”
One of its prized underlings just got taken out.
The side quest had just been updated.
[Draconic Soldiers Eliminated]
▷ Dragonscale Soldiers: 25
▷ Dragonfang Soldiers: 66
▷ Dragonwing Soldiers: 1
▷ Portal: 1
The lingering damage from the Mysterious Yin Jade Demon Finger had finally pushed the Dragonwing Soldier over the edge.
That news surely reached the Craftsman Dragon as well.
He’s probably pissed about losing the wings.
Scales or fangs can grow back, and Draconic Soldiers like those can be remade easily.
But wings? There was only one set. And being rated A+, they must’ve been a pain to create.
Could he have imagined losing such a valuable subordinate in the middle of a “game”?
The more unexpected the loss, the greater the fury.
He’ll probably put the games aside now.
He’d invested too much into the whole game setup to just toss it completely.
Still, it was clear he’d start actively trying to destroy the city.
The difficulty level was about to spike.
I’d previously estimated first-years could hold out for four days at most, but now even that seemed generous.
Three days, tops.
Staring in the direction the roar had come from, I thought to myself…
Everything ends tomorrow.
Leave a Reply