Days of Dungeon: From Simple Quest to Strange Adventure-Chapter 135: From Arrival To Departure - Part 7

"A full minute, if that’s all Lynn was asking for."

Arezu resolved himself to fight a monster he had fought a thousand times before—once again on his own, without the comrades who once stood by his side, without the one who once led them forward and guided their path.

Why would you even get scared facing a dragon?

It wasn’t just a dragon. The fear imprinted in his blood made him instinctively tremble before any monster. No matter how hard he gripped his weapon, how steady his legs were, how much he focused his mind on the fight, the fear remained within the very core of his body—at his heart.

I know you’re scared, and so am I.

But when you think about it, we’re as scared of a dragon as we are of a slime.

That makes a dragon nothing special—just an oversized lizard.

—ROOOAAARRRR!—

At the roar of the Fire Dragon, sparks igniting on its jaws as it prepared to cast another burst of fire breath, Arezu let the memories of his fallen comrades—their skills engraved into his body—guide him into the fight.

So what if it could breathe fire?

We have withstood the harshest storms and walked through blazing battlefields.

And you’re still scared of a little fire?

He gripped his halberd-axe with both hands, extending his mana to activate his combat skill, Fortress, creating a defensive aura to withstand the burst of flame melting the stone beneath his feet and the heat slowly setting his coat ablaze.

We have marched against thousands of monsters, so how could a mere surge of flame stop you?

With each step, Arezu moved forward, challenging the monster he feared, keeping its attention on him to protect Lynn—who had let all her guard down, hands clasped over her chest, eyes closed, believing he would protect her until she could gather her mana and cast her mystic spell.

We have cleaved the earth with our blades, and you’re saying you can’t cut through flame?

He raised his halberd-axe, and with a powerful swing imbued with his combat skill, Gale, Arezu cleaved forward with a cutting aura that dispersed the burst of flame.

With its fire breath overwhelmed, the Fire Dragon attacked next with its tail—a whipping strike with strength equal to a soaring lightning spear.

And what of it? We ourselves have wielded a spear of heaven that shattered the earth.

—BAAAMMM!—

Arezu skillfully parried the whipping tail of the Fire Dragon and withstood the impact of the strike that shattered the ground beneath him. He swiftly recovered his stance, gripping his weapon tightly to take on the next incoming attack—a claw strike that could tear anything apart like a destructive axe.

Don’t make me laugh. That’s funny coming from you, whose chosen weapon is an axe.

—BOOOMMM!—

The clash of two destructive strikes caused a shockwave that shook the ground, one that everyone who passed through the pillar of vermilion light could feel—reverberating through the air, reaching even the Beast Lord watching the fight while hovering high in midair.

The blade of his halberd-axe began to crack, but Arezu managed to push the Fire Dragon back, making the high-level monster realize that its opponent was not prey it could hunt without fighting with all its strength.

—ROOOAAARRRR!—

A loud, deafening roar came from the Fire Dragon—not to cast another fire breath, but to imbue itself with its curse. Its red scales and black claws began glowing like heated metal, increasing its defensive and offensive capabilities.

The whip of its tail that Arezu parried caused an explosion of flames upon impact, setting him and his surroundings ablaze.

Still, Arezu swung his weapon, cutting through and dispersing the flames around him, enduring the burns and heat from his smoldering clothes.

The strike of its claws, which Arezu met with his weapon, caused not only a destructive shockwave but a surge of flames that engulfed the entire town square, even reaching where Lynn stood. Yet she herself endured the heat and burns, resolved to get back at the Fire Dragon for ruining her elegant clothes.

—BOOOMMM!!!—

Strike after strike, the air ignited, causing explosions of flame, and the blade of his halberd-axe cracked further.

Each second that passed only increased the burning heat tormenting them.

But with each clash, Arezu continued overwhelming the Fire Dragon—not only in strength and speed, but through his mastery of wielding his weapon.

Yet the fact remained that the Fire Dragon’s claws and scales were far sturdier than his weapon was meant to cut.

If that’s true, then we grip our weapon tighter, steady our stance, and strike again and again—with all our strength, with everything we have—until we defeat our opponent.

—CRACK!!!—

"And if that still wasn’t enough..." Arezu murmured, watching the blade of his halberd-axe crumble to pieces.

Then we rely on each other. After all, we never fight alone.

"Iron Chain"

Lynn shouted, casting her mystic spell, invoking a dozen massive iron chains from the ground that restrained the Fire Dragon.

It was an impressive feat—to restrain a high-level monster using only a basic spell—but even Arezu could tell that this still wasn’t the dragon-killing magic Lynn had prepared.

"That’s one full minute, Mr. Arezu!"

"Just how much are you going to remind me of her..." Arezu whispered, glancing back at Lynn, nostalgia filling his gaze as he saw her proud, confident smile despite the flames engulfing her surroundings and her burning clothes—her image overlapping with the memories of the person he admired.

So let me show you how to kill an oversized lizard.

"Let me show you how to kill an oversized lizard!" Lynn shouted, then raised both hands toward the sky, causing everyone—including Arezu and Cyra—to look up.

"GAHHH!!!"

"GYAHHH!!!"

Those faint of heart screamed in terror as their legs gave out beneath them, stumbling to the ground. Some were left stunned and speechless where they stood, while others fled in panic—but all were terrified by what loomed in the sky.

"ARROGANT BRAT!"

Even Cyra felt fear and rage at what Lynn had invoked with her mystic spell—something she hadn’t noticed while focused on Arezu’s battle against the Fire Dragon.

"LYNN!"

Arezu rushed toward Lynn, his earlier admiration for her now completely gone, overwhelmed by panic and annoyance as he tried to stop her mystic spell and escape the range of her attack.

"To kill an oversized lizard..."

Lynn murmured, her eyes dazzling with exhaustion and intoxication from expending so much mana just to invoke a gigantic iceberg—larger than the town square itself—hovering above the Beastkin Nation.

"You just need to crush it with an oversized rock!—Glacier"