Chapter 78

The dragon, which doesn’t look particularly strong at first glance, must not be underestimated. Its breath attack actually incinerated all the land within my line of sight in a single strike.

Though small, it doesn’t give off a friendly impression, so I cautiously approach, aiming to sever its neck. I circle around behind the dragon, unseen, and as soon as I’m within sword range, I swing with all my might. The neck is no more than 10 centimeters thick; even if it’s a bit tough, I should be able to cut it off in one stroke.

Surprisingly, it was easier than expected, I thought. But the next moment, the dragon turned around. The movement of the target caused my sword to strike its head instead of the intended neck. I felt a bad omen and instinctively pulled back my sword.

There was no significant attack, and the dragon’s body was actually softer than a drake’s. Despite this, my attack should have been effective, so why did I pull back my sword? The answer became clear when I checked my magic sword. The blade that had cut the dragon was now in tatters, and the tip looked like it was about to break. It seems the dragon’s body, like the drake’s blackening effect, destroys swords. If I had continued the swing, it would have surely broken. It’s no wonder they used magic to defeat dragons in the past.

Although I avoided the sword breaking, the blade on one side is now completely useless, so I can probably only use it once more.

A broken weapon means no chance of victory, and I don’t have a spare magic sword. Just as I was thinking this, I remembered the magic freeze (a magical device). I brought it specifically for situations like this. The distance is close enough; I should be able to make it work. With this in mind, I take a step back and try to retrieve the magic freeze from my item box. That’s when the dragon’s first physical attack comes.

It’s fast. The small dragon accelerates to near the top speed of a drake in an instant and lunges at me with that momentum. Thanks to my magical armor, I didn’t suffer much damage, but it felt like it took about 20% of my fully charged magical armor. A mere bite, not even a breath attack, and it took 20% off. Moreover, the armor is repairing more slowly than usual.

I raise my shield, prepared to discard it if necessary, but the dragon doesn’t seem to want to fight. It just hovers there. I don’t know what it’s doing, but I’m grateful it’s not attacking. However, it’s still watching me, so a surprise attack seems unlikely.

Even if a surprise attack is out of the question, this is a chance. I activate a small barrier spell and then immediately use the magic device with a wisp core attached. I manage to escape just in time. I was worried it might notice and stop me, but it seems that was a needless concern. The dragon remains in place as the magic device takes effect. With a sound like air being sucked in, the dragon is enveloped in white smoke. It’s probably due to the sudden drop in temperature causing the water vapor to freeze instantly. I can’t see the dragon, but I hear no sounds or voices.

“…Did I get it?”

I said aloud, then realized I had just set up a flag for failure. There’s no point in regretting what’s done, so I take evasive action just in case. A few seconds later, a breath attack comes. Thanks to my speed, I narrowly avoid it, and the breath attack dissipates into the sky. If I hadn’t noticed the flag, I might have been turned to ashes by now.

The breath attack cleared my vision, but the dragon shows no signs of damage. The magic device was powerful, but perhaps magic freeze is a different category. In any case, now that it’s come to this, the only option is to sever the neck with one stroke before my magic sword breaks.

I switch to the usable side of the sword and prepare to accelerate towards the dragon when its movements change again.

“Kwaa…”

It lets out a small cry and begins to gather a black, magical-like substance around it. The dragon seems whimsical, and it’s unclear what it’s trying to do, but its firepower is dangerously high, so rushing in would be risky. I observe for a while, and after about 20 seconds, the gathered magic turns into flames that circle the dragon. There are so many that it seems impossible to approach without being hit.

I wonder if the firepower is low, so I take a rock from my item box and throw it. It vaporizes instantly, leaving nothing behind. I continue to observe, taking advantage of the dragon’s lack of active attacks. The fireballs seem to be maintained by the gathered magic and show no signs of disappearing. Occasionally, a fireball detaches from the dragon and flies off. I worry about the ship and look back just in time to see a fireball heading towards it. I quickly throw a rock to counter it. The fireball’s slow speed helps.

The ship has stopped fleeing and is now about 500 meters away from the dragon, loading a large cannon. According to what I’ve heard, it’s a special anti-drake weapon, made from materials that can only produce one shot. The projectile is made of blue metal with a chain attached for retrieval.

This might be able to create a breakthrough in the fireball field. As I protect the ship, a loud boom sounds, and the projectile is launched. The fireballs attack the slow-moving projectile but can only burn through the chain, leaving the projectile undamaged. It hits the dragon’s head, either by chance or skill.

“Kiiiaaaaaa…”

The dragon lets out a scream. It must have been a significant hit, given the size of the projectile and its special anti-drake properties. A moment later, the fireball field around the dragon destabilizes and disappears.

“Kwaaaaa…”

The dragon begins to gather the magical substance again to recreate the fireball field. But it will take time, and the dragon will remain stationary until it’s complete.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I use magic to accelerate and aim for the dragon’s neck. As I approach the incomplete fireball field, something strange happens. The magical acceleration suddenly cuts off.

I don’t know the cause, but I don’t have time to investigate. Without the acceleration, I won’t reach the dragon and will fall into the sea, becoming an easy target. The ship can’t fire a second shot because the chain broke. I try pressure and explosion magic, but they don’t work. Is there nothing I can do?

Then I notice a white mass below me. It’s probably ice formed from seawater when I activated the magic freeze, which somehow avoided the fireballs. If I use it as a stepping stone, I might reach the dragon before the fireballs regenerate. Considering my falling speed and distance, I’m a bit short. But I have no other options. Determined to reach the dragon, I throw rocks from my item box to gain momentum and adjust my posture to maximize buoyancy. Despite the inability to use magic, I push myself to the limit and just manage to reach the ice. I shatter the ice and jump with all my strength, swinging my sword at the dragon’s neck.

The sword slices through the dragon’s neck, and the part it cut shatters. As I complete the swing, the magic sword’s blade is completely destroyed, leaving only small metal fragments attached to the hilt. A moment later, the dragon’s head falls and dissipates into black mist. The main body follows shortly after, leaving only a black magic stone, like a wisp core. Cheers rise from the ship as they realize we’ve won. The sudden appearance of the dragon was unexpected, but we’ve won. I feel like luck played a significant role.

Incidentally, I also collected some blue rocks from the burn marks, along with any fallen magic devices and the projectile. According to the appraisal, they are mithril ores.

After all this, I expected to return to a peaceful life free of monster attacks, drakes, and dragons. Instead, I was surrounded by scholars with bloodshot eyes, eager to hear every word. In the next room, they are discussing translation methods, comparing my account with the original documents. I flip through the ancient documents with a deadpan expression, reading aloud. I barely understand what’s written, and I gave up trying to memorize the content after about 30 hours of reading.

This happened because the dragon’s existence in reality was confirmed, and urgent countermeasures were needed. During the discussion, it was discovered that I can read ancient documents that the country had stored unread. Although parts I had read mentioned that defeating a dragon would prevent further appearances of drakes and monsters, calming the situation, the scholars didn’t stop. According to other books, the dragon I defeated was a rare, incomplete one that only appeared twice in the ancient era, and the timing was just right. However, even an incomplete dragon provides temporary safety, which is lucky. The specifications of a complete dragon are as follows:

First, both incomplete and complete dragons have the ability to gather surrounding magic. This is likely why I couldn’t use magic, due to the depletion of magic power. A prolonged battle would be troublesome. The complete dragon is about 50 meters long, shorter than a leviathan but still large. The most significant issue is that a complete dragon, when damaged, switches from magic gathering mode to combat mode, significantly enhancing its combat abilities. The effects include:

- Eyes glowing red

- Speed increasing to about three times, and strength to about 50 times the magic gathering mode

- Breath attack capable of burning the ocean’s surface (if it hits land, it can destroy a continent)

- Ability to scatter numerous fireballs with the firepower of a drake’s breath in all directions

That’s the general idea. The cheat effects are ridiculous! I’m glad a complete dragon didn’t appear.

Incidentally, the country that created the book was destroyed after receiving a combat mode attack, so the accuracy of the information is uncertain. If it’s true, it’s amazing the ancient documents survived the fire. I hope it’s incorrect.

However, most of the ancient documents are as boring as math textbooks, with only a few interesting parts. But if I’m told to read them, I have no choice. Why did it come to this? How many more are there? While pondering these questions, I finish another ancient document (about the effects of free magic elements on fish reproduction, which I gave up understanding after five pages) and prepare to start the next one when the sound of footsteps outside the door interrupts me.

“News from the adventurer’s guild, they’ve found drakes. Two of them!”

What, weren’t they supposed to not appear?