#065
As they reached the mountain top, a huge, concave crater filled their view. In the center of the crater stood a creature covered in red scales with massive wings made of dark red membrane. It glared at the group with gleaming golden eyes. An overwhelming aura that could only be described as killing intent made their skin tingle.
No more words were needed.
“Huaah!”
Han Cheolyong, Moon Bora, and Shin Jeongho charged towards the creature, each gripping their weapons as if they had planned it.
Compared to the massive dragon, the humans’ bodies were like small kittens playing in front of an adult. However, there was not a hint of hesitation in the team members’ movements as they rushed towards the dragon.
The dragon opened its mouth wide and spewed a pillar of fire at the approaching group.
“Hup-!”
Han Cheolyong blocked the fire pillar with his shield. Moon Bora and Shin Jeongho split to either side, targeting the dragon’s wings.
Kang-! Kang-!
With a strong collision sound, Moon Bora and Shin Jeongho were thrown back by the dragon’s swinging wings.
Chwaaak-!
Moon Bora and Shin Jeongho, who had been thrown into the air, landed and skidded several meters across the crater floor, leaving long scrapes with their feet.
Tak-!
The two sprang back towards the dragon like lightning. The dragon continuously spewed breath attacks to keep Han Cheolyong at bay while freely swinging its wings to attack Moon Bora and Shin Jeongho.
Oh Seongeun raised his stick while maintaining distance. Dozens of large ice spears formed above the dragon and plunged downward.
Papapapak-!
The ice spears viciously pierced the dragon’s entire body. However, they shattered without penetrating the dragon’s scales.
“Tsk.”
Oh Seongeun clicked his tongue softly and immediately refocused. Soon, one of the dragon’s wings began to freeze from the tip inward. Shin Jeongho didn’t miss this opportunity and swung his dagger at the frozen wing tip. As the dagger, swung with his full body’s momentum, pierced the frosty membrane of the wing…
Kwadeuk-!
A portion of the frozen wing membrane crumbled away.
——!!
The dragon let out an ear-splitting roar towards the sky.
The attack was successful, but the gain was minimal. At a glance, the damage to the wing was only about the size of an adult man’s palm.
The dragon’s attacks became even more vicious. It began spewing breath attacks at Moon Bora and Shin Jeongho as well, not just Han Cheolyong.
Kwaaaa-!
Moon Bora threw herself to the side to avoid the breath attack bearing down on her.
“Ugh! Damn it!”
Moon Bora cursed as she touched her singed hair after rolling on the ground a few times and getting up.
Oh Seongeun repeatedly froze the dragon’s feet or wings, while the three in close combat continued to inflict small wounds on the dragon. Critical moments where one misstep could cost a life kept repeating without pause.
Eunseok stood as close as possible, performing wide-area guiding for the team members. But distance was an issue. While Oh Seongeun, who was close, received sufficient guiding, it was too far to reach Han Cheolyong, Moon Bora, and Shin Jeongho.
It felt like at least an hour had passed.
The three were still continuing a long battle, gradually inflicting wounds on the dragon. Holes were punctured here and there in the dragon’s wings, and scales were falling off, but they weren’t able to inflict a fatal wound.
Eunseok stopped the wide-area guiding that wasn’t reaching anyway. He loaded the last magazine of his automatic rifle, which he had saved for emergencies.
Eunseok took the most stable shooting stance and put his eye to the scope. As he lightly placed his finger on the trigger, the violently thrashing dragon’s head came into view through the scope.
Golden eyes flashing with killing intent.
Eunseok slowed his breathing and lowered his heart rate. Adrenaline wasn’t needed at this moment. Only cold reason, slow heartbeat, and controlled breathing were important.
It was difficult to find the right timing with the dragon thrashing so much. But Eunseok knew and trusted his skills accurately. What was needed was patience until the perfect moment arrived.
After what felt like about ten minutes, Eunseok held his breath and gently pulled the trigger.
Ratatat-!
The gunshot echoed through the wide crater.
Kwaeaeaek-!!
The dragon, its left eye blown out, screamed and began thrashing wildly. The impact sent gusts of wind even to where Eunseok was standing. Eunseok didn’t take his eye off the scope, maintaining his posture. He lightly placed his finger on the trigger again, waiting for the right moment to shoot the dragon’s intact right eye.
Through the scope, his gaze met the maddened dragon’s. Eunseok calmly stared back at the dragon’s rolling right eye.
The dragon opened its mouth wide and shot an enormous breath attack towards Eunseok.
Hwaaak-!
A massive pillar of fire filled the scope, but Eunseok didn’t move an inch.
A light breeze blew from the side, gently lifting and lowering Eunseok’s hair. In the scope that had been filled with bright red fire, a black figure appeared like the wind. It was Choi Hanseo.
As Choi Hanseo stretched out his hand, the pillar of fire that was about to engulf Eunseok was blocked by an invisible wall and then deflected upwards into the sky.
In that brief moment when the dragon paused to catch its breath after expending its breath attack…
Eunseok pulled the trigger, aiming at the dragon’s golden eye visible over Choi Hanseo’s shoulder.
Ratatat-!
The moment the gunshot rang out, he knew. It was a hit.
Sure enough, through the scope, he saw the dragon flailing its wings with both eyes destroyed.
He had done all he could do.
Eunseok, satisfied, took his eye off the scope and lowered the gun barrel.
Choi Hanseo, who had been blocking his view, slowly turned his head back.
Their gazes locked precisely.
Choi Hanseo’s eyes were full of disapproval.
‘You said you’d come running,’ Eunseok mouthed. Choi Hanseo’s eyes narrowed, and one corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
Pueok-!
Suddenly, with the sound of something violently colliding, Moon Bora flew and crashed into the ground near Eunseok.
“Kuk-!”
Moon Bora’s body convulsed greatly as she coughed up bright red blood. Fractured ribs could be seen protruding through her side. Her arms and legs were bent in unnatural directions. She could potentially die from shock within minutes.
“Noona-!”
Ji Taeuk called out to Moon Bora like a desperate scream and ran to her. Eunseok, too, shook off his momentary paralysis and sprinted towards her.
“Noona! Noona!”
Ji Taeuk trembled as he looked at the white ribs protruding from her side and her limbs bent in strange directions. He was unable to decide which injury to treat first due to mental shock.
“I’ll set her arms and legs, so you treat her ribs and chest first, hyung,” Eunseok said calmly, snapping Ji Taeuk out of it.
“Y-yes, right!”
Ji Taeuk placed his hands on Moon Bora’s chest and began healing. Meanwhile, Eunseok mercilessly realigned Moon Bora’s broken arms and legs.
Deuddeuk-! Deuk-!
Each time a dislocated bone was set back in place, Moon Bora’s body convulsed violently. But she didn’t let out a single groan.
That was all Eunseok could do. The rest depended on Ji Taeuk’s abilities. Eunseok gripped Moon Bora’s hand tightly and hurriedly began guiding.
Heouk. Heuk. Heuk.
As the wounds healed one by one and guiding was added, Moon Bora’s labored breathing slowly stabilized.
——!!!
The impact of the wounded and enraged dragon’s violent thrashing reached even this far. Unlike its previous movements of attacking while observing its opponents, the now blind creature was spewing breath in all directions, turning the surroundings into a fiery pit. Han Cheolyong was barely blocking the breath attacks with his shield and barrier, while Shin Jeongho had retreated far back, waiting with sharp eyes for the right moment to attack again.
“Hah, that tough bastard.”
Moon Bora, having regained some stability, stood up and gripped her sword. Just as she was about to spring towards the dragon, Choi Hanseo stopped her with his hand.
“Why? Are you going, Guild Master?”
Moon Bora asked, sounding surprised. Instead of answering, Choi Hanseo glanced at Eunseok. His eyes seemed to say, “Watch carefully.”
Choi Hanseo vanished like smoke from where he stood.
Eunseok immediately shifted his gaze towards the dragon. Sure enough, Choi Hanseo was standing like a painting in mid-air in front of the thrashing dragon’s head.
Han Cheolyong and Shin Jeongho, spotting Choi Hanseo, immediately leaped back. And then, Choi Hanseo’s attack began.
Kwak-! Kwang-! Kwadeuk-!
It was different from before when he attacked monsters with mere gestures. Choi Hanseo grabbed and snapped the massive dragon’s wing bones, and kicked its incoming front legs, making them explode. Each time Choi Hanseo disappeared and briefly reappeared, the dragon’s wings were bent with a horrific noise, and its front legs exploded or were ripped off. Every time the dragon roared in pain and attacked, its body parts were blown apart, bent, or torn off.
Scaled flesh and red blood rained down to the ground like a downpour.
Monster.
Eunseok thought this while looking not at the dragon, but at Choi Hanseo.
