I thought about it on the way here.
How to take down the Dracan easily.
The conclusion came quickly.
There was something the Dracan had that I didn't.
Wings. The ability to fly.
The Dracan in my memories, exuding overwhelming majesty.
From the beginning to the end of those memories, the Dracan was always in the sky.
Even when it descended to attack, it never landed.
Because it knew.
That the sky was its home ground.
So I decided to bring it somewhere else.
Somewhere unfamiliar to a creature with wings, to a Dracan used to dominating the sky.
*Kwaaaaaaang!!*
A thunderous roar erupted as the Earth-Annihilating Falling Star struck.
A massive shockwave spread outward.
The black dragon's scales were disgustingly tough.
So its head didn't explode or anything.
But I got the result I wanted.
Its massive body crashed into the sea.
Jinhyuk stared down below.
I need to push it deeper.
"Head locked on!"
Manifested Kancho aimed his slingshot.
He'd prepared clay much larger than usual for the black dragon.
*Sshweeeeeek!!*
The clay shot forward.
A massive explosion sent seawater surging.
The dark silhouette barely visible beneath the surface vanished completely.
I gave Kancho a thumbs up.
Our Yordle Ranger's role ends here.
Even with that fluffy fur, it can't handle the minus 2-degree sea.
"Good luck, sir! Loyalty!"
After saluting, Kancho dismissed his manifestation.
The Dokkaebi Renya brushed past him.
Jinhyuk followed her into the sea.
The black dragon Dracan, visible far below.
From this moment on, the Dracan is grounded.
Whether it gets beaten to death or suffocates from lack of oxygen, it's not getting out until its life ends.
Renya shot down without hesitation.
Maybe because she met a welcome face in an unexpected place.
*Kraaaaaa!!*
The Dracan let out a fierce roar.
The seawater vibrated violently, but Renya didn't care.
She silently kept hammering her attacks.
As they say, the one who's eaten meat eats it best.
Her skill at dodging wings, claws, and fangs while pounding away was extraordinary.
*Bbo-geu-reu-reu-reu.*
Manifested Dark swung his Eternal Frost Iron at the surface.
Whether because the base water temperature was low or not, the freezing speed was faster than usual.
Ceiling creation complete.
After confirming a wide area was frozen, I went down with Dark.
I moved behind the Dracan's head, which was focused on Renya.
Then I swung my greatsword wrapped in Explosion Enhancement.
[ Aura Release ]
The Dracan's head twisted, and it lost its balance.
Its eyes were still fixed forward.
Seems the memory of getting beaten badly left a trauma.
It couldn't take its eyes off Renya.
Jinhyuk pounded the Dracan from the exact opposite side of Renya.
[ Dokkaebi Fist Technique ]
[ Explosion Enhancement ]
I beat it with every means and method, but there was no sign of its scales breaking.
But that didn't matter.
Moving in water slows us down too.
I wasn't expecting that from the start.
I just focused on sinking it.
'Look at it guarding that weak point.'
No matter how much I kicked its head or struck its neck, the Dracan desperately protected only the area under its left wing.
That put me at ease.
The weak point I saw in my memories was still valid.
[ Iron Brand ]
I focused my summoned swords on the Dracan's face.
Its teeth were too menacing, and I didn't know when it might breathe fire, so going in directly was too risky.
*Jjeo-jeo-jeok!*
Even while getting pummeled, it must have been struggling hard.
Part of the iceberg attached to its lower body completely broke off.
As if waiting for this moment, the Dracan flapped its wings with all its might.
Rough currents surged.
But contrary to the Dracan's expectations, its body didn't rise.
The Dracan lowered its head.
It seemed to have finally noticed.
The Eternal Frost Iron wrapped around its legs, and the massive ice weight hanging below it.
*Kraaaaaaak!!*
Hearing its explosive roar, I was certain.
The black dragon was starting to panic.
Jinhyuk kicked the top of the Dracan's head like playing whack-a-mole.
Even so, the Dracan couldn't focus its attention there.
Because it had no room to spare, constantly wary of Renya, who kept digging into its left wing.
*Ggeu-reu-reuk!*
My lungs started aching from the water pressure.
Its movements became increasingly restricted.
We must have come quite deep while pounding away.
After signaling Renya.
I converted my recovered mana into fighting spirit and surged upward.
My part ends here.
From now on.
[ Earth-Annihilating Falling Star (地滅落星) ]
Go alone.
*Jjeo-eo-eo-eong!!!*
It was weaker than when I got propulsion from the sky.
But it was enough.
The Dracan started the fight by crashing into the water at an unexpected timing.
Thanks to that, it couldn't take in as much oxygen as it wanted.
As a result, it was already severely weakened.
It couldn't withstand another Earth-Annihilating Falling Star.
The Dracan sank, plunging deep into the abyss.
Jinhyuk and Renya didn't follow.
Jinhyuk pulled out an oxygen tank from the exploration ship and handed the hose to Renya.
He took out another one for himself and bit down, staring below.
Now it's the Undying's turn.
*Kwadeudeudeudeuk!*
The Dracan thrashed wildly, but it was useless.
The Eternal Frost Iron doesn't break.
Dark smiled.
'Where do you think you're going, dragon whelp?'
He increased the size of the ice to drag it deeper.
The water pressure rose in proportion to the sinking speed.
His lungs lost function, nerves were damaged, and abnormalities came to his senses.
But he didn't care.
He kept dragging it down.
The damage from water pressure and his unique trait, Rapid Recovery, traded blows in a tug-of-war.
As the water pressure grew stronger, the intervals where his consciousness cut out lengthened.
The Dracan, not missing that gap, thrashed even more violently.
For a moment, it seemed to break free from the restraint.
*Kwagagagagagagak!!!*
The cold emanating from the chains instantly froze the entire surrounding area.
The unique trait Aesthetics of Death, which emits the cold of purgatory for one minute upon receiving fatal damage.
That terrible cold, regardless of Dark's will, froze everything nearby.
The Dracan sank, completely immobilized.
For the black dragon, that one minute felt like a millennium.
Then that time passed.
*Flash!*
A green energy burst from the black dragon's body.
The Dracan released the breath it had been holding back until the end.
The chains, whose master's consciousness had flown away, were no longer an obstacle.
The Dracan's body rapidly ascended.
There was no room to think or judge.
Terrible pain, never felt since its birth, consumed its entire body.
Its senses were abnormal too.
It couldn't hear anything.
It couldn't see anything.
Yet, following its survival instinct, it moved upward.
*Kraaaaaa!!*
It roared fiercely.
The strongest lifeform that had existed since ancient times would not die here.
Never.
And just below the surface.
A pitch-black knight, standing on thick ice, watched this scene.
A being that had never shown itself, so the Dracan hadn't factored it in—the only one with the firepower to pierce the black dragon's weak point.
That being slowly raised the demon sword, Tarkan.
Aura gathered into the demon sword, blackening the entire area.
The wildly raging aura condensed and converged on the demon sword's blade.
Seira stared at the approaching Dracan's left wing, underneath.
She could see it.
The only gap in the ancient being.
*Kuuuuuuuung...!!*
The ice vibrated from the power gathering beneath her feet.
[ Nazebever Style Draw Technique, 9th Sword ]
[ Flash Slash ]
The demon sword swung.
A single sword aura shot through the water, splitting it.
No loud roar or brilliant flash occurred.
Just the pitch-black sword aura precisely piercing the targeted spot.
The sword aura reached its destination.
*Kwajajajajak!!!*
It exploded from within the body, scattering into thousands of strands.
And with this mutilation, it ended.
The breath of the ancient being that had reigned at the top of the food chain, the black dragon Dracan.
* * *
Another iceberg near Illuisaat.
Since Seira said she was using a dangerous technique, I left the rest to her and evacuated.
Manifested Kancho ran to the lying Dark.
He climbed on top and started CPR.
"Wake up, sir! You can't die! It's too soon!"
Since when did 'too soon' get used in situations like this?
"One-two-three! One-two-three! Two-three! Three!"
Seems counting got annoying, as he gradually lost effort.
After a while, Kancho brought his hand to Dark's nose.
He shook his head with a pained expression.
"It's too late, sir. He has passed."
Dark had been perfectly fine since about halfway through the CPR.
Maybe because he was so dumbfounded.
Dark, who had been silently watching, finally spoke.
"Honestly, I feel like smacking you."
"You are awake, sir."
Kancho climbed down as if nothing happened.
"I watched a drama called The White Tower. The situation was similar, so I wanted to try it, sir."
The Yordle Ranger vice-captain and aspiring actor, Kancho.
I'll have to send him to a Yordle-specific acting academy later.
And not long after.
*Ding!*
The sound I was waiting for rang out.
[ You have defeated the ancient being, the black dragon Dracan! ]
[ You have acquired the achievement 'Dragon Slayer'! Achievement Level: 200 / Achievement Rank: Legendary ]
# The Slayer's energy imbues the player!
# Dragons you encounter will recognize this!
[ Unique Trait 'Leveling the Playing Field' activated! The highest-level entity, Seira Kincaiton, is selected as the standard. ]
[ The player's level increases! ]
[ The player's level increases! ]
[ The player's level increases! ]
.
.
.
[ You have reached Level 130! ]
Jesus Christ.
I covered my mouth.
I was already at Level 110.
I didn't know even a dragon would jump me up twenty levels in one go.
[ All stats increase significantly! ]
[ Total mana increases to 10,000,000! ]
[ The number of collectible weapons increases to 10! ]
[ Unique Skill 'Borrow Technique' levels up! ]
[ Unique Skill 'Borrow Technique' levels up! ]
[ Unique Skill 'Borrow Technique' levels up! ]
[ Borrow Technique reaches Level 5! From now on, you can select the hero to borrow a Noble Phantasm from! ]
[ Black Knight Order Captain, Seira Kincaiton's level increases! Current Level: 202 / Current EXP: 90% ]
Yesss!
I punched the air.
Finally.
Seira's level.
And her EXP bar was almost full.
[ Yordle Ranger Vice-Captain Kancho's level increases! Current Level: 120 ]
[ You have reached the level required for promotion! You cannot level up until promoted! ]
[ Excess EXP accumulates in the temporary EXP slot! It will convert to EXP upon promotion! ]
[ Undying Dark Castro's level increases! Current Level: 140 ]
[ Unique Trait Cold Emission levels up! Reaches Level 10! ]
[ Greedy Collector Momo's level increases! Current Level: 139 ]
[ Unique Trait Rapid Maintenance - Advanced levels up! Reaches Level 5! ]
[ Unique Trait Nimble Fingers - Advanced levels up! Reaches Level 7! ]
Elia, Kamela, and Renya's EXP accumulated in the temporary EXP bar.
As I was clapping like a frantic seal.
*Kuuuuuuu...!*
Seira rose from the water.
In one hand, she gripped a net holding the black dragon.
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T/N:
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