Hearing the dragon woman's tedious voice, he quickly turned around.
Punches, kicks. He attacked over and over again.
But she dodged him with ease.
"You're so slow, like a little dragonfly with its wings clipped," the dragon commented with a mocking smile.
Ryan jumped back, putting some distance between them.
'Her power must be equivalent to S rank, or at least very close to it. But this is getting on my nerves; she's just playing with me. Damn it...'
She crossed her arms and looked at him with a sharp smile.
"What's wrong? Are you done attacking?"
"Tsk..." Ryan clicked his tongue and then added, "Why don't you stop playing around? You're here to kill the adventurers, aren't you?" Ryan asked, staring at her.
"Whenever I've encountered adventurers, I've killed them all. It's not every day I run into the same one twice," the dragon said, then made a gesture as if sniffing the air.
"Besides, there's something strange about you. You give off a subtle scent that doesn't fit with humans. What are you, really?"
'This woman... I'm human, what else could I be...' Ryan thought while keeping his eyes on the woman in front of him.
Noticing Ryan's silence, the young dragon spoke a bit more.
"I guess you're not aware of it yet. I wonder if that's why I let you escape that time. That scent of yours is very curious. If my master had noticed you, he could have killed you and your friend in the blink of an eye."
Ryan clenched his fist tightly at the young dragon's declaration. Somehow, her words managed to irritate him beyond measure.
She laughed softly, but it was noticeable enough for Ryan to see. Ryan knew very well that this girl was incredibly fast and that he couldn't match her speed, but there was only one thing left to do.
Ryan took a combat stance.
He recited each of his skills in rapid succession.
"Physical Enhancement."
"Magic Enhancement."
"Almighty."
"Psyche Boost."
Ryan's capabilities increased immediately, and she watched him with curiosity.
"Well, well, I thought there was something strange about you... seeing you fight, you looked like the assassin type. That demon you killed certainly was. But..."
She paused, her eyes fixing on him as if detailing every millimeter of his body.
"I saw you use healing magic... And now this. You're a priest, aren't you? Although... you use battle gauntlets, like the hero Rafael from the Geizan continent. Ah, right, I couldn't kill him back then. I wonder if he's stronger now."
She placed a finger on the corner of her lip and kept her gaze fixed on Ryan.
"And when you killed the dying demon, you said you were a support. Has something changed in humanity? How interesting you are... what's your name?" she asked shamelessly.
'I know I can't beat her in a fight, and she's dead set on mocking me, but I can try to trick her. If I manage to subdue her with my debt bug, I'll have an advantage. Though I have a problem: I can't just use that skill on an enemy just like that, and if I do succeed, I can't order her to commit suicide or stay still while I kill her.'
Ryan sighed, evaluating his options.
'This skill activates when there's no danger, which means that danger applies to both her and me. Ordering her to die is practically canceling the skill. Besides, would it really work on a dragon? Calm down, Ryan, if it works, I just have to make her want me to use my power on her.'
Ryan smiled and stood firm, looking at her with defiant eyes, regaining his confidence.
"Shut up, I'm not obligated to answer. And shouldn't you introduce yourself first anyway?" he replied with a frown.
"Huh? Having a beautiful lady ask your name should be quite an honor, ha ha ha. But fine, I'll tell you... my name is Irnina. And I am at the service of Master Solaris. Surely you've heard of him; he's the fourth son of the Demon King Rohan."
"You're a real headache. I'll admit you have quite a presence. My name is Ryan. And I'm just a support class adventurer, a priest," he answered in a calm tone.
"Ho, so your name is Ryan, but are you really a support? That's very strange considering your capabilities," the young dragon said with doubt in her words.
"Then, do you want me to use my support skills on you? That way you'll know I really am just a support," he said in an extremely calm tone.
He didn't want to leave any hints that he was plotting something, since his debt skill would only work on people who expect him to use it on them, like consent, unless they are completely out of mana or unconscious.
"How bold of you. I won't let you put your dirty energy on me. I admit you're handsome, but my heart belongs only to Master Solaris," she said in a mocking tone, walking straight toward him.
'Damn it, then I'll just have to fight,' Ryan thought, but his thoughts were interrupted by the young dragon's words.
"I'll be going now. Try not to die; maybe we'll meet again," she said, stopping in front of Ryan and pulling two scrolls from her clothes.
'Scrolls?'
"What do you mean, you're going?" he asked with some uncertainty, as it made sense to him that she would want to kill him.
"I mean exactly what I said. Ryan... you really can fight and heal yourself. I'll admit, you'd make a charming toy. Unfortunately, I've already wasted too much time playing; right now I'm only interested in finding Master Solaris, so... I'll let you go," the dragon said with great confidence in her words.
'I admit it, she's very strong. I can't let her leave now. If she joins Solaris, they could give the others a lot of trouble. I need to buy a little more time...'
"Do you think I'll let you escape?" Ryan added, readying his weapon.
"Ha ha ha," she laughed coldly.
"Do you think I'm running away? My Master Solaris only ordered me to bring him the S Ranks, and because of that fool Lighter, they slipped away... so I'll let you live for a second time. But know this: if we ever meet again, I will kill you."
"You like the sound of your own voice, don't you? But tell me... which heroes did you say you faced?" Ryan asked. There was a chance she was referring to Helen and Mirian.
'She said they escaped? Who? But she talks as if Lighter isn't one of her companions...'
She observed Ryan for a moment before answering.
"Are you worried about that? They were a couple of foolish women, a sword wielder and another with a mace and shield. Hmm, they would have made good toys for my Master Solaris," the dragon added in a thoughtful tone.
'So it's those girls...'
Ryan understood that, based on what she said, she hadn't found the members of his party yet. But he knew it was a bad idea to let that monster join Solaris to fight against the heroines of his group.
Not that he doubted his companions, but he hadn't been able to gauge the full extent of this dragon's power.
'Although based on what she said, it doesn't seem like they're teaming up with Lighter... yet.'
"Anyway, it's time to go," Irnina said, turning around.
"No, you're not going anywhere."
Ryan readied himself to attack.
"How persistent..." Irnina said with annoyance. Then she averted her gaze toward one of the doors.
"You lot! Take care of him," she ordered.
The moment she gave the order, several magical attacks struck the ground where he was standing. Ryan dodged them.
But there was no trace of Irnina left.
'She's gone... Shit!'
When Ryan turned around, there were several principalities surrounding him with weapons. And wide smiles, ready to attack.
"Separation."
The boomerang split in two, looking like two enormous and peculiarly shaped swords, one in each hand. With the skill active, his agility increased. Ryan was ready to fight.