The Black Dragon swung its tail. Wayne rolled to the right, the massive appendage whistling past him.
The dragon swiped its claws. Wayne, firing at close range, used the recoil of his bowgun to hop backward after a three-shot volley of Pellet S, landing just outside the reach of the strike. The dragon missed again.
The beast exhaled flames, but it was impossible for this move to hit Wayne, who never stood directly in front of the head. As the dragon gathered energy for its forward breath, Wayne fired continuously at its skull, eventually blasting off the dragon's right horn.
The thick horn snapped and flew outward. The Black Dragon let out a piercing shriek and fell into a brief state of collapse.
Wayne sheathed his gun and rushed to the dragon's head. He placed the Large Barrel Bomb he had crafted earlier, backstepped, and unleashed a rapid-fire volley of Pellet S at the bomb!
With the right horn broken and the wound exposed, that side of the head was no longer protected by scales. Every fragment of the pellets embedded itself into the dragon's flesh. Due to the proximity, the blood spraying from the dragon's head splashed onto Wayne's face. He looked like Siegfried, the dragon-slaying hero from the Lay of the Nibelungs.
The Black Dragon struggled to its feet. Its breathing was now heavy and shallow. With dragon blood coating its right wing, neck, and head, it was clearly nearing the end of its life.
The watching quartet, Rainier, and Tess clenched their fists, excitedly waiting for the moment of victory.
Amy placed her hand on her father's arm, trying to soothe Marlin. His mind had gone from hyper-agitated to a blank state, unable to process what was happening.
On the screen, the Black Dragon seemed to summon its remaining strength. It let out a final roar and beat its wings to fly into the sky.
Hicks: "What? Is it running away?"
Verdan: "Don't tell me this is how it ends after all that fighting?"
Hicks: "Crap! I feel like smashing my glass!"
Hudson: "Wait! I think it wants to take Wayne down with it!"
Sure enough, the dragon in the air began gathering flame energy. This power surged from the depths of a volcano rising near Castle Schrade.
As the energy accumulated, the black scales could no longer contain the searing heat. The dragon's body turned dark red, and the blood flowing from its broken horn and tattered wing began to turn into a semi-solid, molten state like lava. Its wings looked as if they were literally on fire, engulfed in roaring flames.
Suddenly, a rumble echoed from the volcano, sounding like a low growl or an earthquake. The Black Dragon, tormented by the accumulated fire energy, let out a long cry toward the sky. It glided downward toward the plaza, exhaling a breath so intense it seemed it was trying to purge all the flames that were burning it from the inside out.
As it reached the edge of the plaza, it beat its wings again to stay airborne, turned around, and performed another gliding breath across the field.
Wayne wished he could throw away his bowgun to lighten his load. He sprinted toward the furthest edges perpendicular to the dragon's flight path, desperate to avoid the breath that would undoubtedly kill him instantly.
Three consecutive breaths, three different paths—Wayne dodged them all. By now, his stamina was completely depleted. He hid at the very edge of the arena, where one more step would lead into a bottomless abyss.
Unextinguished embers on the ground ignited his pants. He frantically slapped his backside to put out the fire while waiting for the dragon's next move.
However, the dragon's body had reverted to its original black state. Its life force had vanished along with the depleted heat energy. After landing, it collapsed on the ground, gasping for air. Its dull eyes stared at Wayne, who was rushing toward it. It seemed to wonder why, as an ancient dragon, it could do nothing against a mere mortal.
Rainier: "Now! Mil!"
Verdan and the others shouted: "Go! Kill it!"
Tess: "Hurry, Boss! Finish off the evil dragon!"
Marlin couldn't contain his excitement either, preparing to witness a rare moment of human dragon-slaying.
Wayne entered range and raised his bowgun. He emptied all three rounds of Pierce S from his magazine into the dragon's head.
As the three bullets entered through the head and exited through the tail, the dying Black Dragon finally let out its last breath. It no longer had the strength to look back at the volcano that had given it power.
[Returning to Gathering Hub in 90 seconds]
"YEAH!!!"
"Mil did it!!!"
"He cleared it!!!"
"The Boss is so strong!!!"
"Badass!!!"
Cheers erupted from the onlookers. In the game, Wayne ran toward the carcass to carve materials, while raising his hand in a "V" sign.
However, the people in Azeroth didn't know what that gesture meant.
Verdan: "Maybe it means it's better with two people?"
Hicks: "Is there another one? Does it mean two black dragons?"
Hudson: "Commander, did Wayne ever make that gesture when he played with you?"
Rainier shook his head. "It's the first time I've seen it."
Marlin offered another scholarly analysis. "It might be a hand gesture representing an ancient draconic symbol, used to guide the souls of dead dragons so they don't plague the world again."
Wayne, busy carving materials, heard their nonsense. Being in a great mood, he didn't bother with a serious explanation. "In my shop, whether you clear a game or finish a movie, you can make this gesture. It'll ensure things go more smoothly when you fight the next boss or watch the next film!"
After he spoke, several of them began mimicking the gesture.
Ninety seconds passed. Once the quest rewards were settled and Wayne was teleported back to the hub, Rainier asked, "Mil, now that it's cleared, is there a special reward?"
Wayne stored his materials and took off his goggles, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Materials from the Black Dragon can make the best gear in the game. Also, the experience gained from defeating it is much higher than other bosses, allowing you to level up your game account faster."
"As for what level-ups are for, I don't think I need to explain that, right?"
"Alright guys, you've watched me play for a long time. Get back to your seats and grind a few more rounds."
The quartet and Rainier nodded repeatedly and rushed back to their stations. Hudson teamed up with Rainier, while the other three played in a group. They wanted to use the remaining hour to farm materials so they could catch up to Wayne's progress and slay the Black Dragon themselves.
Wayne rubbed his eyes, and Tess quickly opened a bottle of Coke for him.
Wayne took several large gulps of the cold soda, finally relaxing from the intense rhythm. He looked back and saw Marlin pulling Amy to the entrance for a talk.
Marlin: "What... what was that 'movie' he mentioned just now?"
Amy knew her father had been shocked by the experience and had likely changed his mind about the net cafe. She patiently explained the magical scenes she had seen in the world of Harry Potter.
Marlin swallowed several times as he listened, trying to convince himself that what he was hearing wasn't nonsense.
An hour ago, if someone told him about flying motorcycles, entry-level Levitation Charms, or eleven-year-old children skillfully flying on magic brooms, he wouldn't have believed it even if his life depended on it.
But now, compared to the Black Dragon that had just been slain, those things didn't seem quite so "absurd" anymore.
After hearing his daughter's explanation, he understood that movies were different from games—they didn't show the real-time actions of the viewer on the screen.
He thought for a long time before saying to Amy, "You... remember to come home on time after this place closes at eight."
Hearing this, Amy knew her father had finally accepted the net cafe and her presence there. "Father, what about you? You could try it too."
Marlin shook his head as he walked out. "I'm going back to Stormwind immediately, to the Wizard's Sanctum. I have too much to tell Andromath. I must find him right now—whether he's meditating, reading, or sleeping, he must sit quietly and listen to everything I have to say!"
With that, a blue light flashed. Marlin chanted an incantation and teleported away.