Chapter 23

The dragon facing us had cracked claws on its front legs. There was no mistaking it; this was the same individual we had encountered before. I felt as though it was glaring specifically at me. It probably held a grudge.

As I observed it, the dragon took a deep breath. Crimson flames flickered inside its mouth, rapidly gaining intensity and swelling in volume. That was the motion for a breath attack—the dragon’s signature ability I’d been briefed on. It apparently involved converting internal mana into flames and exhaling them. While the element could vary between ice or wind depending on the individual, this dragon seemed to handle ordinary fire.

A breath attack possessed extreme destructive power, but it came with corresponding drawbacks. Specifically, it was highly taxing and couldn’t be used in rapid succession. I’d heard it was generally reserved for when the creature fell into a predicament. The fact that it tried to unleash it right from the start showed a considerable amount of murderous intent. Did it want an early conclusion without holding anything back? Or did it simply want to avoid getting close to us?

Whatever the case, it certainly viewed us not as simple prey, but as natural enemies that had to be eliminated. Aiming for a total wipeout with a sudden breath attack was an unexpectedly rational tactic. I thought it was just a wild animal, but it seemed its head worked well enough.

However, that was naive. The breath attack was a dragon’s greatest and strongest trump card. There was no way I hadn’t prepared for its use.

“Alice, defense.”

“Understood.”

At my command, Alice held her hand out toward the golem car. The vehicle began to transform, instantaneously becoming a semi-domed shield. It stood tall, positioned exactly between us and the dragon. The weapons still packed inside were safely housed behind the shield’s interior.

The surface of the shield glowed faintly as the defensive magic activated. Though invisible from our side, multiple layers of mana barriers were being deployed in front.

Immediately after, a roar shook the air. The sound of shattering glass rang out in continuous succession. The unleashed breath was likely tearing through the defensive magic. Flames scattered into the surroundings, scorching the earth. However, there was no damage to where we stood. The heat was merely a nuisance.

Eventually, the breath stopped. The golem shield was undamaged. Countless defensive spells had whittled away the power of the flames. Having fulfilled its role, the golem shield returned to its original vehicle form. I let out a deep smirk at the result, which had gone exactly as planned.

“Excellent! That’s what I call a victory for civilization.”

“Don’t let your guard down. That defense consumed a lot of mana. I can’t use it many times.”

“I know.”

I nodded at Alice’s warning. I didn’t intend to spam the golem shield. It was strictly a countermeasure for the breath attack. Now that the dragon had used its move, it was our turn.

“Shall we use that magic?”

“Yeah, I’m counting on you.”

“Got it.”

Alice chanted and projected a pale light. A faint pattern emerged on one of the hovering dragon’s wings. It didn’t appear to deal any damage, and no other phenomena occurred. But this was fine. That pattern was merely a marking.

Meanwhile, the dragon circled through the sky. It maintained its altitude and watched us warily. It was likely cautious after its breath attack failed to work. Since it didn’t seem to possess any other long-range attacks, it was waiting for our next move.

‘You’re planning to keep this a stalemate and wait until you can fire another breath attack, aren’t you?’

Of course, I wouldn’t give it that luxury. The defensive phase was over. Since it wasn’t coming to us, I’d take the offensive without hesitation.

“Listen up, boys! Get ready!”

On my command, the dwarves lined up in a row and dropped to one knee. Then, they shouldered their weapons. At first glance, the weapons they held were large tubes. Their true identity was man-portable missile launchers. They were something we’d jury-rigged in the settlement, and almost the entire internal structure was fantasy-based.

The missiles themselves were disposable golems—special-made models with Dragon Claw Bombs installed in the warheads. When I raised one hand, the dwarves locked the launchers’ sights onto the dragon. They adjusted their aim in sync with the creature’s movements. Every one of them had a face set with resolve. They understood their roles and acted to carry them out faithfully. They were warriors through and through.

Satisfied with the brave dwarves, I lowered my signaling hand. In that moment, the missiles were fired all at once. The acceleration formulas in the barrels activated, and the projectiles soared in a straight line toward the dragon. The flying dragon attempted to evade, but the missiles changed their trajectories and tracked it with precision. No matter how complex its movements were, they never let it escape, gradually closing the distance.

‘Good, it looks like it’s functioning properly.’

That missile-type golem was built to track a specific marker—specifically, the pattern floating on the dragon’s wing. Therefore, evasion was impossible. It would chase its target to the ends of the earth.

Eventually, the cluster of missiles detonated against the dragon’s wing. Explosion after explosion rang out. The dragon let out a pained shriek and fell from the sky in a tailspin. Its massive frame slammed into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

“Now then. Let’s see the results.”

I watched the crash site, feeling like I could burst into a little dance. When the dragon pushed itself up, it was covered in soil and debris. The wing hit by the missiles was in tatters, its flight membrane shredded. Its scales had been brutally peeled away, and blood was dripping from the wounds. The other wing was intact, but it wouldn’t be able to fly without balance.

With this, I’d neutralized its positional advantage and blocked any chance of it escaping. That looked like a heavy blow. Unlike our first encounter, my attacks were actually working. Well, that missile-type golem was a masterpiece co-developed by Alice and me. It was the linchpin of this operation; I would have been in trouble if it didn’t work.

“W-we actually wounded a dragon…!”

“We can do it! We can really do this!”

The dwarves cheered as they lowered their missile launchers. By actually dealing damage, their anxiety and fear seemed to have thinned out. Their morale was soaring beautifully. It was a good flow.

I placed a hand on one of the dwarves’ shoulders. “Hey now, it’s a bit early for the post-game talk, isn’t it? Let’s get the second volley ready.”

The dwarves immediately finished reloading the launchers. It was a speed I wouldn’t have expected from people with only half a day of training. They had a real knack for being soldiers. I almost wanted them as my subordinates.

“I’m applying the next marker.”

Alice exercised her marking magic. This time, a pattern emerged around the dragon’s back. Even across such a distance, the marking was instantaneous. According to Alice, since the effect was a simple tracking spell for the missiles, she could divert all her resources into range and projection speed.

I pointed toward the dragon as it struggled to stand. “This time, fire them with an upward arc… Good, just like that. Launch!”

The follow-up missiles soared out. They headed into the sky before descending toward the dragon in a gentle arching trajectory. The dragon moved its neck to glare at the incoming projectiles and unleashed its breath in a sweeping motion. Several missiles caught in the flames exploded in mid-air. As a result, the damage to the dragon ended up being minor.

“Heh, not bad.”

I was impressed by the dragon’s hidden strength. I hadn’t expected it to be able to use its breath attack in such quick succession. However, since it was staggering heavily, it must have pushed itself quite a bit. It clearly wanted to avoid getting hit by those missiles again.

Having endured the second volley, the dragon pulled itself up and began to close the distance. It had judged that staying at a distance was a losing battle. Its charge wasn’t particularly fast, but I couldn’t afford to be careless. Even with a ruined wing, it still possessed overwhelming power. If those claws hit me, a human body would be easily crushed, to say nothing of its bite or tail strikes. Any of those could be a fatal blow to a living being. Combined with its towering size and weight, it was peerless in close-quarters combat. If it closed the gap, it would trample the dwarves in an instant.

“I-it’s coming…!”

“Hurry, we have to prepare the third volley!”

As expected, the dwarves began to panic. Before the agitation could spread, I stepped out in front of them.

“No. There’s no need to rush. Stand by until I give the signal.”

“Master Jack… surely a solo charge is too reckless…” one of the dwarves advised, looking concerned for me.

I could understand his feelings. He was genuinely worried about my safety. That was exactly why I gave him a fearless smirk in return.

“Pushing through the reckless stuff is what being a mercenary is all about.”

Stopping the dragon’s advance was my job. The moment we destroyed its wing, the dwarves’ work was halfway done. From here on, it was my turn to shine.

I gave Alice an eye signal. She nodded and gave an order to the golem car. Simultaneously, a portion of the vehicle detached and began to transform. In the blink of an eye, it became a nata¹ sized large enough to slice through a giant tree. It was a masterpiece imbued with numerous magical enhancements.

I grabbed the massive nata as it leaned toward me. It had a good weight to it. If my physical strength hadn’t been boosted by level corrections, I wouldn’t have been able to even hold it. I looked at each of the dwarves’ faces in turn.

“This is the moment a dragon-slaying hero is born. Enjoy the show from the front row, alright?”

With those words, I kicked off the ground and sprinted forward. The dragon was closing in ahead of me. It approached while spraying blood and making the earth tremble. Its reptilian eyes were locked onto me. It no longer cared about Alice or the dwarves. It was intent on killing only me.

“Hey there, you overgrown lizard. You looked lonely, so I came to visit.”

The response was a staggering roar. If I let my guard down, the sheer pressure felt like it would blow me away. The moment I entered its attack range, the dragon swung its front leg down. I stepped to the side at the last possible second. As I watched the claws plow through the earth where I had just been standing, I lunged forward with momentum.

I raised the massive nata as we crossed paths and pressed a button on the hilt. The jet thrusters installed on the spine of the blade ignited. A powerful propulsion was added to the slash, combined with the momentum of my swing.

The thick blade bit into the flesh and bone beneath the scales, severing one of its hind legs.