Chapter 131
Chapter 131
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 131
Chapter Title: Dragon Slayer (4)
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“What, what the hell! What is this shit?”
Vladimir swung his staff wildly in panic.
“For 24 hours, I can’t use skills? No way! Where in the world is there such a ridiculously overpowered skill?”
Before he could finish grumbling.
“Hoon! Up above!”
Olena shouted from behind.
Looking up at the sky, dozens of magic circles were etched there, all aimed right at us.
Rumble rumble rumble!
The magical resonance echoing through the space made everyone flinch.
A tense standoff.
“Damn it.”
The destructive power of those beams firing from up there was nothing to scoff at.
Each one could melt the ground at minimum and pierce dragon hide.
“T-Team leader! What do we do? With skills sealed, we can’t dodge anymore? Are we screwed?”
“Wait a second!”
Thud!
I kicked off the ground, my weapon shifting into a simple bracelet form.
At that instant.
Aranbalon’s mana exploded outward.
Boom! Kaboom! KABOOM!
Savage beams poured down behind me.
If one of those hit, my skin and bones would be shredded to pieces.
‘Still.’
I kept my eyes locked on the magic circles’ trajectories as I sprinted at full speed.
‘Lucky break.’
Aranbalon was targeting only me.
The lord of the skeletons tormenting it, the team leader.
‘Sealing Vladimir’s skills was to catch me, not because he was a threat.’
That was why.
As long as I put distance between us, my teammates would be safe.
Boom! Crash crash CRASH!
Dodging the barrage of beams raining down, I kept running.
Then, in that moment.
Groooar!
A heavy thud echoed as the ground straight ahead crumbled away.
Aranbalon had swooped in, slamming its forefoot down.
“Team leader!”
“Hoon! Watch out!”
My teammates’ voices rang from behind, but I ignored them.
I kept pushing forward with all my strength.
Sure, I was human—fear was inevitable.
But right now, I believed my judgment was sound.
‘I need to climb onto the dragon.’
The reason Aranbalon could spam beams was my distance.
Up close, it wouldn’t dare fire recklessly.
“Huff!”
Even after all my training.
“Huff, huff!”
Moving my body felt so damn awkward.
The encroaching magic circles.
The rising clouds of dust.
My own body dodging them all felt utterly alien.
I was a necromancer, not a swordsman or spearman.
And in that instant.
KABOOM!
“Urk!”
My vision lurched forward.
A heavy force slammed into my back.
No way.
Did a beam hit me?
Momentum from my sprint sent me tumbling across the ground, but there was no pain.
“Hyah!”
Regaining control mid-roll, I sprang back up and charged again.
KABOOM!
Another beam cratered right where I’d been.
‘...Fuck.’
A chilling moment that sent shivers down my spine.
I could feel the dragon’s yellow eyes glaring at me.
Viscous killing intent oozing toward me.
One lapse in focus, and a beam would skewer me like a kebab.
‘No way it hit me directly.’
Probably just clipped a flying chunk of rock.
[Skill: Pain Resistance]
[Grade: S]
[Effect 1: Resist pain.]
[Effect 2: The more pain accumulates, the duller your senses become.]
The ultimate in pain resistance.
A mere bruise was just a tickle.
On top of that.
Splish splash!
An unfamiliar sensation swirled around me.
The power of water encircling my body.
‘Olena.’
In that brief moment, she’d cast a protective spell on me.
The water shield likely softened the pain too.
‘Wish the old man were here.’
Unfortunately, the elder’s summon time had expired.
Rumble!
Aranbalon’s leg muscles swelled slowly.
As I closed in, it was rearing back to leap again.
Shing!
I flicked my wrist, reshaping the bracelet into a spear.
‘Yeah, let’s fight.’
So what if I wasn’t a swordsman or spearman?
Before necromancer, I walked the path of a myriad arts master!
I focused, eyes narrowing.
Boom!
Dodging a beam right in front of me, I kicked off the ground.
In sync.
Whoosh!
Aranbalon spread its wings and lunged.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Aiming for its talons.
I thrust the spear gripped in both hands with full force.
Squelch!
The spear sank in smoothly.
“My lord! Are you alright!?”
“Master, it’s dangerous! Get down!”
Taeyang-i and Eldrin’s cries faintly reached me from nearby battles.
But I had no time for that.
I immediately tensed my arms and lats, clambering onto its foot.
‘Keep climbing.’
Destination: its face.
Burrowing to the heart like with the giant dragon was near impossible.
Vital spots on most creatures were in the head.
Shing!
This time, I split my weapon into two.
Dual blades of moderate size!
“Hrah!”
With a shout, I stabbed one blade after another into its hide.
Squelch!
Once with the left.
Squelch!
Once with the right.
Repeating as I began my ascent.
Heat surged through my body.
My grip and forearms screamed like they’d burst, every muscle howling.
‘I’ll kill it. No matter what.’
I deliberately whipped myself into a frenzy.
Rationality had no place now.
Unleash the rage buried deep inside.
Ignite the savage hunter’s instinct.
It was do or die.
Time for superhuman strength.
- You bastard.
Screeeee!
Aranbalon thrashed wildly.
Ground became sky, sky became ground.
Soaring high, it spun 360 degrees.
‘Huh?’
Well, well?
Bring it on?
A sudden impulse.
No idea why.
My body moved on instinct.
Feeling like this was right, I hurled myself into the air.
Reforming the dual blades into a spear, I plunged down.
‘Because right now, the timing is perfect.’
Whoosh!
Aranbalon’s head was coming next.
Climbing its massive body bit by bit was tedious—shortcuts were better.
“Hrah!”
Body accelerating in freefall.
Sharp sensation below my belly.
Even hurtling toward instant death, my gaze fixed on the dragon’s head.
And as I predicted.
As Aranbalon’s massive head swung beneath me mid-spin.
“Die!”
I thrust the spear with venom.
Suspended in air, my form was flawless.
Instinct perfected the most efficient energy transfer.
Squelch!
The spear piercing sound.
Gravity slammed my body into its hide.
Dull impact threatening to rupture organs and snap bones.
But I didn’t relent.
I stabbed with poison.
‘Of course.’
My puny spear couldn’t hurt it.
‘But what if Poison Fog joins in?’
Drip drip!
I whispered to the Poison Fog returning to my heart.
‘Please. This is another playground for you.’
Poison Fog was finicky.
It wouldn’t budge unless it was more fun than inside me.
But now.
It had tasted the thrill inside the giant dragon.
Ran rampant, savoring sweet destruction.
- Grrr?
That’s why.
Drip! Drip drip!
It heeded my call.
Surged eagerly through the spear.
- GRAAAAAH!
Aranbalon bellowed in agony.
Its hide quivered, glowing faintly.
‘Good.’
Proof Poison Fog was working.
Victory tingling from my toes, a smile forming.
KABOOM!
Something heavy smashed my left ribs.
No, before I could think, I lost grip on the spear.
“Gahk!”
Crimson blood sprayed from my mouth.
Vision shook wildly up and down.
- You filthy worm! What did you do to my head!?
Aranbalon roared.
In my floating vision, dozens—no, hundreds of magic circles etched around it.
What.
What hit me?
All those spells aimed at just me?
In an instant, excruciating pain surged from toes to scalp.
Worse than the elder’s massages, no contest.
“Guhhh!”
Endless energies from countless circles battered me.
Boom! Kaboom! Boom!
“G-Gahk! Kekek!”
Beam-like blasts pummeling relentlessly.
It hurt.
Pain so intense words failed.
‘Fuck.’
Is this how I die?
Yeah.
A true dragon, huh?
Strongest race, unmatched in a world.
- GRAAAAH! Pull it out now! Or I’ll tear you apart!
Of course, it didn’t look great either.
Thud!
Halting mid-air to land meant trouble.
Even.
Whirr!
Some energy from Aranbalon caught my falling body.
Halted mid-drop, suspended.
Its furious yellow eyes filled my vision.
‘Fuuuck.’
This.
Scary as hell.
Wanted to say something, but only deflating lungs wheezed.
I turned my head to assess.
So, the situation was.
Below, skeletons and teammates still attacking.
Dragon with Poison Fog in its head, enraged, clutching me tight, glaring.
“Grr.”
Tried moving.
Nothing.
Some force pinned me rigid.
- What are you waiting for!?
The dragon bellowed.
- Extract what you unleashed in me, or I’ll make you suffer eternally, neither dead nor alive!
Rumble rumble!
Its voice hammered my eardrums.
I forced out unspoken words.
Toward its face.
“F...uck... you.”
Yeah.
If I valued my life, maybe I’d beg to remove Poison Fog and spare me.
But from afar, that’s the dumbest shit.
Would Aranbalon let us go after extracting it?
We’d come this far.
No way it just kills us off.
“Kkh!”
I laughed.
Yeah, it’ll hurt like hell.
Poison Fog is like your dragon kind.
A monster fit to rule a world.
If you were at full strength, maybe shrug it off.
- GRAAAAAAAH!
But now, barely 5% left.
Try shaking it off.
- Fine!
Did it sense my sneer?
Its grimace twisted further.
- Just die then!
Whirr!
One brown magic circle warped.
The largest, densest among them.
Aimed right at my heart.
“......”
Cold sweat trickled down my back.
Instinct screamed.
This was different.
Hit by that, I’d be one foot in the grave.
“Hnnngh...!”
Every muscle tensed.
Focus.
It’s not over till it’s over.
- Die.
Finally, it intoned.
Declaring my end, unleashing mana.
Boom!
The instant the thick beam from the circle targeted my heart.
Shing!
Some force enveloped me.
Like bodies swapping places.
Clearly mid-air, now ground below.
Not just ground.
Teammates too.
Olena, Kapu, Judgment Spear.
One cat, Maximilian, and.
“Huh...?”
No Vladimir.
Instinctively, I looked up.
Gazed at the sky in haste.
And there.
“Gahk!”
Vladimir, heart pierced, spewing blood.
‘What...?’
My heart sank.
What the hell is going on?