The Apex Predator
Most people regard dragons as mysterious beings. The evil dragons that appear in fairy tales, the guardian dragons from the kingdom’s history books, and the “protectors of the world” carved into ancient murals all prove it. But what if we look at them a little more… savagely?
Scales strong enough to shrug off a Sword Master’s aura blade and a Grand Mage’s spells. A single flap of their wings can blow away a mountain. One casual swipe of a claw can devastate an entire region. The mana pouring from their hearts is practically a perpetual engine. In that sense, dragons are the apex predators sitting at the very top of the food chain.
They weren’t pure-blooded dragons, but two creatures who each carried a portion of that blood were now engaged in brutal close-quarters combat. Every time their bodies collided, the sound of exploding artillery shells rang out, and the surrounding trees burst like popcorn. The shockwaves were so fierce that even the Bronze-rank monsters caught in the aftermath were left heavily wounded and scrambling to put distance between themselves and the fight. That alone said everything.
“Wait, it got crushed under a giant tree and still crawled out alive? Does that even make sense?”
“You’ve been in the North for a while now. Time to get used to it.”
“Every time I start getting used to something, a new insanity pops up, so how am I supposed to adapt?”
Apparently it was still difficult for a black mage from the Central region to adjust to the kind of madness that only trolls or higher would normally display. In fact, Neon was already wearing a thoroughly fed-up expression as he scanned the battlefield.
What he saw could hardly be called a battle. It was a one-sided slaughter. Even the ordinary scouts were displaying stealth skills that rivaled first-rate assassins, silently slicing through monster vitals. The look on his face was hard to describe.
Every single member of this expedition was a warrior who would be considered a renowned powerhouse anywhere else on the continent.
“So this is the North’s true strength.”
“No wonder everyone fears them.”
While there had been diplomatic protests and official confrontations, things had never escalated into open war. Perhaps it was because of the historical precedent—when the North once restricted food shipments heading north, several kingdoms had been wiped off the map. Even now, merely offending a Northern adventurer could cause noble houses to tremble, if not outright collapse. Any aristocrat with a functioning brain knew better than to openly antagonize Northerners. Instead, they focused on preventing the North from exerting any real influence over the Central region.
“Anyway, this fight is going to end in our victory. None of the monsters that servant brought are particularly strong.”
“Looks that way. There aren’t even that many Gold-rank monsters like adult Nepentula.”
Though the few that did exist were turning the land into a wasteland and carving out massive craters. Still, when compared to the expedition’s full combat power, this was little more than a small-scale skirmish. Their main force was still stuck wandering inside the forest labyrinth, after all.
“Then I suppose it’s about time I joined in.”
“You burned through that much mana. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m a little dizzy, but it’s not enough to keep me from fighting. My friend is out there risking everything. I can’t just stand by.”
After chugging a mana potion to replenish what I’d spent, I walked lightly toward the battlefield where the two dragons clashed. The prideful Lesser Dragon probably wouldn’t welcome my participation, but it couldn’t be helped. No matter how hard it had trained, there were still many areas where it fell short compared to the Mountain Dragon’s servant.
Pride wouldn’t change anything. As its friend and contractor, the right thing to do was fight alongside it.
I activated my fusion ability to don Ikelos armor and created thrusters on my back. The moment I crouched slightly, the thrusters began to spin up. I kicked off the ground lightly, and my body shot forward like a bullet. In an instant, I was close enough to see the cracks in the servant’s outer shell.
Twisting mid-air, I swung my spear-sword. The impact sent a shower of sparks flying as the rocky scales shattered. The sudden attack made the creature turn its eyes toward me. But it apparently decided I wasn’t worth abandoning the Lesser Dragon for. It shook its body violently, trying to fling me off.
I grinned and retreated. At the exact spot I had vacated, Umbra appeared and drove a massive spear-sword into the gap between the broken scales. The moment the weapon sank deep, a faint change crossed the servant’s face.
Yet even then, it only half-ignored me. It clamped its jaws around the Lesser Dragon’s neck, lifted it, and hurled it aside before turning its sharp gaze on me. The look in its eyes was fierce, clearly intending to swat this annoying fly first.
But before it could act, the Lesser Dragon that had leaped back to its feet charged in and rammed its side. After shoving the servant back, the dragon’s eyes met mine.
“Grrrrr…”
“I can’t just do whatever you want, friend. Time isn’t on our side.”
As expected, it didn’t like me joining the fight. Still, it seemed to understand the situation. It had grasped the overall picture through our connection, and more importantly, the summoner contract applied equally to both of us. Just as I respected and treated it properly, the Lesser Dragon had to do the same for me.
So the grumpy one swallowed its dissatisfaction, bared its fangs, and glared at the servant. The creature that had risen back to its feet swept its gaze over us. The look that seemed to ask what can just the two of you possibly do? made me smirk as I lowered my stance.
“Shall we begin?”
“Krararararara!!”
The Lesser Dragon charged first. The servant met the dragon’s earth-shaking rush head-on and opened its maw wide, biting into its flank. I calmly searched for an opening amid the violence that looked like living fury given form.
If they had been ordinary monsters, the fight would have been purely physical. But they were both sub-dragons. Carrying even a fragment of dragon power, their attacks couldn’t end with mere brute force.
BOOOOM!
When the Lesser Dragon swept its wings, a scorching gale slammed into the servant like a storm. The blow was powerful enough to shave away some of its tough shell, but the servant endured it to the end and stomped the ground with its foreleg. Massive energy spread from the point of impact, surging beneath the Lesser Dragon. Lava-mixed stone spikes erupted from the earth, stabbing at its vulnerable underbelly.
The Lesser Dragon threw itself sideways to avoid a direct hit, then hurriedly got back on its feet. Even if it died, it would only be unsummoned. But if it couldn’t finish this now, who knew when another chance for evolution would come? Prey of this caliber wasn’t easy to find.
That was why it rose immediately to prepare for the next attack. At the same time, the servant bore down with its massive body and opened its huge mouth, preparing a finishing blow. As the Lesser Dragon struggled desperately for a chance to escape, I used my thrusters to fly between them and cut in.
Umbra, transformed into a mass of shadows, threw itself forward and temporarily blocked the servant’s vision. In that brief window, I confirmed that the long barrel of my railgun was aimed precisely at its open maw and fired without hesitation.
RAILGUN STRIKE
BOOM!
The recoil pushed my body backward as the sharp projectile tore into the servant’s throat.
“Kyaaaaaaaack!”
Suddenly attacked from inside its mouth, the servant stopped its assault and screamed in agony. On top of that, the mana it had gathered for the failed attack backlashed. Its internals were thrown into chaos, and the aura radiating from it weakened considerably.
Normally, a mana backlash of that magnitude would have caused its body to explode. The fact that it endured proved just how absurd its durability was.
Having its opportunity stolen and suffering internal injuries, the servant glared at me with razor-sharp eyes. The desire to rip me apart was plain to see. I chuckled and taunted it.
“Just staring at me like that—what are you going to do? Think you can actually catch me?”
“Kraaaaaaaaah!”
It might not have understood the words, but it clearly caught the tone and expression. Its rage intensified. The mana that responded to its master’s mood reacted as well. The ground grew burning hot, and a precursor phenomenon began transforming the entire area into its domain.
But we weren’t the only ones on this battlefield.
“The forest is Mother’s domain. Please refrain from trespassing so recklessly.”
“Whoa there, you can’t just throw around dangerous power like that. How about we seal that strength first and continue from there?”
Kierre, who had been cleaning up the drastically reduced remnants, waved his hand. The rapidly heating ground cooled just as quickly. Purple chains pierced the servant’s body, and the heat enveloping it vanished like a lie.
The perfect assistance made the Lesser Dragon wear an extremely discontented expression.
“Grrrr!”
“You’re upset that others are helping? If you’re so mad about it, you should’ve finished it before we had to step in.”
“Krrk!”
Apparently unable to refute the truth, the dragon charged irritably at the servant. As if venting its frustration through violence, the Lesser Dragon attacked without mercy.
Hammered by the triple combo of field control, ability sealing, and internal wounds, the servant was pushed back helplessly. Its mountain-thick scales were steadily shaved away by the continuous assault. Its powerful strength was sealed by its injuries, and the heat it emitted had no effect on the fire dragon.
Cornered by the terrible conditions, the Lesser Dragon finally opened its maw wide to deliver the finishing blow. The blazing flames flickering deep in its throat were hot enough to melt the servant’s scales. The servant thrashed wildly, instinctively realizing the danger, but the Lesser Dragon that had mounted its fallen body had no intention of letting it escape.
With a mocking glint in its eyes, the Lesser Dragon unleashed its breath. A massive flame storm swept across the area, melting the servant’s body.
“Kyaaaaaaaack!!!”
As the servant let out its final death cry and its life faded, the expedition members—who had neatly cleaned up the surviving monsters at just the right timing—gathered around me. Since there hadn’t been any particularly strong monsters besides the servant, their faces were relaxed.
But the situation was not good.
“Their main force has reached the vicinity.”
“It looks like the forest labyrinth has been breached.”
The scouts who had gone out to gather information even in the middle of all this delivered their report. I’d expected as much. Thanks to Kierre, we had bought some distance, but among Gold-rank experts, that much ground wasn’t particularly far. I had half-anticipated that their main troops would arrive while we were tied down dealing with the servant, so I decided without hesitation to use my trump card.
“Everyone, enter the Water Realm. I’m activating our last resort.”
The expedition members nodded without argument. Thanks to my earlier brief explanation of Phase Escape, they understood easily and stepped into the rift. After confirming that even Neon and Adela, who had stayed until the end, had entered, I closed the rift and looked back at the place we had fled from.
“Kiiiiiiik!”
“Kyaaaaaaa!!”
Nepentula, Crystal Spiders, Kiorgh, and many more. All of them infamous monsters had spotted us and were charging over. I made a fed-up face at the sight of creatures that could tear apart a fragile adventurer like me in a single breath, then turned to the Lesser Dragon.
“What do you think? Feel like fighting?”
“Krrk.”
The Lesser Dragon that had just finished off the servant shook its head without the slightest hesitation. Even at the lowest estimate, every single one of those monsters was on par with it. There was no benefit to fighting them. It wasn’t belligerent enough to throw itself into a hopeless battle, so the Lesser Dragon was unsummoned on the spot.
If it couldn’t even get experience points, there was no reason to fight. Understanding its decision, I waved leisurely at the approaching monsters.
“Haha! Take care, you idiots! I’m escaping with Phase Escape!”
Before they could react, my body turned transparent and vanished. The last thing I heard was an ear-splitting roar filled with rage. I smiled.
In my heart, I would have preferred to travel as much as possible by land, but with them charging like that, there was no choice. I gave up on the expedition’s secondary objectives—exploring the ecosystem beyond the front lines and investigating Magranas—and surrendered myself to the familiar sensation of floating.
Choosing Summoner as my class really had been a divine move.