Chapter 614: Dragon Raid (12)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 614: Dragon Raid (12)
Kim Do-jin, who had just carved a new, colossal chapter into his book of shame, something he hadn't even managed in his second year of middle school.
For a brief moment, the fierce battle fell into a lull because of it.
"Block that side!"
"Ah, yes!"
"I'll take that one."
Then, as if nothing had happened, the intense combat resumed.
In a way, it was a gesture of consideration.
His bold cry had managed to pierce through even the deafening roar of battle.
And the one who suffered the most damage from it was Kim Do-jin.
But there was also trust mixed in with their consideration.
He's not the type to joke around in a life-or-death battle.
That embarrassing line must have been nothing more than groundwork for some kind of preparation.
Once again left alone, Kim Do-jin looked down at the snow-covered ground and let out his frustration.
"Fuck…"
It was so embarrassing.
More than words could possibly describe.
A truly pathetic failure.
However, it wasn't as if he had gained nothing.
Think about it.
No matter how much he screamed his lungs out, could a mere human's voice ever penetrate the noise erupting from the fight with that colossal being?
No, absolutely not.
Under normal circumstances, Kim Do-jin's voice should have been helplessly snuffed out by the greater noise.
The fact that they had all heard him meant his voice carried a special resonance.
Which meant…
I'm not completely on the wrong track.
His words had clearly been imbued with power.
Enough to cut through the clamor of battle.
But his mana hadn't moved.
Why?
Was the image in his mind still too blurry?
No, that's not it.
He realized what he was missing.
I'm still inexperienced.
He had grasped the principle.
But his method of wielding it was clumsy.
Meeting the qualifications and skillfully wielding the power are two entirely different matters.
He had only just set foot in this domain; how could he expect to handle the power in the same way as someone who had reached the level of mastery?
Then how should I wield this power?
Melt away.
A mere six syllables weren't enough to embed his will into the mana.
What if he used more syllables to make the image clearer?
"Haaa."
He took a slow, deep breath.
Forcing himself to forget the recent embarrassment, he once again painted a picture in his mind.
He imagined a flame.
A holy flame that would melt away all the snow blanketing his head and shoulders, bringing warmth and hope.
He envisioned the seed of a fire, whiter and purer than the snow itself.
「Melt it all away with a fierce flame.」
Ten syllables.
The more concrete and distinct words conveyed his intent and the image to the mana flowing around him.
And in that instant.
Fwoosh!
A pure white flame erupted before his eyes.
But that was all.
The mana that received his intent had successfully moved and burned itself to create a flame, but it failed to melt the snow covering his head and shoulders.
A partial success.
"Hmm."
He thought again.
What was the problem?
He soon realized.
"The target to be melted wasn't specified."
He had commanded it to melt away with a fierce flame, but he hadn't defined what to melt.
Of course, he had pictured melting the snow in his mind, but it seemed ten syllables weren't enough to cram that detail in.
"I think I'm starting to get the hang of it."
He roughly understood now.
He knew the path a beginner, who had just started wielding this power, should take.
First, you define the form the mana should take.
Then, you must set what it should do and who it should affect.
He opened his mouth once more.
「Create a flame and melt away all the snow around me.」
The spreading sound of his voice engraved his will upon the surrounding mana.
Influenced by his command, the mana gathered, kindled a fierce flame, and unleashed its heat toward the nearby snow.
Pshhhhh!
The snowflakes melted and vanished the instant they fell.
The snow that had been weighing down Kim Do-jin's shoulders was long gone.
Its job done, the mana rejoined its original flow and drifted away as if nothing had happened.
"So this is how you use it."
Just as he finally understood how to wield the power and how he should develop it…
Krawwwrr!
The dragon's enraged roar echoed as its murderous gaze fixed on him.
"What in the world have you done? How can a human use the Dragon Language…!"
Its question was a mixture of fury and bewilderment.
It was that unbelievable.
A domain permitted only to dragons, who were said to be born as rulers of mana.
And a human, of all things, had entered it!
A corner of Kim Do-jin's mouth curled up as he spoke mockingly.
"Now that I can use it too, shouldn't we stop calling it 'Dragon Language'?"
It was a perfectly logical statement.
But sometimes, the truth hurts more than any fiction or fabrication.
"You wreeeetch!!"
The aura of an absolute being poured out from the enraged dragon, beginning to bind everyone's bodies.
*
The furious dragon's Dragon Language rained down.
「Freeze!」
The party members' bodies began to freeze rapidly from the feet up.
I immediately opened my mouth to counter.
「Become a flame and melt the frozen bodies.」
The moment I learned the Dragon Language, my role was set.
「Shatter!」
「Become new earth and support them.」
To counter the opponent's Dragon Language.
Although I was outmatched in the number of syllables, making a counterattack impossible, I could certainly block its effects.
The Dragon Language was the opponent's greatest offensive and defensive tool.
Neutralizing it would create an opportunity for our party.
「Space Pressure.」
I applied pressure to space itself, restricting the dragon's movements.
"Hyaah!"
Angela's mace, glowing with a deep brownish-yellow light, slammed into the creature's thick leg.
KWAANG!
"Kuhuk…!"
With a groan of agony, the dragon staggered and listed to one side.
Right on cue, Ju-yeon's buff, amplified with divine power, was cast.
「Holy Strike.」
A single strike.
Ju-yeon's primary buff, which maximized attack power by infusing a weapon with divine power for one hit, enveloped Irina's frost-covered sword.
Seeing the brilliant aura surrounding her blade, Irina smiled faintly.
"Nice."
She liked it.
This entire stage, set perfectly for her attack.
I knew the feeling.
The intense pleasure and satisfaction that comes from a series of judgments falling perfectly into place, all to ensure your own attack lands true.
This was why those who had reached a certain level of mastery always formed fixed parties with perfect teamwork.
But Irina had always been alone until now.
To be precise, she had always temporarily teamed up with available personnel whenever an incident occurred.
Which meant this was the first time she had ever felt something like this.
"I shall meet your expectations."
Bearing the full weight of her comrades' hopes, she spread her wings and lightly took to the air.
This snow-covered land was the perfect stage for a dragon who had honed its Word Spirit.
But we had one too.
An attacker who became stronger than anyone on this snow-covered ground.
The brilliantly white sword, now soaring in the sky, was aimed at the dragon pinned to the earth.
Perhaps sensing the mortal danger, the creature clenched its thick teeth and screamed in desperation.
「Stop…!」
The surrounding mana clung to her, trying to halt her movement.
I couldn't let that happen.
Engraving a clear image in my mind, I opened my mouth.
「Be liberated from all oppression.」
And.
「Accelerate.」
Faster.
The very mana that had been restraining her a moment ago now clung to her wings, boosting her speed.
Leaving a long tail-like afterimage, she plummeted from the sky in a straight line toward the dragon. A chilling voice, like a death sentence, poured from her lips.
「Silver Meteor (серебряный метеор).」
For a fleeting moment, I thought how well the name and the sight matched.
The tip of her sword, imbued with a powerful aura, finally pierced through the dragon's hide.
Puuuk-!
"Kuaaack!"
Ignoring its agonized scream, she pushed deeper.
Deeper.
So deep that half of her body entered the dragon's flesh before she pulled back out.
But that wasn't the end.
「Festival of the Winter Night (фестиваль зимней ночи).」
A human's sword was far too small to inflict a fatal wound on the dragon's massive body.
So she detonated the aura contained within the blade.
From inside the beast's body.
Poooong-!
Pong!
Popopopong!
A series of sounds like fireworks exploding echoed from within the creature.
"Kuuuh… Kuaaaack!"
The dragon thrashed, letting out a scream of pure agony.
The violent movements sent Irina, who had landed on its body, flying back to her original position.
"It's not over yet."
She was right.
Though she had landed a critical blow, the beast was still breathing.
A dragon's body also possessed remarkable regenerative abilities.
Just as we were about to press the attack before it could recover, it happened.
"Kuuuuh… you insect-like pests!"
Its eyes, completely consumed by rage, turned toward us.
Instantly, alarm bells screamed in my head.
Danger.
I didn't know what it was, but it was about to do something.
Something that even it couldn't handle.
"Kuhak…!"
The beast coughed up a torrent of blood, baring its crimson-stained teeth.
I immediately shoved Irina, who was in its line of sight, and took her place.
At the same time, the dragon declared:
「Die-!」
What it uttered was an absolute sentence of death.
Mana, surging like a tidal wave, and death itself, seized my heart in a powerful grip.
"Keoheuk."
A violent shock ran through my entire body as my consciousness faded into the distance.
My heart stopped.
This can't be happening.
I have to use the Word Spirit to release the pressure, to make my heart beat again…
Despite my urgent thoughts, an overwhelming drowsiness washed over me, and my eyes closed.