Let's Try It, After All
'Intense.'
A chill ran down his spine.
His scales prickled involuntarily.
If even Rune, their lord and master, felt this way, the others had no chance.
"Tch."
Perdikion wrapped his body in flames and drew his sword.
Amelia's fingertips turned white as she summoned her spear, Mel.
Heungmi tensed up, her tail standing straight, and called forth her fire spirits.
"Samshik, Sashik. Come here."
Stab!
Stab!
Those with weapons took the front.
Those without fell back.
No words were needed; they positioned themselves on instinct.
Rune dusted off his hands and thought.
Is this from the Blue Dragon raid experience?
It was satisfying, but there was no time to savor it.
Thud!
The Dullahan advanced, step by step.
He didn't feel entirely unfamiliar.
It's like facing that demon.
The demon that had greedily craved Rune's soul. Lepanon.
Thinking back to that demon, the Dullahan—who wielded demonic energy and darkness so freely—must have found some balance.
Something clicked for Rune, and he spoke up.
"I think I know what this lesson is. Don't take your eyes off the Dullahan. Listen up."
It would exploit any opening.
Everyone fixed their gazes and listened to Rune.
"This is training for facing demons—or their monstrous kin."
The Dullahan's green eyes flashed for a moment.
"Rune's right."
"It's because of that elf business last time."
Perdikion responded to Heungmi's words, adopting a more serious stance.
"Yeah. That guy's taking an interest, so there's a chance we'll run into demon vassals."
Dungeons, or certain locations, held all sorts of monsters.
Some were bound to be tied to demons.
"Makes sense to worry about it."
If that demon finds out I gave Heungmi a Mokoji Stone, he'll grab his neck in shock.
Rune glanced at Heungmi as he added.
She was Rune's vassal too, wielding powers of darkness and fire.
But her true nature was a rose from the Demon Realm.
It wasn't impossible to counter.
And I've got an ace up my sleeve.
As Rune finished his thoughts, the Dullahan relaxed his clenched fist and gathered pitch-black darkness in one hand.
Whoosh!
The swirling smoke stood upright.
It slowly morphed into a massive club. And in his other hand, a mace appeared.
The giant armored figure gripped the handle and swung both arms with a whoosh! whoosh!.
Getting hit by that would crush your body.
Rune quietly cloaked himself in shadows.
Perdikion, seasoned in battle, spoke up.
"We have to handle a variety of weapons too?"
Amelia's face fell at his words.
The oppressive demonic energy, plus attacks from a massive armored knight with changing weapons.
For Amelia, the difficulty felt like it had spiked.
But Rune, with his secret weapon, calmly observed the others.
I'm fine. Perdikion can handle this much.
The real worry was Amelia.
Deep sea training with the Dullahan had been bare-handed.
And she'd been in mermaid form.
"Amelia, you got this?"
The combat lessons in mermaid form would help, but facing the Dullahan's ferocious aura...
Amelia nodded faintly at Rune's question.
"Y-Yeah...! I'll g-give it everything."
"Good."
Rune noted her skin shimmering faintly.
Smart girl.
She was using her purification ability to fend off the scraping demonic energy on her skin.
Then.
The chilling demonic energy and darkness seemed to smirk ominously.
The blunt weapons in the Dullahan's hands shifted into a hefty greatsword.
"?"
Everyone blinked in confusion.
And the weapon in the Dullahan's grip changed again.
A saw-edged blade.
Next, a double-edged sword.
Amelia hesitated, then spoke.
"Th-That means... it keeps changing into those weapons... right?"
"Yeah. Probably turns into one of the weapons it's shown."
As Rune answered, the Dullahan's hands cycled through more weapons.
After watching, Rune added.
"All melee."
"Ah!"
Amelia gasped, hand to her mouth.
Clang!
The Dullahan launched forward with the greatsword.
His massive frame charging at such speed was intimidating in itself.
Fierce like a black tiger, bulky like a bull.
No winning head-on.
"Scatter!"
At Perdikion's signal, the group dispersed.
"Amelia-unnie!"
The Dullahan barreled straight for the water-blue girl.
Heungmi's spirit spat fire to intercept, but the Dullahan dodged slyly.
Then, a heavy footfall echoed.
Boom!
The black knight's upper body twisted at an impossible angle toward Amelia.
The girl gripped her spear with both hands for defense.
Thud!
His flexible, brutal charge slammed into her.
Kaboom!
The mace in his hand smashed down on her spear shaft.
"Kyaa!"
The water-blue girl had already lost her balance.
Before anyone could intervene, the Dullahan seized her neck in his massive gauntlet.
In a real fight, she'd be dead.
Plop.
The Dullahan released her neck from his grip.
Thud.
"Cough, cough!"
Amelia rubbed her throat, coughing.
"Ah..."
She looked up to glowing green eyes staring down.
Then, the Dullahan's thick black finger pointed one way.
"Uh, y-yeah?"
Tears pricking her eyes, Amelia followed his finger.
A blue line traced the ground where he pointed.
"I-Into that line...?"
Clank!
The Dullahan nodded his black helm, eyes fixed on her.
The water-blue girl looked flustered but stood and moved to the marked spot.
Whirr!
A transparent wall formed, with a rest chair inside.
"Heungmi gets it! It's tag!"
Heungmi's fox ears perked as realization dawned.
"See? Dullahan's 'it'! If we get caught, gulp! We fail and go there!"
She looked to Rune for confirmation.
"That's right."
Rune nodded.
It looked brutal for a kids' game, but the essence matched.
Meanwhile, Amelia caught her breath and sighed deeply.
"Haaa..."
Her shoulders slumped.
Calm now, relief mixed with dismay at being first out.
I wanted to do well.
Rune spoke to the dejected girl on the chair.
"Amelia. How long have you been moving on land with legs?"
"Oh, y-yeah... not long."
He said it to lift her spirits.
A kind of excuse.
Kind of consolation.
Rune continued.
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. You're least used to using your legs, so watch and remember everything now."
He adapted a proverb he knew.
Just days on land for her.
Dragon-born athleticism helped, but any normal being would be toddling—facing a bull-rush with a weapon was impossible to counter instantly.
Rune's intent worked.
"Y-Yeah!"
Amelia hesitated, wanting to say more.
She clenched her white fists.
"E-Everyone, f-fight hard...!"
She cheered the rest, took a deep breath, and watched the Dullahan intently.
Good. She's steady now.
Watching was learning too.
She'd grow fast once legs felt natural.
"Our turn now."
Rune regulated his breathing and focused on the Dullahan.
This time, the Dullahan held a long staff, green eyes scanning for a target.
Hunter or hunted.
Confidence in both.
Rune set his goal.
Drag this out, gather info, adapt on the fly.
He signaled Perdikion and Heungmi.
"Heungmi. Bro, grab openings."
"Got it, Rune."
"Huaah, yes!"
Heungmi's beastkin instincts flared; her pink eyes burned with vigilance.
The three circled the Dullahan in a triangle.
Who'd be targeted first? Unknown.
The black smoke in the Dullahan's hand became a giant hammer.
Whooosh!
Krboom!
The ground quaked.
Earth sank instantly; sand, dirt, pebbles flew.
"Whoa!"
Heungmi dodged a large rock fragment, stepping aside.
Scree!
A sharp whoosh followed by a relentless hammer strike toward her.
Clang!
A deep vibration shook the air, rattling guts.
Heungmi's tail stiffened as the hammer closed in—something intervened.
"Nngh!"
It was Rune.
Tch. No time to deflect.
He grimaced, swallowing a grunt.
In his right hand from the subspace pouch: a shield that blocked anything.
"Rune! You okay?"
Perdikion, not the target, floated five flame-forged swords in the air.
Had the Dullahan not dodged the block, they'd have hit.
"Better than expected."
Rune tossed the answer casually.
Honestly, the impact was heavy.
Two more, and even he'd be out.
"Shield helped, but dodging's better."
"Right. Don't get reckless."
Rune nodded obediently at Perdikion.
Then the Dullahan charged, weapon shifting to a long sickle.
Scrape!
The Dullahan raked the ground, kicking up dirt and gravel at Rune and Heungmi.
One, two, three, four, five.
Counting mentally, Rune snatched every pebble with one hand.
Sensing the faint dust tremor too.
Screech!
Space tore with a sharp whoosh.
But Rune and Heungmi were gone.
Rune had grabbed Heungmi's scruff and bolted.
Flash.
Rune felt the Dullahan's green eyes lock on him with keen interest.
Didn't expect the dodge.
Spotting tiny differences was skill.
Fights weren't won by brave charges alone.
Terrain, situations, advantages.
All factored in.
Can't calculate every one... It's innate or from countless battlefields.
Seemed instinct-based teaching; each attack was grueling.
Rune smiled faintly.
"Good lesson for learning the battlefield."
It was a shame.
Had Amelia not fallen first, he could've used the dwarven unbreakable spear.
That's why he targeted her.
The Dullahan who trained her knew.
Indeed, I have to use it.
Rune recalled his other weapon, timing it.