Flame Hell Thunder God Spear
Hmm. Reaching a higher realm really does make things a bit easier.
Having ascended to Hwa-gyeong and the 7th Circle, facing dragons had become considerably more manageable.
Of course, that was only possible because this dragon was merely an adult, not an ancient dragon.
Dragons became adults at one thousand years of age. From five thousand years onward, they were classified as ancient dragons. Their maximum lifespan was ten thousand years. Though some dragons were said to live out their full maximum lifespan, most did not die of old age. The majority perished in battle, and it was common for them to vanish long before ever approaching that limit.
Because of that, a saying had become habitual among dragons: “It is not that the strong survive. It is that those who survive become strong.”
And that was no joke—it was the truth. Dragons as a species grew deeper in mana and stronger the longer they lived. Unlike humans, who weakened with age, they only grew more powerful with the passage of time.
The one in front of me has lived three thousand years at most.
At this level, aside from its thick and tough hide, there was nothing particularly remarkable about it. Just an ordinary magic-using dragon?
BOOOOM!
A deep rumble shook the ground. Robeist, struck square in the jaw by Do-ha, tumbled backward. In thousands of years of life he had never been hit like this—and he had never rolled across the ground so disgracefully either.
“Grrraaagh…”
Even before he could fully rise, Robeist rapidly unfurled magic.
Great Shield.
A dense barrier shimmered into existence with a crackling hiss.
Using a Great Shield against a mere human is a blow to my pride… but pride only matters if you’re still alive to keep it.
A Great Shield was several times harder than ordinary shield magic. Destroying it would take a considerable amount of time. Until then, he would have to launch a variety of attacks.
A low hum filled the air, followed by a solid thunk.
“Keh-heh-heh. Go on—try to break it.”
When the human’s attack was stopped by the shield, Robeist burst into laughter. Yet Do-ha only struck once before immediately ceasing all movement.
Breaking a dragon’s Great Shield with raw force would take forever.
But that did not mean there was no method. For anyone else it might have been difficult; for him, it was simple.
With a soft rush of air, Do-ha stepped close and laid a hand upon the shield.
“Hey, lizard. Did you know that every kind of energy in this world has its own unique movement?”
“What nonsense are you—”
A strange vibration began to sound as Do-ha smiled and drew up his energy.
Hwaneum-yeyang-gong — Third Form: Cheomyeong-wolpa
A violent, continuous tremor shook the air.
“Wh… what?”
The Great Shield, more than a meter thick, began to undulate like water. Robeist’s pupils trembled.
Surely not…
Impossible. Simply placing a hand on it could never shatter the shield.
The trembling intensified.
“Looks like you’ve got plenty of time to stand there gawking.”
BOOOOM!
A sharp cracking sound split the air, followed by the clear ring of shattering glass. The Great Shield finally broke apart like glass and scattered in every direction.
“Damn it!”
Robeist immediately tried to Blink again. Teleport required coordinate settings and took a little time, so the relatively quick Blink was more convenient.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
A wave of cold poured from Do-ha’s lips as he watched the dragon’s movement.
Bingbaek-singong — Fourth Form: Mihwa-hyeop
Ice formed across the entire body of the dragon at point-blank range, freezing him solid in an instant. Strangely, not even frost touched any other spot—only the dragon was sealed inside the ice.
A sharp crack rang out, then the clear sound of shattering.
“Hmm. The ice broke sooner than I expected.”
“Hah… hah…”
Robeist’s complexion worsened dramatically the moment he broke free. It was only natural—Robeist was a red dragon. The extreme cold of the ice energy had seeped deep into the body of a being that symbolized fire.
“Grrrk.”
As the cold tried to invade his Dragon Heart, the dragon ground his teeth. He was pushing the cold back with the fire energy boiling inside him, yet the cursed energy kept writhing, waiting for any opening to freeze the Dragon Heart solid.
“Looks pretty painful. Dying would make it easier, you know.”
“Stop… stop running your mouth!”
Robeist’s jaws split wide open with a roar. A massive surge of power gathered as he prepared to unleash his Dragon Breath. The monsters in the surrounding area would die, but the sight of this human had driven him past the point of caring.
Do-ha, however, had been waiting for exactly that. A pure Breath of raw mana, not magic, could not be influenced the same way spells could. But the act of opening the mouth itself created an enormous opening.
Do-ha charged straight toward the open maw.
You’re going to regret opening that mouth.
His eyes had already turned a deep green.
Yeokcheon-mudok-ma-gong — Third Absolute: Gamsil-mildok
A round sphere glowing pink formed in Do-ha’s hand as he ran. Melon-sized, it gave off a fragrant scent that teased the nose and a mouthwatering sheen. It was, however, an extreme poison. If it merely touched the ground, every plant within a one-kilometer radius would wither and die from the contamination.
Do-ha flicked his fingers.
Tanji-gong — Yegyeok.
He hurled the Gamsil-mildok like a shot put. It shot forward with a piercing whistle and vanished down the dragon’s throat.
“Ghk?!”
Robeist, chest swelling to unleash his Breath, suddenly stopped and his eyes flew wide. Something had just gone down his throat. If it had been larger he could have spat it out, but it was far too small—it simply slid straight down.
“You… you bastard, what did you just feed m—”
Blood suddenly poured from Robeist’s eyes, nose, and mouth.
“GRAAAAAAAAGH!”
“In Belhart,” Do-ha said coldly, looking down at the dragon clutching its body and vomiting blood, “no dragon ever opened its mouth in front of me.”
Because the moment they did, he fed them poison. The dragons of Belhart had learned never to try unleashing Breath in his presence. This one simply hadn’t known.
“Urgh… I… I can’t die like this…”
Robeist’s body trembled as he cast the highest-tier healing magic.
Restoration.
Bubbles of light rose—then he retched even harder, blood gushing out in torrents.
“GRAAAAAAGH!”
“Wh… what is happening…?!”
Why had the poison spread even more the moment he used healing magic?! The human wasn’t even doing anything—why was the poison spreading?!
“You idiot. You used healing magic without even knowing what type of poison was inside your own body.”
Do-ha shook his head. In truth, Gamsil-mildok was a martial art created by combining poison with healing magic. Inspired by the saying that poison used well becomes medicine, the technique caused the poison to activate even more fiercely when healing magic was applied. Even drinking an antidote produced the same result. In a way, it was an extremely cruel poison art.
Yet the method to break it was surprisingly simple.
You don’t heal it or detoxify it. You simply expel the poison energy spreading through the body. That’s all.
The dragon, of course, had no idea. Do-ha wore a cold, thin smile.
At last, in agony, Robeist spread his wings wide.
“I will not… I will not die in the Promised Space like this!!!”
“The Promised Space?”
Do-ha tilted his head at the incomprehensible words.
In that instant Robeist poured every remaining scrap of power into alternating Blinks and Teleports, shooting forward in a desperate flight.
Selenia and Canteas moved together at once, launching a coordinated attack to stop the dragon.
“Get out of my way!!”
Crackling energy exploded outward. Dragon Fear erupted from Robeist, and both Selenia’s and Canteas’s power detonated against them.
“Kyaaak!”
“Ugh!”
“Do-ha-ssi… I’m sorry…”
“Sorry… we lost him.”
“It’s fine. Not your fault.”
Do-ha shook his head as he looked at the two who had fallen to the ground. Even he had not anticipated this situation a moment ago.
That bastard… the crisis of death made him use Dragon Tongue.
That was why Selenia’s and Canteas’s power had exploded. In a way, it was fortunate. If they had tried to force their way through that power, both would have been seriously injured.
He doesn’t even realize he used Dragon Tongue.
He probably hadn’t been conscious of it himself. He would have thought he simply released Dragon Fear, when in reality it had been Dragon Tongue. To already be using a power normally available only from the ancient dragon stage…
“Looks like he had more talent than I thought.”
A pity. To possess such talent and still have to die.
Robeist, having reached the entrance, gathered every last ounce of strength and smashed through the Gate that had been sealing him in.
A tearing sound echoed from somewhere—the sound of the Gate expanding, and at the same time the sound of the dragon’s own hide being ripped apart as he forced his way out.
Just… a little more…!
With a final roar, Robeist burst through the Gate and escaped outside.
“We’re going out too.”
Do-ha gathered the two of them and immediately stepped into Noeryeongsinbo, vanishing in a flash of movement.
Hunters collapsed to the ground one after another.
“Whew. This side’s clear.”
“Ours too.”
“Here as well!”
Countless hunters finished off the monsters that had spilled out of the Gate. Though not as many as during a full Wave, high-rank monsters had still poured out, giving them a hard fight.
“Are we done too?”
“Yeah.”
While the Argentine hunters were cleaning up the monsters, Kang Ji-hwan and Han Se-ah wiped the sweat from their brows after wiping out the Demon God Cult. Fortunately they had stopped the cultists before they could pull any more stunts.
“We’re finished here, but I wonder what’s happening inside the Gate.”
“Well… there’s no way Do-ha-nim could have fallen…”
At that moment a tremendous roar shook the air, accompanied by a violent tearing sound.
“The Gate’s starting to thrash around…”
“Is Do-ha-nim coming out?”
Contrary to their expectations, what emerged from the Gate was a massive dragon.
Wings beat the air with a heavy whoosh.
“Keh-heh-heh-heh… I… I’m finally… out.”
“Kyaaaaak!”
“Uwaaaagh!”
Citizens who had been looking up at the sky after hearing the roar all screamed at once. They had been watching because of the noise—only for a dragon to suddenly appear. The hunters gathered nearby were no less shocked; their bodies locked up under the crushing wave of terror. Simply facing the creature made it hard to breathe.
“D-damn it… a dragon actually came out of the Gate…”
“Did Do-ha-nim die?”
In that instant the Gate rippled once more, and something else stepped out.
“You’ve had your look at the world you so desperately wanted. Now die.”
A deep, rolling rumble filled the air as Do-ha, emerging right behind the dragon, immediately drew up his energy. Lightning flashed. He caught a massive bolt that fell from the dark clouds with his bare hand.
Robeist, watching that sight, muttered a low curse.
“…This is seriously messed up.”
Baek-bo Myeol-hwang Gong — Fifth Step: Yeom-ok-noe-shin-chang
“Farewell.”
Do-ha, floating in midair, hurled the single bolt of lightning. It punched straight through Robeist’s skull with a crackling explosion of light and force.