Chapter 168:
The Espers who had been fighting, the dragons who had been attacking them, and even those observing from the rear all froze, their gazes fixed on the fallen dragon.
Grayson quickly conjured a gust of wind, clearing the dust cloud.
Everyone gasped as the scene came into view.
The red dragon, trembling on the ground.
And Seo Jae-yi, standing on its back, her body covered in blood, holding one of its massive wings in her hand.
Drip, drip.
Blood dripped steadily from the severed wing.
“Phew.”
Seo Jae-yi exhaled, casually wiping the blood from her face, the silence almost deafening.
She was unharmed, despite being drenched in the dragon’s scorching blood. Her skin was slightly flushed, but it was impossible to tell if it was from the blood or her own ability.
“That should prevent it from flying around and causing trouble.”
She tossed the severed wing aside, a bright smile appearing on her face.
The sight of her, single-handedly ripping off a dragon’s wing and then smiling so cheerfully, sent a chill down the spines of everyone present, both the Awakened and the dragons.
All eyes were on her.
Her immense power, previously suppressed by her weakened body, was finally unleashed.
“Hahahaha!”
A booming laughter echoed from the sky. It was Airok.
“That’s my Master!”
He suddenly remembered the first time he saw Seo Jae-yi.
The moment he hatched from the egg he had been trapped in for centuries, meeting Seo Jae-yi, not Baek Joo-won as he had expected.
He had felt both awe and terror.
Not only was she a human carrying the forest dungeon master’s energy, but she was also completely suppressing it.
Her power, far surpassing any human he had ever encountered, her natural aura of dominance, her intimidating presence that demanded submission.
He had abandoned Baek Joo-won and pledged his loyalty to Seo Jae-yi the moment he realized she was stronger.
Three months later.
Airok wanted to applaud his past self for making that decision.
Seo Jae-yi, unleashing her full power, was breathtakingly powerful, terrifyingly magnificent.
‘I can’t just stand by and watch Master’s performance.’
Airok, his eyes filled with awe and admiration, turned his gaze back to the green dragon.
Its face was frozen in shock.
It must have been even more shocked than the others.
<What… is she?>
<…>
<What is she?!>
Airok smirked at its outburst.
<Are you showing your fear a bit too much?>
<…>
The green dragon couldn’t deny it.
The red dragon’s wing had been torn off. It could still fight; it wasn’t dead yet, but it was a different matter entirely for a human to single-handedly rip off a dragon’s wing.
<Don’t worry. You won’t be fighting Master.>
<What?>
<You’ll die by my hand before you even reach her.>
He knew, after exchanging a few blows, that this dragon was no match for him. Its wind attacks couldn’t even penetrate his water shield.
‘The magic stones Master gave me are really effective.’
Not only had he regained his full power, but he was even stronger than before, thanks to the magic stones he had consumed.
He could easily kill this dragon.
Airok, having dispelled the green wind, dug his claws into the dragon’s scales.
Then he opened his jaws wide and bit down on its neck.
Crunch!
Even a dragon’s tough scales couldn’t withstand the teeth of another dragon, a stronger one.
Blood gushed from the wound. The green dragon thrashed, but Airok, instead of releasing his grip, bit down even harder.
And then, a massive spear, made of incredibly clear water, appeared in the air. The sharply pointed spear plunged into the dragon’s body.
<Aaaaaargh!>
The impaled dragon screamed. The two entangled dragons crashed to the ground, blood gushing from the wounds, staining the barren earth crimson.
Airok finally released his grip when the white dragon’s body was drenched in blood. His blue eyes, gleaming with a predatory light, were filled with the thrill of the kill.
“Dragons are the most delicious, after all.”
The water spear, having fulfilled its purpose, dissipated into the air. The sight of the water droplets turning into mist was beautiful, but no one could appreciate it, their gazes fixed on the gruesomely mangled dragon corpse.
Except for Seo Jae-yi.
“Wow, Logi, you fought well! I can’t call you a child anymore.”
Seo Jae-yi, still standing on the red dragon’s back, applauded Airok’s impressive performance.
She looked like a proud parent watching her child succeed.
‘There was a reason Hae-wi told me to take him with me.’
She thought of Baek Joo-won, who would be… elsewhere, carrying out his task.
Seo Jae-yi’s expression darkened slightly.
‘That task’ was something she and Baek Joo-won had planned together, even enlisting Joo Seon-min and Kwon Gyu-yeon’s help.
Now that she was here, Baek Joo-won had to do it alone, but she trusted him to complete it successfully.
She trusted him, but she couldn’t help but worry.
He was her precious, beloved lover.
“Ah.”
But she didn’t have time to dwell on her worries.
She felt the ground beneath her feet shift and quickly jumped off the dragon’s back.
The red dragon, having regained consciousness, was struggling to get up, its eyes burning with rage.
It opened its jaws wide, and she realized…
‘It’s not just anger!’
An intense heat gathered within its mouth. The dragon’s fire breath, its signature attack, was unleashed, engulfing Seo Jae-yi in flames.
She hadn’t had time to dodge. Someone screamed, seeing her disappear into the inferno.
A dragon’s fire breath was incredibly dangerous, even for an S-rank Esper. They could withstand it for a short time, but they would die without immediate Guiding.
“That’s what I call a proper dragon!”
But Seo Jae-yi, defying all expectations, yelled excitedly from within the flames.
And then, instead of being incinerated, she began to absorb the flames, the dragon’s breath converging towards her, instead of spreading.
The concentrated flames, like a miniature sun, fell into her outstretched hand.
“Hah, that was a bit hot.”
Seo Jae-yi grinned, holding the miniature sun in her hand. Her combat uniform was scorched, and her skin was burned in several places, but she was surprisingly unharmed, considering she had taken a dragon’s breath head-on.
The dragon stared at her, dumbfounded.
<How can a human… withstand my breath?!>
“I can understand you this time. You’re asking how I did it? Honestly, I didn’t think I could do it either, but it worked. Maybe it’s because it’s also fire?”
Seo Jae-yi looked directly at the stunned dragon.
And the dragon saw it. A faint green light flickering within her crimson eyes, a potent life force that made even a dragon flinch.
And then, its burns began to heal rapidly.
It wasn’t just fast healing; it was regeneration, the kind only monsters possessed!
<How can a human… regenerate?!>
“I don’t understand you this time. But it doesn’t matter.”
Seo Jae-yi, ignoring the dragon’s cries, held the absorbed fire breath in her hand and yelled,
“Eli!”
A purple portal appeared beneath her feet. She stepped into it and reappeared above the dragon’s head.
Even a dragon couldn’t easily dodge a teleport attack.
Seo Jae-yi tossed the condensed fire breath at the dragon’s face.
<Raaaaargh!>
The flames, now amplified by her own power, melted even the dragon’s tough scales.
And it had been a direct hit to its face. The dragon’s eyes, its most vulnerable spot, burned. It shrieked in agony.
“Maggie!”
Seo Jae-yi, calling out to Grayson, created dozens of fire spears in the air.
No further explanation was needed. Grayson extended his hand, and the wind wrapped around the fire spears, sharpening their tips.
Sharp enough to pierce through anything.
The fire spears, imbued with the combined power of two S-rank Espers, rained down on the thrashing red dragon.
Fire and wind, even more powerful when combined.
And with the combined might of two top-tier S-rank Espers, even a dragon’s defenses couldn’t withstand it.
Crack, crack, crack!
The fire and wind spears pierced through its scales and tore into its flesh. The red dragon roared and unleashed its fire breath, trying to extinguish the spears, but they only grew larger, fueled by the wind.
<Groan…>
The fire spears, relentlessly piercing deeper, finally reached its heart, and the red dragon’s massive body collapsed with a thud.
Grayson landed beside Seo Jae-yi, who had jumped down.
“Maggie, your support skills haven’t dulled.”
“Of course not. I’m the only one who can keep up with you.”
They clasped hands and grinned at each other.
“We’ll retrieve the dragon’s body after the subjugation, right?”
“Yes. You did most of the work, so you get the biggest share, even though Eli and I helped.”
Seo Jae-yi nodded, pleased by Grayson’s confirmation.
She had secured one magic stone.
A dragon’s magic stone… How potent would it be? The thought of Baek Joo-won and Airok enjoying it banished her fatigue.
‘I wonder what my overload level is.’
She had received plenty of Guiding from Baek Joo-won, but she had still used quite a bit of power; it should be over 10%.
She checked her receiver.
【Overload Progress — 0%】
Seo Jae-yi stared at the unbelievable number, her eyes wide.
‘Zero percent?’
She rubbed her eyes and checked again, but the number remained the same. And the receiver wasn’t malfunctioning.
‘Is this even possible?’
She was prone to severe overloads because of her powerful ability; how could it be at 0%, not even 1%?
It was strange, even considering Baek Joo-won’s Guiding.
Something had changed within her body.