"A black dragon has come to attack us!" the guard screamed as he burst into the room.
The village elder frowned. "A black dragon... It has been a long time since I last heard of one..."
Panic spread rapidly. The King put an end to the gathering and ordered his soldiers to prepare for battle. The elders, children, and women were taken to a shelter reserved for emergencies.
"If we don't hurry, everything will burn," one of the guards said with concern, alerting the King.
Helen and Mirian approached Ryan and whispered in his ear.
"I think that dragon is following us," Helen murmured.
"Are you serious?" Ryan asked in a low voice.
"Yes," Mirian nodded in agreement. "Just think about it. It must be the same one that threw us into the dungeon, and dragons are very proud creatures..."
"That's true," Helen continued. "It must have caught our scent when we left the dungeon and followed us to the forest. Since it can't see us, it's burning the forest to force us out."
'Shit, so these people are in danger because of us,' Ryan evaluated in his mind. He then looked around.
The elven guard had assembled.
And the vulnerable elves had already taken shelter.
"Helen, Mirian, then we must fight. Do you agree?" Ryan asked, turning toward them.
"Yes," Helen replied, gripping her weapon tighter. "I wanted to get revenge on that damn dragon anyway. This time I'll finish it."
Mirian smiled and adjusted her bow. "I feel the same way. We need to handle this."
Footsteps were heard. Someone was approaching behind Ryan and the heroines while they were planning. When Ryan turned around, it was Irina.
"What are you doing here?" Ryan scolded her. "I thought you went to take shelter."
Irina gasped softly. "No. I only directed the evacuation. I'm going to fight."
The king approached where Ryan and Irina were standing.
"Did I hear you say you are going to fight?" the king intervened sternly. "Absolutely not. You will stay here with our guests. The guard is already prepared; they will finish off that dragon before it causes any more disaster."
"But, Father..." Irina pleaded.
"No buts," the king ordered. "You will stay here."
"Pardon me, Your Majesty," Ryan intervened, stepping forward. "We will kill that dragon. Don't worry. Helen, Mirian, and I will go out to fight. You don't have to interfere."
"Did you hear that? The heroes will fight by our side!" Shouts of excitement were heard among the elven guard.
"But you have no obligation to do so," the king said, looking at Ryan in surprise. "You are our guests."
Helen stepped forward and stood before the king, looking at him with confidence. "Just let us handle it. It's exactly as Ryan says. Only the three of us will be enough."
Hearing the confidence with which Helen spoke, Irina looked at her with a glint in her eyes, as if admiring her.
"Very well. Then the elven guard will go with you," the king ordered.
"No," Mirian intervened.
Mirian stepped closer and then crossed her arms. She let out a soft sigh and then spoke. "Please understand. We won't be able to fight properly if we have to protect them. We won't allow anyone to die, and the best way to prevent that is for no one else to be present."
The king remained silent for a moment. "..."
"Alright, I understand," the king admitted, sighing. "You are S-rank heroes. There is nothing we can do. I leave it in your hands. Please, protect our forest."
"Yes!" the three affirmed and headed straight toward the exit.
As they headed to the portal, Ryan opened his stats to distribute the points he had earned.
"Stat."
[CHARACTER STATUS]
› Name: [Ryan]
› Level: 70 — Rank: B
› Class: Priest
› Title: Wolf Hunter.
› Strength: 900 | Magic: 748 | Agility: 700 | Psyche: 1,120 | Defense: 1,230 | Luck: 100 |
› Available Points: [100]
› EXP: 0 / 250,000
Strength: 900 → 1,000
'Good, with this I'll be able to fight now,' Ryan thought as they crossed the portal right where they had arrived at the village.
When they exited and looked into the distance above the forest, the dragon was soaring over the area. It continued incinerating everything in its path, looking like an out-of-control flamethrower.
"It's burning everything down. At this rate, it won't leave anything behind," Ryan commented.
"That bastard... How dare it burn our forest?" a harsh voice growled behind them.
Ryan blinked. "?"
The three heroes turned toward the voice.
"What are you doing here?" Mirian said, scolding Irina. "I clearly said I didn't want you to interfere."
Irina had snuck out to join them, looking stubborn.
"I'm sorry, but I don't need protection," Irina replied, puffing out her cheeks. "We can't let outsiders handle our forest alone."
'What determination, she's a good princess. Although it's our fault the dragon is here in the first place... but I won't say anything.'
"Let her be. If she wants to fight, let her," Helen smiled, looking at Irina. "I like your courage. I hope you don't die. Though with us here, you won't have to do anything anyway."
They all ventured into the forest toward the dragon, running to get there faster. When they were in the middle of the forest, far from the village entrance, the dragon noticed their presence and approached. It flew at high speed, relentlessly shooting a thick stream of flames that incinerated everything in its path.
'Man, that dragon is huge. Alright, time to test this out,' Ryan thought as he adjusted his gauntlets.
"Everyone behind me. Quick!" Ryan ordered, extending both hands forward.
"Wall of Fire!"
Immediately, a wall of fire deployed and collided with the dragon's flames. The dragon didn't stop its fire breath, but the wall of fire serving as a shield didn't let the dragon's attack pass through.
Furthermore, the wall of fire reflected part of the damage back at the dragon.
This caused the dragon's flames to dissipate, and upon realizing it hadn't harmed them, the dragon flapped its wings and began to roar. It slammed onto the ground on all four legs, roaring with fervor.
Irina's eyes widened in amazement. "Incredible, it stopped the dragon's attack!"
"The defense of these gauntlets is incredibly strong," Ryan commented.
"Naturally," Mirian replied calmly. "It's a rare weapon, after all."
"Helen, Mirian, are you ready?" Ryan turned to look at them.
Both nodded, readying their weapons.
"Physical Enhancement, Almighty!" Ryan chanted his support spells.
Their bodies lit up, and immediately Helen dashed forward at breakneck speed, completely severing the dragon's right wing.
From behind the dragon, Helen taunted, "How do you like that? I'm much stronger now. It was a mistake for you to come here, lizard."
The dragon roared in pain and anger, rearing up on its hind legs. Fire gathered in its jaws when Mirian's arrows pierced its neck, forcing it to swallow its own flames.
"You guys are amazing!" Irina shouted in excitement.
The disoriented dragon began to collapse slowly. Helen leaped into the air, spun, and completely severed the dragon's head. As she came down, she landed right on top of the dragon's skull, impaling it with her sword.
"It's over," Helen said with a smile.
Irina ran over, completely dazzled. "You were incredible! So this is the power of an S-rank hero!"
Everyone was happy, but distracted by the excitement of defeating the dragon, they had forgotten something important.
[Automatic debt collection initiated]
'Shit, the order...'