VIP Chapter 395: The Frustrated Fire Dragon Killer (4k)
Iaar never thought the title “Fire Dragon Killer” held any coolness. However, if this title served as an affirmation of the mission Will had left her, even granting her more convenience, she would happily accept it.
She thought this because today she encountered a team also aiming to clear The End Ash. They recognized Iaar at a glance and called out the name “Fire Dragon Killer.”
Especially—
“It’s the Fire Dragon Killer who thoroughly embarrassed Captain Crimson Flame!”
“That’s right. The news has spread throughout the Adventurer’s Guild. After all, who wouldn’t want to see the Guild Master’s son humiliated?”
When they said this, Iaar felt a little happy.
It was like a dog guarding a tombstone, discovering a beautiful flower one day and happily placing it in front of the tomb, making the tombstone look more beautiful.
Apart from that, Iaar was actually contemplating how to reach the final floor of this dungeon with minimal losses. After all, this time The End Ash had 70 floors, a number that was no longer suitable for her to clear alone.
Thus, she joined this team.
The team’s name seemed to be “Plague Relief Squad.” Their leader, an adventurer named White, who appeared to be a middle-aged man in his fifties with leg problems, was accompanied by Miss Emily, possibly his daughter? She took great care of her father.
—These were all Iaar’s deductions; she hadn’t asked if the situation was indeed like this.
Iaar estimated White’s age mainly by observing that half of his hair was already white. Adventurers his age were very rare; most adventurers retired around forty.
Especially when he stumbled in front of Iaar, leaning on his cane, Iaar would wonder what kind of driving force could have brought him this far.
Especially…
His cane seemed to have hit a stone, almost causing him to fall to the ground.
His legs were inconvenient, even considered quite lame.
“Mr. White. I’m actually not in a hurry to clear the dungeon. You can walk slower. For me, this time is a reconnaissance mission for every Fire Dragon clear. The final floor of the dungeon allows for temporary retreats, and scouting the BOSS is very important.”
“Ahaha… I suppose I am a bit anxious too.”
“Your leg, what happened? Did it happen during your over twenty years as an adventurer?”
“Yes… no, no, no, how can it be over twenty years of adventuring?” White wore an expression of exasperated amusement. “Uh… Fire Dragon Killer, how old do you think I am?”
“At least fifty?”
“I… I’m only twenty-five this year!”
When White spoke, he angrily swung his cane, a gesture that made him appear even older.
“It’s not your fault. My husband sustained an old injury in an ice-attribute dungeon a few years ago when the Adventurer’s Guild wasn’t as well-established as it is now, and we often had to undertake challenges beyond our level,” Emily explained from the side.
“Husband… Old injury…?”
Iaar had mediocre magical talent. She looked at White’s leg. If she were to use magic to detect it seriously, she could indeed see some frozen scars on his leg.
She realized then that she had not only misjudged White’s age but also Emily’s and his relative positions and relationship.
These two adventurers, who had teamed up, seemed to be hearing such questions for the first time and began to talk at length.
“That’s right. It must have been from a powerful ice demon who cast ‘flesh freeze’ magic. At the time, it seemed minor, but it worsened over time,” Emily shook her head. “We consulted doctors and checked the Adventurer’s Guild’s relevant records. What we currently know is… there’s a record stating that among the loot dropped after the death of Fire Dragons on floor 70 and above, there are dragon claws that can be used to make a medicinal soup for healing.”
Iaar understood. In this world, adventurers who entered dungeons indeed had different reasons.
Some fought for survival to continue living.
And some…
Lived for those who had already died.
“…I see, I understand. As long as you don’t fight me for the heart, it’s fine. However, if the heart is indeed inscribed with ‘Al,’ you can have it.”
“No, no. But are we going into the 70th floor now?”
“This dungeon is said to be extremely dangerous. Adventurers who have challenged it have been extremely frustrated… Sigh, do we really have a chance to get the healing medicine?”
“It’s just a reconnaissance, it’ll be fine—”
Iaar confidently opened the door to the 70th floor.
But what she didn’t expect was to encounter a “failure” she had never experienced before, waiting for this “Fire Dragon Killer.”
…
The final floor of The End Ash was not much different from other fire-attribute-themed dungeons. Perhaps its most distinctive feature was…
Its extremely “high” final floor.
Because from a human perspective, although each floor of the dungeon felt like entering an alternate dimension, it was still “underground,” and one could see the ceiling.
In The End Ash dungeon, looking up revealed a “sufficiently high” sky. The sky, which had once been the “boundary” of this floor, extended upwards like an infinitely long sloping wall. Only in the very center, visible only when looking up, was a small disk representing the ceiling of this floor.
The sky was blood-red, but not the “underground” red of other fire or volcanic-themed dungeons.
It was closer to the blood-red of dusk.
At the indistinct end of the dim sky, there was no sun, but from the edges, layers of gradient red blossomed, extending all the way to the dome.
Beyond that, the entire ground of the dungeon was an endless “wilderness.”
Although the ground was not sand, it was hard, red earth. Stepping on it provided a solid support, and a casual kick could send pebbles flying.
Such land felt less like it was naturally hard and more like it had been repeatedly trodden down.
“So high. But where is that dragon…”
Iaar’s words were cut short as she heard a steaming sound, like water boiling.
“Fire Dragon Killer! Look up! Over there!”
“Huh? Where…”
Iaar looked up and saw a red “box” in mid-air, just large enough to fit a Fire Dragon.
But what was this box?
Judging by its appearance, it looked more like…
A toy box sold outside the dungeon, containing a miniature Fire Dragon toy?
Could it be this Fire Dragon’s “bedroom”? Did Fire Dragons need to sleep in boxes? Didn’t they usually sleep anywhere in the wild?
Steam billowed around the box, and within the embrace of the steam, they discovered they were already being enveloped by the shadow of a massive Fire Dragon—
The Fire Dragon of The End Ash.
Bathed in the afterglow of a sunset that felt like the end of the world, it unfurled its sky-obscuring wings.
“Everyone, fall back. Leave this to me for now.”
Iaar stepped forward, thrusting her shield into the ground before her. She subtly infused a layer of magic onto the shield, but did not immediately unleash any Ice Array (Attack) skills.
If the enemy doesn’t move, I don’t move.
She gazed up at the winged Fire Dragon in the sky, waiting for its first attack.
This was the third rule from “Rules for Killing Fire Dragons,” and something young master often cautioned her about, as she was always too eager to use skills.
When facing an unknown Fire Dragon, the first consideration was a war of attrition.
After the enemy launched its first attack, estimate its strength, then adjust magic consumption for the most efficient wear-down, depleting most of its energy.
However…
The dragon overhead flapped its wings, its azure eyes observing the team below intently, then slowly landed back on the red toy box from which it had emerged.
“Hmm? Why… isn’t it attacking?”
“Pfft—”
It exhaled, as if responding to Iaar’s question.
“Pfft—”
It exhaled a second breath, carrying a hint of mockery, seemingly inviting Iaar to attack.
“Fire Dragon Killer, what’s the situation now?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never encountered a Fire Dragon like this.”
As common “fire-breathing dragon-type” monsters in dungeons, they were always described with adjectives like “irritable,” “quick-tempered,” and “highly aggressive,” making them the most dangerous monsters to defend against. But…
Iaar had a bad premonition.
A thought struck her: a strategy a Fire Dragon had never used before.
Had it seen through her intention to engage in a war of attrition?
Could this Fire Dragon be exceptionally intelligent? Even deeply understanding adventurers’ counter-strategies?
“Since you’re not attacking, we will.”
The lame White, possessing decent swordsmanship, had already nocked a bolt onto his crossbow, aiming at the Fire Dragon overhead.
“Wait, Mr. White, it’s too early for this…”
White’s first arrow was loosed, and Iaar could only deploy her Ice Wall accordingly.
“Hmph.”
Exhaling a puff of hot steam from its nostrils, the Fire Dragon flapped its wings, flew up from its box, circled three times in the air, and effortlessly dodged the ground-based attack.
It didn’t immediately use flames. Instead, it cleverly used the time when Iaar was maintaining the Ice Wall and defenses to engage in a war of attrition with the archer on the ground.
“White, let me—”
Emily rushed out from behind them, aiming her staff at the Fire Dragon.
Iaar could see that their coordination was excellent, a testament to their years as a couple. Their combined archery and magic were driving the Fire Dragon into a corner.
However…
Iaar felt increasingly uneasy.
Its flight pattern in the air wasn’t merely evasive maneuvers and hovering forced by the two. Such a trajectory looked like…
Some kind of pattern?
Suddenly, it hovered directly in the center of the sky.
Its wings generated waves of heat, and a few arrows flew past its wingtips, while an ice-attribute ray grazed its tail.
“It’s not dodging anymore. Emily, increase the output!”
White rapidly reloaded his crossbow, intending to pierce the Fire Dragon with all his bolts.
Emily temporarily lowered her staff and began a chant.
“Fire Dragon Killer, for now, I’ll leave the defense to you.”
“Understood, no problem.”
Iaar gazed at the sky. Faintly, in the distant sky, she saw scorched marks left by the Fire Dragon’s burning tail.
These scorching marks left an imprint in her grey eyes as well, exceptionally dazzling.
Very familiar…
She wasn’t an adventurer who specialized solely in Shield Saint. After Will finished his lessons, he also enjoyed teaching her about other magic knowledge, like a review.
Therefore…
She recognized it at a glance.
“No, this is a magic array, and it’s for boosting output power… Watch out!”
“Ice Array (Attack) – Anti-Air.”
The higher the power of a magic spell, the more it requires charging, incantation, and a magic array, and it cannot be interrupted.
Boom—
There was no chant from the other side, though perhaps they mumbled something in a “dragon language” inaudible to them. In the sky, devoid of a “sun” yet radiant like dusk, a blinding white light suddenly erupted, spreading across their entire field of vision.
The three only heard the first explosion, as after that, their ears were filled with endless ringing.
What was the power of this?
How many could it kill in one blow?
And what was its temperature?
And…
How long would it continue?
Accompanying the explosion, Iaar felt the temperature rising outside the shield she held above her head.
It was still attacking with high-temperature breath!
Amidst the blinding white light, Iaar did her best to maintain the sky defense of Ice Array (Attack) and her own Ice Armor Infusion.
She noticed that despite the high-intensity skill, the Fire Dragon’s attack persisted for a long time.
What kind of magic array had it used?
And…
Why would a Fire Dragon draw a magic array?
If Iaar hadn’t rushed to cast magic for defense earlier, she might have been able to block this move. But the opponent was cunning, using this method to trick her into using her skills.
After an unknown amount of time, as Iaar’s hands holding the shield grew numb, she noticed the continuous flame from the other side had stopped.
She slowly lowered her shield and looked around unsteadily.
In the blood-red twilight, illuminated by the ambient light rather than the sun, lay her current teammates.
“Mr. White, and Miss Emily…”
With half-open eyes, Iaar saw White, whose clothes were partially burnt, lying on the ground. Emily, also seriously injured, was helping him up.
“Still injured… If… If only I had realized sooner…”
She fell to the ground and, with all her remaining strength, took out her badge and flipped it onto the ground.
“Surrender—”
On the final BOSS floor of dungeons, if one surrendered like this, the BOSS generally wouldn’t attack further, and people from the Adventurer’s Guild would rescue them.
However, Iaar was unwilling!
She slightly opened her eyes, wanting to get a clear look at the Fire Dragon before her.
In her blurry vision, the Fire Dragon descended, its red form almost obscuring her entire view.
—It didn’t seem particularly special…
Closed her eyes, then opened them.
—In front of the stopped Fire Dragon, there seemed… seemed to be… a little girl?
Closed her eyes, then opened them.
—She was wearing a tattered brown robe, her red hair a mess, holding a branch. She didn’t look like someone from this era, more like a wild child from the wilderness?
Closed her eyes, then opened them.
—She stopped… in front of me?
Closed her eyes, then opened them.
“Ice Array (Attack), hmm… This is also Ancient Magic? How rare…”
“To think I’d encounter a human who uses Ancient Magic like me.”
“Mhm, I… suppose I remember this.”
