Chapter 108: The Impoverished Viscount’s Second Son Pursues Her Gaze 9
*
Normally, whether it’s against monsters or humans.
Combat time is surprisingly short.
It makes sense. Neither humans nor monsters are built to exchange blows with their lives on the line for hours on end.
Both humans and monsters flee when exhausted, and if escape isn’t possible, they die.
That’s why, although I tried to sound cool by saying, “This is an endurance run,”…
…deep down, I expected it to be settled within a reasonable amount of time.
After all, I was fighting alongside the “Elza the Impaler”.
But the first one to tire out was Elza.
It happened an hour after I landed a blow on the side of the Blackened Jewelhead Dragon’s head.
“Senior Disciple, taking a quick break.”
She says it so casually.
While parrying the Dragon’s barrage of attacks—a mix of feints using its elongated neck, two front legs, and jaw—I severed its lower jaw.
The Dragon’s lower jaw fell to the ground with a thud, but it regenerated immediately.
Not enough firepower. Watching the Dragon regenerate its jaw at such an absurd speed, I honestly thought so.
I never thought the day would come when I’d wish Shara Lansra was here.
I felt bad for thinking she was just interrupting my alone time with Erica. I repent.
Come to think of it, I left town without telling her anything, I mused while slicing off the Dragon’s arm.
Neither Elza nor I have enough burst damage.
Even Elza’s magic suffers from Magicka interference from the Dragon’s body, preventing it from piercing deeply enough to instantly shred half its body.
No, even half its body wouldn’t be enough; this thing would probably regenerate instantly right now.
We really need burst damage on par with Erica or Shara.
Just chipping away, cutting off arms and legs, won’t stop this thing.
Yes, that’s right.
Astonishingly, the Dragon continues to advance even while fighting.
Can you believe it?
Even after having its belly gouged out by Elza, its head crushed by me, and its arms and legs severed, it doesn’t stop moving forward.
I thought I knew how absurd Dragonkin were, but this is just too far beyond expectations.
Even an Ogre Knight dies if you cut off its head, you know.
Grumbling this, I crushed the Dragon’s head.
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve done it.
*
“Seriously, this has got to be a new record, hey.”
The sense of time drilled into me by my master told me that three hours had passed since the fight began.
Maintaining high-intensity Physical Enhancement for three hours straight is certainly a first for me outside of training.
This drawn-out battle, where I can’t let my guard down but don’t quite have to prepare for death, is slowly grinding down my spirit.
No, let’s be blunt.
“Senior Disciple, I’m bored.”
You’re the one saying that?
As if it were an afterthought, Elza skewers the Dragon from its front leg through its torso with her (self-proclaimed) Iron Stakes, true to her Alias, while taking a drink from her Water Flask.
The Dragon tears itself free and moves forward.
The Dragon pays no mind to the flowing blood or the torn flesh.
“Its Magicka reserves are absurd.”
I muttered this, noticing I was finally starting to get winded.
Freed from the piercing Iron Stakes, the Dragon shudders.
It lifts its head high and looks down on me.
I see. So it’s trying to say it’s still got plenty left in the tank, huh?
For a moment, the option of a temporary retreat crossed my mind, but I discarded it without even considering it.
There were several reasons.
The place we’re fighting now is the middle of an empty plain, but it’s already far too close to Hecate.
Even I, with my poor sense of direction in the Margraviate of Makikomarkrow, can tell.
If the Dragon continues north like this, it will eventually hit the highway, and it’s inevitable that people traveling on it will be harmed.
I couldn’t bring myself to conveniently assume there would be no one using the highway when the Dragon approached it.
I don’t know its target or objective, but whether I cut off its legs or crushed its head, the Dragon’s movement speed hardly changed.
As a result, the Dragon has already entered human territory.
We humans live huddled together in this world where Monsters spawn anywhere and everywhere.
Meaning, in towns, and those who couldn’t fit in the towns build villages nearby.
Indeed, the silhouettes of Hecate’s satellite villages are already peeking over the horizon.
Whether large or small, they’re likely villages with only minor Monster Repellent Magic Tools; expecting a Barrier is out of the question.
Just the Dragon passing through would cause immense damage.
Have they already evacuated?
Is it just routine for farming villages to suffer monster damage?
Will the Margrave take care of his people?
Aah, that’s right.
That’s right, but screw that.
I kicked off the ground and circled to the Dragon’s flank.
“But that kind of Iniquity should get cozier with adventurers (us), shouldn’t it?”
I slammed the Dragon’s head into the ground from the side.
I landed another blow on its head as it bounced off the ground.
I stopped moving and stood directly in front of the Dragon.
My eyes met the Dragon’s as it spat out broken fangs.
“The endurance run is over.”
My ideal (Erica) smiled within me.
Besides, a fellow professional (John Parkour) provoked me, didn’t he? Saying something like, “You can at least delay it, right?”
“Don’t think you’re taking another step forward from here.”
I felt as though my words, which shouldn’t