The battle had become a one-sided affair, hardly even a defense.
Countless ice bullets burst across the surface.
Each powerful strike violently shook the snow-covered earth, and the snow that rose with the explosions clouded the world like dust.
Amidst all this, Kiraboshi was desperately rolling and scrambling, pursued by the Ice Dragon.
“Hiii…!”
There wasn’t even time to think.
The enemy was the strongest creature on land, a dragon—its massive form effortlessly soared through the air with wings imbued with magical power, ensuring the monster with air supremacy wouldn’t lose sight of the humans crawling on the ground.
In contrast, Kiraboshi was simply covered in explosions and snow, to the point where she didn’t even know where she was standing.
The spirit to fight back had long been broken.
Kiraboshi was now nothing more than a rat, blindly fleeing in panic.
“H-Help me…!”
She ran sideways, gasping for breath, trying to avoid getting directly hit by the enemy’s laser attacks and the impact-detonation type breath.
And to avoid being cornered.
Even in this seemingly endless snowfield, this was a Dungeon. If she were cornered in a dead-end alley, Kiraboshi’s life would end in an instant.
Light flashed behind her. Sensing the magical power, she instinctively ducked her head.
A pale blue laser beam grazed overhead, blasting a large hole in the distant wall.
She avoided a direct hit, but if it had connected, she would have lost all her Magical Power. In other words—she would die.
“I-I don’t want to die…!”
Her body trembled, her mind crushed by panic, and tears welled up as she ran, nearly dropping her glasses—how could this happen, what should she do?
Why would Sensei, why would Kageichi-san put her through such an ordeal?
Even if she tried to be resourceful, there was simply too great a difference in power between a giant and an ant.
Just as humans cannot create a sun, and just as humans cannot fly, there are certainly impossible things in this world—was Kageichi misjudging her abilities?
Sensei was only human too; he wasn’t absolutely right and could make mistakes.
—Whoosh, the sound of wind being cut.
She looked back, her reaction delayed. A giant dragon with a cold glint in its eyes was right in front of her.
Its tail, lashing like a whip, approached. Impossible. She couldn’t avoid it. Direct hit. The sound of bones breaking and all her Magical Power being lost—ah, was she dead?
“Are you awake? Then, let’s resume the battle.”
When she came to, Kiraboshi was standing in the middle of the snowfield, held in Kageichi’s arms.
…Eh? What?
She was sure she had just been killed…
“If things had continued as they were, Kiraboshi-san would have undoubtedly been defeated. So, I used a Magical Power Recovery Drug.”
“U… Th-Thank you very mu—”
“With that said, please continue the battle.”
He unceremoniously set her down on the ground.
Beyond her, the nightmare flapping its wings to cover her entire field of vision was exactly the same as before.
The giant dragon once again focused pale blue magical power in its mouth, preparing to unleash a Breath that would once again steal Kiraboshi’s life.
Without even thinking, she fled.
“Ugh…!”
If she died, or nearly died, Kageichi might save her.
It would be a lie to say that she didn’t have that unconscious expectation.
But—Kageichi had indeed saved her life, but that was all.
Whether Kiraboshi was blown away or battered and bruised, he showed no sign of intervening.
In other words, unless she did something about this Creature, Kiraboshi would be repeatedly killed and revived by the dragon—an eternal hell.
Her body was already at its limit, creaking as if she were doing a short-distance dash after finishing a full-force endurance run, and she no longer even knew what she was doing.
“N-No… I can’t…!”
Unable to endure any longer, Kiraboshi dashed into the Dungeon’s passageway—and crashed into a dead-end wall, panicking.
At least, if only there was a place to hide, she thought tearfully, staring at the wall of the “Snowfield” stage,
“Ah…!”
She found a cave about the size of her torso and jumped in.
It was a hole created when the Ice Dragon’s laser had struck and collapsed the wall earlier.
Teeth chattering, Kiraboshi clung to the wall of the cave, trying to escape the enemy’s sight.
Of course, it shouldn’t work.
After all, a hole in a dead end was practically declaring that she was hiding there—ah, it’s no use, it’s over, Kiraboshi thought, clenching her trembling molars, resigned to her impending death,
(…………?)
The attacks weren’t coming?
She sent out magical power from the cave to sense. —She felt a powerful magical reaction hovering in the passageway.
The Ice Dragon was certainly pursuing Kiraboshi… but it wasn’t attacking. Why?
She had only hidden in a cave…
Could it be…
…It hadn’t detected her?
—Come to think of it, she had heard something from Sensei.
Monsters that exist in Dungeons have a different concept than commonly spoken of living beings.
Monsters do not have a survival instinct. Like characters that appear in games, they are like defense robots that launch attacks under predetermined conditions.
And although the shapes of the enemies vary, there is always a certain pattern to their actions.
…Could it be that Ice Dragon…
Doesn’t launch attacks unless it visually confirms its opponent?
Thud, with a heavy sound, snow fluttered outside the cave.
…Just in case, she searched for signs—the dragon had landed on the ground, shaking its head as if surveying its surroundings.
“…!”
Thump, Kiraboshi’s heart leaped.
The enemy had landed.
Was it because it had lost sight of her, or simply because it disliked the magical power consumption for flight?
The only thing that could be said was that the Ice Dragon had abandoned its overwhelming advantage in the sky. In other words…
A once-in-a-lifetime chance.
Kiraboshi summoned her Inventory.
She reflexively grabbed the Chainsaw, …no, she released it. This was a weapon for use against humans, not something to rely on now.
Kageichi had also said it. It’s important to have a favorite weapon, but don’t rely on it too much.
What she should choose was a weapon that was appropriate for the situation, like insecticide for insect-type monsters—
But, what would be the best weapon against such a huge creature…?
“…………”
In the end, Kiraboshi took out the Survival Knife she had used to hunt rabbits.
Its power was unreliable, and even if she thrust it at the dragon’s hide, which was said to be harder than steel, it would probably just be deflected.
She closed her eyes. Kiraboshi calculated the current situation in her own way.
Glacial Dragon Ice Ogre. Its body was covered in scales of extreme cold, and from its head to its neck to its tail, Kiraboshi’s power couldn’t even leave a scratch on the overwhelming monster.
Understanding everything, Kiraboshi poured magical power into the knife.
Use what you can.
…Alright, Kiraboshi opened her eyes and adjusted the heels of her snow-stained boots.
She took a breath, suppressed her urge to run away—and jumped out of the cave.
Naturally, the enemy noticed.
It aimed at Kiraboshi, opening its mouth wide and preparing a laser attack, gathering magical power.
If she was pierced by it, she would be sent to the afterlife in an instant, the same attack that had cornered her countless times,
“—!”
Kiraboshi charged with all her might.
Faster than the enemy could finish charging its magical power, she ran through the snow and jumped into its wide-open jaws—
And with a burst of energy, she swung her knife down on its thick, long tongue.
—Ggaaaaaaaahhhhh!!!!
The Ice Dragon’s scream echoed, and Kiraboshi grinned despite her eardrums being assaulted.
No matter how tough a creature’s hide is, there are parts not covered by it.
Eyes. Nose. Ears, and mouth.
And conveniently, it always opened its mouth when performing a Breath attack—exposing its own weakness.
The Ice Dragon, having taken its first damage, thrashed about, closing its jaws to crush Kiraboshi, who had jumped into its mouth.
“Guh… This, this is…!”
Without hesitation, Kiraboshi ducked down, avoiding its teeth, and once again thrust her knife upwards, piercing its thick, muscular tongue.
—Finally, a purple smoke, proof that she had dealt damage, spewed out.
She did it. Finally, she had landed a hit…!
Covered in sweat and saliva, Kiraboshi grinned with excitement at having retaliated.
Immediately after—a pale blue light shone inside the dragon’s mouth.
“…Huh?”
The sound of crackling and sparking.
The moment she caught the scent unique to magical power, the light exploded—an explosion occurred in the dragon’s mouth.
A self-destruct technique that detonated an explosive Breath inside its own mouth and around it.
It was a forceful method that didn’t even spare the dragon itself from damage, but it was one of the “Glacial Dragon Ice Ogre’s” ultimate techniques to wipe out itself and the surrounding pests.
Kiraboshi, who was directly hit, was blown away without being able to do anything, and she resigned herself to her fate, thinking, ah, this is definitely death—but.
“Hmm. That was a very noteworthy tactic. However, diving into the opponent’s face like that, considering the subsequent developments, wasn’t it a bit of a suicidal act?”
“…No.”
Kiraboshi, who I noticed was being held by Kageichi, shook her head slightly.
A reckless act that disregarded the enemy’s attack. Normally, that’s what you’d call that strike.
But, it’s different now.
“Because if I were in that kind of situation, Sensei would definitely save me.”
“…Is that so?”
“Because, Sensei is someone who keeps his promises, right? I may be an ignorant disciple, but that doesn’t mean you can let me die easily.”
The earlier attack was the same.
Kageichi had been acting as if he was coldly abandoning Kiraboshi, but he would save her in critical moments.
She’s exploiting that intention.
“Sensei. Certainly, if I had died like that, it might have been a reckless charge. But, if it’s an attack that utilizes Sensei, then it becomes a splendid Zombie attack, right? Because, we can win if we just keep going until the opponent dies.”
You were the one who said to use whatever you can and be creative, Sensei.
Kageichi narrowed his eyes as if he had seen something interesting, and nodded while wearing a cruel smile.
“An idea I wouldn’t have had, I’m learning. I still have a long way to go, it seems.”