‘This kid, who can’t even protect one small child properly, how could they possibly rule over everyone in the North?’
‘Why did those words, which I had brushed off as simple nagging, keep echoing in my ears?’
“Stay alert!”
Noticing that the giant ice dragon was about to fly straight at him, Atar instinctively leaped to the side.
Almost at the same time, the dragon’s tail brushed past, sending ice and snow scattering across the ground.
Normally, he would have countered the attack.
But now…
“Sharne!”
Atar caught sight of Sharne, frozen with a terrified expression on her face.
She looked like she didn’t know what to do, just a frozen figure.
‘Damn it, because of that kid!’
Unable to charge forward as usual, Atar ran toward Sharne.
Then, he shielded her small body and rolled to dodge the massive chunk of ice that the dragon spat out.
Boom!
With a huge noise, ice fragments scattered in all directions.
They barely avoided it, but the sharp ice that grazed Atar’s shoulder caused a sharp pain.
He bit his lip.
The anger was more intense than the pain.
He couldn’t fight like this.
Just dodging wasn’t going to win them this fight.
Absolutely not.
“Th-thank you…”
Sharne’s trembling voice reached his ears.
Then, a faint light appeared.
The basic healing magic that he had learned over Asher’s shoulder dug into Atar’s wound.
But now was not the time to receive healing.
The ice dragon was already coming back.
“Don’t move from behind!”
Atar gripped his axe tightly.
If he were alone, he would have charged straight at the dragon.
That was Atar’s way.
Head-on, without hesitation, without fear.
But now, things were different.
‘It’s definitely targeting the weaker one first.’
With that instinctive certainty, Atar kept his distance from the enemy for the first time.
Holding his axe, he carefully scanned the surroundings. Sharne’s position relative to him, the dragon’s movements, and the terrain’s characteristics.
‘I can’t go straight at it.’
When the ice dragon charged again, Atar turned to the left and dodged.
Then, he swung his axe at the dragon’s side.
-Swsh!
The axe slid off the hard scales, not landing a proper blow.
‘Damn it!’
Anger and frustration flooded him.
If it were normal, he would never have fought like this.
Atar’s way was to throw everything he had into battle.
But now, Sharne was behind him.
He wasn’t fighting alone anymore.
-Boom!
In a moment of carelessness, the ice dragon’s tail struck Atar’s body.
He was sent flying through the air and crashed violently into the ground.
“Ugh.”
The pain was almost unbearable as Atar slammed his fist into the ground.
The ice dragon, not missing the opportunity, charged toward Sharne.
“Duck!”
Without thinking, Atar dashed forward.
This was something he would never have done before.
He slammed his feet down so hard on the ice that cracks appeared, and he positioned himself as a shield in front of Sharne, raising his axe high.
-Groooaaar!
The dragon’s claws scraped against Atar’s axe.
A violent tremor shook him, but he couldn’t retreat.
Because Sharne was there.
Because there was someone he had to protect.
‘What do I do…!?’
For the first time, Atar’s every action was filled with doubt and thought.
What he sought was a way to protect Sharne’s life while also finding a way to bring down the beast before him.
While continually blocking the dragon’s attacks, he questioned himself.
‘What… what should he do?’
‘If I say “your future,” would she understand? Well, it doesn’t matter now, I just need to look.’
***
In that moment, something clicked in Atar’s mind.
Then, the light and swift step from his past flashed before him.
In the split second, memories upon memories flooded his mind, creating a continuous train of thought.
The memory of that day naturally rose to his mind.
He layered the efficient and brutal assault on the icy creature, which was still rampaging before him.
The key was the “calculation” within the chaos of the assault.
-Flap!
The ice dragon flew toward him again.
But this time, Atar moved first.
-Thud!
With a single leap, Atar closed the distance to the dragon’s front.
But this time, it wasn’t a blind charge.
-Tap!
Predicting the dragon’s movement, he dodged its claws.
He positioned himself in a blind spot where the dragon had no chance of spotting him.
The dragon wouldn’t have the opportunity to target Sharne.
Thud.
Atar almost leapt onto the dragon’s back, raising his axe high.
Then, he swung the axe in a wide arc, aiming for the dragon’s back.
!!!
The axe dug deep, and red blood erupted from the wound.
At the same time, a tortured roar filled the air.
Quickly jumping off the struggling dragon, Atar landed back in front of Sharne.
‘It’s not over yet.’
Atar understood.
This alone would not bring down the Ice Dragon.
But now, he knew what to do.
‘Protect while attacking.’
The Ice Dragon, rising once more, let out a furious roar and charged forward.
Atar shouted toward Sharne.
“Change your position every time I move! Don’t get too close or too far!”
“Yes, yes…”
Sharne nodded, trembling in the cold.
For the first time, the two of them moved as one team.
Atar now aimed for the Ice Dragon’s weak points: not its torso, but its ankles and joints.
Rather than one strong blow, it was about landing multiple precise strikes.
Every time the Ice Dragon attacked, Atar moved, considering Sharne’s position.
-Whiiish!
Each time the axe swung, blood splattered from the Ice Dragon’s body.
And whenever it was wounded, Sharne’s healing magic briefly soothed the pain.
‘Is this what the sage meant?’
As the fight continued, Atar began to understand more.
Two people must contribute.
It wasn’t just about protecting Sharne, who was a burden.
One had to learn how to make use of everything around them, whether it was humans, monsters, or nature itself.
Sharne was simply an example of that.
-Tap-tap!
-Whiiish!
“Haah, haah…”
Just because Atar was the only one holding an axe didn’t mean he had to fight alone.
Everything that could be utilized on the battlefield was a variable and an ally.
The weakness of one’s ally was a sweet bait.
If you know what the beast is after, countering it becomes easy.
Naturally, his vision expanded.
***
At this moment, not just what was before him, but even beyond it, was in view.
The trajectory of his axe was the result of his foresight, each movement a calculated step.
-Whiiish-
-Kwajik!!
Finally, after several precise strikes, the Ice Dragon fell.
Atar, panting, stood on the dragon’s head, ready to plunge his axe into its skull.
Just then, he froze.
-A chill.
Atar hesitated.
The feeling was a bone-deep unease.
‘It’s in mating season, so it’s more sensitive. Be careful.’
Asher’s words came to mind.
The Ice Dragon had appeared to protect its egg.
If so, its mate…
The ruler of this vast territory, what was it doing now─
-Swoosh.
“What’s that?”
Atar looked up at the sky.
Through the distorted clouds, a far larger creature was staring down at him.
“Young master…”
Sharne approached, trying to tend to his wounds.
However, Atar gestured with his hand, signaling her to stay back.
“Run. Now!”
A being of ice and cold, the ruler of the north, a creature of absolute power that all the northern monsters instinctively bowed to.
“…This is madness.”
At that very moment, the creature ripped through the sky, soaring toward them.
And almost simultaneously, a sound echoed.
-Fwoosh!
A fiery explosion.
“…Ifrit.”
Flames erupted from Asher’s axe.
Another colossal creature appeared, its fiery presence shining brightly against the blizzard.
It radiated light as if it planned to swallow everything around it.
Without being intimidated by the icy winds of the north, it gleamed with unrelenting fire.
“I was hoping to leave peacefully, but can you calm down for me?”
[You’ve been fighting happily up until now. Why not finish the match?]
“This time, we’re the intruders. I think it’s best not to escalate things any further.”
Asher’s soft muttering carried through the wind.
In an instant, a massive vortex of fire appeared around Asher.
The sky turned red.
No, it ignited.
The battle ceased in an instant.
The ruler of the north no longer moved.
“Anyone dead?”
Asher, who had descended right in front of Atar and Sharne, asked, a satisfied smile on his face.
However, in the background, the Spirit King and the massive Ice Dragon stared at each other.
“That’s…”
Atar quietly asked, looking toward the Spirit King rather than Asher.
Yet, the reply was as casual as always.
“He’s just a friend. Don’t worry about him.”
After checking Atar’s condition, Asher nodded.
“You’re hurt a lot, but you’re still alive.”
Atar silently looked at Asher.
He could faintly understand what Asher had been trying to teach him.
“I was honestly surprised you told Sharne to run, but… you did well.”
For the first time, Asher gave him a compliment.
He then quickly drew a teleportation circle in the air.
At the same time, he gave Atar’s shoulder a light pat.
In that brief touch, Atar felt something he couldn’t quite describe.
Perhaps it was just a fleeting illusion.
Moments ago, he had been full of thoughts to argue with Asher, but in the end, he couldn’t find the words.
Not long after, the three of them returned to the northern fortress.
***
From then on, everything returned to normal.
Except for one thing.
“Uhm… I’m done now.”
Sharne’s soft voice came from beside Atar.
It was different from usual.
Atar looked at her closely for the first time.
There were small wounds all over her body—marks where the blizzard had cut her skin, traces of ice shards from the battle with the Ice Dragon.
Yet, Sharne had tended to her own wounds first.
Atar suddenly felt a strange emotion.
Perhaps that’s why.
“You too…”
Atar slowly extended his hand and gave Sharne’s head a light pat.
It wasn’t a gesture of affection, nor was it sincere, just a fleeting motion.
“You did well.”
It was enough to make Sharne flinch.
His voice, free of irritation or annoyance, sounded unexpectedly pleasant.
“Hmm~. How heartwarming~.”
“…Where did those strange snacks come from?”
“They’re called popcorn. It’s made by popping corn. It tastes great in moments like this.”
“‘Moments like this’?”
“Yeah, moments like this.”