Yu Ga-eun, emerging from the flames, slowly regained her clarity of vision as she wiped away the blood that had flowed from her nose.
Her body, strengthened by mana, and the recovery abilities of the dragon were key to her survival.
Despite the aftermath of the two monstrous forces clashing, her remarkable regenerative abilities allowed her to withstand the devastation.
“What the hell…?”
Standing up, Yu Ga-eun looked around the crater that had once been the boss room.
Her mind flashed back to the final moment—the black flames that had engulfed the world.
She recalled the Red Dragon’s roar, one that aimed to destroy the gate itself, clashing with a pure white flash—and then, her memory went blank.
Yu Ga-eun let out a scream-like cry.
“Is anyone here!?”
If there were any survivors, she had to save them.
If the Red Dragon was still alive, she had to finish it off.
It’s impossible for me…
Yu Ga-eun didn’t overestimate her abilities.
She had been able to wound one of the Red Dragon’s heads, but it had been pure luck.
The opportunity had come because the dragon had let its guard down, and thanks to Kang Hong-yeon drawing its attention away, Yu Ga-eun had been able to strike at the dragon’s vulnerable spot.
If the dragon had made the slightest effort to defend itself, her attack would have failed.
“Please… anyone… just stay alive…”
In response to her desperate plea, a sound echoed—a thud.
Something had fallen to the ground, and Yu Ga-eun rushed towards the sound.
If someone was alive, it would be fine.
She believed that, unlike herself, any other Hunter who had awakened would be able to deal the final blow to the Red Dragon, especially after the flash and the confrontation with the dragon.
She pulled out a health potion from the leather holder strapped to her side and downed it.
A forceful rush of energy filled her body.
Her lungs expanded, and her heart started to beat faster than usual.
Surprised by the dopant-like effect of the potion, Yu Ga-eun pushed forward, running toward the source of the sound.
“Over there, are you alive…!!!”
The figure that had fallen from the sky was still alive.
It wasn’t a body that had fallen too late—it was a living human.
Kang Hong-yeon’s body was covered in blackened burns, but she was still breathing, and her crimson eyes still blazed with a dark red madness.
But she wasn’t the only one who had fallen from the sky.
“Ha, your life really is stubborn…”
That’s not something you should be saying, hero.
The Red Dragon had shrunk in size, and of its seven heads, only one remained.
The six other heads had been completely destroyed.
However, the overwhelming energy that poured out was still very much present.
It corrected the illusion that they had reached an equal standing, even for just a moment.
The Red Dragon was still an outlier of a monster, while Yu Ga-eun remained just an A-rank Hunter.
Realizing this, Yu Ga-eun felt a sense of relief.
She had come to her senses before making the foolish decision of continuing to challenge the dragon without understanding her place.
And there’s also Kang Hong-yeon Hunter.
Unlike the Red Dragon, which had to rely on natural regeneration, they had potions.
Yu Ga-eun reached for the leather holder, her hand moving through the air.
“…Huh?”
She fumbled around her thigh, where the holder was supposed to be.
It was still there, but there was no potion inside.
She belatedly noticed the large hole that had formed in the bottom of the holder.
With a hole of that size, the potion could have easily slipped out.
The potion she had drunk had been the last one.
Her face went pale as she realized it.
…
What a pity.
It’s a shame that the one who came to help was such a rookie human.
The Red Dragon sneered with contempt.
Had it been someone other than Yu Ga-eun, perhaps they could have turned the tide.
Despite its efforts to remain composed, the Red Dragon’s current condition was one of the worst it had faced so far.
Even if the Red Dragon couldn’t recognize a human as a hero, at this moment, it could be slain.
Yes, anyone but Yu Ga-eun.
If any of the Hunters who had undergone reawakening, strengthening their body and mana, had been present—
The Red Dragon could have been killed.
“……! Kang Hong-yeon Hunter!!!”
“It’s not me! We have to take down the boss monster first!!!”
That wasn’t an option.
With her power, having not undergone reawakening, Yu Ga-eun couldn’t kill the Red Dragon.
Unable to voice this truth, she bit her lower lip hard.
The fear of admitting the lie she had told earlier was almost unbearable.
The situation was far worse than Yu Ga-eun had anticipated—by dozens of times.
The consequences of her small selfishness were too heavy for just a single human to bear.
How truly unfortunate… for you.
With great effort, the Red Dragon rose from the ground.
“There is certainly a heroic side to you. At the last moment, when you threw yourself at me, you proved yourself a hero and a swordsman worthy of praise.”
However, there was one fatal flaw in Yu Ga-eun.
A flaw that no human could overcome.
“Of all things, did you inherit ‘our’ nature?”
The true identity of the dragon within her was unknown.
Even a Red Dragon didn’t know everything about every dragon species in the world.
And even if the dragon within her was familiar, it was impossible to know what kind of changes might have occurred during the process of mixing with a human.
But if she had inherited dragon characteristics, there was one thing that could be certain.
“Arrogance. You’ve inherited the most essential trait of the absolute beings.”
The arrogance that came with power is confidence.
This is why dragons are born with arrogance.
They are born with a strong nature and the confidence that comes with it.
This makes them feel that they have no equal.
All races, including humans, strive to reach a level they believe is inaccessible.
For a swordsman, it’s called a Sword Master.
For a mage, it’s a Great Mage.
But for a dragon, these are simply starting points.
Dragons are arrogant.
But their arrogance never becomes a weakness.
They are strong, so arrogance is their natural state.
“It was your downfall to harbor arrogance like us. You didn’t need the power of a dragon to be a hero, you would have been fine without it.”
Yu Ga-eun’s courage was no less than that of any other S-rank or A-rank Hunter.
In fact, compared to others, her unexpected bravery made her much more fitting of the title of hero.
“If you hadn’t carried that arrogance, you might have escaped my influence.”
Since the moment they entered the gate, the Red Dragon’s influence had gradually begun to penetrate the humans around it.
It stirs desires, lures into temptation.
But the Hunters who entered this gate were immune to it.
The Hunters who risked their lives to take on the S-rank gate were heroes.
Even if their resolve wavered slightly, they held a belief that couldn’t be shaken.
But Yu Ga-eun was different.
She didn’t have a great cause or a noble goal.
There was no special reason behind her actions.
She had been bored and had seen the news about Baek Eun-seol’s success.
She thought she could do it too, so she took on the challenge.
All her reasons were simply based on herself.
That made her naturally weak to the Red Dragon’s power.
She had no unshakable sense of justice, nor any heroism to sacrifice for others.
She was just a human acting for her own sake.
Even without the Red Dragon’s influence, she was gradually being consumed by the dragon’s personality.
Such a pity.
Whoosh!!
The Red Dragon’s mouth opened wide.
A massive magic circle appeared, and Kang Hong-yeon gritted her teeth at the sight.
“Are you trying to run away?!”
Yes, you can call it pathetic if you like.
The battle with Kang Hong-yeon had ended in a draw.
No, in fact, Kang Hong-yeon had slightly gained the upper hand.
I do not wish to die. I am curious about the future.
In a world that has just begun to awaken, a hero like you has already been born.
I wonder how many more humans will emerge and how many heroes will stand before me.
“Ha! What a grand way of saying you don’t want to die…!!!”
Kang Hong-yeon raised her broken staff, but she could no longer use magic.
It was the inherent difference in regeneration—the gap between humans and dragons that couldn’t be bridged.
That’s true. I chose to flee because I wish to see the future.
You can call it pathetic, and I’ll accept the insult.
Yu Ga-eun stood up, determination in her eyes.
She couldn’t let the Red Dragon escape now.
She couldn’t let the perfect opportunity created by Kang Hong-yeon and the other Hunters go to waste.
“Uaaahhh!!!”
She infused mana into the hand holding her sword.
Her target was the heart.
The Red Dragon’s body, preparing to cast a spell, was completely vulnerable.
“Please, let it reach!!!!”
With a desperate wish, the mana-infused sword flew toward the Red Dragon’s chest.
The red scales cracked.
The leather tore, and the sword pierced through the thick layers of muscle and fat.
Just a little more!!
The blade dug into the tough muscle fibers, inching toward the Red Dragon’s heart.
Even though the damage was small, the sword left a mark on the dragon’s body.
A small hope began to take root.
Even if she hadn’t reawakened, if the Red Dragon was already so battered, maybe Yu Ga-eun’s strength could still bring it down.
“Dimension Hole.”
Crack—!!
“Ah.”
Just as the spell was about to complete, Yu Ga-eun felt it in her gut.
She knew she couldn’t win.
The Red Dragon hadn’t been unable to defend itself.
Once again, it had simply disregarded the attack.
It saw the wounds Yu Ga-eun had inflicted as not even worth defending against.
Even if the sword reached the heart, the Red Dragon was sure it wouldn’t die.
It had underestimated Yu Ga-eun until the very end.
With arrogance.