My mind was in chaos for a few milliseconds but swiftly regained my composure; this was a death battle, and I couldn't afford to lose my concentration.
Magic!! The tiger can use magic; this battle has become even more deadly for me.
I immediately got up and dodged to the left, the tiger's fangs passing by my neck immediately after.
Even though my opponent was stronger than me and seemed to be able to use some kind of magic, surprisingly, I could still dodge it, mostly involuntarily. If it were just up to me, I would have long died. It seems that dragons are really powerful; they have battle instincts from the moment they are born.
But I knew I couldn't keep this up. I was getting tired. After a few more close calls, I would be exhausted, and eventually, die to the tiger's claws.
Suddenly, a refreshing feeling of power appeared in my chest. It felt familiar.
Yes, this was the feeling I had after I ate the eggshells!
My dragon fire. That's the only thing I can use to survive in this situation.
But I had to be careful; this ability seems to have a cooldown, so I only have one chance. If I waste it, I'll die.
So, I immediately changed my strategy, relying on my body's reflexes to dodge to the side. Then, I started running, acting as though I was fleeing in fear, trying to make the tiger let down its guard.
The tiger immediately started chasing me, enraged and not wanting to let its prey escape.
As the tiger was chasing me, I began breathing in; my throat started to heat up and produce light. After a few seconds of running, I suddenly stopped and turned towards the chasing tiger. I saw a green light glowing on its claws; it seemed as though it was about to unleash its powerful ranged attack from earlier. I immediately opened my mouth in fear and breathed out with all my might.
A powerful blue fire spewed out just before the tiger was about to launch its attack; the fire had already swallowed it.
The grass a few meters away from the fire immediately lit up; the tiger let out a murderous cry of pain, its fur burned, and its muscles melted.
It roared crazily and started running blindly; its eyes had already melted away. It ran full force into a rock, destroying its head and the huge rock.
I stood there in shock, looking at its terrifying actions. After a few more strange and painful cries, the tiger stopped twitching near the rock. The charred corpse of that powerful opponent stood, smoke slowly flying away from it, a burned smell filling the air.
I immediately lost all the strength in my limbs and laid down, finally feeling the exhaustion pouring over me like a torrential rain after seeing the tiger dead.
I survived.