Chapter 49: Straight Up Ambush... Apex
Blood!
Pain!
Screams!
People are dying...
No one ever anticipated the flames would descend upon us like this. Just moments ago, it was a peaceful street. I was happy with them. But the Dragon must have killed... them... all.
Ruthar's eyes snapped open. He was severely disoriented from the blast, his ears ringing loudly, and his body trembling uncontrollably. Struggling to his feet, he surveyed his surroundings.
Bodies of men, women, and children lay torn apart and reduced to ash. Some were wounded, but most were dead.
'Where the hell are Taraha and Troma?' Ruthar thought as he continued searching. He found Troma trembling, clutching his partially burnt arm in pain. He must have taken the hit head-on, but at least he was still alive.
Taraha, on the other hand, was kowtowing farther away, her dress half-burnt, her body emitting hot steam and bleeding from multiple wounds. Somehow, she had managed to reduce the dragon's blast and save a few people on the street.
Ruthar turned to the dragon, which was busy snarling as it scanned the piles of bodies. Its gaze locked onto Taraha, who was still struggling to get up. The dragon let out a piercing roar, charging up another blast of flames in its throat. This time, there would be no dodging.
'Damn it!' Without thinking, Ruthar drew his sword and rushed in front of Taraha. As she saw him, she groaned in pain, trying to stand. Her body trembled, causing her to cough up blood.
"N-no... Run... Ruds!" she managed to mutter. He was strong but not that strong. 'Ruthar, run like you did when facing Tomaha. This isn't Tomaha; it's something worse.'
"Kid! Hey, what are you doing? Run!" Even the alchemist nearby screamed at him to run. "It's a f**king dragon! What the hell do you think you can do?!"
Ruthar made a determined stance, holding his sword close to his face while spreading his legs apart. "You have protected me enough, both of you... But it's time I repay you for it, Sis."
'I don't feel a hint of fear even though I'm facing a dragon... I believe I will win this.'
The dragon was not in the mood for talks. It spread its mouth and sent out another scorching ball of flame at them. Ruthar manifested a large wall of ice before the flame, which took the hit and shattered into shards.
Ruthar, using the dark mana Vanc had taught him, sprang into a sprint three times faster than a human. This speed jolted everyone as it was unbelievable and hard to keep up.
Ruthar made the next offense, blasting two fireballs at the dragon's face. Surprisingly, it ducked beneath his attack and charged at him with its mouth open.
'It's going on a complete offense. That's good; I planned on close combat all along.'
As they came within distance, the dragon raised its humongous claws and plummeted them down at Ruthar. He rolled out of the way, leaving the paw to create a huge crater in the ground.
He rose back to his feet, his sword emitting dark mana, and slashed directly through the dragon's elbow. Though the attack was shallow, the dark mana made the cut deeper, instigating a shriek from the dragon.
Ruthar didn't give it time to rest. He stretched out his palm and formed three ice spears, shooting them at the dragon's face. The first missed by an inch, but the other two struck, embedding themselves in the dragon's eye socket and taking half its vision.
Ruthar continued his attack, crouching and catapulting off the ground towards the dragon. He raised his sword high overhead, activating a wave of dark mana around it.
'I'll use the full strength of Vanc's dark mana and kill the dragon!'
Ruthar let out a loud growl, meeting the dragon and slashing at its thick skull. At first, the skull proved too tough to cut, sending embers of light into the air. Ruthar's arms were getting weary. If he didn't make the finishing blow, he would lose the battle.
[Body strengthening potion has been multiplied]
As the notification appeared, Ruthar felt an enormous surge of strength course through him. He let out a brief sigh and pushed his sword harder, cutting directly through the dragon's armor and skull, killing it.
The dragon's corpse dropped to the ground, shaking before going limp. Ruthar landed with a stagger, feeling exhausted.
[You have adapted to your exhaustion]
The Eye of Adaptability immediately cleared all his fatigue, making him feel refreshed again.
[You have gained one thousand experience for killing your first Apex beast]
[You have leveled up]
[Surprise Box is available]
[You have gained a new title]
'Title? I gained all that for killing a dragon? This is exhilarating.'
Name: Ruthar Darkdawn
Title: Dragon Slayer
Job class: None
Exp: 426/2000
Level: 4
'Dragon Slayer.'