by Necoco
I wanted to give Divine Voice the finger, but I couldn’t lift my arm.
“Gaaaaaao!”
One of the smaller wolves pounced on me from behind and bit into my shoulder. I shook it off and kicked it away, picking Myria up and putting her on my back again. Then I took off running.
They should have gotten scared and fled after I defeated their leader. But either they could sense how weak I was, or they were underestimating me after getting a good bite in. Whatever the case, they still followed.
The world faded in and out. My head hurt, my wounds throbbed, and my HP was so low. The bite on my shoulder stung. My legs grew heavier and heavier.
“Grrrrr!”
The closest wolf swiped its claws towards my back. I twisted to protect Myria from the blow, taking it myself. I couldn’t endure this for long. For a split second, it felt like I was on the edge of unconsciousness. And my enemies weren’t kind enough to overlook the opening I’d just given them.
From behind me came the sound of rending flesh.
Was I dead?
Strangely, there was no pain. Maybe that’s what death felt like. But I could still move. And what was that I felt on my back? I shook my head, trying to think straight. And then I realized what had happened. It wasn’t my flesh that split open. It was Myria’s.
Her HP was even lower, and she had the negative status effect Bleeding again. I’d worked so hard to save her life, and now it was in danger again.
My mind went completely blank. I howled. The remaining four wolves must have sensed my rage, because they cowered and backed away.
Status Condition: Fury.
PART 6
AWARENESS SLOWLY CAME back to me. My body felt heavy and I hurt all over. I looked down at myself and my many, many wounds.
I didn’t want to do anything about them. I just wanted to lie on this cool forest floor and sleep, even if it meant I slept forever.
No…I couldn’t lose to the pain. I have to figure out what’s going on…that’s my only hope.
What happened to me? And Myria…where was Myria?
I lifted my head and saw a graywolf. And that was when I knew I had lost. I’d hoped that when I got up, the wolves would be gone and Myria would be safe. But that hope was in vain.
So you won? Fine, do whatever you want. I can’t even stand. Just hurry up and kill me.
“ ”
I don’t know what sound the wolf made in response; I doubted I was even fully conscious. But it didn’t kill me. It just rushed into the forest and disappeared, like a scared little puppy with its tail between its legs.
Huh?
There was something strange in my mouth—I’d felt it since I woke up. Was I holding something with my teeth? With a huge effort, I opened my jaws, and the thing that was in my mouth fell onto the ground. It was a graywolf, covered in blood, its neck broken. I’d crushed it.
Gained 44 Experience Points.
Title Skill “Walking Egg” Lv — activated: gained 44 Experience Points.
Baby Dragon Lv 22 has become Lv 23.
Ooh…I’m getting close to evolving.
With considerable effort, I managed to lift my head and look around. The bodies of two graywolves lay beside me.
They’re dead… Was I the one who killed them?
It had to be, considering how fast I leveled up. I must have lost it and run completely wild. It sounded nuts, but that was the only explanation.
But what about Myria? Where was she?
Myria? Myria? Ah…
I spotted her lying on the ground and ran to her. She was alive. She was still alive! She was bleeding and her HP was low, but she was still alive. I had to hurry.
I put her on my back and dragged my beat-up body to its feet. I ran.
At last, I made my way out of the forest and across a stretch of land covered in mounds of dirt in neat rows. Crops…? That must mean the human village was nearby. I made it in time.
I didn’t have time to go around. Guiltily, I ran right through the field, trampling the crops in my way. I thought they might be vegetables, but my vision was hazy so I couldn’t be sure. Hopefully I would be forgiven.
With every step I took toward the first row of houses, I felt the strangest illusion that I was getting lighter with every step. And finally, I made it. I staggered into the village. It was late enough that no one was on the street. Myria wouldn’t last much longer; she needed treatment immediately. She’d die if I spent too much time searching for someone.
“Raaaaaaaaar!”
I stood right in the middle of the village and let out a loud roar.
“Somebody save Myria! Wake up and get out here!”
“Raaaaaaaaaaaaaar!”
“Hurry up or Myria will die!”
“Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar!”
Somebody, anybody! Please, someone listen to me!
I roared over and over again, frantic. Finally, a door creaked open behind me.
Thank goodness! Myria is saved.
I was on the verge of death myself. I had to hope that delivering Myria home would gain their trust or, at the very least, they’d leave me alone and let me rest. Heck, if they liked me enough I could finally leave forest life behind and live right here in the village. I already had Grecian Language Lv 1. If someone could teach me, I was sure eventually I’d be able to communicate with ease.
I could go out hunting with the humans. I was strong, I could help out in the fields and they’d realize how useful I was to have around. And could repay them for trampling their crops.
The door opened slowly, cautiously, and a man peered at me through the crack. As soon as we made eye contact, he moved.
“Τέρας!”
A sear of pain ripped through my shoulder. What the heck? I looked down towards the source of the pain. An arrow protruded from deep within my flesh.
The man emerged from the house, expression fierce, bow at the ready. Idiotically, it took me a moment to realize the truth—he shot me. His jaw was clenched and his legs trembled.
Th-that’s right…how could I have forgotten? I’m a dragon.
How else would a villager react to a dragon carrying a blood-covered human into town in the middle of the night? Of course they’d attack.
The man and I stared at each other. Then, weakly, he put down his bow and slumped to his knees. Hopelessness tinged his eyes as he sat face to face with a monster. He must have seen what little effect the arrow had, and figured he was a goner.
I checked his status. Much like Myria, he had very few skills. I was sure he knew better than anyone that he couldn’t beat a monster.
I set Myria down on the ground, and then hurried out of the village.
I’m sure someone will help her now. This is for the best. I have no choice.
I couldn’t think about that right now. I had to tend to my own wounds.
Title Skill “Protective Spirit” Lv 3 has become Lv 4.
Gained Title Skill “Itty-bitty Hero” Lv 1.
Interlude:
The Girl’s Story
WHEN I WOKE, I found I was no longer in the forest, but in a soft bed.
I was wearing different clothes from before, and for a moment I thought it was all a dream. But no, my arm was bandaged. I suffered that injury when the Little Rock Dragon hit me with its Breath attack.
“You awake?”
I searched for the source of the voice and saw a pretty orange braid. Marielle stood beside my bed. She was the only proper White Mage we had in the village, and my mentor. She was quite old, but looked even younger than I did. I’d been told it was due to her having Elven blood, which slowed down the aging process.
Marielle fidgeted with her braid and gave me a quick, relieved smile, before her mouth tightened and she glared. Her expressions were so much like a child’s that I sometimes doubted she was really as old as she said she was.
“Honestly, what were you thinking? How many times have I told you not to let Doz egg you on?”
Marielle’s scolding reminded me, and I tried to sit up.
“Wh-what happened to Doz and Grantz?!”
Marielle poked me in the forehead with her index finger, trying to settle me down.
“Grantz…is dead. They found his body in the forest. I can’t believe you idiots, trying to take on a Rock Dragon!”
“Grantz is…! But what about Doz?”
“They haven’t found his body yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the dragon ate him whole.”
I was the only one who survived.
I should have tried harder to stop them. Everyone in the village knew that the Rock Dragon was the strongest monster in the forest.
A sigh escaped Marielle’s lips as she watched me cry. Then she placed a hand on my shoulder.
“I’m glad that you survived, Myria.”
I held my head in my hands and slowly told her everything that happened.
Doz was the most powerful warrior in the village. He could be frightening and quick to anger, but he was the one people relied on to chase off the monsters that stalked the edge of town. So even if he wasn’t liked, he was trusted.
Then, a few years back, he set his sights on a Rock Dragon. He didn’t stand a chance. He abandoned his comrades and fled. He lost the fight, and with it his good standing with the people.
His abrasive personality had already made him unpopular, but after his failure, the ill will only grew stronger. Still, his strength and combat contributions to the village were such that few people had the courage to actually speak out against him.
Then, just the other day, a traveler had arrived in the village calling himself a swordsman. “I am penniless,” he’d said. “But I have the meat and hides from monsters I’ve hunted in the forest. I will trade them in exchange for food and a warm bed.”
Among his spoils was Rock Dragon meat. We figured that meant this stranger had defeated the beast on his own. Whispers spread of the traveler’s success until Doz picked a fight with the man at the local tavern.
Doz boasted to everyone within earshot, saying, “I’m strong enough to defeat it now!” He tried to recruit Marielle, who could use recovery magic, and Grantz, a drifter, to accompany him on his quest of revenge. Marielle refused, so Doz set his sights on her apprentice. Me.
I didn’t want to go, but he said, “I’m going whether you come or not. And if Grantz and I go alone, we could die.” It was as good as blackmail. I could tell that Grantz didn’t want to go either, but he hid it. He was an outsider, and I imagine it was hard to say no to Doz, who had influence, even if he wasn’t liked. Doz was adept at using a person’s weaknesses against them.
So we set off into the forest and found ourselves a fairly small Rock Dragon. But we still didn’t stand a chance. And now only I was alive. Had it let me go? No, that wasn’t right. Someone saved me, I remembered faintly.
“Marielle, who saved me?”
“Saved you? You mean Aurus? He saw the monster dragging you through the village and got his bow—”
“No, no. I mean the person who carried me out of the forest.”
“No one else went into the forest that night. And I doubt a passerby would have brought you all the way into the village and left without so much as a word. Are you sure you didn’t run away on your own?”
Marielle didn’t seem to think it was possible I’d been saved. I mean, it didn’t sound possible. But I definitely remembered someone carrying me on their back, frantically running away from a pack of monsters…
But was it really a person at all?
“You sure it wasn’t just a dream?” Marielle asked.
“I’m sure! There’s no way I could’ve gotten back here all by myself.”
“I think you’re still confused, Myria. Just wait a minute and I’ll go warm up some chicken soup I made this morning. Once you have some food in your belly, we can talk.”
“But I’m certain…”
I tried to focus on the memory of someone carrying me, of them using recovery magic on me. It was weak, barely at a beginner’s level, but I remembered how warm it felt. Then the faint memories of my savior’s hands, legs, and body came back to me…
“What if it was that dragon…?” I murmured to myself as I looked out the window. But of course, that little dragon was nowhere to be found.
Chapter 3:
The Venomous Spider Taranturouge
PART 1
I AWOKE IN A damp, earthen space.
Yesterday, I returned to the forest after fleeing the village and took refuge in the trunk of a hollow tree, curling up to recover. The sunlight shone bright through the hole. I sat up, smacking my shoulder.
Oof, it’s really cramped in here.
I made the attempt more slowly, trying to avoid knocking my head. I pushed my way out through the hollow, pulling myself along the ground. I stretched out my limbs, my foggy mind gradually becoming clearer.
After a good yawn, I checked my status, which had become something of a daily ritual in the morning. Taking care of one’s health was very important. Best to check first thing for anything strange.
Species: Baby Dragon
Status: Normal
Lv: 23/25
HP: 41/78
MP: 40/72
Hmm, so I wasn’t fully healed yet. Only about halfway there. I still felt sluggish, but if I wanted to eat, I had to hunt.
My HP was more important than my MP at the moment. I didn’t need battle skills to fill my belly; if I spotted anything too dangerous, I’d just run. But I should raise my HP a bit in case of emergencies.
Rest!
I mentally shouted the spell name that hadn’t even showed up on my status screen yet. A faint light surrounded me and my MP dropped 8 points. I only regained 2 HP. Pathetic, but better than nothing. Maybe it would finally get recognized as a skill if I kept practicing. I repeated the Rest spell five more times.
Species: Baby Dragon
Status: Normal
Lv: 23/25
HP: 53/78
MP: 0/72
I gained 3 HP two out of the five times I cast the spell. That wasn’t terrible, and if I practiced I’d surely get better. If I started when my MP was full, I could recover about 20 HP before my MP was totally drained. It wasn’t efficient, but it wasn’t entirely useless. My body no longer felt so sluggish.
Next order of business: find lunch.
I was so close to another evolution—I really wanted to max out my level today. I’d keep evolving until I got strong enough to snap that Little Rock Dragon’s neck. After that, I’d be golden. It was the strongest monster I’d seen so far. Once I didn’t have to worry about survival, I could go back to that village.
What if I only terrified them again? If I kept helping stray humans who came to the forest, maybe word would spread. And then maybe…
I walked along, completely lost in thought until I spotted a darkwyrm trundling by. It spotted me, too. Took one glance, and ran like hell. Ah, the memories. Back in the day, I was the one running for my life.
Still, this was slightly weird. This was the first darkwyrm I’d seen since the day I fought that big group. I figured I’d killed them all, so I didn’t expect to see one again. I must have covered more ground when I was searching for the village than I realized.
I leapt into the air, cutting off the darkwyrm’s escape. Then I punched it right in the face.
“Ssshhk!”
Gained 12 Experience Points.
Title Skill “Walking Egg” Lv — activated: gained 12 Experience Points.
The video game message window popped up in my head to let me know the monster was dead. I put my hands together in silent thanks and then got down to it. I tore into its spine, scarfing down the meat.
Crruunch, crruunch.
I chuckled wryly to myself as I listened to the disgusting chewing sounds, thinking that I’d gotten pretty used to this life. Now that I was full, it was time to concentrate on leveling up. I needed to max out my level quickly so that I could evolve
. I remembered the Divine Voice saying Baby Dragons had lots of evolution paths to choose from.
PART 2
SHORTLY AFTER MY MEAL, I came across another darkwyrm. So there were more of them around here. Now I had an easy way to level up.
The darkwyrm ran from me, so I followed it slowly down a narrow path, letting it corner itself between large rocks.
It realized it was trapped and opened its mouth wide, lunging towards me in desperation. I dodged its Bite attack and delivered a light punch to the side of its head. It recoiled and I grabbed hold of its tail and lifted it up, swinging it through the air.
“Ssshhk! Ssshhk!”
Now the only thing the darkwyrm could do was scream. It frantically shook its head, trying to bite me, but there was no way it could reach.
Ow! I guess it did bite me a little…
Title Skill “Klutz” Lv 3 has become Lv 4.
Oh, yeah. I forgot I had that skill. Not really sure of the criteria for leveling that one up. Well, whatever. Who cares about a stupid skill?
I wasn’t keeping the darkwyrm alive to torture it. I wanted to make it use its Call Allies skill. I felt bad distressing it like this, but if the darkwyrm truly felt it had no other option, it would eventually bring the other darkwyrms to me. That was much more efficient than traipsing around the forest all day looking for monsters. After all, it was a swarm of darkwyrms that had helped me get from Lv 1 to Lv 15 all at once.
“Gggchhkkkk! Gggchhkkkk!”
After swinging the darkwyrm around in midair for about five minutes, I realized I was being watched from all sides. I turned to greet the horde of darkwyrms, enraged at seeing their comrade tossed around in midair. Every last one of them had the Fury status condition.
Just as I planned. Sorry, but you guys are a necessary sacrifice. I cut through the mountain of charging darkwyrms, tearing them apart. Take that!
Gained 12 Experience Points.
Title Skill “Walking Egg” Lv — activated: gained 12 Experience Points.
And that!
Gained 12 Experience Points.