A leap. The attacking dragon's jaws closed in. My vision was filled with fangs and the inside of its mouth.

I didn't close my eyes. Even as my skull throbbed from the roar surrounding me.

At the edge of my vision, I saw Oujin kicking Ilga away while rolling to the side. I kicked off the ground and dashed beneath the airborne dragon, rolling forward as I landed to slip under its legs.

A tremendous weight landed behind me, making the dungeon floor scream in protest.

I propped up my knee and turned back, staring at the dragon's back.

"It's huge... but!"

Compared to the ancient dragons I knew, this one was much smaller. Not even half, maybe around thirty percent of their size. A young one, perhaps? That alone gave me a glimmer of hope.

As it landed, it flung a black, oily substance from its body and swung its massive, fur-covered arm in a sweeping motion.

"...What the hell is with that arm...!?"

That was definitely not the arm of any dragon I knew. It was clearly from a different species—yet somehow attached to it.

Its claws scraped against the stone floor, sending sparks flying as they closed in. I rolled away, creating distance.

"Whoa, ooooh!?"

The gouged-out stone floor turned into a hail of debris, crashing into a stone pillar and shattering.

Give me a break... If we go too far, the fifth floor will collapse...

Then, I noticed something.

"—Ilga!"

Ilga was right in front of the beast. His legs had given out, and he was looking up at the monster with terrified eyes.

If Oujin hadn’t kicked him away, he would’ve been turned into a bloody smear by the first strike. Though he was staring up at the creature, his eyes were already unfocused.

"That idiot!"

But the dragon...

It paid no attention to Ilga, who was cowering at its feet, and instead swung its arm down toward Oujin, who had escaped to the left. As if it were swatting away an insignificant insect.

Oujin dodged by leaping back, and the dragon’s enormous arm smashed into the stone floor with a thunderous crash.

It ignored Ilga—!?

Of course. It's one-eyed. It’s missing its left eye. Ilga just happened to be in its blind spot.

Oujin continued backing away, luring the dragon. Seeing this, I ran over to Ilga, grabbed his face with both hands, and forced him to look at me.

"Stand up!"

"Ugh… uhh…"

"Hey, look at me!"

Damn it. His focus was still off. His eyes were trembling slightly, shifting left and right.

Not at me—he was staring past me at the dragon attacking Oujin.

Shit! No choice, then!

"Ilga Freiges! Grit your teeth!"

I clenched my fist and punched Ilga's cheek with all my strength. A solid impact rattled his bones, sending him sprawling sideways.

Only then did his eyes finally focus on me.

"Ah… guh…?"

"Good. Now you're looking at me."

I grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up, forcing our faces close.

"If you can't fight, then throw away your sword and disappear, you spineless coward! Quit being a noble, quit being a knight, and go die in some ditch!"

"...!"

"If you die, there are people who will shed tears for you! If you're a man, then roar!!"

Ilga's expression changed.

From a dazed, tear-streaked face, to one of shame. Then, in the next instant, to anger.

Finally, he shoved my hands away roughly and stood up on his own.

"...Don't underestimate me too much! I am Ilga Freiges!"

"Good. Keep that bravado up from the start, you fool. Don’t let it waver for even a second until that thing is dead."

Ilga sneered at me through gritted teeth.

"I’ll make you regret that insult, Eremia."

"Oh? I’d love to see you try. I’ll be waiting."

I lowered my short sword into a low-right stance and sprinted.

Oujin—was running for his life. Naturally. No one could block a dragon’s attacks. Even that grotesque, mismatched arm had enough power to shatter a stone pillar in a single swing. Just grazing it could send you flying—or worse, kill you instantly.

But more importantly...

The air wavered. My vision distorted around the dragon.

Its chest swelled, body temperature rising rapidly. The gaps between its scales glowed red, smoke rising from its entire body.

—It's coming!

"Oujin! Get behind a pillar—nowwwwwwwwwww!!"

"—!"

Just as I screamed at the top of my lungs, the dragon's jaws gaped open.

Inside, a swirling red inferno churned.

If this thing was an ancient dragon, Oujin would die—so would we, standing behind it. The entire sixth floor of the dungeon would be flooded with fire, leaving no survivors.

This was the turning point of fate.

Keeping my short sword ready, I sprinted. Keeping low like a beast, at full speed.

—GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!

Flames erupted from its mouth, engulfing the pillar Oujin had hidden behind. The light of the fire illuminated the entire grand hall, revealing its vastness.

In the next moment, the torrent of flames intensified, flooding from the center of the hall to its edges, consuming every bone and scrap of debris in the abandoned living quarters.

The black liquid it had been scattering... it was oil!

Even from behind, the fire surged along the liquid, creeping toward my feet like rippling waves. The dragon itself was momentarily engulfed in flames but quickly extinguished them—so it could control the oil at will, huh?

But so what? I've made it.

I leaped toward its back.

I'm certain now. This isn't an ancient dragon. That means there's no need to give up. I’ll tear open its belly and see what’s inside.

"Oooooooooh!"

Grabbing onto its wings, I clung to its back and drove my short sword into the gap between its scales. The blade screeched as it sank in—just slightly.

But in the next instant, the dragon swung both arms wildly, knocking me away into the air.

—GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!

I rolled across the ground, and as I passed by, Ilga lunged in with his longsword.

"Uooooooh!"

But the tip failed to pierce, skidding across the scales with a harsh clang.

"What—!?"

The dragon lunged, jaws wide open, aiming for Ilga’s head.

Just before it struck, Oujin burst out from behind the dragon, body-checking Ilga. The two of them tumbled away—just in time.

"Run—!"

As I instinctively shouted, Oujin raised a finger to his lips, signaling for silence, while covering Ilga’s mouth with his other hand.

The dragon didn’t pursue them. Instead, it swung its long neck left and right, sniffing the air as if searching.

It lost sight of them—because it's one-eyed. Its blind spot must be around its left leg. Oujin... he figured that out?

How infuriatingly clever.

Oujin and Ilga crept away on silent feet. Once they had put some distance between themselves and the dragon, it finally rediscovered them and charged once more, shaking the ground as it pursued them.