Volume 1
Chapter 4
The next day, Nozomu was working his part-time job at the collection point in the commercial district.
His partner wasn't
there that day, and the foreman had asked him to organize and record the cargo within
the collection point.
After confirming the
incoming and outgoing cargo and reporting it to the person in charge, he was
told there was something to convey and was called over.
"By the way,
Nozomu, have you ever heard the story about the hunter who saw a dragon in the
forest the other day?"
"A
dragon...?"
Dragon.
The strongest
existence on the continent.
A type of spirit race,
boasting immense power.
It seems there were
once those who defeated dragons and obtained their power.
Those existences, called
Dragon Slayers, do not exist in the present day and only remain in history
textbooks and legends.
"But, are there
really legendary beings like dragons near this city?"
"I think so too,
they probably mistook a Loong (竜 / Eastern Dragons) for a Dragon (龍 / Western Dragons). Well, you go into the forest often, so I thought
it'd be good to keep it in mind even if it is a Loong."
Saying that, the
foreman grinned broadly.
A Loong, unlike a
Dragon, is a type of magical beast.
Its power does not
reach that of a dragon, and its intelligence is also low, but it is a very
great threat to humans.
Its power is
undoubtedly one of the highest in the magical beast category. Certainly, no
matter how he thought about it, he had no chance of winning.
"Understood. I'll
be careful."
He thanked the foreman
and started on his way home to go to his master's place.
***
Nozomu returned home,
prepared his beloved sword and other things, and headed towards Shino's hut.
His attire was the
bare minimum to not hinder movement, made from magical beast hide. A knife and
pouch were attached to his waist belt. Inside the pouch were a set of healing
tools such as potions, and also, smoke bombs, sound bombs, and a blast bomb.
Smoke bombs, as the
name suggests, generated a smokescreen. Sound bombs made a loud noise to
startle, and if successful, could drive away weak magical beasts.
Finally, the blast
bomb.
This was something
that released lightning comparable to high-level magic in the surrounding area
when thrown, and its price was correspondingly high.
However, because his
basic abilities were low and even powerful Ki techniques were limited in use
due to his Ki capacity, his master had bought it for him as a precaution.
In this way, even if
the effects of enhancement-type items that affected himself were limited, the
power of items that did not depend on his own abilities was not limited, so he
always made sure to bring them when going into the forest.
On his way to Shino's
hut, fog appeared, so he quickened his pace slightly.
The fog gradually
thickened, becoming so dense that he couldn't see even a meter ahead.
"This is
bad,"
Nozomu muttered, and
when he looked at his ever-present compass, it spun around and didn't point in
a fixed direction.
"What's going
on?"
This forest certainly
had many magical beasts, but it didn't have any characteristics that would
disrupt a compass.
He took a deep breath
to calm his agitated feelings about the abnormal situation and checked his
surroundings once more.
The trees were lush,
providing cover, but it wasn't a place where he could rest assured.
"Guess there's no
point in staying here."
Judging that securing
a safe place was the priority, he walked while marking the trees he passed with
his knife so as not to get lost.
After walking for a
while, it seemed he had left the forest. The trees disappeared, and he came to
an open area.
The fog also seemed to
be gradually clearing.
The moment he felt
relieved, the surrounding scenery suddenly distorted.
"Huh?"
The next moment, he
was standing in an unfamiliar place.
Mountains surrounded
him, and as far as he could see, it was barren land. It was clearly not the
area around Arcazam.
A huge shadow covered
him as he stood there bewildered.
The moment he looked
up, wondering what it was, Nozomu was speechless.
A huge black object
covered half the sky.
It had huge,
five-colored, six wings, powerfully flapping.
It had jet-black
scales, and their thickness seemed to symbolize the years it had lived.
Its eyes held the
darkness of the abyss, looking down disdainfully at the tiny figure on the
ground.
Everything about it
embodied despair.
"Tiamat, the
Dragon King of Destruction"
A heretical dragon
among heretics, feared even by her own kind, the dragon race.
The legendary dragon
that disappeared from the surface more than five thousand years ago was there.
Nozomu stood there
with a stunned expression.
He couldn't understand
his current situation.
No matter how many
magical beasts there were, it was unthinkable to encounter a legendary dragon
right in the vicinity of the town where he lived.
Unbeknownst to the
confused Nozomu, this space was actually a temporary world created by the
dragon race, who couldn't handle Tiamat, using the continent's ley lines and
the boundary between the spirit world where spirits lived and the real world, a
world to seal Tiamat.
However, being just a
temporary and narrow world, it sometimes fluctuated under the power of Tiamat,
who possessed extremely strong power.
That fluctuation
passed through the ley lines, and due to the connected ley lines, it sometimes
connected to somewhere on the continent, creating a path.
That path was far too
small for Tiamat to pass through, but most living things like humans could pass
through it.
Nozomu had unknowingly
passed through that path and come to this sealed world.
***
Tiamat looked down at
Nozomu. In its eyes was pure joy at finding prey after a long time.
The jet-black dragon
folded its wings and descended straight towards Nozomu.
Nozomu instantly
circulated his Ki throughout his body and kicked off the ground, moving away
from the spot.
Immediately after,
Tiamat landed with a deafening roar.
The dragon's own
weight and the impact of its descent tore up the ground, scattering debris and
creating shockwaves all around.
Nozomu was tossed
around by the shockwaves, thrown into the air, and slammed into the ground.
He instinctively took
a roll to cushion the fall, so there were no major external injuries, but he
had cuts in various places from the scattered stones and rock fragments.
He immediately decided
to retreat.
He slammed all the
smoke bombs he had onto the ground, and under the cover of the generated smoke,
he fled towards the forest at full speed.
He thought that if he
hid among the trees in the forest, he could buy himself time to escape.
But his thinking was
naive.
"Gaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!"
As he ran through the
smoke, an incredible roar erupted, and all the smoke cleared away.
Not only that, but he
was blown away again by the shockwave that accompanied it.
Looking towards
Tiamat, the creature hadn't moved at all. It seemed that a simple roar and the
accompanying shockwave had blown away the smoke and him along with it.
As Nozomu stood there
in astonishment, Tiamat opened its mouth wide, and black, giant flames gathered
within it.
The flames were a
chaotic black mixed with various colors.
Nozomu followed the
greatest alarm his instincts were blaring and used Flash Step to get away.
The expelled giant
flames passed by his side by a hair's breadth and struck the forest.
The next moment, sound
disappeared from the world.
Nozomu found himself
flying through the air.
His first experience
with aerial swimming, and he felt as if it was happening to someone else, but a
few seconds later, the impact of being slammed into the ground forcibly brought
his consciousness back to reality.
Lashing his aching
body, he took out a potion from his pouch and gulped it down.
Feeling the recovery
medicine heal his body, he looked towards where the forest had been and was
speechless.
The forest had been
completely incinerated.
At the point of impact
was a crater so large that it seemed like Solminati Academy could have fit
inside, and everything within it had completely vanished.
The trees around the
crater had been blown away, and those that hadn't been blown away had been
instantly burned to a crisp, their original forms unrecognizable.
Even the trees that
had barely escaped being burned were all blown away from their roots by the
shockwave.
Turning back to Tiamat
with a stunned expression, he saw the jet-black dragon spread its five-colored,
six wings.
Countless five-colored
orbs of light were created on its wings.
"Spirit
Magic"
Magic used by the
spirit races, who are called the familiars of the world. Unlike other magic
used by those other than spirit races, this magic doesn't require a process of
interfering with the outside world. The moment it decides to use the magic, it
activates, allowing for overwhelmingly fast attacks compared to other magic.
Nozomu, following the
alarm blaring from his instincts once again, put all his Ki into body
enhancement.
Countless orbs of
light, leaving trails of light behind them, headed towards him. Their number
was extraordinary, filling most of his vision.
Nozomu desperately
retreated while slashing away the orbs of light with his sword, but due to
their sheer number, he was easily engulfed by the swarm of light.
Even so, he
desperately resisted to avoid fatal wounds.
When the rain of light
stopped, Nozomu was standing there, his entire body pierced through.
He grabbed several
potions and gulped them down all at once.
"Guuuuh!"
Groaning at the
sensation of the potions forcibly healing his body, he looked at Tiamat, who
was leisurely approaching him.
Looking at the state
of the forest, escape was impossible.
The forest to hide in
had been incinerated, and even if he could hide, he would be blown away along
with it.
He no longer had a
choice, and a battle with only despair awaited him had begun.
***
"Hah... hah...
hah... hah..."
A dozen or so minutes
had passed since the battle began.
No, it wasn't a
battle.
A battle could only
exist when there was an opponent who could be an equal, but for the jet-black
dragon, there was no such thing in front of it.
What was there was
just a toy to alleviate its boredom.
If the jet-black
dragon wanted to, it could kill Nozomu in the blink of an eye, but for the
dragon, this wasn't a battle, but a game.
Just like a cat toying
with a captured mouse.
But because of that,
Nozomu had managed to survive these seemingly eternal dozen or so minutes.
Even so, only despair
lay ahead.
The full-power slashes
and Ki techniques he had unleashed without thinking had not even scratched its
scales.
Even if he dodged the
arm Tiamat swung down, he would be blown away by the shockwave.
Escape was impossible
given the situation.
None of the tools he
had on hand could pierce the opponent's scales.
His Ki capacity was
almost exhausted, and his Ki-based body enhancement was nearing its limit.
In such a precarious
situation, his limit finally arrived. He was blown away again for what felt
like the hundredth time, and the impact of slamming into the ground numbed his
body. The effect of his Ki technique had worn off.
He swallowed the last
potion with trembling hands and somehow stood up.
Tiamat raised its
tower-like arm again towards Nozomu.
Without Ki-based body
enhancement, he couldn't possibly avoid that arm.
Facing inevitable
death, Nozomu's past flashed before his eyes like a revolving lantern.
***
In his hazy
consciousness, as the revolving lantern spun before the desperate situation, I
recalled my own past.
The smiling faces of
my parents back home.
(Come to think of it,
I haven't really done anything for them.)
They were good
parents.
They didn't say
anything about my selfish desire to support Lisa, and even though our finances
weren't good, they let me attend the academy.
I met Lisa and fell in
love at first sight.
(Come to think of it,
was that my first love? They say first love will never work out, but did mine
work out in a way?)
At that time, I
confessed, and my feelings were certainly conveyed once. But in the end...
I wanted to support
Lisa's dream. With that vow in my heart, I knocked on the doors of Solminati
Academy with just that feeling.
(I wanted to support
Lisa's dream. I wished for it... and still do... but...)
My abilities and
grades didn't improve as I wanted, frustration mounted, and I struggled, but
the manifestation of Ability Suppression closed that path.
Lisa suddenly broke up
with me, and I became isolated from the academy.
(Was it... my fault?
Why? Why... didn't she answer anything?)
My heart still ached
deep inside. It ached just thinking about it. Was I not a significant existence
for her?
I met my master, and a
small light shone.
(I'm glad I met Master.
She's an unconventional person, but definitely a good person.)
I was tossed around
endlessly, and the days were filled with hellish training, but she definitely
cared about me.
Even though she
intended to ignore me at first, she helped me when I was attacked by the Wild
Dog, all while complaining.
Now that he think
about it, he could be his old self in front of her. The self that laughed
honestly and got angry honestly.
The next moment, an
impact struck him, erasing his memories along with his consciousness.
***
Tiamat's arm slammed
into the ground in front of Nozomu. The aftershock blew him away, and he rolled
unsightly on the ground.
Tiamat was clearly
toying with him. Its expression was amused, and it didn't consider him a threat
at all.
Tiamat opened its
mouth wide. Chaotic flames gathered in its depths. Had it grown tired of
playing with him, or was it testing how much he could endure?
In any case, he had no
means to resist in his current state.
"Gugu...
Agh..."
He let out a sound
that was no longer a voice, and stared at the flames.
His consciousness was
almost gone, and he could no longer even think about the past.
The revolving lantern
had passed, and only a dense, cold presence of death enveloped him.
"Die."
He stared directly at
that dense death and froze.
"Die."
It was a
"death" even greater than when he was attacked by the Wild Dog alone
in the forest.
"No."
With almost no
rational thinking ability left, he unfolded thoughts based purely on instinct.
"I don't want to
die."
That became an intense
thirst for life, burning the last of his life force.
"I don't want to
give up."
That was the
manifestation of the strong will to live that Shino had once seen.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
The next moment, he
let out a scream that didn't sound human and charged at the giant dragon that
was toying with his life.
With a roar that
seemed to burn up the last of his life, Nozomu lunged towards Tiamat. His speed
was unbelievable for a person on the verge of death.
However, it was still
slower than when he was fully recovered, and the flames were released before he
could even close half the distance to Tiamat.
"Too slow."
Nozomu's thoughts were
focused solely on eliminating the threat before him in order to live. That extreme
concentration stretched his perception of time many times over. Within that, he
was frustrated by the slowness of his own movements.
"Why am I so
slow?!"
At this rate, he
wouldn't be able to avoid the giant flames of death closing in.
Suddenly, when he
looked at his body, he saw unfamiliar chains binding him all over.
"Is it because of
this?!"
He was certain that
these chains were his shackles and reached out to tear them apart.
Normally, tearing
apart chains would be impossible. But for some reason, he had a firm belief
that he could break them.
"Get out of my
waaaaaaaayyy!!!"
When he pulled the
chains with all his might, they broke with a crumbling sound.
The next moment, he
accelerated in an instant and slipped under the giant flames.
Tiamat lost sight of
him for a moment due to the sudden acceleration. Nozomu seized this
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and put all his strength into it.
An unprecedented
amount of Ki filled his body, and although blood was still flowing, his body
reacted instantly to his thoughts.
His physical abilities
had clearly jumped far beyond his fully recovered state.
While running, he
sheathed the sword he had drawn. He poured all his Ki into the sheathed sword
and extremely compressed it. With a tearing shout, he drew his sword.
Ki Technique:
"Genmu" (幻無 - Phantom Void)
The Ki, thinner than a
strand of hair and sharply compressed, flew out at the same speed as his
drawing of the sword. It sliced through both of Tiamat's eyes in a straight
line.
Tiamat roared and
raised its head at the unexpected counterattack.
Genmu was a simple
technique that released a slash of compressed Ki from the blade, but the
extremely compressed Ki was difficult to see, and because it flew at the same
speed as a high-speed quick draw, it would hit its target within a dozen meters
almost the instant the sword was drawn, making it extremely difficult to avoid.
Moreover, the
extremely compressed Ki would cut through steel shields and magical barriers
alike without question, making it difficult to defend against and a highly
lethal technique.
However, because it
required extreme compression of Ki, it needed a charging time of half a second
to several seconds, and it would leave a large opening if surrounded by
multiple enemies.
As he rushed towards Tiamat,
it raised its front legs and slammed them into the ground repeatedly.
The huge front legs
struck the ground again and again, shaking the earth with each impact and
causing localized earthquakes.
Nozomu hastily
retreated, barely getting out of range of its front legs, but he lost his
footing due to the tremendous tremors.
He wouldn't be able to
move like this. But the next moment, the ground collapsed, and Tiamat's massive
body fell into the hole.
It seemed it had
stepped through a cavity that existed underground.
Tiamat was trying
desperately to get out, but it wasn't going well because its eyes were blinded.
Closing the distance
to it, Nozomu took out everything in his pouch, bundled it together, and threw
it at its head.
What he threw were
sound bombs. They exploded near Tiamat's face, and a deafening sound echoed
around.
Tiamat, having taken a
direct hit from the sound bombs at close range, staggered for a moment, its
movements dulled.
If it were a spirit,
it wouldn't have been affected this much.
Dragons were a type of
spirit race, but despite being a mass of primordial elements, they possessed a
physical body and had aspects of living creatures.
Because they used the
senses of a physical body, if those senses were lost unexpectedly or confused, they
could be severely affected.
Of course, even though
they were vulnerable to physical influences, dragons were still a spirit race.
They possessed supernatural senses befitting that, but Tiamat, possessing an
excessively large amount of power and therefore unable to maintain most of its
reason, was completely confused by the series of impossible events.
Tiamat had completely
stopped moving. Nozomu rushed towards Tiamat at full speed.
His target was the
dragon's neck. The reason he aimed for the neck was because he wasn't confident
he could break the skull of that dragon's head.
Dragons possessed
physical bodies. In other words, if you could bring that body to death, you
could kill them.
The important thing
was to kill its physical body.
However, dragons
themselves possessed extremely strong bodies, so it was no easy feat.
Nozomu leaped towards
the raised dragon's neck. He poured Ki into his sheathed sword and extremely
compressed it again. Drawing his sword, he unleashed a single slash of the
blade.
Ki Technique:
"Genmu" sliced through Tiamat's throat scales, and the compressed Ki
detonated internally. The bursting Ki blew away the jet-black scales from the
inside, exposing the soft skin.
Furthermore, Nozomu's
follow-up attack was unleashed.
Ki Technique:
"Genmu - Kaiki -" (幻無 - 回帰 - Phantom Void -
Return)
A returning strike was
unleashed, tracing the reverse trajectory of the quick draw he had just
performed.
That strike deeply cut
through the scales at Tiamat's throat, and a large amount of blood gushed out
like water.
However, even with a
wound that would normally be fatal, it wasn't enough to defeat the jet-black
dragon.
Nozomu used the
momentum of the returning strike to spin his body around. Combining the
rotational force and the momentum of his leap, he rammed into the wound he had
just created on its neck.
The thrust sword
pierced deeply into the giant dragon's neck, the blade passing through its
throat and reaching near the brainstem, leaving him hanging in the air,
supported by the impaled sword.
"Gugaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!"
But even so, the
dragon didn't fall.
It let out a roar that
shook the earth and thrashed wildly, trying to shake Nozomu off.
The sword was buried
in its flesh, and he couldn't push or pull it. At this rate, he would be shaken
off and paint the ground with a bloody red flower.
Nozomu mustered his
last strength and reached for the pouch on his waist.
What he took out was
the last remaining blast bomb.
He slammed it against
the blade of his sword with all his might.
The next moment,
lightning struck with a blinding light. The lightning, comparable to high-level
magic, passed through the impaled sword and the nerves in its neck, burning out
the dragon's brain cells.
But the lightning also
burned his body, completely seizing the remaining strength he had.
The dragon's massive
body collapsed, and his body was thrown off. The dragon's body was moving
slightly, but the light of life was no longer in its eyes.
Eventually, the
dragon's massive body crumbled and rose like a tsunami in the form of particles
of light.
Nozomu simply watched
the particles of light rise into the sky, no longer able to even think.
He himself was
battered all over, with all four limbs intact but not a single part of him is
intact.
Eventually, the
particles of light gathered above him and then fell towards him with
overwhelming force.
Having exceeded his
limits and unable to move, he was swallowed by the torrent of light and lost
consciousness.
***
His consciousness
slowly awoke.
The part of his
consciousness still in a dream recalled the battle with Tiamat and jolted him
awake.
Intense pain assaulted
his entire body, but he forced himself to sit up and looked around. He was in
the forest on the outskirts of the city.
"When... did I...
get back... here?"
Amidst the
incomprehensible situation, the pain running through his entire body told him
that the previous battle was not a dream.
"Anyway, I need
to get to Master's place..."
He didn't know how
long he had been unconscious, but staying here was not a good idea. Judging so,
Nozomu forced his aching body to move and headed towards Shino's hut in his
hazy consciousness.
Without realizing that
he had become a "Dragon Slayer," one of only a handful in history...
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