It took us five days to reach the foothills of the mountain where the dragons were said to be.

They’d estimated it would take about that long, and they were right on the mark. With all the carts and wagons slowing us down, it took a bit longer, but it was typically a three- to four-day journey.

Given how far away the mountain was, it seemed like the dragons wouldn’t pose much of a threat to the city. So why were they in such a hurry to launch this expedition?

Curious, I asked the old Baldy, who chuckled softly.

“There’s another city on the other side of the mountain. That’s the reason. It’s a bit far if you’re walking, but for a dragon, it’s just a quick flight away.”

“I see.”

I hadn’t realized there was another city nearby. As I nodded, Baldy’s expression suddenly tensed.

His gaze was fixed on the distant sky. I followed his line of sight, and far off, a creature was soaring through the air. Even from such a distance, I could see its long, sweeping tail.

A dragon.

“They’re smaller than I thought,” I muttered to myself.

One-Eye, who had approached, patted me on the back.

“It only looks small because it’s far away. Up close, they’re bigger than a house. If you let your guard down, you’ll end up as its dinner. Stay sharp once we start climbing the mountain.”

His gaze, too, was locked on the distant dragon.

At first, some of the adventurers spoke to me using the formal speech reserved for newcomers, but over time, they all started calling me "newbie" or "youngest," speaking casually. It felt a little strange but also made me happy.

Though I was larger than most of them, making it hard to truly pass as the youngest, being among these grizzled faces and tough builds made me feel like just another regular guy. I finally felt like I had been accepted by them—as part of the group.

It reminded me of my days in the working world, back when I had to be part of society. It’s true what they say—humans are social animals.

Honestly, being treated like an outsider had never been pleasant. In that sense, I had a new kind of respect for my mother. From what I’ve heard, she had it even worse than me, but she still made it through.

I felt grateful for this rare sense of camaraderie. So, whenever the others talked, I made sure to listen closely. Maybe that’s why they kept treating me like their little brother. Most of them were older than me, and over the past few days, many had started treating me like family.

One-Eye, glaring at the dragon in the sky, ground his teeth together.

“Never underestimate a dragon. If you’re not careful, you’ll be dead before you even realize it. I’ve lost several comrades to those monsters. This eye? It’s gone because of a dragon.”

So that’s how it happened.

It seemed that nearly every adventurer here had had a brush with death at least once. Over the past few days, I’d heard countless stories from them—some so incredible that even my mother would be astonished.

But sometimes, their tales seemed so far-fetched that they were hard to believe.

Sigh.

Adventurers’ stories were often exaggerated, after all. Jenny had warned me not to take everything they said at face value, reminding me that if you believed them all, half the people you met would seem like S-rank or A-rank adventurers.

Still, part of being social was knowing when to nod along. I listened to One-Eye’s story with interest, though inwardly, I knew not to take it too seriously.

One-Eye continued to grind his teeth, staring hatefully at the sky. His hatred for dragons seemed genuine, at least.

At least the part about his eye was probably true.

With a clenched jaw, he began his tale.

“It was when I was in my prime, about five years into my career as an adventurer. Back then, I was riding high—every job I took was a success. I could slay beasts in a single day, and failure was a word I didn’t know. Confidence became arrogance…”

One of the nearby adventurers winced and shrugged.

“Here we go again. I’ve heard this story at least a hundred times. If you count the times he tells it to every newbie that comes along, it’s probably more like a thousand. I’m sick to death of it.”

He pretended to flee as One-Eye yelled after him.

“This is a valuable lesson, you idiot! I’m sharing it out of kindness!”

“Yeah, right.”

The adventurer shouted back over his shoulder as he walked away. One-Eye huffed, then turned his attention back to me.

“I know you’re excited about seeing a dragon. I was too, back then. But they’re monsters. Don’t ever forget that. They aren’t like us.”

What followed was a long, drawn-out story. It seemed like it would take three days and nights just to get to the part where he encountered the dragon. I tried to stay attentive, but as he continued, I found myself drifting off to sleep.

When would this story end?

It didn’t seem like we’d face a dragon any time soon.

Still, I didn’t want to be rude. It felt nice that he was treating me like a rookie and trying to share his wisdom, so I forced myself to stay awake, nodding as I listened. Fortunately, the sound of metal clanging—our signal that it was time to eat—interrupted him.

One-Eye jumped to his feet.

“We’ll talk more over dinner.”

Could we just not?

My silent plea must have been obvious because the adventurers nearby burst into laughter.

Following the metallic clanging, we made our way to the cooking fires, where large pots simmered over the flames.

Along with One-Eye and the other adventurers, I found a spot and sat down.

Meals for adventurers were simple—dried meat, stews, hard bread, ham, pickled fish, and sometimes wild greens, depending on what was available.

Stolen novel; please report.

Tonight’s stew had a lot more greens than usual.

“Where’s all the meat? It’s mostly vegetables!” someone complained.

But personally, I found the stew’s broth cleaner and more refreshing than usual, thanks to the vegetables. I liked it.

As we ate, the adventurers began preparing to ascend the mountain. We had reached a small village at the base, and the people who had brought the carts were unloading the supplies. The pack animals and porters were getting everything ready for the journey up the mountain, which would begin at dawn, led by local guides.

Paul, the leader of the expedition, was busy overseeing the preparations, making sure all the equipment was in order. Of course, he wasn’t doing it himself—there were specialists for that—but he kept asking questions, making sure nothing was missing. He also went around talking to various adventurers, including the party of nine that had been tailing me.

“I heard those nine have experience with dragon hunts,” one adventurer said. “That’s why they joined up late. I’m not sure if they’ve actually killed any, though.”

“They must have had some kind of endorsement from other adventurers or an organization.”

Tonight’s dinner came with alcohol, but most of the adventurers only had a drink or two.

So they can control themselves. It was a bit surprising.

Suddenly, there was a commotion nearby.

“Again?” someone muttered.

I sighed.

The fire mage, the woman named Rira, was at it again, complaining about something. She had been a constant source of irritation throughout the journey. From her ridiculous, fancy dress to her incessant whining about everything from the food to the roads, she had earned the resentment of everyone in the group.

Of course, since she was a noble, no one dared say anything to her. But even her brother, Paul, seemed fed up. Every now and then, I’d catch him shooting her a dark, frustrated look.

By afternoon, everyone had gathered to hear the battle strategy for the dragon hunt.

It wasn’t much of a strategy, really. The plan was simple: get as close to the dragons as possible, throw nets over them to prevent them from flying, and then kill them.

That was pretty much it.

Just then, One-Eye spoke up.

“How many dragons are we dealing with?”

“At first, we were told there were two,” Paul replied. “But upon arriving, we’ve learned there might be three.”

The old Baldy, who had been keeping an eye on the skies, chimed in.

“It’s at least four. A few of us have been watching the sky, and while they all look similar, there are slight differences. I’d say there are four of them.”

“What?!”

“Four is too many!”

“This isn’t what we were told!”

The adventurers broke into nervous murmurs, and Paul quickly tried to calm them down.

“Quiet! Everyone, settle down. Nothing’s confirmed yet. It’s just an estimate, not a certainty.”

But the unease continued to ripple through the crowd. I didn’t know much about dragons, but the prospect of four dragons clearly had people on edge.

“Listen,” Paul added, “we have an A-rank adventurer with us, plus 250 B-rank adventurers. Nearly 500 C-ranks are here as well. Even if there are four dragons, we can handle them. We also have fire and wind mages on our side.”

Fire mage?

Surely, they didn’t mean that woman would be joining us in the fight?

The adventurers exchanged uncertain glances.

While they worried about Rira, I found my mind occupied by something else. I raised my hand to ask a question, and everyone’s attention shifted to me.

Paul smiled awkwardly.

“Go ahead, speak your mind.”

“I don’t know much about dragons, but aren’t they territorial creatures? Why are three or four of them suddenly gathering in one place?”

Paul’s face twisted in confusion.

Ah.

It seemed he hadn’t even considered that question. Everyone had been so focused on the fact that the dragons had appeared, they hadn’t stopped to wonder why they were clustering together.

“Well, I’m not sure, but that’s not the point right now,” Paul replied.

Just then, One-Eye muttered something.

“Maybe it’s mating season.”

“What?”

“That can’t be…”

“It’s the wrong time of year.”

“That’s right. I don’t know much about dragons either, but I’ve heard they breed in the spring.”

The adventurers began whispering anxiously.

Mating season? Was that supposed to be a big deal?

I tilted my head, confused, and One-Eye’s face went pale as he explained.

“There are rare cases where young females can go into heat outside of mating season. When that happens, the males become extremely aggressive.”

Ah, that makes sense.

I vaguely remembered my mother going off to hunt dragons right around the time flowers were starting to bloom. I recalled practicing my wind magic back then by cutting off flower petals, a training exercise that ended with my mother scolding me for ruining all the flowers my father loved.

Looking back, I think my father had actually been proud of me every time I did it. He probably saw it as a sign my wind magic was getting stronger.

I’d often been too rough, uprooting trees instead of just cutting flowers, and I remember him smiling with half-closed eyes as he watched.

Maybe he just found it amusing.

"…"

While I was lost in thought, the mood among the adventurers had grown grim.

Despite having 700 experienced adventurers with us, the prospect of fighting four dragons was daunting. My mother had easily taken down one on her own, so it didn’t seem that difficult to me. In fact, she probably could’ve handled two without breaking a sweat.

Which means I should be able to do the same.

Of course, things might go wrong, and I might discover my axe doesn’t work against them. But I had wind magic, too. Worst-case scenario, I could just blow them away.

My wind magic was ridiculously powerful, to the point where I couldn’t even use it properly because it was too strong.

Still, I had no reason to feel like I’d lose this fight.

A few adventurers were already muttering about giving up and demanding their money back.

Hmm, things are looking bad.

If the atmosphere got any worse, more people might drop out. That would be a problem. If too many people left, the hunt could be canceled, and I’d lose a valuable job opportunity.

Paul was doing his best to calm the adventurers down, but his efforts weren’t having much effect. If anything, the situation was getting worse.

That’s when I stood up.

As I rose to my feet, everyone’s eyes turned to me.

“Could I have your attention for a moment?”

After speaking, I began making my way through the crowd toward the edge of the camp.

“What’s he doing?”

That voice was Baldy’s. The younger one.

Sigh. I know this looks lame. I was well aware that walking off like this wasn’t exactly a cool move. If I really wanted to impress them, I should’ve done something flashy right there. Instead, I was quietly slipping away to the outskirts like a fool.

But what choice did I have?

I couldn’t just go around blowing people away to show off my strength.

With a small sigh, I reached a clear area where no one else was standing.

The other adventurers were far behind me now, watching me with confused expressions.

They probably think I’m an idiot.

I sighed again, gathering the wind into my hands.

I could feel the air swirling around me, rushing toward me in a refreshing, invigorating wave. It felt like the whole world was resonating with me.

I focused the wind around my axe, letting it hum with power.

Then, I raised the axe and brought it down hard.

With a crack and a thunderous boom, the ground split open beneath me, the earth fissuring outward in all directions.

It was as if invisible lightning had crawled through the soil.

"…"

I had avoided scattering the wind through the air, fearing it would be too powerful, but I wondered if the ground-based attack had been too subtle. Would the others even notice from that distance?

I glanced back at the crowd, and to my surprise, everyone was staring at me with wide eyes.

The old Baldy came running over, eyes bulging as he examined the cracked earth.

“D-Did you do this? Was that your wind magic?”

“Yes.”

Thankfully, it seemed they understood just how powerful my magic was. I had worried it might not be clear from so far away, but that wasn’t the case.

I flashed a confident smile and faced the crowd.

“As you can see, I can handle wind magic just fine. Even if there are four dragons, we’ll be okay.”

The moment I finished speaking, the adventurers erupted in cheers.

Huh? Why were they suddenly so excited?

Before I could process what was happening, the old Baldy’s eyes gleamed as he exclaimed, “Two of the dragons will belong to the lord, but the others are fair game for us. Even if you claim most of the prize, we’ll still get a share. That’ll be a fortune!”

Wait, was that part of the deal?

I blinked, unsure of what to say, but Baldy clapped me on the shoulder, beaming.

“It’s the custom. When a job turns out to be more dangerous than expected, the reward increases to reflect the risk. Otherwise, no one would take on risky missions.”

“I guess that makes sense.”

Judging by the adventurers’ reactions, it must have been a considerable sum of money.

Suddenly, I felt a pang of regret over the dragon my mother had killed when I was a child. If we had sold it, we could have become filthy rich.

The atmosphere, which had been like a funeral just moments ago, shifted dramatically. The adventurers were now buzzing with energy, discussing how they would form groups and approach the dragons to maximize their earnings.

Everyone was brimming with enthusiasm.

Nice.

One thing that struck me as odd, though, was how eager the party of nine had become. Up until now, they had kept to themselves, quietly going with the flow. But now, they were actively pushing to showcase their strengths and skills.

They were especially keen on forming teams.

It seemed like every adventurer wanted to team up with me, and the nine were no exception—they were fully engaged in the competition.

"…"

Since arriving in this world, I hadn’t often found myself in a position where people looked at me favorably. This newfound popularity made me feel… happy.

I know it’s kind of silly, but still… it felt good.