The location where the dragons resided was near a small pond. Whenever a male dragon appeared, they would all flock to that spot, and the mountain guide knew exactly where it was. He speculated that a female dragon might have claimed the area.

Once the dragons had settled near the pond, the animals that originally inhabited the territory had been forced to move elsewhere. When these displaced beasts encroached on other creatures’ domains, inevitable battles ensued. Wounded and weakened, the animals found it harder to hunt and began turning to the more vulnerable—humans.

As a result, even the mountain guide, who was familiar with the terrain, said it had been dangerous to venture into the mountain for some time. Some of these beasts had even descended to the foothills, attacking the nearby village, plunging the locals into fear.

When we arrived, the villagers were overjoyed, probably because they were either grateful for our help or desperately hoping that we would deal with the dragons once and for all. Initially, the mountain guide was supposed to lead us alone, but several of the village men joined him on the hike up the mountain.

Even though adventurers are generally skilled at navigating such terrain, having locals who knew the area better was always helpful. Understanding a region’s geography from a map or a brief description wasn’t always easy, especially in unfamiliar landscapes.

The village men accompanied groups assigned to tougher terrain, but because both the nine-person party and I were experienced in the forest, no one joined our group.

As we hiked in silence, only the occasional sounds of birds and insects broke the stillness. I kept straining my ears, hoping to hear a familiar sound—perhaps Rella’s chirping—but nothing resembling her voice reached me.

Where could that little bird have gone?

The thought made me sigh.

Meanwhile, the nine-person party continued to follow me. The soft crunch of leaves underfoot was the only indication of their presence. After a while, though, something about the sound seemed off. I turned around, only to find all nine of them stopping simultaneously.

"You startled me," said one of them with a forced smile.

No, you startled me, I thought, eyeing the man suspiciously.

One of them, in particular, had been tailing me more closely than the others. He wasn’t directly behind me, but his presence felt too close for comfort, unlike the rest of his group.

The odd thing was the sudden absence of footfalls. There should have been more sound. Up until a moment ago, I could clearly hear the regular crunch of his footsteps. Now, it was almost as if he’d stopped making noise altogether.

Is he some kind of ninja?

No, that couldn’t be it. This wasn’t an Eastern setting but a Western one. There were no ninjas here. Besides, the man looked completely Western, not the type to be skilled in such stealthy arts.

As I stared at him in silence, he flashed another smile.

“Is something the matter?”

Ignoring his question, I cast my gaze over the rest of the nine-person party. Their expressions showed a mix of unease and discomfort as if my scrutiny made them restless. A few of them shifted awkwardly, three pretending to examine the ground with sudden interest, while others offered strained smiles, trying too hard to appear innocent.

Suspicious. Very suspicious.

I questioned myself inwardly.

And then I imagined my mother’s voice answering.

‘No, Rafa. These men aren’t black yet. They’re just gray.’

My mother had a very clear rule when it came to gauging people: Are they trying to kill you or not?

I wasn’t particularly fond of these guys, not because I thought they might try to kill me, but because they moved like they were sneaking around, like ninjas—completely the opposite of my style.

Sure, my mother was considered the strongest, but she never cared much for stealth. Instead of sneaking up on someone, she would charge in head-on and strike them down. And since she’d taught me, I was the same. While I could keep my footsteps light due to my wind magic, I wasn’t the type to launch sneak attacks.

These guys were different, and I didn’t like it.

Besides, in this situation, it felt like I was the prey, which was an uncomfortable feeling.

Who likes being hunted?

If they wanted to kill me, they should’ve come at me screaming, “Die, you monster!” or something like that.

For a moment, I considered taking care of them right here and now. But rules were rules, and killing them on a whim would make me no better than a bloodthirsty barbarian.

I sighed inwardly, then spoke.

“Don’t sneak up on me so quietly. I might accidentally kill you.”

“…Uh, understood…”

The man gave an awkward half-smile, then took a step back.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

I warned them.

With that, I smiled and turned back around. There was still some distance to cover before we reached the dragons' location.

This time, the man didn’t get too close again.

As we drew closer to the pond, an eerie, rumbling sound echoed through the trees. It was deep and guttural, like something growling from within.

Are the males about to fight?

It seemed like perfect timing. If the dragons were about to battle, they might not notice us approaching.

The nine-person party and I carefully adjusted the nets wrapped around our arms and began moving silently toward the sound.

Peeking through the trees, I caught sight of the pond.

The area around it was spacious. Several large and small rocks dotted the surroundings, and grass grew along the water's edge. It was said that dragons needed plenty of space to take flight. Like birds whose wings spanned several times their body length, a dragon's wings were far larger than its body.

I took a deep breath.

There, between the pond and our hiding place, two dragons stood, glaring at each other.

Their wings were half-spread, as if preparing to attack.

So this is a dragon...

Their size matched the descriptions I had heard, but their presence was far more imposing than I had imagined.

The giant bear that had once injured me in the forest? That thing seemed like a cute little toy compared to these dragons.

Thick scales, reptilian eyes, horns that jutted out like crowns, and leathery wings that looked like something out of a prehistoric era.

This was a true medieval fantasy.

Mother actually fought these things?

I felt a pang of envy.

I would’ve loved to take one down myself.

If I had made a necklace out of dragon teeth instead of bear claws, it would’ve been so much cooler.

But Mother had killed every dragon that dared come near our home, leaving me with nothing but stories. No dragon wanted to come near our territory anymore, probably because word had spread among their kind. Or maybe it was the overwhelming scent of dragon blood that kept them away.

I sighed softly.

I remembered the advice I had been given before coming here:

“Dragon hide is the most valuable part. It's used to make top-tier armor.”

“The most beautiful pieces are turned into luxury items for the nobles.”

“Don’t bother attacking the scales; they’re nearly impenetrable. Aim for the belly—that’s where the hide is thinnest.”

“Remember, always go for the belly!”

“Whether it’s with an axe or wind magic, stay away from the hide. Focus on the belly!”

“The belly skin can still be sold, but the less damage, the better.”

“I’m counting on you, kid.”

“My daughter’s getting married next year, so please, do me a favor.”

“My mother…”

“My father…”

“My grandmother…”

Baldy, Old Baldy, One-Eye, and even adventurers I didn’t know by name had all made the same plea. Initially, they joked about how the dragon’s hide was so tough that no weapon could pierce it, but by the end, their bloodshot eyes begged me to avoid damaging the hide at all costs.

It seemed the power of my wind magic had them worried.

Unlike Mother, I can’t just go at the dragon recklessly.

No, I had to be smart about this. I needed to target the belly—preferably with as little damage as possible.

Sigh.

Over the past few days, I’d grown closer to the people around me. If anyone dared to insult me for being a “savage,” someone from my guild would step up and defend me before I could even say a word.

I wanted to help them out. After all, I planned to keep most of the reward for myself. But if I could help them earn a good share too, that would be even better. Plus, I wanted to make enough money to stay at a nice inn after all this.

I was determined to make it happen.

While I mulled over these thoughts, the two dragons finally began to square off. The growls in their throats grew louder, and their tails lifted slightly into the air. Circling each other, they moved slowly, testing their opponent.

In the distance, I could see two more dragons. One was smaller and stood near the edge of the pond, while the other lingered further away. Through the trees, I could make out the figures of other adventurers creeping toward it.

We couldn’t see them, but I knew there were more adventurers approaching from other directions as well.

Alright, it’s almost time...

Just as I loosened the net wrapped around my hand, the nine-person party moved.

Something came flying toward my back.

Ah, they’ve turned black!

In that instant, my instincts kicked in, and I spun around, swinging my axe through the air.

The blade cleaved cleanly through the weapon—a long spear meant for the dragon—that had been thrust toward me.

The man holding the broken spear stared at me, dumbfounded, as if unable to comprehend what had just happened.

He hadn’t expected me to turn and block his attack so quickly.

Sorry to surprise you, I thought. But Mother taught me well.

I had trained in life-or-death situations, where even the smallest slip-up could mean my end.

Compared to that, your clumsy attempt was like a child playing with a toy sword.

I sighed inwardly, feeling almost sorry for them.

You need a lot more practice before you’re ready to kill someone.

These men were nowhere near skilled enough to survive in the world of assassins. They should’ve gone back home to their mothers for some milk.

Oh wait, they wouldn’t be able to do that now.

“Because you’re about to die.”

Muttering softly, I swung my axe, and the man’s head flew clean off.

Another attacker came at me from the side, wielding a whip.

So that was the strange belt he had around his waist—it was his weapon.

The whip cracked, coiling around my wrist as if to restrain me.

It’s pretty long, isn’t it?

I’d only ever seen whips in books and drawings; this was my first time facing one in real life.

With my arm bound, the others must’ve seen their chance. Two men rushed at me simultaneously, thrusting their long spears.

But I wasn’t fazed. I raised my axe, whip and all, and swung it upward.

“What?!”

“Huh?!”

“Monster!”

The whip-wielder and his companions screamed in shock.

You didn’t expect that, huh?

But seriously, think about it. Would tying a rope around an adult make them freeze in place?

I was the adult, and they were the children. In terms of strength, we were worlds apart—like comparing a giant to a newborn baby.

With the whip still wrapped around my wrist, I shattered the skulls of the three attackers.

By that point, the dragons had noticed us.

Well, it was bound to happen.

I might have been able to stay unnoticed, but these guys had made enough noise to alert the entire mountain.

Leaving the remaining members of the nine-person party behind, I charged toward the dragons.

There was no profit in killing the ones who had tried to stab me, but the dragons were another matter.

If I didn’t act quickly, the dragons might escape, and if that happened, the other adventurers would blame me for missing out on the reward.

In this world, as in my old one, money was everything.

I needed to secure that first.

Wrapping myself in wind, I let the surrounding air gently push me forward.

The two dragons, who had been focused on each other, turned their attention to me, roaring with enough force to shake the branches around us.

The air itself seemed to tremble.

Haha.

Sorry, but I can do that too.

With a grin, I gathered the wind into my axe.

If I wanted to take down the dragons without damaging their hide, there was only one way.

I’d have to beat them down until their insides were mush.

Gathering even more wind into my axe, I wound up my swing like a baseball player at bat.

Then I let the axe fly.

A cyclone of wind surged toward the two dragons.

The force was so intense that the trees around them were uprooted, flying straight toward the dragons.