The dragon, lying with its head against the ground, turned to face me, staring intently with its golden eyes. Those eyes seemed to ask, “Why do I feel so sluggish? Did you do something to me?”

As I stood there, frozen in terror with trembling legs, the dragon slowly rose and turned its massive body toward me. Despite its sluggish movements, the fear of being crushed by a creature several dozen meters tall was overwhelming.

It’s… gigantic… It’s even bigger now that it’s standing up… I have to run! I have to run away as planned! Come on! Move, legs! Move, you cowardly legs!

I couldn’t even pick up the sword beside me. All I could think about was pounding my legs to get them moving, to flee from this terrifying dragon.

I could hide in the room! No, that’s a bad idea. Even if it can’t breathe fire now, it could recover its magic power over time… And with those claws, it could reach me here. In the end, it would just capture and devour me. No, I have to get outside!

Giving up on running, I dropped to the ground, using only the strength in my arms to crawl forward, inching out of the room.

I felt the dragon’s gaze bore into my back. It might be thinking, “What’s this guy doing?”

I’m just a mosquito! I just absorbed a little of your magic power! I’ll leave right now, so please just ignore me!

“Groooaaarrr!”

“Eek!”

As I crawled toward the corner of the room, I reflexively looked back at the sound of the dragon’s roar. There it was, raising an arm to slash me with its sharp claws.

Paralyzed with fear, I could only watch as the claws slowly descended toward me.

Then, just as those claws were about to slice into my body—

Clang

A white barrier momentarily appeared around me, blocking the dragon’s claws.

Shatter

But in the next moment, there was a shattering sound like glass breaking, and the dragon’s claws stabbed into my chest where I had been bracing myself.

“Ugh!”

Though its claws stopped at the half-plate armor I was wearing and didn’t cut through me, the force blown me dozens of meters away, rolling across the ground.

“Ugh… gah… haah… huff… ugh… cough, cough… haah… Small Heal… Small Heal…”

The impact made me couldnt breathe for a moment, but somehow I regained it and used my Small Heal skill on my aching chest and limbs.

After a few attempts, the pain subsided somewhat, and I forced myself to rise, gathering strength into my trembling legs.

Stand up! I… I’m alive… I survived. What was that barrier just now? It deflected the attack, and this magic iron half-plate armor saved me.

Amazing armor… even with some scratches, it’s still intact.

But what was that barrier? Oh, the Protection Ring! It protected me automatically!

Will it work again? Though it sounded like it shattered… so maybe it won’t activate again

As I staggered to my feet, the dragon shifted its shining black body towards me, twisting its body slightly.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

“What… what’s it trying to do? Whatever it is, I have to dodge!”

Bracing myself for the next move, I watched as the dragon untwisted its body and slammed its thick tail toward me.

“No way! Barrier skill!”

Realizing I couldn’t dodge the dragon’s tail sweeping in from the side, I jumped to the side, pouring all my magic power into a barrier aimed at its tail.

…Shatter!

“Gah! Ugh! Ahh!”

The barrier briefly held against the tail, only to shatter instantly, sending me flying again. I tumbled repeatedly, slamming into a wall far away, my back striking it hard.

“Agh… gah! Small… Heal…”

My whole body throbbed with pain, and I could hardly move, but driven by a strong will to survive, I tried to activate Small Heal.

However, I had exhausted my magic power with that last barrier, so Small Heal failed.

Out of magic? Right, I need a potion…

I focused, summoning a grade 3 potion from the spatial storage bracelet on my right arm. I lifted the potion to my lips with trembling hands.

Just then, I caught sight of the dragon sluggishly raising its arm to strike again.

Ah… it’s no use. Even if I drink this potion, I’ll be minced before I can move.

I gave it my all today. Today was the hardest I’ve ever tried in my life.

No matter how hopeless, painful, or terrifying it got, I didn’t give up on surviving.

My legs trembled and wouldn’t move as I wanted, but facing this monstrous creature, anyone would freeze up like that.

I’m not some superhero who goes out to slay monsters.

Still, I think I did pretty well.

Ah… damn it… But it’s frustrating… Worked to the bone by the company, driven to exhaustion by my boss… and then dumped by the only girlfriend I’d managed to get… I broke my body, quit to finally gain some freedom, only to be sold off to the country…

The people who always shout about “human rights” are silent now…

The friends I made at the facility, they’re all dead…

It’s so unfair…

I just wanted to live a quiet life without bothering anyone… but I’ve been targeted by monsters and a world that keeps hitting me with unfairness…

Why can’t I ever win against injustice?

The dragon’s arm looks like it’s moving slower, huh. Ha, serves you right.

But taking that hit will hurt. I guess I’ll end up like the other corpses here…

Is this it? Am I really going to die here… Hamada… Baba…

Hamada… At first, he was a clumsy guy with no athletic ability, but he was diligent.

He worked hard and kept getting stronger. And he even looked up to me… always calling me “Akutsu-san,” what a cute guy.

Baba-san always supported us. He’d always stand at the front lines, protecting us from danger. He’d scold and encourage me whenever I started to lose my will.

Those two are already gone…

“Akutsu-san! Run ahead! Guh…”

“This is where we part ways! If you survive, avenge us! Avenge everyone!”

Damn it! Damn it! That’s right! I have to avenge them!

On Japan, on this rotten society!

On the Explorer’s Association that threw us into this dungeon, and on that traitor Blade Demons!

Don’t give up! There has to be a way! Think!

I’m alive until that arm comes down! Think fast!

My sword… Damn, it’s by the door.

The barrier… even if I absorbed magic power from magic stones, my current magic levels wouldn’t be enough.

I already knew that.

That’s why I relied on skills like Mana Drain and Magic Transfer.

They protected me from the dragon’s breath attack, but I couldn’t block physical blows from a creature that size.

Wait… That huge body? Why can a dragon over 40 meters tall stand like that? This dragon has mass equivalent to a movie monster.

There’s gravity in this dungeon. I didn’t feel lighter or heavier here, so the dragon should experience the same gravity like I do.

Then how can it stand? Some special bone structure? No, that wouldn’t explain why its skin and muscles stay intact.

It must be using some kind of body reinforcement magic to stabilize its bones, muscles, and skin.

So if it loses the magic that’s sustaining it?

When I was absorbing its magic power, it felt harder to drain, so I assumed it was running low.

But I still sensed there was magic left to take.

Maybe that’s the magic keeping its body intact.

It’s worth a shot. No, it’s the only shot I’ve got.

But what can I do with the magic I drain? I only have a few fist-sized magic stones.

Could they handle enough power to support that body? Probably not. And I don’t have time to switch stones.

Oh no! The arm is about to come down!

I need something that can transfer magic, something to absorb all that power… Anything! There must be something!

Looking up at the dragon’s arm, I darted my eyes around, frantically searching for anything I could use.

Nothing but bones!

There’s nothing here to transfer magic into except…

wait? Magic?

I remember from basic studies that magic didn’t originally exist here on Earth—it appeared along with dungeons.

Magic was said to be made from “mana particles,” which humans could absorb…

That’s it!

I can make this work!

If I believe it will work, then it will!

Otherwise, there’s no logic to how magic replenishes!

But can I handle such a large flow of magic? Yes, I can!

I was always told I could do anything if I tried!

I can do this! I’ll put everything I’ve got into it!

Facing the dragon as it prepared to strike, I thrust my right hand forward.

“Come on, you overgrown lizard! I’ll crush your dominance right here! Take this! Full-power Mana Drain! And Magic Transfer!”

With my right hand, I activated the Mana Drain skill, visualizing pulling every bit of magic from the dragon’s body, and with my left hand, I activated the Magic Transfer skill, directing it at the air itself.

Ugh… there’s a lot of it… concentrated in the dragon’s chest… its chest?

A magic stone? The magic stone is sustaining its body!

Focus everything on draining it… Pull, pull! Flow, flow! Right to left, right to left… I can’t let any escape…

“Groar… guh!”

The dragon’s growl turned from anger to confusion, then to fear.

Its black scales lost their luster, and the golden eyes dimmed, darkening to a rust-colored gray.

“Th-There’s… no way… I did it? No way!”

The dragon, now drained of its sustaining magic, collapsed under its own weight, its body crumbling, scales falling, and the flesh decomposing into powder.

“Take that….. you… lizard,”

My legs gave away and I collapsed on the spot.