The dragon reared back and let out a massive fire breath. Unable to dodge in time, Hana beat it back with a [shield bash], immediately dissipating the flames, but setting fire to the nearby structures.
Willow!
On it, sunbae!
From somewhere above her head, a glacial wind burst forth and immediately put out the fires followed by three [arcane shots] flew out and hit the dragon, knocking it back.
That’s not good, she thought. While [arcane shot] was Willow’s best skill, that wasn’t true for the other scholars. Which meant they were running low on mana and had fallen back on using basic skills.
She wiped the sweat from her brow and signaled to the monk. Together they moved through the broken doors of a building to circle around and flank the monster.
Jinyoung, where is it?
It’s moving east of your position. Take the exit to your right and you should get ahead of it.
image [https://i.imgur.com/WU5QWPU.jpeg]
The fire-breathing beast was living up to its reputation. Once it realized there were multiple groups, it began moving about more aggressively. Taking cover behind buildings and using its tail to knock out building columns. That meant the archers were being forced to take higher positions which meant they were missing more of their shots.
Watch out!
“Take cover!” Hana shouted. A moment later, a wave of flames washed through the lobby of the building. The heat was intense but evaporated a second later.
That’s some AOE. Thanks for the head’s up.
Jinyoung had moved from his position along the cavern walls to the rooftops of the structures. The dragon was moving too quickly and he needed to be closer in order to follow its movements. From his vantage point, he saw the archers take up positions on the tallest structure while the spellcasters were relocating on a lower rooftop. Down on the ground floor, the war knight and fighter were taking turns attacking the dragon’s legs. The battle was taking its toll on everyone, but none more than the structure. Two of the buildings had taken on critical structural damage and it was only a matter of time until they toppled over. Which gave Jinyoung an idea.
Hana, there’s a building just north of your position that’s ready to tip.
The shield knight nodded.
The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
We’ll set the trap and the casters can trip it. Willow, I need you and the others to target the weakened column to tip it over. Pass it on to the other parties.
A barrage of arrows flew in, distracting the dragon just long enough for Hana to explain the plan to the other fighters.
***
Muho sighed in relief. It was obvious early on that the team wasn’t enough to kill this damned creature. There was something wrong about it. A normal black dragon would be showing signs of exhaustion by this point, but this dragon seemed to be faster and stronger than when they first started. And while toppling a building on top of a monster seemed like overkill, the other option was to retreat.
“Alright, we’re playing hooky,” he huffed out. Nobu and Hari nodded while the squire looked confused.
“We need to string him along and get him to a position north of here,” he explained. “Each of us will take up positions along the path and strike when the dragon gets close.”
“Like a relay race?” the squire questioned.
The other warriors smiled. “Yes, exactly. Except this particular baton breathes fire. Now everyone, get in position.”
***
Jinyoung moved up to the roof of a concrete office building that gave him a near complete view of the arena. From here, he could see the building on the north end that had taken substantial damage from tail whips and a few errant [arcane shots].
[SCAN+]
Monster: SIN DRACONIAN
Recommended Level: 49
Health: 64%
Attributes: SHIELDED (low), BATTLE HARDENED, SIN*
Weaknesses: ELECTRICITY, ICE, ARCANE
The monster had taken heavy damage, but every second the battle went on, the chances of someone getting hurt increased dramatically. This battle was nothing like anything Jinyoung had fought in before. The dragon wasn’t just a powerful monster, it was actively fighting against them. Earlier, the fighters and archers had used stun attacks to control the massive beast and deal damage. But eventually, the dragon started shifting its position and randomly striking out at buildings to remove potential cover points. This thing was actively developing counter-strategies
The spellcasters and archers had taken covered positions. For this to work, the team had to focus the dragon’s attention on the fighters on the ground.
For a moment, the dragon lifted its head, searching. From this high up, Jinyoung had an obstructed view of the streets making it impossible to spot the other players. The best he could do was watch the dragon.
Suddenly, the dragon jerked its head sideways. It moved in on its target and between the gaps in the buildings Jinyoung spotted the shade dashing through the streets. The monster struck out and the Japanese rogue deftly dodged, making it clear to anyone watching that he wasn’t in any imminent danger. While its focus was on the shade, Muho leapt from one of the buildings and took a wide swipe, cutting a swatch through the dragon’s neck. The reinforced scales kept him from cutting through, but the dragon’s screech told everyone that it’d dealt fair damage.
The old Guild Master ran 100 meters before the squire moved out of his hiding place and swung a well-aimed shot at the dragon’s leg as it sprinted by.
That’s when everything went to hell.
Jinyoung watched in horror as the dragon’s tail swung around and caught the young squire in the chest. Even from a distance, he could hear the sickening crack as the young player’s ribs broke and his body ragdolled through the air.