The dragon was bigger than the Dawn Grimmer's entrance gate. The stone gate shattered on impact with its body covered in hard, crystal-like scales. Its sharp yellow claws treaded, creating a large hole in the Dawn Grimmer's path. The dragon roared before returning to flight. Wings with thin bones sticking out on the edge of the wings easily destroy the buildings.

Ace flashed a few times, making sure what he saw was real. However, when the dragon's icy blue eyes fell on him, Ace froze. On the triangular head with a long snout, there are two dark blue tendrils. Small horns lined near the neck until the tail glowed. Massive magical energy gathered, then released.

Most of the Dawn Grimmer froze along with the surrounding plants. The cold air is getting darker. Ace's breath hitched when he saw the bodies of the NPCs lying on the road, frozen, and some of them were crushed by buildings. The alarm trumpets located at the guard posts sounded. The remaining people scattered out, running quickly following the group of blue-armored soldiers towards the protective walls of the palace.

Ace's bedroom door opened violently. His mind was still wandering when Demian tugged at his arm. Ace tries to follow Demian's steps out of the partially destroyed inn. They rushed to mingle with the troupe of red-armored warriors and other players who were ready to await the dragon.

"Instead of going inside, you better get out. Don't waste the chance to get Dragon Slayer magic."

Ace was silent. Dragon Slayer Magic. That's right, everyone was looking forward to the chance to obtain Dragon Slayer magic, except for him. Ace wasn't sure he could get that much power. The dragon's aura and gaze had managed to intimidate him mercilessly. Even looking at it from a distance like this, the fear is still felt. He is different from other players who have been here longer.

The arrival of dragons is not experienced by this city once or twice, so they are ready when the dragons appear. All the security towers were filled with armed soldiers, all the arrows and spears had been prepared. Just as the great gates of the Dawn Grimmer collapsed into icy shards of ice, the dragon flew over the city buildings. His arrival was greeted by a hail of arrows, hot balls, and spears. The arrows clanged, breaking as they collided with the ejected ice. Huge, sharp, and cold chunks of ice hit the city streets, buildings, and not a few people who were running. Arrows and spears continued to be thrown as the alarm trumpet sounded continuous.

The ice spewed out by the dragon again froze buildings and roads. The dragon kept circling destroying everything. Here and there, the buildings had frozen along with the human corpses. The whip of its tail often knocks down buildings in an instant. And during that time, none of the arrows could restrain or even harm the dragon. The bodies of the soldiers were strewn across the streets and guard posts. The Dawn Grimmer was devastated. But, among the buildings that had been destroyed and frozen, there were still people who had survived. [YES1]

Some players are getting ready on the roofs of buildings to attack, others are getting ready with their physical weapons. A few minutes were blurry for Ace, as if someone was calling him from afar. Somehow the short sword had been grasped and he was standing on the front line.

“Hilla, distract him with your arrows!” Edgar was ready. His legs spread to support the weight of the sword as tall as the man. His body was surrounded by a gray aura, just like Niel when he fought with Bluriz that time.

"Leave it to me!" On the roof of the building, Hilla had mounted a stance, pulling the bowstring with a bright green magic arrow.

If Ace could meet that NPC-101 again, he would scold him completely. It felt unfair to see other players using various kinds of weapons that were more useful than this short sword. With a thin body, Ace looks like an idiot who is about to fight a dragon. Even this sword was unable to scratch Bluriz's steel skin.

The dragon flew back, lower than before. Hilla pulled the bowstring. The green arrow flew, then split into dozens of arrows. The tip glittered like a meteor, hitting the dragon wings covered in hard scales.

The dragon fell. His huge body fell on the rubble of the building. The ice that froze the building shattered scattered. The next moment it was the turn of the players with melee magic. Among the players, Edgar ran through the ice around the dragon with Ace with his sword. Edgar made the horns around the dragon's neck as a foothold up to the head. The jagged and pointed edges of the sword managed to break the protective scales.

“You damn human!”

The dragon struggled, slowly rising. New crystals appeared as his neck stretched. His head shot up so fast that the players fell against the building. The HP bar above the players' heads was reduced by half. Trying to distract, Hilla shot her magic arrow again with another Dragon Slayer. However, the magic shield repelled all attacks. The dragon rose and swooped down quickly before Edgar and the other players got ready.

"Edgar!"

There was a loud crash in the smoke. Hilla gasped. A feeling of relief arose when the dragon's movement was stopped by Demian's fiery claws. The man's entire body smoldered, then formed huge fireballs that floated in the air. Quickly, the orbs attacked the dragon.

Meanwhile, Ace was transfixed. The hand holding the short sword was shaking. He's completely useless right now.

“You should realize that only I can fight it!” Confidently, Demian created other claws of fire to restrain the dragon's four legs.

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“Shut up, you stupid red hedgehog! Because of your stupidity, you didn't notice that its tail was pointing at you." Lucas exclaimed as he formed a protective electric wall for Demian and the other players.

The reddish-black chains managed to get them knocked down Demian. Demian's flames seemed to be swallowed up by the sky. Sharp icicles appeared as the dragon spread its wings, aiming it at them. With lightning speed, Lucas repelled all attacks with electric shocks, while Hilla prepared to pull the bowstring. However, the beast's instincts remained sharp, as if declaring itself an unstoppable beast. The dragon ignored Lucas's electric shock and spewed ice at Hilla. The roofs of the buildings froze. Hilla, who was unable to endure, slipped.

Edgar shouted. He broke away from Lucas' protection towards Hilla. Likewise, Niel and Lucas tried to reach the woman with magic. Not wanting to give it a chance, the dragon dispelled them with magic. Hilla's body was greeted by the coldness of the Dawn Grimmer's path. [YES2] His HP bar is drastically reduced, touching 10%.

“You damn dragon!” Edgar was furious. He ran with the greatsword, making the ruins of the building reach the dragon. The brutal swing of the sword formed a sharp arc that attempted to pierce the dragon's scales.

The dragon crystals lit up again brighter as they rose higher and higher. Sharp icicles hit the players who didn't have time to form protective magic. They collapsed, without any pools of blood, while the HP bar decreased rapidly. Screams rang out from the other players who saw their comrades break apart, then they disappear.

"Don't act recklessly!" Lucas shouted angrily at Edgar. "Instead of you raging like a fool, you better take Hilla to a safe place for healing."

Edgar snorted. His life would almost have been lost if Lucas hadn't pulled him away with magic. Now they looked like cowards hiding behind Niel's protective wall, watching the other players disappear without doing anything.

Ace didn't find the dragon when he looked up, as if drowning in the icy mist that enveloped the Dawn Grimmer. However, he noticed the air was getting colder. Hiding behind the icy mist, a man dressed in all black was watching them. Ace couldn't see his face that was covered by the hood of the cloak, but he was sure it was the person he saw earlier. Ace felt his name called that person. For some reason, Ace felt something bonded between them. Could it be the person in his past?

Ace dared to step outside the protective wall while tightly holding the short sword. He ignored his friends who tried to prevent him. Maybe Ace's hunch was right. It could be his father trapped in Erfheim. Or maybe a first-rate mage who was about to save him. Ace tried to dispel the doubts and kept going. But, as the distance began to erode, the figure disappeared into the mist. Ace ran, trying to reach out, but to no avail.

The ice fog thinned. The figure of the dragon that was hiding was visible. Ace paled as his sapphire iris met the dragon's sapphire iris. Ace's whole body trembled, his legs were reluctant to move. Not afraid, but Ace felt something between them. The indigo-tinted sapphire iris felt familiar to him. Unbeknownst to Ace, he had been transfixed while the dragon darted at him.

"Aces!" Niel exclaimed as he held out his scythe.

Reddish black chains appeared, reaching and pulling Ace away. Ace floated in the air, right above the dragon's head. He marveled at the dragon scales which were hard, cold, and seemed to glow. However, when the glare returned to him, Ace gasped. He tightened his grip on the small sword, then fell right on top of the dragon's head.

What should I do now? How can I kill this dragon with a thin sword?

Ace sank inwardly, regretting his crazy actions. His short sword was stuck in the scales when the dragon accidentally crashed into the building, trying to knock Ace down. Ace's heart skipped a beat. Things had changed, and he had to do something fast if he didn't want to die silly. Forget about wanting to keep hiding behind a first, second, or whatever magician. If he was careless and fell, it was certain that the dragon would swallow him alive.

Ace tried to grab the part of the dragon's head that was not shielded. It was a bright blue, a little mushy, but very cold. Ace's blood seemed to freeze as he stepped closer, plus the air grew colder as the dragon carried him farther and farther away from the ground.

The man tried his best to keep his feet on the ground, against the wind that kept blowing. When he felt close enough to that weak point, Ace used his remaining strength to get closer.

The dragon swung its head back and forth. He felt threatened. If a human could stay on the dragon's head for too long, the dragon's pride would be tarnished. Because for dragons, humans are only the weakest living beings who survive from the power of the dragons.

The dragon circled faster and faster. Ace felt his body would fall any minute while his sword was unable to penetrate the dragon's hardened scales. His blood froze due to the increasing cold temperature. They pierced through the clouds, curled up in the icy mist, and Ace clung to the dragon's vine.

Gradually, Ace felt his head dizzy. But he didn't want to give up. He kept on walking until he was finally able to cling to the edge of the dragon's weak point. He was stunned to see the color of the crystal glowing. Not wanting to linger, Ace stabbed his sword into the crystal very hard. Plus the dragon's head movement is getting crazier and makes Ace almost crushed.

The dragon screamed, then sharp icicles aimed at Ace. Ace took cover behind thick scales while still trying to penetrate the crystal.

“Damn human!” The dragon made a sound, sounding cold and arrogant. “How can a human occupy a dragon's head like this! Watch out if you fall, I will immediately devour and crush your bones!” [YES4]

“Try it, you ugly dragon!” Stupidly, Ace even provoked.

"What did you say?!"

The dragon was flying at a high speed. The surrounding chill and air pressure eroded Ace's HP bar. Even so, Ace couldn't stop now. His chest became tight to the point of pain. Ace's grip on the sword tightened, pushing the sword until the crystal finally shattered like colored glass.

What is this? This dragon is dead?

Ace couldn't believe he had watched the dragon's body turn into blue shards of light. Before the dragon completely disappeared, Ace heard the last words. Not like a will, but it sounds like a compliment. Funny. The dragon that almost turned the Dawn Grimmer into an icy plain is now speaking to Ace in a gentle tone.

“In my entire life, I've only ever seen a human ride a dragon like this. And maybe this will be the last time I see him."

The dragon had completely disappeared. The ice covering the Dawn Grimmer disappeared. The icy mist dissipated as the sapphire blue crystal became a ball. A flash of blue light briefly lit up the sky as Ace's body devoured the crystal ball. He felt something very strong flowing through his body, and it was very painful. He groaned in the air, his body seemed to freeze, then before long, Ace lost consciousness.