How should I put it? At the moment, I was facing a bit of a problem. Well, that was an understatement. To say the least. In fact, my problem was hella big. It was the size of a mountain and each of its four eyes was twice as big as me—and I was a 6’4’’ dude. Also, this trouble of mine could breathe fire, for all I knew. Yeah, I was facing a bona fide dragon. A strange-looking one, sure, but it didn’t make it better. And the worst of all? I was the only one still standing in front of it, with an entire village cheering me on from a relatively safe distance. 

“As expected of Venerable Chad, even an Ancient Wasp Dragon is not his opponent!” exclaimed the village chief, his voice brimming with admiration. “Look at how cautious it is!”

Yeah, of course this thing isn’t my opponent, what the heck are you even saying, you senile old fool?! Even a blind person can see that this monstrosity can finish me off with a sneeze! We aren’t opponents at all!

Completely living up to its name, the creature totally looked like a fusion between a wasp and a dragon. Its sinewy body was adorned by shimmering scales that rippled with hues of vibrant yellows and blacks. Its wings that resembled translucent glass shimmered in the sunlight, casting an otherworldly glow. Some would say that it was as frightening as it was beautiful. Not me, though. I would say that it was fucking terrifying. I didn’t give a shit how it looked, only that it could kill me and wipe the entire village off the face of the Earth. Oops, a mistake. I wasn’t on Earth at the moment, you see. I wouldn't have been facing a mythical creature if I still was. Oh dear God, how I wanted to just get home and play some video games… At least in games, I could actually kill dragons. 

“You don’t need to hold back, Master!” my unfortunate disciple cried out. “You can unleash your true power!” 

With my precious disciple’s words echoing in my ears, a surge of determination coursed through my veins. I couldn't let fear paralyze me in the face of this formidable foe. I took a deep breath, steadying myself as I prepared to unleash my Ultimate Technique… Just kidding. As if there was anything like that! As if I could do anything against that monstrosity! I was just some fitness trainer, dammit! I wasn’t even one of those damn sacred artists they so admired, not by a far margin! And to be fair, even if this Wasp Dragon was just the size of a cat, I would still be scared shitless of it! Just a passing glance at the stinger at its tail made me sick. At least it wasn’t a half-spider, otherwise I would’ve died from a heart attack already. 

People often talked about the fight or flight response, but often forgot about the third type of fear response—the freeze. Yes, there were three types of the response, with the freeze probably being the most common one. So it was kind of surprised that I was the only person who had it out of the entire village. In fact, the villages didn’t sound scared, like, at all! Or else, how would you explain this?

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

“Go back home, you silly insect!” the loudest of the village kids shouted. “Run, before Venerable Chad makes a steak out of you! Hush-hush!” 

Oh my god, I hate this brat… 

The strangest thing was that the dragon didn’t attack just yet. It just watched me with curiosity, paying no attention to the irredeemable fools that made fun of its majesty. I did my best to stand straight and meeting its glare head on. My body was shaking like a leaf on a tree in the middle of a hurricane. Okay, that was a bad metaphor—the leaf wouldn’t shake in that case, but be completely torn apart… something I really wanted to avoid. Despite the overwhelming terror I felt, I still managed to keep bluffing, like I’d been doing most of my life. With my all, I tried to make the scariest face I could, as if the creature before me would be even a little bit impressed. But, at the very least, my pathetic attempts seemed to entertain it enough to not immediately get rid of me and the people behind my back. 

“Just look at the powerful vibrations that Venerable Chad radiates!” a lady that usually worked at the grocery store said. “Such a strong Aura!” 

I’m just trembling from fear, what Aura, what vibrations! 

Nothing good in life could last forever, and the Was Dragon’s patience seemed to start running thin. It changed its body posture just the tiniest bit and turned away from me to look in the distance. Some would think that it was an opportunity for me to run towards the crowd, but they couldn’t have been further from the truth—what difference would it make? The monster could slaughter us all in mere moments, being gathered in one place only made it easier for it. If the village had spread around instead of spectating our little “showdown”, at least some of them could’ve survived. But no. They believed in me. Believed in the misunderstanding that I had been allowing to continue for my selfish reasons. And now they all were about to pay for it. 

Will their deaths be my fault? I asked myself, but was too afraid to answer even within my mind. I was a coward, after all. If anything, nothing of that wouldn’t have happened if a certain god-like being, the so-called Paragon of Bravery, had actually listened to me. 

I told him I’m not a hero! 

The dragon turned its head towards me, and it didn’t seem friendly at all. If before it had looked mildly curious and neutral, now it reminded me of a dog that was about to pounce at its prey. 

If we all were going to die, anyway, at the very least I could give a shot on the last—and only—attack I could possibly make. The Trembling Lion Roar. That was a silly ability, really. My only magical power, the one I hadn’t been able to actually make work ever before. The more and longer I trembled, the more powerful would it be when unleashed. The reason didn’t matter—I could tremble from being angry, or cold. Or, in my case, terrified. And tremble I did. And now I just needed to concentrate for a moment, to guide my Spirit just the way I’d learned, and then roar as loud as I could, putting my entire soul into it. Could I do it? Would it even matter? Only one way to find out… 

And if you wonder how I ended up in such a shitty situation to begin with, we would need to return to one month before. To the time when I had still enjoyed my simple life of a fitness instructor in my dear home world…