I Became The Rankers’ Number One Pick [EN]: Chapter 205

205.

“Hey… you.”

“Shhh.”

Seo-ah covered Ruben’s mouth with her palm before he could speak, fearing the heat would scorch his lungs.

Maintaining a wide [Flame Resistance] field was inefficient, so direct contact was better.

Seo-ah took the full brunt of the fiery breath on her back, and with Ruben, [Teleported] away.

Her head spun slightly.

‘Teleporting two people at once isn’t easy.’

Seo-ah steadied herself, touching her forehead, as Ruben sullenly offered her a mana potion.

“Drink this.”

[Skill ‘Gentle Sunlight’ is activated.]

Seo-ah quickly drank it, inwardly clicking her tongue. She was already gasping for mana; did [Gentle Sunlight] really need to activate now?

Quickly replenishing her mana, Seo-ah showed Ruben to Hose.

“Stay together for now.”

Hose had the [Flame Resistance] magic stone Seo-ah gave him, so the flames themselves wouldn’t be a problem.

The problem was that it wouldn’t end there.

Ruben needed time to heal.

Seo-ah deliberately used [Teleport] to move far away from Ruben and Hose.

Milla mirrored her, appearing beside Seo-ah.

“So it was thanks to you?”

Denying it now would be pointless, so Seo-ah gave a small nod.

“Now I see why Jackson was so desperate to bring you along….”

“…….”

This was a power even Jackson didn’t know about. For some reason, she was worried about what would happen after leaving this gate. Well, that was only if they survived this.

The dragon bared its sharp teeth and roared.

Kieeeeeeek–!

A chilling murderous intent vibrated through the earth, and the molten soil and ore flowed like lava, turning the area into a fiery hell.

“When are the others coming!”

Milla shouted, batting away a burning branch with her greatsword. But then, a thorn pierced her arm by a hair’s breadth.

“Ugh, what’s this now?”

Milla thought it was just a simple thorn and immediately pulled it out. But she quickly realized something was wrong and her expression hardened.

“My arm, it won’t move….”

The Red Dragon could use fire magic, breath, and even poison needles. There was no telling what other abilities it had. The system’s explanation was woefully inadequate.

“Milla!”

Seo-ah quickly approached the panicking Milla. They couldn’t stay still here.

Seo-ah quickly used [Teleport] with Milla to return to Hose. Fortunately, Ruben had finished his treatment by then.

“Hose! It’s paralysis!”

“Paralysis? My detoxification skill level is quite low….”

Hose looked troubled, and Seo-ah quickly recalled the method Song Jin-ah had taught her.

“First, use your healing skill to push through the blood vessels. Do you know what I mean?”

“There’s a method like that? How can I….”

“Yes, hurry. It’s okay, you can do it!”

Even she, an E-grade healer, had succeeded. There was no way an A-grade like Hose couldn’t. Seo-ah knocked away the poisonous thorns flying at them with her toy hammer, urging him on.

Hose reluctantly grabbed Milla’s wrist and began searching for the blood vessels as Seo-ah had instructed.

Seo-ah watched Hose begin the treatment, providing cover. But she was frustrated.

‘No, we really can’t last long with this method.’

Jackson was fighting hard, and Ruben, having finished healing, had rejoined the fight, but they were still being pushed back, focusing more on defense than offense.

Seo-ah, the weakest here after Hose, wasn’t planning on doing anything, but she was still a little disappointed.

‘If it were the Korean team….’

Of course, they would struggle against an SS-grade boss too, but they wouldn’t be pushed to the point of being helpless.

That’s why she needed them even more.

‘Could something have happened on their way here?’

Otherwise, they wouldn’t be this late.

Forcing down her rising anxiety, Seo-ah watched the dragon take a deep breath.

They had to avoid that at all costs. But Milla and Hose were behind her, making it impossible to dodge.

She met the oncoming breath head-on, holding her toy hammer horizontally.

‘What method should I use….’

Even with [Flame Resistance], the heat was so intense that it was hard to breathe. She squeezed her eyes shut. It was hot, painfully hot and agonizing. She gritted her teeth and gripped the toy hammer even tighter.

Without [Flame Resistance], she would have been burned to ashes before she could even suffer from the heat. Seo-ah reapplied her defensive buffs, desperately enduring and enduring.

Then, as the breath subsided, she suddenly raised her head. Something had occurred to her.

‘If it’s 100%.’

She recalled the method she used to defeat the hatchling, along with her skill levels.

Even though hatchlings and adult dragons differed in size, toughness, and defense, their basic anatomy had to be the same.

As soon as the breath stopped, Jackson arrived.

“Hunter Park Seo-ah, are you alright?”

Seo-ah, her face flushed red, ignored Jackson’s question and turned around.

“How is it? Is it working?”

Hose answered Seo-ah’s question.

“Yes, it pushed out some of the poison. How did you know about this method?”

“Hunter Song Jin-ah taught me. Milla, how are you? Can you move?”

“I’m fine! This is nothing.”

Milla swung her arm around and stood up.

【You’re not as strong as that one, but you’re holding out better than I expected. Still, those who possess that thing have always been troublesome. Very well, I’ll get a little more serious.】

The dragon seemed to have been holding back, and now it was gathering its breath. Even now, they could barely defend against the dragon, unable to land a single hit.

And this was it holding back.

This was a new experience for the S-grade hunters.

While the dragon prepared its next attack, Seo-ah quickly gathered Ruben, Jackson, and Milla.

And she told them her plan.

Ruben responded to Seo-ah’s story.

“The method you used to catch the hatchling? But even if we manage to get close, do you think the attack will work?”

He expressed concern, but his tone wasn’t as dismissive as before.

“I’ll give you buffs.”

“30% is quite high, but even with that, you barely managed to catch the hatchling.”

Milla muttered uncertainly.

“We can do it. If we can’t attack, we’ll all die here anyway. We can’t escape.”

How long could they last desperately fleeing from that giant dragon? In the first place, the dragon had covered their surroundings with lava, making escape impossible.

Seeing the doubtful expressions of her companions, Seo-ah finally confessed.

“Actually, I can raise it higher than 30%.”

“Higher… how much higher are we talking about?”

Jackson asked in surprise, and Seo-ah shook her head firmly.

“I can’t tell you that right now. What will you do?”

The dragon’s short pause ended, and another murderous roar shook the earth.

The stifling air made it hard to breathe. The hunters’ life stats were decreasing even at this moment. They had already consumed dozens of potions each.

“We have no choice. If we’re going to die anyway, let’s at least put up a fight.”

Surprisingly, Ruben was the first to react positively. And Milla agreed.

“If you can raise it higher than 30%, there might be a chance. Let’s do it.”

As the momentarily paused flames surged and poured down, Seo-ah moved to block them.

Jackson’s glass-like eyes turned to Seo-ah. Seo-ah could easily read the emotions in his gaze. Awe, fear, and surprisingly, even regret.

“I understand. I’m counting on you.”

With Jackson’s agreement, Seo-ah first cast [Ironclad Pine] on them. And Jackson immediately picked up Seo-ah.

Seo-ah carefully cast [Love Yourself] on Jackson.

The stat was 50%, and the time was 1 minute.

Since Jackson wasn’t going to be dealing direct damage anyway, she didn’t cast the skill at 100% on him. She had to carefully measure her limits because she had to cast it on Milla right after.

But even with only 50%, Jackson visibly flinched. The arms holding Seo-ah tightened, and he began casting a powerful ice magic.