I Became The Rankers’ Number One Pick [EN]: Chapter 206

206.

Sharp shards of ice materialized, covering a much wider area than before.

【It’s useless! What can you possibly do with those ice shards?】 the Dragon scoffed mentally.

But this time, it was different.

Earlier, when Jackson created countless bursts of cold air and ice, they melted before the Dragon could even register their presence. Now, the ice was frozen solid, unaffected by the heat radiating from the Red Dragon.

That was thanks to Seo-ah’s buff [a magical enhancement that strengthens a target’s abilities].

“Here I go!” Jackson yelled.

Jackson raised the [Frozen Sphere] high. Simultaneously, the Dragon attempted to swing its massive tail, but it was caught, unable to move.

It was Ruben’s whip.

【You guys!】 the Dragon roared.

Its movement restricted, the Dragon thrashed wildly. It felt as though the whip’s knot would break free at any moment.

Ruben, realizing the whip alone wasn’t enough, grabbed the Dragon’s tail, pressing down on it with his full weight.

“Hurry! I can’t hold on for long!” Ruben shouted, his voice strained.

The Dragon’s skin was unbelievably hot, but thanks to the [Ironclad Pine] [a defensive buff that increases resistance to physical damage] that Seo-ah had cast, he could withstand it—for now.

Meanwhile, Jackson’s [Frozen Arrow] hurtled toward the Red Dragon’s underbelly. The widely dispersed ice shards aligned, focusing their power on a single point. Initially, the ice melted upon contact, but gradually, it surged forward, finally touching the Dragon’s skin directly.

“Throw me!” Seo-ah yelled.

Jackson tossed Seo-ah toward Mila. They intentionally avoided using [Teleport] [a skill that allows instantaneous movement over short distances] to conserve mana.

Mila caught Seo-ah and gripped her greatsword tightly with one hand. Then, she [Teleported] with Seo-ah in front of the Dragon.

‘With [Fighting] at 100%, for as long as possible,’ Seo-ah thought, steeling herself.

Seo-ah, clinging to Mila, focused intently and cast a buff on her. She then opened and swallowed the last of her mana potion, her mana level plummeting to zero.

If something intensely heated is suddenly cooled, its surface becomes vulnerable.

Mila forcefully stabbed the greatsword into the weakened area.

【Kuaaaak!】 the Dragon shrieked.

Not only did she stab, but she also slashed the blade lengthwise. A look of pure joy spread across Mila’s face. She seemed ecstatic to have directly cut open the belly of an SS-class Dragon [a creature of immense power and danger].

“Not yet! You have to go straight up!” Seo-ah urged.

“Okay!” Mila responded.

Mila immediately climbed onto the Dragon’s body, which was writhing in pain, and made her way over its head. She then carefully set Seo-ah down.

“Mila? Don’t let me go!”

Mila, determined to kill the Dragon in one swift move, plunged the greatsword deep into the cervical vertebrae of its neck.

Whirr-!

“Mila!” Seo-ah screamed.

At that instant, blue flames erupted from the point where the greatsword was embedded.

Seo-ah reacted instantly, grabbing Mila’s body and using [Teleport] to escape. As soon as they reached the floor, Seo-ah stumbled forward, clutching Mila.

Koogooong!

The sound of the Dragon’s massive body collapsing echoed behind them.

“Haa, haa… cough,” Seo-ah gasped.

Her mana and life stats were critically low. Exhaustion had reached its limit, rendering her unable to use skills, no matter how hard she tried.

Exposed to the blue flames while saving Mila, Seo-ah’s hands and nape were covered in burns. The searing pain was excruciating.

But Mila, who had taken the brunt of the flames, was in even worse condition. She was burned across her entire body and remained unconscious.

“Hose, Hose, Mila!” Seo-ah cried out.

“Is she alive?” Hose asked.

Ruben and Jackson rushed over. Hose immediately began administering potions and casting recovery spells on Mila.

Meanwhile, Seo-ah gazed at the fallen Dragon.

“Did we… get rid of it?” she wondered aloud.

Seo-ah took a few tentative steps closer. It certainly appeared to have stopped breathing. The magical crystal within it, once so vibrant, was now fading and gradually dissipating.

She moved a little closer.

‘Something’s strange. If we defeated the boss…’

The system message should have appeared. But so far, the system remained silent. Perhaps it would take a moment?

Just then, Seo-ah sensed familiar magical energies rapidly approaching from a short distance.

Jackson must have sensed it too, as he looked up in the direction Seo-ah was facing.

“Here!” Seo-ah shouted, waving her hand with relief, hoping they could hear her.

Suddenly, the system window popped up.

[The Red Dragon uses the ‘Resurrection Skill’!]

“What…?”

“Behind you!” Jackson yelled urgently.

Seo-ah whirled around—or, she tried to.

Thud!

Her body convulsed violently.

It felt as though something was constricting her stomach.

What was happening? Resurrection skill? The Dragon had come back to life? Her mind reeling, Seo-ah noticed the horrified expressions on Jackson and Ruben’s faces.

“Hunter Park Seo-ah!” Jackson and Ruben shouted.

They tried to reach her, but a stream of red flames erupted between them.

Seo-ah slowly, with great effort, turned her eyes toward the Dragon. She saw it, its eyes wide open. And she saw its long tail extended toward her.

The tip of the Dragon’s tail, stained red, twitched leisurely.

Only then did Seo-ah look down.

“…Ah,” she breathed.

A large, crimson hole was visible in her stomach. The world spun, and blood gushed from her mouth. The ground rushed up to meet her face.

Thump.

– Park Seo-ah!

His urgent voice echoed from the communicator connected to Yoo Ji-an. A wave of excruciating pain washed over her belatedly.

“Ugh, sob… ah,” she moaned.

“Seo-ah, Park Seo-ah,” Yoo Ji-an said.

When she managed to open her eyes to the familiar voice, she saw Yoo Ji-an’s face.

“…Ah, why did you come only now…,” Seo-ah whispered.

Despite a fleeting expression of relief, Seo-ah closed her eyes tightly in pain.

“…Seo-ah,” Yoo Ji-an said.

Yoo Ji-an, his face stricken, couldn’t even bring himself to hold the fallen Seo-ah. Baek Eun-hee, Choi Eun-gyeol, and Song Jin-ah arrived moments later.

“Get out of the way!” Song Jin-ah commanded.

Song Jin-ah went straight to Seo-ah and began pouring her recovery skills into her with all her might.

“Seo-ah…,” Baek Eun-hee said.

Baek Eun-hee stared at Seo-ah, her face pale with fear, then glared at the resurrected Dragon with murderous intent.

“That lizard bastard did this to Seo-ah?” she snarled.

Without waiting for an answer, she gripped Splinter tightly and charged toward the Red Dragon.

“Let’s go together!” Choi Eun-gyeol shouted, joining her side.

Yoo Ji-an couldn’t bear to leave Seo-ah’s side.

Song Jin-ah, who had been using recovery skills on Seo-ah, suddenly stopped, her expression troubled.

“No, it’s not working at all,” she said.

“What do you mean?” Yoo Ji-an asked.

“The wounds on other parts have all healed, but the wound on her stomach hasn’t…,” Song Jin-ah explained.

The scratches and burns on Seo-ah’s neck and hands had vanished completely. However, the hole in her stomach remained unchanged.

“I think there’s a skill interfering,” Song Jin-ah said.

Song Jin-ah gestured toward the Red Dragon with her eyes.

At that moment, Jackson, Ruben, Baek Eun-hee, and Choi Eun-gyeol were launching a coordinated attack on the Red Dragon.

But the resurrected SS-class Dragon was a formidable opponent. Having learned from the previous battle, it protected its belly, shielded its body, and retaliated against the hunters.

Even in the chaos, Baek Eun-hee fearlessly rushed in, attempting to sever the Dragon’s tail.

Despite suffering a severe injury, losing one of her left arms, she refused to yield and hurled Splinter with her remaining arm.

“Oh no, what should I do? It’s gradually…,” Song Jin-ah said.

Song Jin-ah looked at Seo-ah, her voice filled with despair. Yoo Ji-an could tell what she meant without her saying it.

Seo-ah’s life force was fading. No matter how many potions they administered or recovery skills they used, there was no sign of improvement.

“We have to catch that first,” Yoo Ji-an said.

“……,” Song Jin-ah said.

Yoo Ji-an lowered his head for a moment, staring blankly at Seo-ah’s face. Song Jin-ah stepped back slightly, sensing his resolve.

Yoo Ji-an gently brushed the hair from Seo-ah’s face. He had to join the battle. Defeating the Dragon as quickly as possible was the only way.

But it was not an opponent that could be easily vanquished. And this Red Dragon was even stronger than before.

What if Seo-ah died while he was trying to kill it? What if this was her last moment alive?

The thought paralyzed Yoo Ji-an.

‘I still have to go,’ he thought.

Yoo Ji-an clenched his fist. Forcing himself to turn away from the gaze he couldn’t bear to meet, he stood up.

‘If only I could stop time, even for a moment,’ he thought.

At the moment he desperately wished for it, everything suddenly fell silent.

[You have acquired the ‘Time Stop’ skill.]