The Story Of The Second Son Of The Baron Family [EN]: Chapter 64

Breath.

The most powerful weapon bestowed upon a Dragon. An overwhelming force that incinerates everything, leaving the target with inevitable death.

‘This is… on a completely different level.’

It wasn’t my first encounter with a breath attack. Monsters classified as dragon subspecies often wielded breath as their trump card. But the chasm between the breath of those monsters and the spectacle unfolding before me was immense.

Could dozens, no, hundreds of Drakes, the quintessential subspecies, even mimic this? My mind reeled from the sheer magical power, rendering me incapable of even contemplating a block or deflection. I had anticipated its strength, but never to this degree. As the magic coalesced around its maw, I abruptly snapped back to my senses.

KWAH-!

“Crazy.”

Only after frantically throwing myself aside from the onrushing breath did I dare glance back at my former position. The sight was appalling. The earth, seemingly eternal, was dissolving, utterly unable to withstand the heat.

Sizzle-

I wasn’t quite at the point of losing my will to fight, but it was clear that a direct confrontation was impossible; evasion was my only recourse.

In the meantime, it swiveled its head toward me. Even if I could momentarily vanish from its sight, I couldn’t mask the ensuing magical signature. I continued to dodge, but the breath relentlessly pursued, a veritable natural disaster sweeping all before it.

However, no natural disaster is eternal. Even this unprecedented surge of magical power wasn’t infinite, and the raging breath eventually subsided.

‘Not many times left.’

This agonizing sensation. It was the feeling of expending a vast amount of magic in a short span. Teleporting hundreds of meters at once, repeatedly, even with the aid of the magic stone, strained my mana circuits to their limit. More alarming was the breath that shadowed my every move.

But I had weathered the storm of magical breath. Over 70% of my pre-emptive preparations were obliterated, yet ironically, I was more drained than the dragon, despite enduring a one-sided assault. The crucial point was that I had another chance.

‘The difference in size… is staggering.’

Even if I landed dozens of blows, they wouldn’t leave a scratch, yet the dragon had cornered me with a single attack. Not even a direct hit, merely the aftereffects. The disparity in scale was truly overwhelming.

‘If I continue like this, I’ll lose.’

I sensed it. If I persisted in this war of attrition, defeat was inevitable. I still had ample reserves, but they would be inconsequential if I continued this way. I needed to take a greater risk and strike at its vital points.

Click-

Bang- Bang- Bang-

Explosives, detonated by magic stones, erupted before its eyes. The firepower was substantial, and the ensuing black smoke served as a bonus, obscuring its vision. As I advanced through the smoke, I met its gaze.

Thud-

I immediately unleashed [Claw] (a spell that materializes magical claws), but it instantly turned its head, refusing to be deceived by the same trick twice. Consequently, I failed to achieve my intended target. Furthermore, [Claw] inherently possessed less penetration than [Fang] (another offensive spell), and the projectiles that struck at unfavorable angles failed to pierce its thick scales, ricocheting harmlessly.

‘It’s okay. I can do this. I can still do this.’

The training I had undergone thus far was paying dividends. Just as Duke Zeke had stated, it was still a living creature composed of flesh and blood. Ultimately, its movements were constrained by its joints.

Initially, its immense size was disorienting, but now, I found it easier to anticipate its movements. Even subtle shifts were magnified by its sheer bulk.

Tap tap-

I scaled its neck and shoved a specialized bomb into its open mouth. Earlier, I had been content with merely obscuring its vision, but the interior of its mouth, a relatively vulnerable area compared to its scale-covered exterior, wouldn’t simply produce smoke.

Thump-

However, the bomb’s effectiveness remained uncertain. Black smoke billowed from between its teeth, and it thrashed its head, but I couldn’t discern whether it was trying to dislodge me or alleviate the bomb’s impact.

Regardless, it writhed and bucked, attempting to throw me off, but its stubby legs couldn’t effectively dislodge me. And I wasn’t so clumsy as to lose my balance from mere shaking.

“Not bad.”

It wasn’t bad at all. The sensation of standing where no human had ever stood before. Above all, the fact that it was openly exposing its weakness, its head, the vulnerability of all living creatures, was immensely gratifying.

Clank-

Despite my body swaying with its movements, my legs remained firmly planted on its head. I positioned the muzzle of [Fang] directly above its head and squeezed the trigger.

With each shot, its struggles intensified. But I remained focused, firing each bullet as it chambered, maintaining my position. How many times had I pulled the trigger? It felt as though it was convulsing more violently than ever, unable to withstand the continuous barrage at point-blank range.

But that was only temporary. The moment the bullet pierced its skull and reached its brain, the battle would be over. Surely, the brain wasn’t muscular, was it? But that hope was momentarily dashed.

“Cough!”

Rumble rumble-

An unexpected, massive shockwave engulfed my body. Before I could comprehend what was happening, I had to prioritize my own survival. My body throbbed, and breathing became labored. Even with the protective engraving on my armor, such an impact on bare skin would have been catastrophic.

“Huff. Huff.”

Only after regaining a semblance of composure could I identify the source of the shock.

Whoosh- Whoosh-

It glared at me with its one remaining eye, its gaze filled with murderous intent. Behind it, its tail swung with the force of a gale, threatening to tear through space. The tail, wielded like a fly swatter against me, perched on its head, was undoubtedly the culprit.

‘I almost died. I almost crossed the River Jordan [a metaphor for death].’

My ribs ached with every movement. I suspected I had fractured a rib or two. But it was manageable. If a few broken ribs were the price for a momentary lapse in focus, it was a bargain. Moreover, the recovery engraving was actively drawing in magic and mending my body in real time. While bone regeneration would take a day or two, it was sufficient to allow me to continue the fight.

I retrieved [Fang], which had fallen nearby. The battle was far from over. My target of revenge was glaring at me, spewing flames from its maw. I could still fight.

#

“Haa. Haa.”

I slowly slid down from the object I was leaning against. What else could I lean on in this desolate field? It was right here. The dragon that had transformed the plains into a hellscape with its relentless breath. The surroundings were still hot and steamy, but at least it seemed disinclined to desecrate its own grave.

“But in my current state… If someone arrives, I’ll be defenseless and die.”

It was over. The dragon had succumbed, its brain shattered by projectiles fired from under its chin, exiting through the top of its head. It seemed even dragons couldn’t fortify their internal organs.

Of course, I wasn’t unscathed. I suspected I had broken a few more ribs, and I couldn’t even lift my left arm. A fractured right ankle was an added bonus. Furthermore, having depleted all the magic within my body and exceeding my external magic limit, my circuits and mana circle were on the verge of collapse. Even with focused treatment, I would need to abstain from magic for a while.

‘But I’m the one who survived. That’s what matters.’

Fortunately, perhaps due to the intensity of the battle, the surrounding monsters remained hidden, as if intimidated.

“Haha, hahaha!”

Each laugh sent a jolt of pain through my broken ribs, but I couldn’t suppress it. Wasn’t I justified in feeling elated? I had faced a legendary being and emerged victorious. And more than that, the scales that even Aura [a type of magical energy] could only scratch, and the blood that could elevate my talent by several levels, were now mine.

“Ah.”

Just then, my vision blurred as if the ground was shaking. I couldn’t resist the encroaching darkness and succumbed to sleep, hoping that when I opened my eyes again, the corpse behind me would still be there.

#

“It’s over! It’s over!”

The next day, upon awakening, the dragon’s corpse remained in place, as expected. And only then did the reality truly sink in. The revenge that had consumed nearly ten years of my life was finally over. All that remained was to return.

“Keuha, euhehehe, hahahaha!”

My body protested with every laugh. The injuries wouldn’t heal in a mere half-day. Drawing magic from the magic stone was a burden, and even the armor that had saved my life now felt like shackles hindering my movement.

“Keueung.”

Clatter- Clang-

I struggled to remove the armor, which was now more of a hindrance, and cautiously channeled a small amount of magic to excavate a hole. A stone-lined hole, large enough for one person to enter. The trembling of my hands as I performed this simple task highlighted my weakened state, but it was acceptable. There were no immediate threats. Probably not for a while.

Any intelligent human would be suspicious of the sudden silence and investigate, but monsters, driven by survival instincts, wouldn’t risk venturing near.

Swoosh-

I channeled the dragon’s blood into the hole. Given its immense size, gathering enough blood to fill the hole required minimal effort.

“Hoo.”

Even a light coating of the blood brought me close to evolution. What would happen if I immersed my entire body in it? I recalled a similar tale from my memories, a hero who had done something similar.

The great hero of Norse mythology, Siegfried.

A human who slew the dragon Fafnir and bathed in its blood to attain immortality. His end was unremarkable, but he was a hero worthy of the title, and I intended to follow in his footsteps.

Splash-

Starting with my toes, then my ankles, thighs, hips, belly, shoulders, and finally my head. It didn’t take long to submerge my entire body in the pool of dragon’s blood.

Baron’s Family Second Son – 64 – End