Calmly, I observed the opponent in front of me.
The horns protruding through her long black hair indicated that she was not human.
Her eyes, tinged with a golden hue, were trembling slightly as they were directed towards us.
Her attire was also quite peculiar.
In this world, she was clad in ancient attire that might seem strange.
Covered in dirt and bloodstains, she was breathing heavily.
She couldn’t control herself properly because her skin was bleeding and her leg was broken.
She is someone I know.
A nameless dragon, a subordinate of the Four Heavenly Kings.
After falling into this world, she was one of the enemies I was most wary of.
“Step back…!”
With a shout, Erina thrust her sword towards the opponent.
The sword rushed forward at an unimaginable speed.
Clang!
“Wha…?!”
“Tsk…!”
However, the blade did not reach the opponent.
For the first time, Erina’s attack was blocked.
The nameless dragon instinctively raised her arm to block the longsword.
The sword strike was blocked by the dragon scales on her arms.
Erina withdrew the sword with a bewildered expression.
At the same time, the nameless dragon twisted her body, taking a step back.
In that moment, a magic circle appeared in the air.
The magical circuit emitted light, creating a small pillar of fire.
Erina hesitated for a moment, then rushed towards me.
“Lie down!”
Erina shouted, and I immediately lowered my body.
She embraced me to shield me.
A wave of intense heat passed over our heads.
If we were a bit late, we would have been engulfed in flames.
“Please wait just a moment…!”
Erina, clenching her teeth, quickly adjusted her grip on her sword.
As the flames subsided, she swiftly swung the sword.
In an instant, the air split and blue light scattered.
The burning flames split, and cold lightning shot up.
“Tsk…!”
The opponent moved away from her position with a scream.
But she couldn’t get far and barely managed to stand by leaning against a wall.
Erina did not miss the opportunity and swiftly kicked off the ground.
Soaring into the air, she swung a horizontal slash towards the opponent’s chest.
Clang!
Once again, the attack was blocked.
But despite the block, the opponent’s center shifted, unable to overcome the impact.
Although the sword was blocked, Erina calmly faced her opponent.
The advantage still belonged to Erina.
She swung the sword downwards towards the opponent’s shoulders.
“Uugh…?!”
The dragon’s scales clashed with the blade, producing a harsh sound.
The nameless dragon was sweating coldly.
As her protective scales gradually fell apart, fear filled her eyes.
Erina didn’t let this opportunity slip away.
Relentlessly, she wielded the sword, pushing the opponent into a corner.
The opponent unfolded a magic circle to withstand the horizontal slash.
Ching!
But the defense spell couldn’t withstand even a single strike, breaking into pieces.
The sword continued its assault towards the head of the nameless dragon.
Cornered, she quickly raised her arms to guard.
Once again, the dragon’s scales blocked the blade, but it left an opening.
Erina rotated her body, delivering a spinning kick towards the opponent’s abdomen.
“Kreuk?!”
The opponent who was hit squarely in the solar plexus was thrown into a corner.
Without giving her time to adjust her stance, Erina rushed in.
After that, several exchanges of attacks and defenses followed.
Erina mercilessly swung her sword.
The nameless dragon barely defended herself, struggling to protect her body.
As time passed, both of them became visibly exhausted.
But to anyone watching, the winner was clear.
“Hoo…”
“Heuk… Heuk…”
The nameless dragon staggered as if she would collapse at any moment.
With an injured leg, she leaned against the wall, barely supporting her body.
However, Erina, with only rough breaths, remained vigilant with an upright posture.
In a moment, Erina didn’t miss the chance when the opponent’s body wavered.
Pow!
“Kkyuk…?!”
The blade of the sword was aimed at the opponent’s head.
The nameless dragon screamed and her body collapsed.
Even in her fallen state, she continued to glare at Erina.
But the outcome was already decided.
Sparks emanated from the sword Erina held.
Lightning Sword. If it were an ordinary monster, just being touched by the sword would turn it pitch black.
Fear and despair filled the opponent’s face.
Realizing her defeat, she could do nothing but guard with both arms.
Erina aimed her sword at the opponent, ready to deliver the finishing blow.
In this state, one strike would render her incapable of getting up again.
But I stepped forward and stopped Erina.
“Stop!”
Erina paused at my voice, looking surprised and confused.
Hastily, I approached her and held her shoulders to restrain her.
“Erina, just wait for a moment.”
“W-Why?! This is our chance! If we press on like this, we can win!”
Erina seemed flustered, her eyes trembling intensely.
Stuttering her words, she was adjusting her posture to charge forward at any moment.
“No, it’s okay. Trust me and lower your sword.”
I reassured her, then turned my attention to the fallen opponent.
In front of me, a status window appeared.
Name: Nameless Dragon
Age: 349
Gender: Female
Class: Dragon
Level: 28
HP: 120/2100
MP: 60/3100
Strength: 41/100
Stamina: 35/100
Agility: 32/100
Magic Power: 41/100
Wisdom: 31/100
Luck: 5/100
‘The enemy’s status window doesn’t appear.’
That was a natural thing. If we could know all the enemy’s specs, the game would be too easy.
But right now, in front of me, the status window of the nameless dragon appeared.
In other words, she was not an enemy.
Furthermore, there was only one type of NPC whose status window appeared.
It was a companion character.
So, at this moment, the nameless dragon could also become a companion.
‘Something is really strange.’
There was no way that one of the Demon King’s Four Heavenly Kings could be defeated by an Arachne.
But she was already heavily injured before we found her.
This situation undoubtedly had to be an event.
Otherwise, there was no way such a situation could occur.
Didn’t the event window appear a little while ago?
‘Skill activated.’
[Special Connection! (0 uses)]
The writing on the paper received as a special reward appeared in the air.
In other words, it meant that the event to make the nameless dragon a companion had been triggered.
‘I’ve never encountered an event like this before.’
I didn’t know all the quests and events just because I played the game.
This game had too many hidden elements.
Even after a year since its release, rumors about hidden events were still spreading.
I watched and slowly walked forward.
Calmly, I observed the fallen nameless dragon on the ground.
Erina raised her hand to stop me, but I ignored her and moved forward.
Naturally, she took a step back, maintaining her guard against me.
I approached with a calm voice, bowing my head in apology.
“Sorry. We misunderstood.”
“…”
“We attacked first, but it wasn’t with malicious intent. How about we try to talk for a moment…?”
The nameless dragon didn’t react.
She continued to glare at us with a wary look in her eyes.
With tightly pressed lips, she didn’t take her gaze off me.
If I showed any vulnerability, she seemed ready to attack immediately.
“Erina.”
“Yes! Right now…!”
“Step back for a moment.”
“What?!”
Although Erina spoke in a bewildered tone, I didn’t hear her as I focused solely on the nameless dragon.
I was already in a state where I had sheathed my sword, essentially defenseless.
“It’s dangerous!”
Erina’s words were right.
If the nameless dragon charged at me now, I couldn’t stop her.
But I didn’t pull out my sword. I didn’t even lift my shield.
I stepped forward to extend my hand.
I felt a strange assurance that she wouldn’t harm me.
“My companion is a bit sensitive. I apologize.”
Finally, she softened her expression a bit.
As expected, it seemed like she didn’t want a confrontation with us either.
‘In this state, who would want to fight?’
Her clothes were torn, blood was flowing from her exposed flesh, her hair was disheveled, and her breathing was heavy.
Anyone could see that she was in a desperate situation.
If I hadn’t stopped Erina, she would undoubtedly have faced death.
“I’ll give you this for now.”
I took out a potion from my pocket. Erina shouted when she saw it.
“No! It’s dangerous!”
Ignoring her words, I tossed the potion forward.
But the nameless dragon didn’t easily trust me.
She still stared at the potion with a wary look.
“Hah…”
Reluctantly, I picked up the potion again.
Then, I opened it and poured a little into my mouth.
I swallowed it without any issues and showed her my empty mouth.
Of course nothing happened.
“See? It’s just a potion.”
Closing the cap, I threw the potion once more.
With caution still in her eyes, she slowly picked up the potion.
But she didn’t immediately drink it.
‘She’s too wary.’
From her perspective, we were already enemies.
I was worried that approaching carelessly might lead to hostility.
“If you can’t trust my companion, can you trust me?”
Amidst the tense standoff, an unexpected situation unfolded.
Within the quiet cave, an unknown wailing sound began to echo.
“What’s that…?”
Unsettling signals emanated from the entrance.
The cries of mysterious creatures seemed to draw closer, becoming more distinct.
I knew it instinctively. It was not just one or two.
The cries of dozens of monsters began to echo in the cave.
“Be careful!”
Suddenly, vibrations shook the cave.
From the floor to the walls and ceiling, everything trembled as rocks started falling.
Erina, positioning herself against the entrance, shielded me from the debris.
The noise continued to grow nearer from the entrance.
Out of nowhere, the dragon standing behind me spoke softly.
“Weren’t you of the Demon King’s army…?”
“Wha…?”
Before an answer could be given, a thunderous noise echoed through the cave.
With a massive vibration, the entire cave shook.
Fragments of rocks flew in all directions.
Erina calmly deflected the debris, but the commotion didn’t end with just one impact.
From the entrance, the sides, below… Sounds of destruction echoed from every direction.
“It’s okay. I’ll protect you!”
Erina, with a composed voice, continued to stay vigilant in front of me.
Soon after, the figures of enemies became visible.
Chimeras, Succubi, Orcs, Nagas, Cerberus, and countless other monsters.
A horde of monsters appeared. Just looking at them was enough to take one’s breath away.
The elite soldiers of the Demon King’s army, who only appeared in the latter part of the game, blocked us.
“Ha-ha.”
Suddenly facing the elite forces of the Demon King’s army.
Who could have anticipated such a situation?
I literally couldn’t help but laugh.
No matter how much I racked my brain, there was no solution.
In this situation, it seemed inevitable that we would meet our end.
Was it necessary to prepare a bad ending so loudly?
I’m really curious about who came up with this event.
“I’m sorry…”
Suddenly, the nameless dragon muttered something to me.
“What?”
Before I could ask again as I didn’t hear properly,
Crash!
“Huh?”
“Ugh?!”
Rocks fell from the ceiling, and the ground collapsed.
In an instant, losing balance, my body tilted.
Erina hastily reached out, but couldn’t reach me.
With her despairing expression as the last image, I was swallowed into the darkness.
Nameless Dragon Illustration
