She couldn’t trust anyone.
Humans, elves, demons, even her own kind.
The entire world persecuted the dragons.
Dragons were powerful from birth.
No race could overcome their innate strength.
From a young age, she lived without knowing defeat.
‘What did we do wrong?’
The dragons were too arrogant.
Even when exercising power over the weak, there was no mercy, and she considered caring for others a foolish act.
Her past self was no different.
Enamored with her innate strength, she lived as an arrogant rogue.
Laughing at others with the certainty that no one could defeat her.
Karma for her arrogance came in an instant.
‘Eliminate all dragons. Kill them or make them sl*ves’
The Demon King designated them as targets for elimination.
Since then, the Demon King’s army hunted dragons scattered across the world.
Many races already held grudges against the dragons.
There was no ally to support them in this world.
Even the strongest dragons couldn’t withstand the relentless onslaught of monsters day and night.
Countless comrades either faced death or became sl*ves to the Demon King’s army.
Some met an even worse fate.
Only then did the dragons realize the severity of the situation and began to unite.
If all had united against the Demon King’s army at that time.
They might have avoided the current tragic fate.
But in the end, they divided.
The alliance that began with solidarity crumbled under mere pride and suspicion.
Intoxicated by the mere superficial name of leader, distrust sprouted and they separated each other.
‘Conflict. Dispute. And betrayal.’
While she slept, her comrades tore her wings apart.
Stripped of the qualification to live as a dragon, she became a helpless being without a place to go.
Not long after, the alliance fell apart.
Unable to withstand the Demon King’s onslaught, the dragons scattered in all directions.
She began to wander, having lost everything.
She searched everywhere for someone to help her.
But there was no one to help her.
Humans rejected her.
They broke their promise and tried to make her a sl*ve.
Elves returned the same arrogance she had shown in the past.
Mocking and ridiculing her with her wings torn apart.
She couldn’t submit to the Demon King.
Rather than kneeling to demons, she decided to take her own life.
But she didn’t even have the courage to end her own life.
So, she endlessly ran away, losing all hope.
Wandering aimlessly without a destination, barely clinging to life.
But escaping the Demon King’s army permanently was impossible.
Eventually, she found herself cornered in a forest near the capital.
After a long battle, she barely broke through the encirclement and hid in a cave.
Even there, monsters targeting dragons were abundant.
After barely defeating the cave’s owner, an Arachne, she caught her breath for a moment.
However, an unexpected figure appeared before her.
A mysterious female knight and a man confronted her.
For the first time, she faced an overwhelming power.
The blade, which was barely blocked, was filled with electricity.
The scales of the dragon, thought to be impenetrable, were cracked with a single stroke.
While barely fending off the knight’s onslaught, she instinctively felt it.
‘I can’t defeat this person.’
The female knight was too strong.
Even if she fought at her best, it was uncertain if she could win.
‘Is this my end?’
In the end, she received a blow to the head and collapsed.
She had no strength left to fend off further attacks.
In her mind, memories flashed by. Most of them were unpleasant.
In her youth, she killed people without controlling her vitality.
She looked down on other races and behaved arrogantly.
From fleeing from the Demon King’s pursuit to the dissolution of the alliance due to her comrades’ betrayal.
She had never truly been happy even once.
It was the fate of one drunk with pride.
She didn’t want to live such a life.
So, she silently prayed in her heart.
‘I’m sorry… Please forgive me… I’ll reflect… Just give me one chance… Please help me…’
An apology, whose target she couldn’t discern, lingered in her mind.
But she couldn’t utter those words until her final moments.
As she closed her eyes to embrace her end,
“Stop!”
With the man’s voice, the female knight stopped.
Simultaneously, the murderous aura emitted by the female knight diminished.
And a conversation began between the two.
However, due to the impact of the battle, she couldn’t hear what they were saying.
‘What could be their intention…?’
There was someone among humans willing to help her.
But it could be a trap, feeding her poison and dragging her to a sl*ver.
Since that day, she realized that all humans were liars.
Moreover, they were a race capable of committing all kinds of cruel deeds for money and profit.
‘Should I let myself be dragged away like this?’
She contemplated biting her tongue even now.
But she couldn’t muster the courage.
She knew deep down that she was a coward.
In the midst of this, the man took a potion from his pocket and tossed it to her.
Although she couldn’t understand the reason, she didn’t accept the potion.
One encounter with poison and falling into a trap was more than enough.
Then he picked up the potion again, took a sip, and tossed it again.
She realized belatedly that it was his attempt to reassure her.
‘Why…?’
For what reason was he helping her?
Her mind was thrown into confusion by this inexplicable gesture.
The female knight continued shouting, but the man only focused on her.
In his eyes looking at her, genuine goodwill was conveyed.
‘Is he helping me?’
At that moment her heart was pounding wildly.
The situation she had longed for in her heart was unfolding.
If there was someone extending kindness to her.
If there was someone looking at her with warm eyes.
She had always dismissed it as mere fantasy.
There was no one to help her in this world.
But she couldn’t easily believe that the person she had longed for was appearing in reality.
‘Is it okay to trust this person?’
Distrust still lingered in a corner of her heart.
Once, she had fallen into an enticement by humans, swallowed poison, and almost became a sl*ve.
Since then, she had sworn not to trust humans.
But in the face of this unexpected kindness, her previous oath became as insignificant as dust.
In an instant, her firmly held beliefs crumbled.
Her mind was filled with confusing emotions.
Even as her heart pounded, doubt persisted in her mind.
Meanwhile, the man silently continued to gaze at her.
‘What should I say?’
First, she took the potion that the man offered.
Should she say thank you? A phrase she had never used before.
Just as she was about to respond to the man, the cave began to shake.
She instinctively realized that the Demon King’s army had reached the center of the cave.
Suddenly, the man looked bewildered.
The female knight pushed the man aside and entered a combat stance.
Inadvertently, she blurted out something absurd.
“Weren’t you of the Demon King’s army…?”
Strangely enough, these were the first words she said to her benefactor.
Even after saying it, she realized how foolish it sounded.
Looking at the man’s bewildered gaze, a corner of her heart burned hotly.
‘Sincerely, this person…’
Did he genuinely try to help her?
Did he extend a hand to someone like her, hated by everyone?
She had to express her gratitude, give thanks.
No, first, she had to inquire about the reason he helped her.
It was something she had never experienced before.
She could now realize how arrogant her life had been.
Regardless, she had to say something.
She wanted to hold onto this connection that had come to her like fate.
After much contemplation, the words that came out were a pitiful one even in her own opinion.
“I’m sorry…”
Before she could hear a response, rocks fell from the ceiling.
Unable to withstand the impact, the floor collapsed.
“Huh…?”
“Ugh?!”
The man’s body crumpled, and he fell.
Instinctively, she reached out to help him.
She, too, was falling off the precipice.
Even in the midst of endless free fall, her thoughts were filled with the idea of saving the man.
‘What should I do…?’
Her already torn wings felt so resentful.
If she could fly in the air as she used to, both she and the man might have been safe.
But the lost wings could not be regained.
While falling, she embraced the man in mid-air.
She released all the remaining magical power to create a defensive barrier.
Even during the fall, she fervently wished for the man’s safety.
***
How do you predict and prepare for a lightning strike in a clear sky?
I hadn’t imagined that the ground would collapse without any warning.
Even while falling, I could estimate a considerable height.
If it continues to fall like this, undoubtedly, I won’t come out unscathed.
I clenched onto this anticipation of impending pain.
It wasn’t long before I expected an impact on my entire body.
Kwoong!
However, the awaited pain didn’t come.
Instead, I gently descended to the ground with a soft sensation.
“What…?”
Someone was embracing me.
The nameless dragon lay beneath me, having fallen with me.
“What are you doing…!”
She couldn’t get up, sprawled on the ground.
She was breathing heavily, as if her breath could be cut off at any moment.
Why did she, who was hostile just a moment ago, rescue me?
I couldn’t understand, but I couldn’t leave her like this.
I quickly stood up and hurriedly searched for the pouch containing potions.
But there was nothing in my arms.
I lost everything during the fall.
I frantically looked around.
Far away, there were a sword and shield.
But the pouch and potions were nowhere in sight.
“Just wait a moment!”
First, I had to save the nameless dragon.
Approaching to check her condition, she quietly moved her lips.
“You…”
“Yes?”
“Are you okay…”
She called out to me with a voice that seemed like it could break any moment.
Who asks if someone is okay while looking at this situation?
She herself had no idea what condition she was in right now.
“I’m okay. You’re more…”
In response to my answer, the nameless dragon faintly smiled.
She was smiling as if she had no regrets about her actions.
“Thank goodness…”
She smiled without hesitation, as if she would soon take her last breath.
Checking her body’s condition, I swallowed my anxiety.
Blood was flowing from her head.
Her shoulder was shattered, and her legs were limp, unable to move.
She could barely turn her head to look at me with eyes that didn’t open properly.
It was truly a miserable state.
It wouldn’t be surprising if she died right now.
“Wait, please. I’ll try to find the potion!”
I carefully laid her on the ground.
And I looked around to find the potion.
I was able to find the backpack I was wearing nearby.
But all the potions were shattered during the fall.
Looking at the broken glass pieces, only a sense of despair remained.
‘Why am I so unlucky?’
This game is a dark fantasy.
I knew it had a terribly high difficulty level.
But why wasn’t luck on my side?
Nevertheless, I couldn’t just be pessimistic.
The nameless dragon was still dying.
Name: Nameless Dragon
Age: 349
Gender: Female
Class: Dragon
Level: 28
HP: 15/2100
MP: 8/3100
Strength: 41/100
Stamina: 35/100
Agility: 32/100
Magic Power: 41/100
Wisdom: 31/100
Luck: 5/100
She only had 15 HP left.
She was alive, but in a state where her breath could stop at any moment.
The moment HP reaches 0, a companion dies. They won’t come back.
There is, of course, no resurrection system. They disappear from the game forever.
It was practically the same as real death.
That had to be prevented. I had to save her somehow.
I hurriedly ran to her and whispered in her ear.
“Listen carefully. There’s no potion. They’re all broken.”
“Because of me…”
“Yes?”
“Because I didn’t drink that potion…”
Before falling to the ground, she was telling me about the potion I gave her.
She regretted not drinking the potion I gave her.
But I immediately shook her head.
“It doesn’t matter.”
Of course, if she had taken that potion, the situation might have been better than it was now.
But what difference would regret make now?
I had to find a way to save her somehow.
“Just hold on a bit. I’ll help you somehow.”
