You, I, Strangers 11

The combined attack of the dragons was expectedly frightening. Just a smash with their bodies was powerful enough, but they used magic to accompany it.

They weren't the 'peak magic users' that frequently appeared in fantasy novels, but as they had lived quite a long life, each and every one of their magics had very high standards. Their magic was strong, quick, numerous, and even varied from type to type!

[Be devoured by flames and fall into hell!]

[Critical Hit!]

"Ouch!"

[Yu IlHan!] (Erta)

"*Groan*, I'm alright. I picked what I would get hit by."

What was fortunate was that the basic affinity of the dragons was close to fire, and as such, their magics were also of the fire attribute. As such, Yu IlHan was reducing the damage acquired through getting hit by fire magic whenever he had no choice but to allow a hit.

[Kukukukuhahahahahaha!]

[Humans are weak!]

[Careful to not kill him!]

The dragons would never have imagined that Yu IlHan was wearing an OP armor which increased his fire resistance by 80%, so whenever Yu IlHan got hit, they cheered.

In truth too, they only thought that Yu IlHan had high mobility and attack power, and looked feeble in their eyes.

It was good for Yu IlHan if they let their guard down. Yu IlHan analysed the movements of the dragons when they used magic, while waiting for the timing when they interfered with each other's attacks for a chance to reverse the situation.

[Now!]

And at one moment, the dragons who thought that Yu IlHan showed an opening shot out their magics simultaneously, and in seconds, half the sky was covered by mana and explosions. Yu IlHan aimed for that moment to leap into the air again.

[Damn!]

[W-we didn't hit him. Did he run!?]

Realizing their mistake, the dragons looked around in shock, but Yu IlHan had long since succeeded in concealing himself. Moreover, there was something else which made him feel good.

[The skill, Leap, has become level 40. The number of possible re-leaps increase to 3, and it becomes possible to stay in the air for a longer time with the use of mana.]

This was exactly what he wanted since he had to repeatedly leap and re-leap due to his lack of wings! With this, he could now display more dynamic movement while in the air.

'If it's like this.'

At first, he thought about throwing his spear, but he changed his mind and re-leaped towards it. It was the one which had sustained a neck injury due to the continuous fight until now.

The dragons were moving around here and there, installing trap magic. However, this was exactly the proof that they could not find Yu IlHan. Well, they didn't seem to be aware that concealment allowed him to bypass the alarm magic!

Yu IlHan gripped the spear with both of his hands while bypassing the trap zone, and approached the dragon which was casting healing magic to its neck. Then, he inserted mana into Superhuman Strength skill without holding anything back to enhance his arm muscles to strike the spear into that dragon!

[Critical Hit!]

[Khaaaaaak!]

[Dammit, we got hit again!]

The trap magic that detected Yu IlHan, albeit too late, all activated and injured him. He had already expected this much. Yu IlHan ardently sucked on the bloodrink while activating Transcendent Regeneration.

[The skill, Transcendent Regeneration, has become level 40. The efficiency of rest energy and recovery speed increases by a large amount.]

Meanwhile, even Transcendent Regeneration became level 40.

Now that he could recover faster with less rest energy, the efficiency of the skill instantly doubled. Now, he would be fine after a few seconds even if his bones were broken. Erta was right. Rest skill was the best!

[Kyahak! Kyaaaaa!]

"Ugh!"

The dragon couldn't hold back the pain and twisted its enormous body in the air. This moment was more thrilling than a rollercoaster; Yu IlHan knew that it would be the end for him if he was shaken off here.

He stuck himself on the neck of the dragon. No matter what magic attacked him and his surroundings, and how strong they were, he resisted and instantly pushed the embedded spear deeply into the dragon's body with one hand.

After that, he transferred the weight of the Cross Bag onto the spear!

Hundreds of thousands of tons was now hung on the dragon's neck. Yu IlHan wished that the neck would be broken just like that, but it seemed 4th class beings were able to endure such weight through sheer willpower as it was holding out quite well.

However, it did seem impossible for it to keep flying in the air. The dragon's body started falling towards the ground along with the embedded spear and Yu IlHan.

[Ugh, we need to save Esila!]

[Eeeeek, I will kill that human!]

[We can't do that, you idiot!]

The dragons in the air panicked after seeing their kin fall to the ground and muttered things while chasing behind.

However, there was something that weighed on Yu IlHan's mind.

"They can't kill me....?"

[What do you mean by that, Yu IlHan?] (Erta)

Erta, who couldn't understand dragon speech unlike Yu IlHan, voiced her question. However, Yu IlHan also had no idea beyond that so he couldn't say anything to her. Instead, he wracked his brain.

'Can't kill me? Just who gave that order? If so, does that mean they're planning to use me as bait to kill the dragons belonging to the Garden of Sunset?"

Yes. By now, the dragons belonging to the Garden of Sunset should have begun their battle, so that seemed plausible.

Yu IlHan wanted to accept that and leave it be, but at moments like these did his brain work at full power.

'No, that's too weak. The alliance between me and the Garden of Sunset is only a temporary one, and it will be over when the party is severed. The dragons should also know of that, and the enemies should also know that I am not such an effective hostage. If so.'

Another target.

For example, a higher existence who should be fighting against the higher existences of Destruction Demon Army waaay up there. Isn't that more plausible?

'They're aiming for Lita...?'

Yu IlHan's heartbeat became faster. He wanted to deny that, but it seemed to plausible. Otherwise, there was no meaning in capturing him alive.

Suspicion instantly turned into conviction and ruled over his mind.

They were planning to get Lita by capturing him.

The moment that thought located itself in his mind, a fire ignited in Yu IlHan's heart. Due to the sudden change in mind that surprised even him, he almost lost his reason.

'Even if I die, I will not get captured and endanger LIta.'

This was one of the resolves he had made while living as a loner – to take responsibility for his own actions.

To not get his weaknesses discovered by anyone, and to fight alone, he resolved that firmly and even acted on it. To not look weak to anyone, he lived without voicing a single complaint.

However, if he actually got caught by the dragons, then Lita would become responsible for his actions. That was a horrible matter, and something that Yu IlHan would never let be even if he died.

Like how Lita was thinking of Yu IlHan as important, Yu IlHan also thought of Lita as being important.

'It's good that I found out before I made any mistakes.'

Yu IlHan became relieved. Now that he knew what they were up to, he was not afraid of anything anymore. It also helped that the dragons didn't know that Yu IlHan could translate dragon speech.

Yu IlHan was fighting with the resolve to die until now, but it turns out they were trying to capture Yu IlHan alive.

They had made a huge mistake – with this, Yu IlHan could now become even more advantageous in fights!

Anyway, what came first was to kill these dragons in front of him. Yu IlHan lightly jumped into the air before the dragon with a spear on its neck crashed into the ground, and after the dragon had crashed with a 'boom' did he land back on its neck and pulled out his spear.

It wasn't such a difficult matter to kill an almost-dead dragon. It was enough to strike once with Spear of Untraceable Trajectory.

[You have earned 1,192,303,119 experience.]

[I can't endure it anymore! Are you saying that we can only watch as our kin die to that trivial human!]

One of the dragons finally became berserk. It covered its body with hot orange flames, and descended at rapid speeds while staring at Yu IlHan, who was collecting the dead dragon's corpse.

It seemed it had even cast binding magic as a huge hand made of sand appeared from the ground and tried to restrict him.

Yu IlHan didn't resist that. He obediently got caught by the hand of sand, and just posed himself while gripping the Black bone giant spear in his hand. He focused more power than ever into the point of the spear.

Like an archer about to shoot an arrow, he tensed all the muscles in his body while drawing back the spear slightly.

[I-idiot! Stop him!]

[There are much more important matters than killing it... dammit! Let's protect the human!]

The other dragons hurriedly chased behind, however, the enraged dragon arrived in front of Yu IlHan first.

[Kroaaaa..... Kahak!]

[Critical Hit!]

However, the moment it opened its mouth as it approached Yu IlHan, a fountain of blood sprayed out. The dragon's vicious charge lost its balance due to the incomprehensible attack.

What was there to hide. Of course, it was the spear strike that Yu IlHan had shot out first using Spear of Untraceable Trajectory. To be exact, it was a spear throw.

However, the reason for the OPness of the Spear of Untraceable Trajectory lay somewhere else.

Regardless of whether Yu IlHan had attacked with a spear throw, he was still in his position and was preparing for a killer attack, and dragon(A) who had just lost its balance was falling down towards Yu IlHan after losing balance.

[Idiot!]

And dragon(B) smashed in from the side. Continuing, dragon(C) dispelled the hand of sand that restricted Yu IlHan's body.

They should have thought that Yu IlHan would roll around to dodge, but this was exactly the moment Yu IlHan was waiting for.

Vicious Purple Flame burned on top of his spear. Yu IlHan pulled back his spear with both of his legs firmly gripping onto the ground, before throwing his spear into the wide open mouth of dragon(A) who had floated upwards slightly due to the tackle from dragon(B)!

[Critical Hit!]

[Kahak!]

The dragon spat out a single syllable-scream. The next moment, weight transfer option activated to drag it into the ground.

The dragon's figure smashing into the ground to the spear embedded on the palate(roof of one's mouth), while flapping the bat-like wings colored in flames, was as if looking at the fall of Icarus.

[Critical Hit!]

That was the final strike. Perhaps it had softer joints than the previous one, or it fell down in the wrong position, but its neck had snapped just like that.

[You have earned 1,209,896,198 experience.]

[To think 3 of us would die...!]

[We.... the almighty race of dragons looked laughable to him?]

Dragon(B) and dragon(C) also went berserk like dragon(A), but Yu IlHan wasn't so scared even after looking at that. He only collected the dragon's corpse and his spear.

[I will never kill you. I shall tell you that there's suffering worse than death.]

[Foolish human, I will make your entire body realize that what we showed you was not the true power of dragons...!]

They charged in a straight line. However, Yu IlHan nimbly leaped, and re-leaped twice to shoot up several kilometers into the air.

"Using re-leap many times sure is incredible."

The speed of the dragons in the air was frightening, but currently, Yu IlHan had surpassed that speed and could take the upper hand in the fight. All of this was thanks to the advance in the leap skill.

However, just as Yu IlHan smiled and prepared to throw his spear, Erta said in a stiff voice:

[Yu IlHan.]

"Say it quick."

[I think it's better if you see this for yourself.]

Yu IlHan momentaryily stopped getting into position and turned his head. As he was high up in the air, he could see over the horizon.

Tens of dragons and hundreds of dragonkin were flying towards him.

"Now that's a spectacle."

[Th-the berserk dragons must have provoked its kin. Yu IlHan-nim. At this rate...] (Reta)

He was planning to kill the groups with lower numbers but it suddenly became a group fight! Yu IlHan had no choice but to acknowledge that he had looked down on the cohesion of the dragons.

[We need to go back down to the ground and activate the formation! We can't go against them head on!] (Erta)

[No, unfortunately, that's impossible. It was a similar situation when the empire was destroyed. Tens of dragons gathered in one place to prevent the activation of the formation and...!] (Reta)

Reta thought back to the past and cried her frustration out. Well, it could be expected that the dragons would not let Yu IlHan run away through the magic formation.

Then what to do now? How to survive now? What must he do in order to meet Lita again?

(P/R Is this the long-awaited realization of Yu Ilhan's feelings???!!!????) (E/N: Naw, he an idiot)

Yu IlHan first inflicted a fatal wound to one of the dragons that shot upwards towards him by throwing his spear which had Purple Flame burning on it. Then, he activated re-leap to shoot downwards towards it while muttering.

"Talk to me when I look like I'm about to die."

[That means.] (Erta)

"Yeah."

He laughed bitterly.

"I think I'll have to use the barrier here."

17 minutes after that, Yu IlHan killed four more dragons and just as his body was about to snap in half, he succeeded in activating the Hourglass of Eternity.