Without warning, the little drake lunged at me, its massive claws—each easily larger than my hands—slicing through the air with frightening speed.
I kicked off the ground, narrowly dodging the devastating blow.
The drake’s claws crashed into the wooden floor where I’d stood just a heartbeat ago, splintering the thick bark like they were nothing more than dried twigs.
The force of the attack left its claws momentarily lodged in the wreckage.
The beast roared in frustration and pain, shaking the ground beneath us.
The stinging pain in its eyes clearly persisted, and I couldn’t help but smirk inwardly.
’That damn stalker,’ I thought.
At least that suicidal prick had done one useful thing before getting himself killed—he managed to injure the drake’s eye.
However, as I steadied myself, a dreadful realization struck me like a bolt of ice.
I glanced around quickly, but there was no trace of it.
It must’ve fallen during the chaos when I fought off the Feline Stalkers earlier.
A bitter laugh almost escaped my throat.
’Perfect. Now I need to punch a goddamn drake to sleep. Just my luck.’
Still, there was no time for regrets or self-pity.
The enemy was right in front of me, and it wasn’t about to show mercy.
I forced myself to focus. I compressed my mana, feeling it surge through my veins, crackling against my skin.
Violet arcs of amethyst lightning enveloped my body, each spark dancing along my limbs.
I blurred forward, activating [Flash Speed] in a single explosive burst.
The world around me became a blur, and within an instant, I closed the distance between us, driving my fist straight into the drake’s other eye.
The punch landed with a satisfying crunch.
Electricity exploded into the drake’s body, jolting through its nerves like a thunderstrike.
The beast recoiled with a blood-curdling shriek that rattled my eardrums—a sound filled with panic, rage, and above all, pain.
It writhed wildly, snapping its jaws and flailing its limbs like a rabid child having a tantrum.
But I couldn’t afford to celebrate.
Blinded and furious, the drake swatted its thick tail toward me in a savage, desperate counterattack.
I barely managed to raise my arms in defense, but the sheer force behind the blow lifted me off the ground like a ragdoll.
I was hurled through the air, crashing violently against the trunk of a nearby tree.
The impact sent a shuddering jolt of pain through every bone in my body.
A low groan escaped my lips before I could stop it, my vision blurring at the edges.
And that tiny sound—that involuntary whimper—was all the drake needed to hear.
With a guttural roar, the beast tore through the broken bark, charging at me with its mouth wide open, revealing rows of gleaming, pearl-white fangs.
Time seemed to slow for a moment.
Instinct screamed louder than reason.
I ducked, dropping to the ground just as its massive jaw snapped shut above me.
The drake’s head smashed into the tree trunk behind where I’d been, sending bark and debris flying in every direction.
Seizing the moment, I rolled across the snow-dusted ground, putting as much distance between us as I could.
I stumbled to my feet, panting heavily, and immediately fell into a fighting stance.
The drake staggered back, shaking its head violently, trying to clear the ringing in its skull.
Its breath came out in short, steaming bursts, and its eyes—both of them—narrowed hatefully at me.
Or, what was left of them.
One eye, already injured by the Feline Stalker earlier, was still barely functional—bloodshot and clouded, but not fully blind.
The other eye—the one I had punched with my amethyst-charged fist—was far worse.
That eye was completely ruined.
Amethyst lightning still crackled faintly across the scorched wound, tendrils of energy weaving into the melted flesh.
It was blind now, no question about it.
The beast’s chest heaved, its nostrils flaring wide as it tried to sniff me out.
It was enraged, wounded, and half-blind... but far from defeated.
I gritted my teeth, flexing my hands as mana buzzed along my knuckles.
"Come on then," I whispered under my breath, narrowing my eyes.
In a fit of pure rage, the drake let out a thunderous roar.
But this time, something was different.
The very air around us seemed to distort. A deep, primal pressure rippled outward, like the sky itself was trembling.
A psychic shockwave slammed into my mind before I could even register it.
A deafening burst of force exploded from the drake’s body.
The shockwave wasn’t just mental—it was physical, a concussive blast that hurled me like a cannonball through the forest canopy.
Branches shattered. The world spun.
I had just enough presence of mind to mutter, "[Physical Enhancement]!"
Faint golden light flared around me like a second skin, instantly reinforcing my bones and muscles.
It was the only thing keeping me from being torn to pieces.
Even with the spell active, I crashed through several layers of thick branches, wood exploding around me. I tumbled uncontrollably until I smashed into the trunk of a gargantuan tree—easily ten times my size.
The force of impact was enough to leave a human-shaped imprint on the bark.
I noticed it for a brief second... right before gravity took hold again.
I began to fall, my limbs flailing.
But that moment of descent? It didn’t last.
Because the drake wasn’t done with me.
It came barreling through the broken canopy like a living missile, its mouth wide open in a frenzy, its one good eye glowing with murderous fury.
Its aim was off—thanks to its destroyed eye, it couldn’t see clearly.
It missed eating me... but that didn’t matter.
My body slammed into its scaled torso. The sheer speed of its flight pinned me to it like a leaf stuck to a speeding arrow.
My hand instinctively latched onto its rugged, jagged scales—each like a dagger in itself.
The wind screamed in my ears. I couldn’t even open my eyes from the sheer pressure of its flight.
’Fine,’ I thought, gritting my teeth. ’Let’s light you up.’
Crackling amethyst lightning surged from my fingertips, arcing through the drake’s body.
Sparks danced along its wings and spine, lightning coiling and flaring like electric serpents.
The beast shrieked. A guttural, primal scream of agony.
It thrashed violently, spinning in the air like a deranged top. But I held on—my arms clenched tight around its armored scales, refusing to let go.
Then—suddenly—it rocketed upward, higher and higher into the open sky.
I cracked open my eyes, just barely.
Below me, the world stretched out in all directions. What I saw was both breathtaking and terrifying.
As far as my eyes could see, the jungle extended endlessly. A massive sea of treetops, dark green and shadowed under thick clouds. No clearings. No walls. No other zones.
Just jungle. Endless, oppressive jungle.
I let out a dry, bitter laugh.
"How big is this damn place?"
But there was no time to admire the view.
The drake began seizing again, body twitching and spasming mid-flight from the electric current still burning inside it.
And then, without warning—it dived.
Straight toward the jungle floor at terrifying speed.
I braced myself, every muscle in my body tensing.
But just as it looked like it was about to crash headfirst into the ground... it pulled up.
Its wings flared wide and it veered violently to one side.
I couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore—the force was too much, the wind too sharp.
I didn’t see where we were going. All I could do was hold on and endure.
Minutes seemed to pass.
Or maybe it was just seconds stretched thin by adrenaline and pain.
The drake smashed into something, and the resulting shock knocked the wind from my lungs. The jolt snapped my grip. My fingers slipped off its scales.
I was flung forward, rolling wildly across the forest floor.
My back hit the dirt. I skidded, bounced, and tumbled through grass and roots before finally coming to a painful stop.
Groaning, I forced my eyes open.
And what I saw made my heart sink.
This wasn’t the same area.
I’d been flung into another monster zone.