Chapter 65: Golden Opportunity
The dragonkin stood tall, bearing a humanoid physique with red and orange scales that protected his body, with powerful muscles lying beneath them. His two arms ended in deadly sharp claws, while the tail extending from his back looked more like a whip capable of killing the average person with a single strike.
His head bore a similar appearance to that of a lizard, with a slightly elongated face. Two horns protruded from the sides of his head, while his crimson eyes were narrowed coldly like those of a predator ready to lunge at its prey.
"Eek!"
Faced with the appearance of such a monstrous creature, Cassie was the first to move. She squeaked in fright and toppled backward, landing on her bottom, the edges of her eyes tearing up.
"No! No! No!" She repeated in despair. "A Level 30 monster is the strongest creature that can be found in a Grade 2 dungeon. We aren’t equipped to deal with something like this!"
"Enough weeping. Get on your feet. We have to fight." Harley took her hand and forcefully dragged her upright.
"F-Fight? How could we—" Cassie was about to retort until she noticed that Harley was trembling as well.
She too was scared, yet did everything she could not to show it.
"The prey seems lively. That’s good!" The dragonkin chuckled, taking slow and measured strides forward.
"Bro, we got this... right?" Winston threw a glance at Leonard.
Leonard’s eyes darkened. "Yes. We haven’t gotten this far just to fall at the end."
Suddenly, their adversary halted, his crimson gaze settling on Elizabeth.
"You... carry one of my own." The monster’s voice was heavy with authority.
In response, Elizabeth’s sleeve wriggled, and Rimy emerged, settling on her shoulder.
"What, do you plan to spare us because of her?" Elizabeth asked, her eyes growing colder.
"No way." The creature laughed out loud. "We dragons often devour those weaker than ourselves. Not to mention that your familiar is a pure-blooded dragon. Eating her might push me toward evolution, so I will save her for dessert!"
"I won’t let you touch her." Elizabeth declared, the temperature around her dropping.
"Stop me if you can!" The monster roared and lunged forward.
Elizabeth’s eyes shone, overflowing with mana. She flicked her fingers, and two icy walls erupted between the party and the monster.
"Pathetic!"
Deep flames built up in the dragonkin’s throat. Opening his jaws wide, he unleashed a powerful stream of fire that collided with the walls, melting them within seconds.
"Mine!"
The monster was about to sweep toward Elizabeth before she could retreat.
However, in the next heartbeat, a powerful impact struck him from the side, forcing the creature a few steps backward.
A frown etched itself onto the monster’s face, his eyes catching the reflected light of silver.
Valor stood before the party, his mane flowing like that of a male lion, shielding them from the monster.
Leonard knew that the only path to victory was to go all out from the start.
Valor pounced, his greatsword raised high as he aimed for the creature’s head.
The dragonkin scoffed. With one palm, he grabbed the sword and halted its momentum.
Before he could react, a sudden mist engulfed the area, reducing visibility drastically.
For the first time, Leonard had used both of his summons simultaneously! Valor to attack, Joker to distract!
He felt his mana depleting at a staggering rate like never before, yet the effect of his One Man Army Title increased his mana regeneration by 20%, allowing him to last longer.
"Don’t linger!"
Although scared, the rest of the party charged ahead.
Russell held his sword with both hands, aiming to break through the enemy’s defenses. Although arrogant and selfish, he knew that his only chance of survival was to work together with the party. Everything else was secondary.
"Look here!" Winston roared as an outline appeared around his body. For the first time since he had attained the Tank class, he was able to use his Taunt skill, catching the monster’s attention.
Even though he was scared, he knew that he had the best chance of surviving a direct hit, since his class greatly increased his defense.
Meanwhile, Harley slipped past the dragonkin’s radar and struck between the creature’s scales with her Rapid Thrust skill, hoping for the best.
Elizabeth conjured ice spikes and sent them toward the creature.
Brian nocked an arrow and sent it flying.
"You can’t hope to injure me!"
Yet all their attacks proved fruitless. The dragonkin unleashed another inferno, forcing the party, and even the mist, to retreat lest they fall victim to the deadly heat.
Valor was the only one who remained unwavering, yet even he was being toyed with by the creature. Without the party’s constant support, he was sure to be overwhelmed.
"Let’s see just how powerful the Dragon Slayer skill truly is!"
Leonard gritted his teeth, spending 50 mana. The silver javelin appeared in his grasp.
Noticing his master’s attack, Joker moved his misty body. He created a small opening just large enough for Leonard to see where the enemy was located, increasing his accuracy.
His attire was filled out by his bulging muscles. Without hesitation, he unleashed the projectile.
The javelin split the air along its path. Fortunately, the sheer force of the skill was enough to break through the dragonkin’s scales, embedding itself in the monster’s shoulder and opening a deep gash.
Since the start of the battle, he had been the only one to unleash a meaningful attack, his blow making the creature roar in pain.
Yet before he was able to rely on his Epic skill again, the adversary acted faster than anyone could react.
The dragonkin switched targets in a flash, his claws heading straight for Leonard’s chest.
"Ugh!"
The leather armor he wore gave in, and he felt the monster’s claw sink.
Had it not been for his Hardened Physique trait stopping the momentum of the attack before it could pierce his lungs, he would have died on the spot.
"BRO!" Winston roared, activating his Taunt skill once again.
Simultaneously, Valor sprinted toward the dragonkin, eager to aid his master.
"D—Don’t move! I will try to heal you."
Under the cover of the party, Cassie meekly ran towards Leonard and cast her healing skill to mend his wounds.
"That was a close one." He groaned in struggle, seeing the formation of the party slowly give in to the dragonkin.
Time wasn’t on their side. The moment his mana ran out and Valor and Joker were no longer able to take the hardest blows, the party was going to be picked off one by one.
"Now that the dragonkin knows I can damage it, he will surely target me if given the chance. Curses!"
Leonard knew that he was still lacking. Although he possessed the strongest Bloodline in the party, because he had awakened the system last, he was the only one still lacking a class.
At this point, any class would do! It could be the difference between surviving or dying here.
However, he still needed a whopping 900 more experience to reach Level 10, and the only enemy in sight was the dragonkin itself!
His mind raced while Cassie closed the wound on his chest. Despite it all, he couldn’t find a solution.
Just then, Joker acted on his own accord. His form condensed, mimicking Leonard’s appearance.
"What are—"
Leonard paused mid-question, locking eyes with Joker. He had stretched out a finger, pointing toward the end of the chamber.
Due to his nature, Joker’s perception was currently unmatched.
Following the gesture, Leonard’s eyes landed on a figure who had used a potion to turn partially transparent, making it almost impossible to spot.
"Ah..." Leonard muttered in realization, his eyes settling on the Orc Shaman.
"My ticket to gaining a class."