Chapter 41
The Forest Dragon is called so because it lives in the forest.
That's a common misconception.
The reason the Forest Dragon is called the Forest Dragon is much simpler.
It's because its body surface looks like wood.
Thorn-like branches protrude from its entire body, with green leaf-like organs attached at the tips.
It's almost like a small moving forest.
That's why it's called the Forest Dragon.
The iron rule of monster subjugation.
Always take the initiative when you can.
Following that iron rule, I leap above the Forest Dragon, which is still lying down.
The moment I stomped the ground with full force, it seemed to lose sight of me, and only when I appeared above did I sense the Forest Dragon's first sign of panic.
No, no, that's slow.
Way too slow.
In a flustered manner, the Forest Dragon raises its head to snap at me in the air.
At that moment, I swing my sword down.
A dull impact sound echoes around, hardly resembling the sound of a creature being slashed by a sword.
The Forest Dragon, forced to shut its wide-open mouth as it tried to bite, has its head slammed into the ground, bouncing back.
As I land on the ground, I'm amazed by the feel of the sword.
What's great about it is that I can adjust its sharpness.
Plus, there's no worry at all about it breaking.
Even when I struck the Forest Dragon's hard hide with full force, I didn't feel the slightest anxiety about it breaking.
Checking behind me, I see Erika and Shara have taken their positions.
Roughly twenty paces, the distance decided to ensure Shara's maximum firepower magic hits its mark.
For us, without a shield-bearer, this distance is a bit too close against a Forest Dragon.
But with Erika standing in front of Shara, who needs to be protected, there's no reason to worry.
"Whoops."
I take a light backstep.
A forelimb about as tall as I am passes right in front of me.
The Forest Dragon glares at me with eyes full of hatred.
Its rough breathing shows it's quite enraged.
"Nice, keep focusing on me like that."
Hearing Shara's chanting start behind me, I slowly move sideways.
As if lured, the Forest Dragon's head turns toward me.
Yeah, that's good.
I stomp the ground with full force once again.
Of course, I'm not thinking of fighting it head-on.
Moving to the Forest Dragon's side, I slam my sword into its flank, which hardly seems like it belongs to a living creature.
Did it lose sight of me again? The sudden attack to its flank makes the Forest Dragon let out a scream-like roar, flailing its entire body in a chaotic attack.
I parry the incoming massive tail and forelimb attacks with my sword, keeping my body in motion.
Its gigantic body, about the size of a small house, carries more than enough impact just by thrashing around randomly.
In case I need to escape, I slash at the Forest Dragon's hind leg with increased sharpness, while using the sword as a blunt weapon on other parts, making sure it doesn't narrow its focus and keeping its attention on me as I continue my attacks.
After all, my opponent is a dragon.
A long battle is inevitable.
Watching the wound I just slashed on its hind leg heal rapidly, I renew my resolve that I'm definitely facing a dragon species.
Most dragon species possess incredible regenerative abilities due to their abundant magical energy.
Naturally, for an ordinary adventurer like me, a quick decisive battle is out of reach, and it becomes a prolonged fight.
In such a case, what I must be cautious of is not taking direct hits from its attacks.
Even if I have confidence in the strength of my physical enhancement, taking multiple hits will accumulate damage, slowing my movements, which is the worst situation to avoid in a battle against a dragon species.
After all, dragon species have...
"Yeah, if you can't catch me, that's what you'd do."
Fully aware of exposing its vulnerability, the Forest Dragon lifts its massive body, gathering a tremendous amount of magical energy in its fanged maw, and I look up at it as I say this.
Dragon Breath, the synonym for destruction that dragon species possess.