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Chapter 81: Ice Dragon’s Trial

~Drake’s Perspective~

Pushed by Master Quereble, I entered the ice wall. In front of me was a dragon whose entire body was covered in ice.

『Dragon child. For what purpose do you seek power?』

I was quite shaken, but the dragon didn’t seem to show any hostility so far.

Rather, I can even feel a calm atmosphere.

「Why do I seek power… To put it shortly, it is to protect my precious companions.」

『Hmm… So you already have the answer… Let me change the question then. Will you be able to “kill” the enemy without hesitation when someone important to you is about to be kidnapped or injured?』

「I don’t know, but I think I can probably do it.」

『…Explain.』

「Back when I was still in the Dragonewt village, I thought that I was the strongest. And that strength was my pride.

…But after leaving the village, I came to understand that there are plenty of guys stronger than me. And real pride is not for one’s own self-satisfaction, but the feeling born of caring for one’s companions.

If I hesitate to kill the enemy and someone important to me gets hurt or killed, I can’t and won’t forgive myself…

Of course, even enemies have friends and families, and I can understand why they have their own sense of justice and reason for fighting.

But I’m not strong enough to think that I can protect my comrades without killing them.

That’s exactly why I want the strength to protect my loved ones. It’s also the answer to the first question. This is my resolve.」

『You must have some really good companions.

…Very well. However, no matter how much stronger you become in the future, always keep pondering your answer to the previous question.

Then, on to the next test. Use magic to destroy this ice wall from the inside.』

「Okay.」

After saying that, the ice dragon disappeared as if it had only been an illusion up until now.

It seems that the Ice Dragon’s Trial has a few stages.

Judging from the way the Ice Dragon spoke, the first question must have been one of the trials.

I suppose he wants me to show my strength next?

My most destructive magic is [Cyclone].

Just as a test, I tried to increase the density of the magic as much as possible and slammed it onto the ice wall with all my strength, but the ice wall did not budge at all.

「This thing is pretty solid…」

After that, I continued to shoot the Cyclone with all my might until my mana dried up and I collapsed.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

「It’s impossible… No matter how many years pass, this wall cannot be destroyed with this method.」

About 5 days later, I admitted that the wall could not be destroyed with the current method. But I didn’t give up on destroying it.

「If I can’t destroy it with the magic I currently have… then I have no choice but to create it. But how do I go about creating magic… it seems like I’ve overlooked something…」

What is “magic” in the first place?

In a broader framework, it’s part of [Skill]. Let’s think deeper on this.

Skill is something that can be used regardless of the dragonewt or dragon form.

That is pretty much confirmed…

But what about its power?

「I never tried to verify it, but could it be that the magic cast in dragon form is more powerful?」

I decided to give it a try.

And the results were, “I don’t really know”.

Well, of course that was the case. Because there was no change at all on the wall that I cast magic on.

「Damnit! The longer I’m stuck in here, the more likely the Dragonewt village will be in danger!」

In half desperation, I hit the wall with my breath attack while in dragon form.

And the wall was slightly damaged…

「Crap, I used Dragon Breath even though he said to use magic… Hmm?」

Wait a minute, is Dragon Breath a magic…?

No, is it even a [Skill] in the first place?

I don’t think it’s physical damage, though. But I don’t have [Dragon Breath] in my skill column.

However, I have been able to use Dragon Breath from my first [Dragon Transformation].

Could it be that… the concept of magic and skills in my head has been wrong in this whole time?

For the next two weeks, I kept throwing my breath at the wall.

MP decreases each time I use it. If my hypothesis is not wrong, Dragon Breath can also be classified as magic.

And I was convinced that this Breath attack was my maximum firepower.

In that case, I am left with no other choice but to improve this.

「I feel like I’m about to reach an epiphany soon… If I mix it with Cyclone, the power is spread out over a wide area and I can’t concentrate it on one point. The destructive power is not enough when I mix it with Wind Cutters… Wait a minute.」

Should I just… mix it all together?

It might be a little reckless, but I don’t think it’s a bad idea.

「I used too much MP today. Let’s think about this idea until tomorrow morning.」

After half a day of thinking, I came up with the conclusion that [Cyclone] and [Wind Cutter] will be mixed into the Dragon’s Breath, but just before the breath is released, [Wind Pressure] will be used to converge it instead of diffusing it.

However, the timing was difficult as the breath came out too quickly.

But if I can pull this off perfectly, this attack will become my maximum firepower.

After that, I conducted a repeated process of trial and error, and I gradually came to understand the delicate knacks.

「I have grasped the timing. But considering my remaining MP, I can only fire one more shot… Concentrate… for the last shot, concentrate and give it your all!」

In order to fire my breath as ideally as possible, I repeated the procedure over and over in my head and put it into action.

Instead of releasing the breath instantly, I accumulated the energy in my oral cavity.

Next, I concentrated on mixing [Cyclone] and [Wind Cutter] into this breath.

At this time, instead of just activating the two magic, I consciously added the image of “rotation” and “cutting”, which are the elements of the two magic, to my breath.

Finally, I use [Wind Pressure] to forcibly suppress the energy that was about to spread and explode. Give it more directionality, converge it to one point… and release it!

When the fired breath hit the ice wall, the raging mass of energy went out of control and permeated the ice wall.

I understood it even as I fired it. This is undoubtedly my best possible power, my highest firepower.

The proof of that was the cracks which began appearing in the wall.

(I can do this!! Break it!!)

Gradually, the entire ice wall cracked, and at the same time the dome-shaped ice wall shattered into pieces.

The broken pieces of glass-like ice disappeared while reflecting gleaming light.