Ordinary Person × Modern Dungeon × Summer Vacation Life = Rise to Success!? 〜A Private Dungeon Was Made at the Remains of a Secret Base From Childhood〜 - Episode 33: Subjugation of the Green Dragon Variant ①

Episode 33: Subjugation of the Green Dragon Variant ①

(Note: Special for this chapter, dialogues from the livestream are written in this bracket:『…..』.)

“No weakness… you say?”

The staircase leading upward behind us was already sealed off by a wall of magical power, like a barrier.

In dungeon boss battles, there’s no turning back.

“Kou-chan, it’s coming!”

“—!”

The Green Dragon Variant took a deep breath and unleashed a breath of flame.

Bright red fire surged toward us.

“[Water User] Skill—Water Shield!!”

*Juuuuhhhhhh!!!*

Otama-chan created a round shield of water and blocked the flames.

The water turned to steam, then mist. It painted the entire floor white.

“Geez!! You’re so persistent!!”

*Juuuuu…!*

After a moment, the Dragon’s flames stopped.

“GRAAAAAAAAHHHH!!”

Beyond the white veil, the Green Dragon roared and trembled.

“Hah, hah…! It’s way too strong right from the start…”

I rushed to Otama-chan. She was bent over, hands on her knees.

“Are you okay!?”

“Y-Yeah. I used up quite a bit of MP though…”

『Both of you! The Dragon needs time before it can breathe fire again! Attack now!』

“Doesn’t it have any weaknesses!?”

『It doesn’t…! If anything, you’ll have to tear off some of its scales and make your own weak point…!』

“…Got it. Otama-chan, you recover. I’ll go.”

“K-Kou-chan!?”

I handed Otama-chan a pouch with mana potions and rushed toward the Dragon.

“Uoooooooohhh!!”

I’m level 31 now. And my Attack stat has increased significantly.

In terms of raw attack power, I should be on par with Otama-chan.

“GRAHHH!!”

“Whoa…!”

*THUD!!*

I dodged the Dragon’s smashing front leg and drew my dagger.

“One scale at least—take this!!”

I sprinted at full speed and stabbed my dagger into the Dragon’s belly.

Then—

*CRACK…*

“Ah…”

“GRAAAAAGHHHH!!”

I kicked off the Dragon like in a triangle jump and used the momentum to leap back near Otama-chan.

The Dragon’s claw swiped through the air where I had been.

“Kou-chan, that sword…”

“…Yeah.”

My dagger had snapped cleanly from the base.

“It was cheap. I guess it couldn’t withstand a Dragon…”

Now my only means of attack were bugs.

“So I’m the one who has to peel off a scale… Can I do it, though…”

“Actually, there’s something I want to try.”

“Something to try?”

“Yeah. Let’s go—[Bug Sumo (Stag Beetle)]!”

Then, a stag beetle about the size of my arm appeared in the air.

…The Dragon’s outer shell is hard, but what about the inside of its mouth?

It might be unexpectedly soft and vulnerable to damage.

“I’ll try attacking from the inside. Sorry, but can you attack at the same time, Otama-chan?”

“Okay! A thrilling, heart-pounding co-op—no, frontline! Let’s do it!”

“? Why did you correct yourself?”

“N-Nothing! Come on, let’s go! Musasame Blade!!”

Otama-chan drew her blade and slashed at the Dragon.

*Clang! Clang!*

『Omoigawa-san! The tail!』

“Wah!”

*Swiissh!!*

Otama-chan narrowly avoided the Dragon’s tail sweep.

“That was close! Take this!!”

*Claaang!*

“So hard!”

Otama-chan’s attacks also weren’t getting through.

The slashes landed, but the Dragon didn’t seem to care.

We could either keep hitting the same spot and hope to break it…

Or…

“—[Shadow Movement]”

I slipped the stag beetle into the Dragon’s blind spot.

Then, I waited.

“Here I go, Secret Sword—Musasame Slash!”

Otama-chan sent a crescent-shaped blade of water flying toward the Dragon’s face.

“GRAAAOHHHH!!”

A direct hit to the eye made the Dragon roar in pain.

『Nice one, Omoigawa-san!!』

“Kou-chan!!”

“Yeah, go!! My stag beetle!!”

The beetle materialized from the shadows and flew straight at the Dragon’s mouth.

And then—

“GYAOOOHHHH!!”

—it dove into the wide-open mouth.

『Natsume-san!! It’s taking damage!!』

“Alright, keep going!!”

I used [Mini Form] to shrink the beetle and slowly let it advance through the Dragon’s body.

『Natsume-kun, that’s one brutal move…』

I heard the voice of Jōnuma-san from the Gunma Prefecture Explorer Association.

“Will this be enough to defeat it…?”

The moment I thought that—

“GRRAAAHHHHHHH!!”

The Green Dragon Variant inhaled deeply and fired another flame breath.

“Kou-chan!!”

*Juuuuhhh!!*

Otama-chan protected me with her water shield.

“Crap…”

Apparently, the beetle and I are linked by a magical circuit path.

I couldn’t see it, but I knew the beetle inside the Dragon’s throat was taking fire damage.

The beetle can use flame attacks. But it seems it has no fire resistance.

“Hang in there a bit longer…!”

“GRAAHHHHH!!”

“…Ah”

At that moment, I realized I could send my magic essence through the circuit path to the beetle.

Its durability increased, and it withstood the flames.

This is—

“—the [Support] skill.”

A special skill I learned when I caught the black rhinoceros beetle.

I thought it only worked on that beetle. But I was wrong.

If I can push through with the power of [Support]…!

“GRRAAAHHHHHHH!!”

“—!!”

“Kou-chan! Come stand by me!!”

The intensity of the Dragon’s breath increased. And the inferno roared toward us.

*Juuuuhhh!!*

Steam violently hissed off Otama-chan’s water shield.

“Ah…!”

Then, the circuit path with the beetle was cut off.

It didn’t seem dead. But it had probably returned to another dimension.

It couldn’t endure the Dragon breath.

“Damn it…”

So close…

The beetle would likely revive, but I didn’t know when.

At least, not during this battle.

“All that’s left is [Swarm Attack]…”

A devouring assault by grasshoppers.

I’ll have to finish this with that…

“Enough already!! Just stop it!!”

Otama-chan was holding back the fierce flames with water.

Her face was twisted in pain.

We have to defeat that Dragon, fast…!

Frustration filled me—I clenched my fist.

So tightly that my nails dug into my palm—

“Ah………”

—At that moment, I realized something important.

*Juuuuu…*

“Hah, hah…!”

The Dragon’s flames finally stopped. And Otama-chan collapsed to her knees.

“Are you okay!?”

“Hah, hah… Sorry, I’m out of MP… I probably can’t take another hit…”

“—I see.”

But it’s fine.

I’ve figured out how to defeat that Dragon.

I checked over my remaining hand.

—[Swarm Attack]

—[Support]

—A ring that adds poison damage

And finally—[Poison Absorption] skill.

“K-Kou-chan…”

I stood in front of Otama-chan. I then stretched my right hand toward the Green Dragon Variant—

Then looked back at her and said:

“—I’ll finish this with the next move. I won’t just damage it from the inside. I’ll devour it from the outside too.”

I was certain of this from the feel of using the stag beetle.

That Dragon—will be defeated without even bones left.