"Huff..."
A warm breath escaped Ais's lips, only to crystallize into a thin veil of frost the moment it touched the frigid air.
The cold bit into her fingertips, numbing them with the first signs of frostbite. Yet instead of making her impulsive, the sensation only sharpened her focus.
She stepped forward, gathering strength for a dash.
Seeing this, the dragonkin's twisted face lit up with excitement. It cared nothing for tactics or strategy; only one desire filled its mind—to clash head-on with the human before it.
Monsters were not mindless machines. They possessed thoughts of their own, though those thoughts were always overshadowed by an instinctive, overwhelming urge to slaughter adventurers. At times, this impulse drove them to act even more recklessly than their foes.
Such recklessness was simply another form of killing intent.
The deeper the floor, the stronger the impulse gripped the monsters. But despite being granted this frenzy by the Dungeon, these deep-floor monsters did not lose their ability to judge. On the contrary, their judgment and intelligence often sharpened, allowing them to make more accurate decisions in battle.
Even so, dragonkin simply did not care whether they held the advantage. Their competitive instincts refused to turn down any invitation to fight.
Their rational mind told them that dragging out the battle would only widen their advantage.
But their pride and sense of superiority told them that relying on such tactics was something only the weak would do. The strong should accept every challenge openly.
And so, believing themselves to be the strong, they preferred a straightforward clash rather than any underhanded tricks.
They revered the powerful, scorned the weak, and loved those who challenged them.
Defeating challengers only made them stronger.
So how could they possibly despise challengers who offered them chances to grow?
Was it not the duty of the strong to unleash their full might and bury their challengers?
"ROAR!!!"
Overcome with excitement, the dragonkin let out a thunderous roar, staring directly at its challenger so as not to appear the lesser.
Ais had long since understood the dragonkin's habits, which was why she chose to meet it head-on.
When facing a dragonkin, cunning tricks were pointless. What you needed was the courage to challenge it directly.
And Ais—who had prepared herself from childhood—never lacked the courage to bet her life against a powerful foe. Now, more than ever.
With the Desperate in hand, her body blurred forward as she collided with the dragonkin.
But as a human, she was physically far weaker than this otherworldly creature. That was why humans excelled at using tools to bolster their strength.
A weapon with the "Indestructible" property posed a real threat to any creature—even dragonkin, whose monstrous bodies could shrug off sword blows without needing to defend.
But the wielder was still too weak.
The dragonkin swung its fists to block Ais's slashes with ease, yet its vertical pupils remained locked on the tip of the Desperate.
It had already tasted the power of her earlier thrust. It knew full well that her stabbing attacks were dangerous, while her slashes could be stopped by its scales without difficulty.
Only one attack truly threatened it. Everything else was secondary.
And Ais noticed this as well.
Even in this brief clash, she could clearly feel where the dragonkin's attention was focused.
Which meant it was time for her to act.
"Sssht!"
Ais's slash was caught on the dragonkin's arm.
Normally it would have only sparked against the scales, but this time her blade carved a noticeable gash across its forearm.
The sudden change left the dragonkin momentarily stunned, its reflexes slowing just enough.
Ais wasn't about to let such an opening slip by.
In less than a heartbeat she unleashed more than a dozen strikes. With its reactions dulled, the dragonkin couldn't defend against every sharp, precise blow.
Losing control of the tempo in a fight carried severe consequences.
Grimacing in pain, the dragonkin gathered its strength and punched the ground.
"Boom!"
The earth trembled, the shock disrupting Ais's movement for an instant. Rather than force the exchange, she stepped back and reset her stance.
Even so, dozens of bloodied cuts now streaked across the dragonkin's front half. Its scales were damaged to the point they could no longer offer full protection.
Though Ais hadn't landed a decisive finishing blow, the results were more than satisfying.
Breaking even part of the dragonkin's hard scale armor was enough to collapse its entire defensive structure. Once that happened, the remaining scales would lose more than eighty percent of their effectiveness.
And since the dragonkin's strength lay in its physical prowess and innate abilities, not regeneration, it had no way to quickly replace its shattered scales.
'This way, it can't afford to ignore any of my attacks.'
Ais knew a tactic like that only worked once. Try it again, and she would be the one stepping into danger.
Her plan had worked, but it came with side effects.
"ROOOAR!!!!"
The dragonkin's furious bellow tore through the air, its veins glowing a bright, angry red.
"Huff!"
Sparks burst from its nostrils. Now it was fighting at full strength. Its rage signaled both fury—and recognition of its challenger's power.
But for an adventurer, that was anything but good news.
If she could have defeated it before it got serious, she could have avoided the brutal fight that was sure to come.
Now the dragonkin's earlier excitement had twisted into pure savagery. It had already made up its mind: it would grant the challenger before it a magnificent burial.
'Here it comes!'
Ais's senses sharpened to their limit. She caught the flicker of the dragonkin's movement.
'So fast!'
In the blink of an eye, the tens of meters separating them vanished.
Even for Ais, the speed was overwhelming—her eyes struggled to keep up with the dragonkin's movement.
It closed in instantly, claws sweeping toward her.
Ais reacted at once, retreating to avoid the strike.
But the dragonkin's twisted face curled into a grin. It didn't care whether its first attack hit—it spun around immediately.
Before Ais could even register the motion, something dark and massive slammed into her stomach, hurling her through the air.
"Thud!"
The dragonkin straightened and flicked its tail with satisfaction. As part of its body, that tail was like a steel whip—once enough force built up, its swing became a deadly weapon.