Seeker 150

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Chapter 150. Aerial Dragon (Part 2)

The critically wounded Aerial Dragon unleashed its second Wind Breath attack. 

This attack engulfed me, Kazane-san, who was in close combat, and Yuzuki who was even closer, creating a storm. 

Countless wind blades within the tempest sliced through our entire bodies.

And at that moment, I realized my mistake. 

The damage I sustained was just from the first strike, so it wasn't a significant problem. 

Kazane-san, who had been receiving healing intermittently, probably wouldn't suffer fatal injuries. 

But Yuzuki, who hadn't received any healing between attacks, got hit by the second breath.

Then the storm subsided.

Looking towards Yuzuki, the young girl in her mage attire stood amidst a torn-apart figure. 

Her body shredded into pieces, but her eyes still held life.

"Heh... you did it, huh...! Now, it's payback time. Fenrir Arrow!"

Yuzuki, battered and beaten, launched a counterattack. 

The arrow made a high-pitched whine as it tore through the air, leaving a pale blue trail. 

It struck Aerial Dragon's torso from the point of impact. Then numerous ice spikes bloomed before shattering. 

Simultaneously, the dragon's massive form disintegrated into a black mist.

The magic stone fell and landed on the ground. 

The sky above us held nothing but blue and white clouds, with the shining sun. T

hus, the battle between us and Aerial Dragon ended.

"We... we did it... ugh..."

"Yuzuki!"

Yuzuki dropped to her knees and nearly collapsed. 

I hurriedly ran to her, catching her before she could fall forward.

"Huff... huff... Senpai..."

"Sorry, it's my fault... I shouldn't have relied solely on Alia for healing. Hang on. I'll heal you right away."

"P-Please don't phrase it like I'm on the brink of death... I felt a bit dizzy, and I still had some HP left... it's only single digits, though..."

"Forget about that, [Ground Heal]!"

"I told you, don't make it sound like I'm about to die~..."

With my healing magic, I healed most of Yuzuki's wounds. 

However, I cast another healing spell since it wasn't enough for a full recovery. 

Yuzuki gradually regained her energy.

"Phew, I'm back among the living. But, senpai, I don't think you need to blame yourself that much. If you had prioritized healing, we might have taken longer to defeat it, leading to more trouble."

"Well, that might be true, but..."

"The end justifies the means, senpai. Besides, even if my HP hit zero, it's not like I'd die immediately. As long as it doesn't go negative, I'll be fine, right?"

"You've got a point. But I'd still worry. In any case, I'm just glad you're safe. And you did well."

I ruffled Yuzuki's hair.

Yuzuki giggled and leaned into it, saying, "Hehe~♪".

"By the way, senpai, how about healing your injuries?"

"Oh, right, I almost forgot."

"You're always so focused on worrying about others that you're completely careless about yourself, senpai."

Then, I healed my wounds with magic and reunited with Kazane-san and Aria-san, who had also been healed. 

Kazane-san saw Yuzuki and me and remarked, "Daichi-kun, you're biased towards Hotaru-chan!". So I petted her head too, praised her effort, and she seemed blissful.

By the way, Aria-san blushed and looked at us shyly, clearly envious of something.

As always, I'm sorry for that.

In any case, we completed the subjugation of Aerial Dragon. 

The message box for mission accomplishment appeared in our view.

───────────────────────

Mission completed: Defeat 1 dragon!

Party members gain 30,000 experience points each!

Successfully tame a new monster (Experience: 10,000)!

Defeat 4 Dragons (Experience: 100,000)!

Defeat 1 Elder Dragon (Experience: 100,000)!

Musou Daichi levels up to 31!

Kodachi Kazane levels up to 32!

Yuzuki Hotaru levels up to 32!

Current Experience:

Musou Daichi... 17,2444/18,1490 (Next Level: 9,046)

Kodachi Kazane... 19,3056/20,6876 (Next Level: 13,820)

Yuzuki Hotaru... 20,0141/20,6876 (Next Level: 6,735)

───────────────────────

Kazane-san and I leveled up by one level.

Yuzuki gained an impressive 2 levels compared to before the battle.

Interestingly, Yuzuki surpassed Kazane-san and took the lead in experience points.

That must be due to the experience gained from defeating Aerial Dragon.

As for the intriguing new mission that appeared, we decided to put it aside for now.

Anyway, we have overcome the main obstacle.

We found the intended medicinal herb where we expected it, a small rocky shelf that we could only reach by climbing down a rope from the cliff at the back of the plateau where Aerial Dragon was. 

Since Kazane-san has the best agility, she went to retrieve it for us.

With the herb collection completed, we began our journey back.

It seemed like there wouldn't be any more problems from now on— or so we thought.

However, while descending the cliffside path and leaping over points where the path had collapsed, something unexpected happened as we attempted to return to the cave entrance.

"Huh...?"

The voice came from Aria-san, who had been the last to jump.

Fate can be quite mischievous sometimes.

Out of nowhere, a fierce gust of wind surged, forcefully pushing Aria-san mid-jump.

Aria-san lost momentum in mid-air and began to plummet.

Indeed, the wind had been growing stronger for a while.

But who would have expected such a sudden and forceful gust?

"─ Aria-san!"

I instinctively reached out my hand.

Aria-san extended her hand back toward me.

But our hands couldn't connect.

"Please! Deliver that herb to my father─!"

Aria-san tumbled headlong into the depths of the valley below.