What kind of strength does it take to send a massive dragon flying with just one punch?
Not only Ren, but all the adventurers around who witnessed this incredible scene were left frozen in place, as if they had turned to stone, momentarily forgetting the overwhelming discomfort caused by the poisonous fumes of the dragon's corpse.
"Oh my god, the dragon should have turned into a corpse by now. It's much stronger than it was before. Even Lord Ren's sword can't put a scratch on it, yet it was sent flying by the Shield Hero's punch!" one adventurer exclaimed.
"Why is he also a hero? Compared to the Shield Hero, Lord Ren seems like Earth and Heaven!"
"Yeah, the two of them aren't even close to being on the same level."
The surrounding adventurers gasped in astonishment.
"Wait! The dragon's not dead yet! The Shield Hero's in danger!" shouted another adventurer suddenly.
Even though Jason had left a deep, unmistakable fist-shaped dent in the dragon's skull—nearly crushing it entirely—it was still impossible to kill the reanimated corpse of the dragon with one strike. If anything, it had only enraged the beast.
With a deafening roar that shook the surroundings, the dragon's neck twisted grotesquely. Its maw gaped open, aiming directly at Jason, who was still falling through the air.
In the next instant, a torrent of poisonous gas, powerful as a high-pressure cannon, shot from the dragon's mouth, enveloping Jason completely.
"It's over. Even if the Shield Hero is strong, he underestimated his enemy."
"Yeah, let's get out of here!"
"Even if the corpse poison's everywhere and we're already affected by it, at least we still have a shot at survival if we run. But against that dragon? We're guaranteed to die."
The adventurers shook their heads in regret. From their perspective, the poison in the air was already so deadly that being hit directly by the dragon's gas would be a certain death sentence for Jason.
"Master!"
Filo, who had been watching the entire situation from nearby, suddenly cried out in alarm, ready to charge at the dragon.
But just before she could move, a calm voice echoed through the cloud of poison: "Filo, I haven't given the order yet. Stay where you are and don't move."
"It's Master's voice!"
Hearing Jason's words, Filo hesitated and stopped herself from charging forward.
The poison slowly dispersed, and there stood Jason, completely unscathed, a calm smile still playing at the corner of his mouth.
"How... how is this even possible?!"
Ren's eyes widened in disbelief. He was fully aware of the potency of the dragon's poisonous breath, as even now, he found it difficult just to breathe from the faint remnants in the air.
Yet Jason, who had taken the full force of that poisonous gas head-on, stood there without a scratch. Just how terrifying was his defense and resistance?
Ren struggled to comprehend it, unable to even imagine someone being that strong.
The magic dragon also tilted its head, clearly confused as to why its deadly poison had no effect on the seemingly weak human standing before it.
"You really are a mischievous one, spraying poison gas at me."
Jason casually twisted his wrist and rolled his neck, as though warming up for something more.
The spectators, hearing his nonchalant tone, were left completely speechless.
Mischievous?
That was a magic dragon, and Jason spoke as though it were nothing more than a disobedient pet wrecking his home!
"You know, if you're too naughty, you're going to get a spanking!"
Still dazed by the absurdity of the situation, the adventurers couldn't react as Jason vanished from their sight, moving so fast he slipped completely out of their range of vision.
When he reappeared, he was standing right next to the dragon, gripping its massive tail with both hands.
"Ah~~~"
Jason let out a mighty roar as his muscles swelled, straining against the confines of his gauntlets. His arms bulged with raw power, the veins snaking across them like writhing serpents.
The magic dragon, still bewildered, suddenly felt its limbs lift off the ground. Helpless, it thrashed wildly in the air.
Boom!
With a thunderous crash, Jason hurled the magic dragon into the earth, creating a massive crater upon impact.
But he wasn't done yet.
He swung the dragon back up into the air and slammed it down again, then again. The ground trembled beneath each blow, the sound of destruction reverberating across the sky as rocks and debris cascaded down the mountainside.
Ren and the adventurers stood there, slack-jawed and wide-eyed, their minds struggling to process the scene unfolding before them.
"Is that really a magic dragon?" one adventurer stammered, unable to tear their gaze away. "It's being tossed around like a toy by Lord Shield Hero."
"For some reason... I feel sorry for the dragon," another muttered.
"Wait a minute... shouldn't Lord Shield Hero be called the Hero of Strength instead?" someone else mused, casting a glance toward Ren.
Ren shook his head, his expression just as bewildered. "The Hero of Power? I thought he was the Hero of Fist."
Jason continued to pummel the dragon into the ground, shaking the very earth. After what seemed like dozens of brutal slams, he finally paused, exhaling deeply.
At this point, the dragon lay in utter disarray. Its body was riddled with dents and gashes, one of its legs twisted and broken. It tried to push itself off the ground several times but collapsed in failure each time, utterly disoriented.
"Still not dead?" Jason raised an eyebrow in surprise before leaping high into the air and landing directly on the dragon's head.
This time, Jason lifted his [Dragon Shield], wielding it like a colossal hammer. With a savage fury, he smashed the shield down repeatedly onto the dragon's skull, each strike as swift and forceful as a storm.
"Can... can a shield even be used like that?" Ren muttered, his mouth twitching in disbelief.
Under Jason's relentless assault, the dragon's head was reduced to nothing more than a pile of mangled flesh, utterly obliterated. At last, the dragon lay still—this time, beyond any hope of revival.
"It's finally over," Jason said, shaking off bits of dragon from his shield. He turned and approached Ren, a casual smile crossing his face. "Ren… don't forget what you said earlier. A man should always keep his word. The next time you see me, you better bow down and kowtow."
Ren, remembering the earlier bet and feeling the weight of the adventurer's eyes on him, instinctively nodded, his expression filled with resignation.
"Very good." Jason gave Ren a pat on the shoulder, satisfied. He then shifted his attention to the adventurers standing nearby. "You've all been poisoned by the corpse gas, and it doesn't look good. At this rate, I doubt any of you will survive long enough to receive treatment from a doctor."
The adventurers, hearing this, paled. They knew their own conditions, and Jason's grim prediction wasn't far from the truth.
"But don't worry," Jason added, his tone lightening. "I happen to have some holy water with me that should alleviate the corpse poison, as well as some antidotes. But I worked pretty hard to get my hands on these, so..."
Jason's words ignited a spark of hope in the adventurers.
"Lord Shield Hero, just name your price!" one of them called out eagerly.
"Yeah! Don't worry, we've brought plenty of silver coins with us!" another adventurer chimed in.
Many among them were quick to catch on to Jason's meaning.
"Ah, adventurers, you're a clever bunch," Jason grinned. "You're on the right track. Unfortunately, I only have a limited supply, so the price will be a bit steep. A bottle of holy water will cost 1 gold coin, and the antidote will be 2 gold coins per bottle. No haggling. If you're interested, go to Jack to make your purchase."
Having said that, Jason turned and walked toward the corpse of the magic dragon, his business concluded. There were still fragments of the Dragon Emperor left to be retrieved from the dragon's remains.
As they watched him walk away, the adventurers shouted in unison, "Profitable businessman!"
Jason soon extracted a fragment of the Dragon Emperor from the dragon's body, but something was wrong. Despite his efforts, the shield wouldn't absorb it.