I'm locking myself in a cave and writing fr. 3rd chapter in two days?!
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"[Cursed Technique Reversal]…" I muttered, readying my fingers. The air around me began to twist and surge as the buildup of cursed energy distorted the space itself. The wind from the technique's activation pushed the dragon back, its wings flaring in surprise.
Sparks of crimson energy flared to life around me, and the atmosphere seemed to warp, repelling everything within reach.
"[Red]," I said calmly, and unleashed the blast.
A beam of pure red cursed energy shot forward, cutting through the air at unbelievable speed. The dragon reacted on instinct, raising its massive wings to shield itself, but it was pointless.
The impact hit with a thunderous explosion. Red slammed into the dragon, sending it hurtling backward through the forest. Dozens of trees shattered like toothpicks as its body finally crashed onto its back with a deafening crack.
Smoke and dust rose into the air, and for a moment, the only sound was the faint rustle of burning leaves.
"So you can survive that?" I said, narrowing my eyes with a faint smirk. "But how about two?"
Down below, the merchant stood frozen in place, his mouth hanging open. The shockwave from the blast had nearly knocked him over.
"You good there? I'm about to go round two with the dragon!" I called out to the merchant, glancing over my shoulder.
"Y-yeah… I'm good," he replied weakly, still trying to catch his breath.
I turned my focus back to the dragon. It was a bloody mess on the ground, its once-shimmering ruby scales cracked and scattered, one of its massive teeth lying a few feet away. Impressive. It had actually survived Red at point-blank range.
Even so, if this thing was considered "one of the strongest creatures" in this world, then I was in for a pretty easy time. Hopefully, the demons here were made of tougher stuff or else this world might get boring fast.
My thoughts were cut short by a deep, guttural growl. The dragon was still moving. Despite the agony twisting its body, it lunged forward.
I sidestepped effortlessly, the beast's jaws slicing clean through a cluster of trees beside me. The trunks splintered and fell with a crash.
"Persistent little thing," I muttered.
Instead of retreating, the dragon reared its head back and unleashed another torrent of fire, brighter and hotter than before. The blaze engulfed the clearing, scorching the ground and sending waves of heat through the air.
"Didn't you learn the first time?" I sighed, hovering lazily in place as the flames came to a halt in front of me, harmlessly stopped by Infinity. "All that effort, and still useless."
"Time to finish this."
In an instant, I appeared before the dragon's face. Before it could react, I grabbed one of its black horns and ripped it clean off with unrestrained strength. The creature let out a deafening roar of pain, thrashing wildly as blood sprayed across the dirt.
"You started this first, buddy. Not me," I said coolly.
I followed up with a crushing punch to its jaw. Then, twisting my body, I delivered an upward kick that sent the massive beast hurtling skyward.
Before it could even reach the peak of its flight, I was already there teleporting above it midair. With a grin, I drove my heel straight down, slamming it back into the earth.
The ground exploded beneath the impact, sending a shockwave through the forest. Dust and debris filled the air, leaves swirling like a storm. The dragon groaned, trying desperately to rise, its wings twitching as it prepared to escape.
"Oh no you don't," I said, teleporting directly in front of it once again. My fist glowed with cursed energy, crackling with raw power.
"[Black Flash!]"
The hit landed cleanly, space itself distorting from the impact. The dragon's roar turned into a strangled gasp as it crashed into the ground, carving a crater into the forest floor.
'How lucky… or maybe unlucky for the dragon, at least,' I thought.
It tried to lift itself, but I was already there.
"No can do," I said, cracking my knuckles as cursed energy began to swirl again. "You can't start a fight and then run away!"
I grabbed the dragon's tail, swung it with ease, and slammed it to the side. The impact shook the ground, sending dirt and splinters flying. Before it could even recover, I appeared above its head and drove my fist into the back of its neck.
Its body flew several meters through the air before skidding across the ground and coming to a stop. For a moment, the forest fell silent. The dragon didn't move. It didn't breathe. It didn't even twitch.
"It's dead," I said flatly, brushing some dust off my clothes.
I turned toward the merchant, who still stood frozen in place, his jaw hanging open.
"Well, let's continue!" I said cheerfully, skipping back toward him like nothing had happened.
His eyes followed me the entire time, wide with disbelief. I could practically feel his brain short-circuiting. Not that I blamed him—seeing someone casually kill a dragon probably wasn't part of his five-day travel plan.
And that was how the second day ended: I killed a dragon in the middle of a forest. Pretty eventful, if I do say so myself.
The rest of the journey went by without a hitch. No more monsters, no ambushes, not even a single slime daring to cross our path. The merchant spent most of the remaining days either staring at me or muttering prayers under his breath. Can't say I didn't enjoy the peace and quiet, though.
By the fifth day, we finally reached our destination. I got paid, mission accomplished and watched as the merchant hurried off with a visible spring in his step.
The next town was a small but lively village, the kind of place that served as a pit stop for travelers heading toward something bigger. According to the merchant, this was one of the routes leading to the Strahl Holy City, a famous hub for priests, clerics, and other religious types.
He mentioned he had a close friend there, a priestess, I think and he was eager to see her again. The moment we arrived, his entire mood brightened. He handed me a heavy pouch filled with coins, thanked me about a dozen times, and dashed off toward the chapel district.
I opened the pouch and glanced inside.
"He put in a hundred instead of fifty," I said . "Thanks for the tip, man."
I tossed the bag once, catching it with a satisfying jingle. Not a bad start for my first j*b in this world.
"Now then," I muttered, gazing down the sunlit road leading deeper into the city. "Time to see what else this world's got in store for me."
With that, I slipped my blindfold back on, hands in my pockets, and strolled casually.
"Well let's see what else this world has got!"