ALL NOVEL Chapter 37: In The Valley Of Dragons
The Valley of the Dragons was a place of mystery and intrigue, surrounded by mist and seemingly inaccessible. To an outsider, it might look like one of those "locked zones" in a fantasy world, the kind you’d receive a message saying, "This area is not yet available for exploration. Please come back later." However, once inside, the fog revealed itself as a mere curtain, a barrier that blocked the prying eyes of the world. What lay within was a valley of strange and wondrous landscapes.
A young girl made her way through the rocky mountain path, moving as gracefully as if she were on even ground. From high above, vines cascaded down, touching the ground below. Trees growing from the cliffside stretched like bridges to connect one mountain wall to another. Amidst the lush green of the valley were splashes of color from different flowers and plants. Pools of water at high altitudes poured out through gaps, forming numerous waterfalls. Occasionally, the sun cast a rainbow over the scene. It was a verdant paradise punctuated with bursts of color, a picturesque landscape that captivated the eyes.
Yet, there was something eerie about this place.
For such a thriving valley, one would expect it to be teeming with life. But as the girl walked along the path, she encountered no magical creatures, not even ordinary animals or insects. The silence was unsettling. The only sound came from the rustle of plants swaying in the occasional breeze.
“Puu…”
Suddenly, a small creature poked its head out from the girl's satchel.
“What’s the matter?” she asked.
“Puu… puu!” the creature gestured frantically with its tiny tentacles, trying to convey something. To anyone else, the creature's actions would have seemed incomprehensible, but the girl understood it perfectly.
“You want me to scout the area?” she responded.
In this world, there existed spells that could be used to survey one's surroundings, some of which could detect the presence of living beings. For someone of her caliber, performing a comprehensive search spell was a trivial task.
As soon as she activated the spell, she sensed a dragon sleeping in a distant cave.
“Rooaaar…”
However, the girl had overlooked the nature of her scouting spell. Most of these spells worked by extending one's magical energy outward, and unless special detection spells were used or the caster precisely controlled their magic, even a sleeping dragon could easily sense the intrusion of magical energy.
“Roooar!!”
With a thunderous roar, the dragon’s cry shook loose small stones from the mouth of the cave. They fell to the ground and bounced about as if dancing. In the next moment, a gigantic dragon burst from the cave, the gust from its wings sending the stones back into the air.
“Who dares disturb my slumber?” the green dragon bellowed, its massive wings beating as it hovered in the air above the valley. “Show yourself now, and I may grant you a swift end. But if you remain hidden…”
“And if I don’t show myself?” a voice interrupted.
“Wha—?”
The green dragon quickly flew forward, putting distance between itself and the source of the voice. Turning back, it found the girl standing where it had just been.
“What are you, exactly?” the dragon asked, bewildered.
Initially, the green dragon had thought that a powerful intruder had managed to sneak up on it, but looking closely, it saw that it was merely a small being. To the dragon, which measured nearly a hundred meters in length, the girl was insignificant.
“You have one minute to leave this place. This is the last mercy I will offer you,” the dragon sneered, releasing a gust of air from its nostrils.
However, the girl remained unmoved.
‘Are all dragons this arrogant?’ she thought to herself. It wasn’t so much arrogance as it was naivety. Even after realizing that she had approached undetected, the green dragon showed no signs of caution and instead issued a warning.
‘Fine,’ she sighed inwardly.
“Why are you still here? Don’t you know—”
Before the dragon could finish, the girl leaped forward and delivered a swift kick to its abdomen. The force of the blow was so great that the dragon’s body dented inwards, and it recoiled as if it had just bitten into a lemon.
Boom! Crash!
The dragon was sent flying, crashing into the mountainside with a resounding impact. Debris and loose stones fell from the mountain as the dragon struggled to regain its composure.
“Puuah! … So you’re looking for a fight, are you?” the dragon growled, exhaling sharply before launching itself back into the air. It charged at the girl with renewed vigor.
“I’ll crush you into pieces!” the dragon roared, opening its massive jaws. Each tooth was as large as the girl herself.
‘What… is that the sky?’ the dragon wondered, perplexed by the sight of the sky above. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through its jaw. Unable to turn its head, the dragon glanced down to see the girl standing with her leg raised in a high kick, her legs forming a straight line like the letter ‘I.’
‘Did she kick my jaw while I was charging at her?’
Realizing the truth of the situation, the dragon’s fury intensified. It gathered its immense magical energy, concentrating it within its mouth. As a green dragon, it excelled in wood and poison magic, and its breath attack was laced with deadly poison. Just coming into contact with it could be lethal, and weaker beings would be instantly corroded.
“Die!!”
The dragon unleashed a torrent of dark green breath, scorching and corroding everything in its path.
‘!?’
To the dragon’s astonishment, the girl did not dodge or attempt to block the attack. Instead, she extended her left hand. It was only then that the dragon noticed she lacked a right arm.
As the girl’s hand met the poisonous breath, the most unbelievable thing happened. The dragon’s breath split in two, as if cleaved by an invisible blade. The girl’s hand remained unscathed, unharmed by the deadly poison.
“Who… what are you?” the dragon stammered, only to be interrupted by a sudden force that sent it crashing to the ground, creating a large crater.
‘What just happened? How is this possible?’ the dragon thought, dazed.
The girl slowly descended from the sky, walking towards the fallen dragon.
“Wait… wait! Please, I’m sorry! Don’t hurt me!” the dragon pleaded, abandoning its pride.
“I’m still young, just a foolish young dragon. Please, spare me!” It even played the sympathy card, its eyes welling up with tears.
“I never intended to kill you,” the girl said softly.
“Really? Thank you! You’re so kind!” the dragon exclaimed, its voice filled with relief. “Oh, right!”
The dragon’s body began to glow as it shrank in size.
“Is this better?” it asked, looking up at the girl with wide, hopeful eyes.
Even the girl, whose emotions had almost faded, was surprised by the sight of the now small and innocent-looking dragon.
