10 minutes ago…

To begin ‘Operation Death from Above’, the Titan Hunters guild and Shooting Stars gathered their last remaining priests and priestess, warlocks and witches, and Epic-tier Mounts.

The group of ten people whispered to each other as soon as they arrived at the appointed location, the rooftop of a five-story building one mile away from the stationary dragon.

“That thing has high magic resistance, right?” one warlock whispered to the others. “We’re practically useless in this battle.”

“All right, people, thanks for coming!” Tamara Morin pronounced as soon as the last witch descended from her Flying Mount. “Shooting Stars and Titan Hungers, listen to Benjamin, please! We’ll all work together to exterminate that monster!”

Benjamin Woods, leader of Titan Hunters, looked like a giant beside the petite Tamara. He filled his lungs first before yelling: “Guilders! That dragon has already done enough damage to the city and the rest of our brothers in arms are in the red, so the following instructions will be brief! I need you to split into two groups! On my right, Dark Mages will form Group A, and on my left, priests will compose Group B. Do it now!”

Benjamin exhaled as he observed the group reluctantly do as they were told. The uncertainty in their eyes was hurtful to watch.

“It’ll work,” Tamara said in a low voice, after glancing at his tired eyes. “Trust me.”

“Oh, I’m certain of it, Ms. Morin,” Benjamin replied, massaging the bridge of his nose. “I just hope I can do my part.”

“You looked determined just a few minutes ago.” Tamara half-smiled, patting his arm. “Keep that feeling a little longer and everything will be fine.”

“Yeah…” Benjamin whispered looking in the distance, not in the dragon’s direction, but at a battle taking place 1.5 miles away, where buildings could be seen collapsing, followed by thick clouds of smog and fiery explosions.

That must be Astrid Bradford, he thought, wishing he had the ‘Eagle Eye’ Passive Skill like the Marksman Class have, so he could observe that fight.

But I don’t need it to see that her enemy must be as formidable as the dragon.

A bitter chuckle escaped his lips. Why am I doubting myself? Taking down gigantic monsters is what I do best.

He remembered himself checking the ranking charts that morning after someone had pointed it out. Seeing Shooting’s Stars way bottom on the list was surreal.

While some of his partners celebrated that they were now the best guild in the city, Benjamin took a deep breath and locked himself in his office.

Can’t you see that this will only mean more work for us? More pressure?

He could handle it since his old Earth’s job was way more stressful, but he also did not mind being second place.

Shooting Stars’ spotlight was so bright that it practically obscured everything else on the stage called Londorus. The only guilds that could compete with them like Death Bringers, preferred moving to another city, and those who stayed, lived under Astrid Bradford’s enormous shadow.

Benjamin checked the other ranked list, the one that the average population was so obsessed with: ‘The ‘Individual Power’ ranking chart, where Astrid’s name remained on the 7th spot like an unmovable iceberg.

Benjamin scrolled down the list until finding his own name in 67th place.

“As long as my guild is the best at something… At taking down Giant Bosses… everything will be fine.”

He sighed, returning to the present. The newly formed groups stood in front of him, ready to fly.

And now, here we are. Getting help from our rivals…

“Guilders, the next order will be simple! Group A will throw curses and debuffs at the dragon’s white head, and Group B will try to cleanse and purify the black head. A warning: Don’t get too close to it, for the dragon releases a suicide-inducing gas that’ll take you down easily! Just concentrate on doing this last job, and Tamara and I will take care of the rest!”

Benjamin spoke so fast, that he wondered if the instructions had been clear. But after observing the relief in their faces, he smiled.

“That’s all?” one of them said aloud, chuckling.

“Count with us, boss!”

That the simplicity of this plan doesn’t take away its obvious effectiveness! Well done, Tamara.

“But what if the dragon fires at us?” one of them asked aloud with childish innocence.

“Dodge.” Benjamin smirked. “Now go and open a path for us so I can bring you the dragon’s heart!”

The Flying Mounts took off immediately while Benjamin laughed out loud, watching his brothers and sisters in arms go to certain death.

“It’s good to see you in good spirits,” Tamara said, clapping.

“But of course! In a matter of minutes, I’ll carve my name in history as Londorus’ Savior! Ha-ha!”

“True, true.” Tamara cleared her throat. “So… Shouldn’t we part too? Like, right now?”

Benjamin snorted loudly before replying. “I don’t have an Epic-tier Mount. You?”

She blinked repeatedly, mouth ajar. “B-But you’re a Guild Master!”

“That’s right,” Benjamin said, folding his arms. “But I usually stay in the back lines, coordinating the raids. So whenever we get one, I give it to my best guilders to make sure they’re always motivated.”

“T-That’s… admirable,” Tamara whispered, lowering her eyes. “S-Sorry if I offend you.”

He only chuckled. “No offense taken, Ms. Morin!”

Tamara quickly nodded, beaming. “Let me call my Mount then!” She stretched out her arm, bringing forth a feline-winged beast out of a summoning circle. “Would you like to take the reins, sir?”

“Nah. I’m afraid of heights. We would never take off.”

Tamara’s grin faded in an instant. “...Eh?”

***

**

*

I don’t feel intimidated by him anymore… nor impressed, Tamara thought as she ordered her purple flying puma to ascend with Benjamin tightly holding her from the waist. And here I was, thinking that he was kinda hot while we were planning out the attack…

“We need to go above the clouds!” Benjamin said through Party Chat. “Oh, I can’t believe I said that…”

“You’re doing it great, sir. Just… don’t open your eyes and everything will be fine!”

Tamara glanced at their target below. The Dragon had shifted its focus towards the ones flying over its two heads. The laser beams constantly coming out of its maw stretched out towards the sky, illuminating it.

The Epic Mounts are fast enough to dodge those attacks, but it will also depend on the rider. We have to do this fast.

The sound of lightning made Benjamin jolt in his seat. The black, electrified clouds above looked like a thick ceiling, and Tamara wondered if they could pass through without issue. Well, at least this guy won’t notice my frizzy hair.

Seconds later, the Puma emerged on the other side, finding a blue, endless sky. The Novus sun was still present, unable to bring life to the city below. I’d forgotten that it was still daytime.

“We’ve reached the top of the sky, sir,” Tamara informed, while Benjamin buried his face on her back.

“Good. Let’s hold our position for a little longer, Ms. Morin. We don’t want that dragon to spot us.”

“Understood,” she said, changing communication channels. The rest of the guilders’ voices suddenly screamed inside her head.

“Don’t tell me you’ve already run out of mana!”

“I-I can’t see this working… It’s Magic Resistance is too damn high!”

“No, no, no! We’re supposed to target the black one, you stupid--!”

“I think I’m going to puke…”

“BENNY, LOOK OUT!”

“My god, the dragon killed Benny!”

“That bastard!”

“Why do I feel the sudden urge of stripping out? And… cursing myself? My whole body itches!”

“Veronika, did you breathe the gas? Hold on, let me cleanse you!”

“Hahaha! The Eclipse Festival is upon us! G-Grua--”

“Did you see that?! Veronika… With her staff…”

“This is not working, people! W-Why did I accept this crazy, suicide mission?! I’m holding close to 800,000 G, right now! I’m sorry guys, but I’ll--!”

“Don’t you dare quit, Jona!”

“Stop listening to that guy! The white head is acting strange! It’s really working!”

“I’m seeing it too! What are you doing, Group A?! Stop bitching about and do your damn job!”

“Guys--I mean, Group A! Stop casting debuffs, it’s useless! Stick to curses!”

“They took down one of the Shooting Stars. I don’t know their name.”

“Don’t stop! We’re finally affecting it. Keep going!”

“The black head looks dizzy. It worked!”

“Sir!” Tamara cried at the man holding her fervently.

“Descend. We have a dragon to kill…”

Tamara wasted no time and ordered her puma to dive, crossing the clouds at great speed.

Soon after, Tamara could see the dragon below. A reticle inside her sight of vision helped her correct the trajectory. “We’ll reach the target in fifteen seconds!”

“Roger that,” Benjamin said, stretching out his right hand to his side, opening a summoning circle. “Bringing Forth, Groothylde, The Sapping Sword.”

Tamara glanced at the claymore-style sword coming out of whatever pocket-dimension it was being saved.

Could this be one of the Titan Hunters guild's most valuable treasures?

“NOW!” Benjamin cried, startling Tamara.

The Puma stretched out its wings, breaking their fall, and Benjamin jumped out of it immediately, making Tamara gasp. “Sir?!”

Will he be okay? That’s a 700 feet free fall!

“DEATH FROM ABOOOOVE!” Benjamin shouted from the top of his lungs to make sure that everyone could hear him. Using gravity and mana to empower his weapon, he pierced the dragon’s thick scales and flesh successfully. The resulting shockwave threw one unfortunate rider off his mount.

Okay… I’ll admit it, that was pretty badass, Tamara thought, smiling, before noticing the gas emanating from the dragon’s body. Focus, Tam! She slapped her cheeks and ordered her mount to land over the dragon’s back.

“I’m coming, Benjamin!” she cried, deactivating her puma with one swing of her hand, and dashed towards Benjamin while channeling mana. “Major Light Crafting, Overshield!”

A golden, translucid, dome-shaped shield covered them just before the dragon’s evil gas reached them.

“Nice timing, Ms. Morin.”

“How is it going, sir?” Tamara asked as she saw the purple gas surrounding the shield. In a matter of seconds, the interior of the shield was pitch black. “Minor Fire Crafting, Flarelight,” she cast quietly, creating a small, floating orb of light. The first thing she saw was Benjamin’s wide shoulders.

“Not good,” he mumbled. “This’ll take more time than I expected. I haven’t been able to pierce the muscle layers yet. Here, I’ll show you…”

After tapping his User Interface, a video screen popped up in front of them, showing what seemed to be tree roots gradually expanding through something pink, as if they were looking for something.

“Is that…?”

“It’s my Groothylde in action.”

Tamara peeked at the sword over Benjamin’s shoulder. The blade was made of wood, with vines slowly wrapping the wielder’s arms.

“I can hear two heartbeats,” Benjamin muttered. “Makes sense.”

“Will it be a problem?”

“Not at all. Watch.” Benjamin pointed at the video feed, which showed the sentient roots split and part into two different paths. A second after, the video window split too, following each root independently. “You know, Ms. Morin, this sword is pretty much useless 99% of the time. It requires its wielder to be still and defenseless… But I stubbornly kept it for two years, knowing its time to shine would come someday. I’ll probably store it at the bottom of my inventory again after we’re done.”

Is his voice getting weaker? Tamara asked herself as she heard him attentively, before noticing his HP bar getting constantly depleted.

“Sir! Your--! Is that thing draining your life?”

“Oh, right, I forgot to mention it. It’s the price for using it...”

“How could you omit such an important--! D-Dammit! L-Let me heal you! Minor Light Crafting, Quick Fix!” Tamara’s hands emitted a warm, golden light, while she monitored Benjamin’s HP bar. Seeing the results made her groan. “It’s no use! You should’ve teamed up with a Healer, you irresponsible--!”

“NO! I needed you, and no one else! You’re famous for your Mana Shields, am I correct?”

F-F-Famous?

Tamara’s bewildered expression quickly vanished right after something heavy smashed their shield, dispersing the dangerous gas for a moment. She looked up, observing the dragon’s tail rising just before falling over them again.

“I don’t need to ask you if this shield will hold up, but it’ll be nice if you could ensure it…” Benjamin said, short of breath.

“It’ll hold up! Definitively! It could even withstand whatever Astrid Bradford threw at it after a bad day!”

“That was weirdly specific!” Benjamin laughed out loud. “But it sounds quite reassuring!”

A third tail whip cracked the mana shield, which Tamara strengthened with mana right away. “Y-Yes! Just focus on doing your job, please!”

“I hear you, Ms. Morin, and I have good news… I’ve reached its hearts…”

Tamara peered at the video feed while keeping her stretched out hands towards the shield. She watched the exact moment the remote-controlled roots slowly wrapped up both red organs.

And with that, came a chilling cry.

“KRYAAAAAAAAAEEEEGH!”

Every guilder in the vicinity covered their ears, including Tamara.

“Isn’t it beautiful?!” Benjamin shouted. “That’s the melodic sound of a titan that knows that it’s fu--!”

The dragon fired up fire breaths indiscriminately to get rid of whatever was killing it. The white head twisted for a second, and the laser beam hit the shield for three long seconds.

M-My goodness, it resisted! My stats are totally nerfed and yet my magic blocked that! Am I awesome, or what?!

Meanwhile, the guilders currently flying commented on the dragon’s agonizing cry.

“Jeezus! It feels as if my head is going to explode!”

“Romina actually fainted!”

“Retreat! Our job here is done!”

“Ben! You have to kill it now!”

“I’m—trying…” Benjamin said with clenched teeth.

Tamara glanced at his face soaked in sweat, before noticing that half of his body was now wrapped by vines.

“Benjamin, your HP is at 10%!”

“Y-Yes… Let’s drop the formalities… Call me Ben, and I’ll call you Tamara. Deal?”

“Quick Fix! Quick Fix!” she cried, as her hands constantly flashed.

“It’s useless… Groothylde prevents my body from healing… And… as I see it… My HP will run out before finishing off--”

“We’re a team, right?!” Tamara interrupted him while rushing to grab the claymore’s hilt.

Dizziness and numbness hit her in an instant.

I even bet that my real body is getting thinner and losing blood…

“Ms. Morin!” Benjamin cried after watching her fall to her knees.

“Tam… Call me Tam…”

“Are you sure about this, Tam?!”

“Yes… Let’s do it together…” she replied faintly.

“F-Fine! Can I leave the right heart to you?”

“Sure… What should I do?”

“Just close your eyes and concentrate on ordering Groothylde to squish it! I may be failing on killing the dragon because I’m trying to do two things at the same time, so let’s focus on squishing the hearts separately!”

“G-Got it!”

Concentrate… Concentrate…

“Ben! What’s taking you so long?!”

“The dragon it’s moving! It’s going berserk!”

Focus Tamara… Focus…

“There goes my favorite tea shop…”

Groothylde’s vines came after Tamara’s, wrapping her slim arms painfully tight.

“Look at its HP! It’s going down!”

“Keep going like that, Benjamin, Tamara!”

“Hmm… It’s going towards the Big Beth. so…. Let’s bet! What will happen first? Will the dragon die, or will it destroy the clock to--?”

“NOT ON MY WATCH!” Tamara shouted, tightening her grip against the sword’s hilt as if she was squishing the dragon’s heart directly.

The video feed showed the right heart getting smashed into a pulp by the wrapping roots, which let Tamara concentrate on the left one, doing the same soon after. The dragon let out a final whine and plummeted just at the feet of Londorus’ clock tower.

The toxic dragon gas dispersed at the same time as the mana shield, and whatever curse that was attracting the thunderous clouds.

Tamara gasped once Groothylde’s vines let go, Her face looked flushed and sweaty. “W-We did it…”

“Good job, Shooting Star’s Sub-Commander.”

“We couldn’t have done it without your special weapon, Titan Hunter’s Guild Master.”

“It did, eh? This piece of junk ended up saving Londorus’ most precious monument.”

“Y-Yes… Thank god!”

“Would you… like to have a drink later tonight?” Benjamin blurted out, making her blush. Noticing what he had said, he averted his gaze away, clearing his throat. “The Titan Hunters have been saving a very special brew that… we could enjoy while celebrating, so… Ahem… Tell Astrid Bradford that your whole guild is invited.”

“Homemade beer?” Tamara asked shyly before putting one hand over his shoulder. “WE’D LOVE TO…” she said in a sudden raspy voice.

“A-All right…” he said, nervously half-smiling. “Let me add you to my friend list then.”

“Sure!” Tamara squealed while opening her Social Tab too.

A message with an exclamation mark icon quickly demanded her attention. What’s this?

From Oscar: They want Alan.

Huh? Alan? And who’s ‘they’? Dammit, Oscar, why are you being so cryp--?

The memory of what Astrid had ordered her the day before hit Tamara’s head like a hammer.

“I’ll let you be in charge of protecting him… I don’t want a repeat of what happened last night... or EVER.”

With wide eyes, she felt a piercing shiver running down from the top of her head to the tip of her fingers and toes. “I… I… forgot all about him…”

And what does this catastrophe have to do with him?!

“Do you hear that?” Benjamin asked, looking at his surroundings with narrowed eyes.

“Now what?!” she cried until hearing it too.

A faint thump, gradually getting louder.

A slight rumble, coming from something below their feet. No… It can’t be…

The skin of the dragon’s back tore open to its sides, like the multiple eyelids of a reptile, revealing a giant oval eye under it.

“We have to get out of here!” Tamara cried inside her head, before realizing that she had lost her voice, for her whole body had been paralyzed. She struggled to glance at Benjamin to her side, who seemed to experience the same. No… Please, no…

“What the hell is happening?!” a guilder asked through Party Chat. “Don’t tell me that thing has a Second Phase?!”

“Look! The sky is going crazy!”

“Is it just me, or does this look apocalyptic?”

“Benjamin and Tamara are still down there! We have to rescu--”

A system message popped up inside Tamara’s sight of vision.

NO SIGNAL

That’s not good…

Tamara gathered all of her strength to look up, finding a blood-colored sky, and what seemed to be black and white halo loops, floating above the dragon’s corpse, stacking each other. Then, a third elongated dragon head emerged from the eyeball, throwing Tamara and Benjamin aside.

The new purple head pointed its snout towards the strange phenomena in the sky, and let out a harmonious cry, almost sounding as if it was singing.

Unable to move, Tamara kept staring at the sky, while holding a bitter smile. Dammit… I have to inform Astrid about Oscar’s message… I have to warn Alan… I have to… She sighed. How could something this terrifying emit such a beautiful sound?

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

I’m going to need a full barrel of beer after this…

The dragon’s entire body emitted light for a second, and with a blink, it burst.

A bright dome-shaped explosion covered the city block in a second, and the next one, and the next one.

Comments from the few hundred Users watching the event through the Navinet flooded the chat section.

Bromoment: Duuuude! Did that thing explode?!!!

Monstaconnoisseur: Twin-Dragon uses Explotion.

Bernilda: It’s the Nuke Dragon! It was true!

Risdu: No way that happened in the middle of the city!

Nikolee: That mushroom cloud looks sick…

Rastafaar: Seriously, developers, why did you program such a thing?

Akakaka: Guys, it’s it normal that I’m shaking right now? Seriously, it won’t stop.

Elnene: That’s because that hit too close to home.

Creminola: Dude, that phrasing.

Elnene: Did it happen in your home country too?

Thetruhtishr: Where it DIDN’T happen?