Reborn As a Pirate - Chapter 88

Chapter 88: Poison and Fire!
“Crash!”

The atmosphere quivered as the dragon’s tail, armored with vicious thorns, arced through the air in a lethal half-moon sweep, casting a sinuous shadow of dark green. This assault was executed with a terrifying velocity and precision.

Ryan darted ahead in a desperate bid for safety, narrowly evading the vicious arc. The wind, sharpened by the dragon’s tail, whistled perilously close above him, carrying a foul, indescribable stench.

“Hiss…”

Trailing behind the tail’s thorny sweep was a sinister mist of purple-black, undeniable evidence of deadly venom. The realization dawned on Ryan, his face etching into a grimace of concern.

This was no ordinary adversary. As a female fire dragon of the formidable ‘dragon’ lineage, it boasted dual attributes of fire and venom, significantly escalating the peril. Ryan’s only means to mitigate the venom’s effect were the [Special Matsutake] and [Abundant Pearls], the former could lessen the symptoms of poisoning, while the latter offered healing properties. Yet, neither could entirely purge the poison, they could just merely suppress its effects.

Thus, even with timely consumption, Ryan’s prowess in battle would suffer under the poison’s lingering influence.

After sidestepping the lethal tail strike, Ryan charged at the heart of danger, approaching the front of the female fire dragon. Utilizing the blind spot created by its own tail attack, Ryan hefted his massive sword, drawing upon every ounce of his spiritual and physical strength. As the dragon refocused forward, Ryan had already completed the “first phase of his charge.” Time was of the essence, he unleashed his strike without reaching the full potential of his “one and a half stage charge.”

“Crash——!”

Caught off-guard, the sword crashed down upon the dragon’s head.

[Storm Sword Skill—Broken Waves] (first stage of charging) + [One-handed Weapon Specialization] + [Sword Drawing Skill·Strength lv.1] + [Attack lv.1] a formidable concatenation of four skill levels. Could the dragon withstand such a blow?

The female fire dragon, momentarily stunned.

The impact left the dragon dazed, causing it to reel back with a pained wail. Despite its resilience, bolstered by thick skin and tough scales, it was momentarily disoriented by the forceful blow. Regaining composure, the dragon, recognizing the threat posed by what it considered a ‘formidable ant’, retaliated with a fierce roar from its gaping maw.

At such proximity, escape was futile. Overwhelmed by the roar, Ryan’s world momentarily plunged into darkness, his consciousness teetering. Foreseeing the peril as the dragon’s jaws opened, he instinctively bit down on his tongue, grounding himself against the looming disorientation.

The sharp bite of pain snapped Ryan back to alertness. As his vision cleared, his gaze locked onto the menacing swipe of the dragon’s claws slicing through the air toward him.

“Damn it!” he cursed under his breath.

It was far too late to bring his sword up in defense.

In that desperate moment, Ryan did the only thing left to him, he roared back.

“Kill!”

His voice, infused with raw spiritual energy, burst forth in a sonic wave that enveloped the female fire dragon. The effect was instantaneous.

—[High-spirited War Roar]

The spiritual sound waves seemed to resonate with particular intensity against the beast. The dragon’s muscles tensed, its deadly claws halting mid-strike as if frozen by an unseen force.

“You think you’re the only one who can bellow?” Ryan taunted, his voice fierce with challenge. “I can roar too!”

If he hadn’t been alert and acted swiftly, the dragon’s claws would have inflicted severe damage. In battles with such colossal creatures, there was no room for even a moment’s lapse in concentration.

Monsters, with their thick hides and robust stamina, could afford mistakes, they could sustain numerous hits. But for Ryan, each strike he failed to dodge could mean an abrupt end to his quest. Facing a creature of high star level demanded utmost vigilance; hunting them was akin to dancing on a razor’s edge.

To the onlooker, it might seem a spectacle of heroism and grace, yet only the warrior in the fray knew the grave risks involved.

Seizing the brief window while the dragon was still reeling from the shock, Ryan hefted his greatsword and surged forward. Within 1.6 seconds, he executed the “first stage of charging,” hastened by 10% due to his [Concentration Level 2].

The dragon, just beginning to shake off the initial disorientation, was still unsteady and dazed as Ryan readied another charge.

“Charge, charge, charge again…”

In three seconds flat, Ryan reached the pinnacle of the “first stage and a half of charging.” As the dragon’s eyes began to clear, he let out a fierce shout and swung his greatsword down mercilessly.

The blade, ensheathed in a vibrant white aura that trembled with concentrated spirituality, struck true.

“Dong——”

The impact resonated like a bronze bell, the reverberation numbing Ryan’s hands with the force of the blow. If the shock was harsh for him, it was devastating for the dragon.

With two powerful strikes to its head, more potent than the last, the dragon was overwhelmed. It tipped into a “fainting state,” lost its balance, and crashed heavily to the ground, raising clouds of dust around its colossal form.

The [Sword Drawing Skill·Strength lv.1] was proving its worth as Ryan watched the massive beast stumble into a “fainting” state, its massive form hitting the ground hard. A glint of triumph lit up his eyes.

Despite the searing pain tearing through his muscles from the extreme power exerted during the charge, Ryan didn’t pause. He swiftly retrieved a handful of “Pearl Powder of Fertility” and popped it into his mouth. Thanks to the [Recovery Speed up lv.1] enhancement from his [Umbrella Fire Scale Armor Set], he could feel his vitality and wounds healing at an accelerated rate.

“What a useful skill!” Ryan exclaimed inwardly, his spirits lifting. Initially, he hadn’t placed much importance on this skill, recalling a past battle where his Wandering Clone had succumbed quickly to a monster due to lack of recovery time. Now, he appreciated its value not just in healing but in significantly speeding up his recovery from the draining effects of his power-charged sword skills.

Ryan approached the fallen female fire dragon swiftly, his sword once again humming with a soft white spiritual light. He had pushed his abilities to the limit earlier, and although another “one and a half” stage charge was beyond him now, a normal “first stage of charging” was still within his grasp.

And that would be sufficient.

Under the ambient “water vapor environment,” Ryan noticed the frost forming on the wounds inflicted on the dragon’s head. The cold spread quickly, sheathing the dragon’s head in ice. For a creature of fire, the frost was not merely an inconvenience, it was a debilitating affliction, rendering the affected area brittle and fragile.

After completing the “first stage of charging,” Ryan paused, conserving what little spirituality remained. His reserves were nearly depleted? a total of 2 spirituality points had been used up: one for the [High-spirited War Roar], and another 1.5 for the combined charges, as the “first stage and a half charging” demanded double the usual expenditure.

His total spirituality was only 2.5 points.

This stark scarcity was poignant. No matter how physically capable Ryan was, without sufficient spirituality, his effectiveness in combat was drastically reduced. Without the enhancement of [Sword Skills], a basic attack would barely scratch such a formidable foe.

To minimize the risk of failure, Ryan made a decisive move. The [Black Eclipse Ring] on his right hand, clasping the greatsword, shimmered faintly. A dense black mist emanated from it, shrouding a five-meter radius. Although the dragon’s massive body mostly lay outside this dark veil, Ryan’s immediate target, the dragon’s head, was enveloped completely.

The strain of summoning the black mist drained Ryan, sapping a significant portion of his life force and turning his complexion ghostly pale. This was a gambit he was willing to take, betting everything on one final, decisive blow.

Although the female fire dragon’s attacks had not landed, the grave toll of using the [Black Eclipse Ring] plunged Ryan into a perilous state of severe injury. Thankfully, the continuous efficacy of the “Pearl Powder” within him lent a vital surge of energy, bolstering him just enough to wield his greatsword once more.

“Die!” Ryan bellowed, his voice a raw growl of determination and pain. His arms, neck, and forehead were marked with bulging blue veins, a result of the the intense strain on his body. With a fierce grimace and teeth gritted against the pain, he gathered all his remaining strength for one final, decisive swing.