NAOFUMI'S POV~
Four days. Four days since Raphtalia and Rifana became impossibly tall overnight, four days since Filo hatched and rapidly scaled the evolutionary ladder, four days since I'd tactically retreated from a forced bath via aerial shield platform, and around 10 days since I'd left Alna with a note, fifty gold, and hopefully a strong enough grudge against Motoyasu to keep her busy.
Four days. And my life had settled into a new, bizarre rhythm. Mornings were for training the girls and Filo – pushing their slave-crested bodies through grueling drills, watching their levels climb like startled mountain goats. Afternoons were for errands and exploration, getting them used to their new forms, maybe finding better gear. Evenings were for planning and concocting potions.
And late nights? Late nights are for fun!
And since it's night right now, I'm enjoying the time of my life.
Swoosh!
A blur of scaled hide and razor claws ripped through the humid jungle air just where my head had been a split second before. The wind pressure alone ruffled my hair.
WOOSH!
Heat. Intense, searing heat washed over me as a torrent of dragonfire painted the trees behind me in instant char. I sidestepped, the ground vibrating slightly under my boots.
My heart hammered against my ribs, a steady, powerful drumbeat. My muscles were coiled tight, ready to spring. Every nerve ending felt alive, singing with a sharp, exhilarating awareness.
Range: 3.5 meters. Attack angle: 40 degrees left. Attack type: Swipe. Dodge vector: 1 meter ahead.
Swoosh!
Clean. Perfect. Barely felt the rush of air.
Range: 5 meters. Attack type: Fire Breath. Charge time: Minimal. Dodge vector: Immediate lateral.
WOOSH!
Another near miss, another patch of jungle converted to ash.
It had been a while. Even at the Duke's mansion, the fights had been relatively contained, the enemies numerous but ultimately predictable in their patterns. The noble, once I got past his level advantage, was just a target for Alna's horrifying efficiency. But this? This was dodging a force of nature. A massive, angry, very real dragon.
A smile, small and tight, tugged at the corner of my lips. This. Doing this felt more real, more vital, than any cosmic conversation or staged duel. This was pure survival. Pure reaction. Pure, unadulterated alive.
The attacks paused. The heavy, rasping breath of the dragon echoed through the jungle.
"I'm tired of this, hooman," a deep, rumbling voice growled from the shadows of the trees.
I lowered my guard slightly, catching my breath. "Problem? Draco?" I called back, letting a hint of dry amusement color my tone.
A low, guttural roar shook the leaves. "STOP CALLING ME THAT!"
I dusted off my shield idly. "Hey, it suits you. Much better than 'Overgrown Scaly Lizard Who Can't Hit Anything'."
Another roar. More frustrated than angry this time. He'd been getting progressively more annoyed over the past few nights. It was working.
This little routine had started three days ago. After sorting out the Seyaette situation, getting the girls dressed and marked, and enduring the bath-time incident (culminating in my magnificent aerial escape), I'd found myself needing a new training method. Something challenging. Something that wasn't just hitting balloons or sparring with quickly improving companions.
And then the System, that intrusive, divinely mandated game interface, had provided.
Divine Task: Evade 1000 Attacks from a Creature of Significant Power (Dragon-Type)
Reward: ???
Current Progress: 673/1000
A thousand dragon attacks. Why? What did it matter? The God's arbitrary whims were beyond mortal (or previously mortal, or divinely connected) comprehension. Maybe it was meant to test my reflexes. Maybe it was just for entertainment. Whatever the reason, a task was a task, and this one required a very specific kind of opponent.
So, after a bit of research (using my extensive past-life knowledge and the surprisingly useful information network you could access if you knew where to look), I'd tracked down the location of a specific dragon. The one Ren supposedly defeated in my previous life, preening about his heroic accomplishment. More importantly, this was the same damn dragon whose essence, whose rage, whose very existence, I'd absorbed into my shield that time, unlocking... the Cursed Series.
Ren probably got lucky, or had a lot of high-level backup. This thing was no joke.
My daily schedule: Train girls and Filo. Handle life. Wait till night. Teleport to this jungle. Find the dragon. Annoy it into attacking. Dodge. Dodge. Dodge. Count attacks. Once I'd added a decent chunk to the 1000 count, teleport back before it actually managed to hit me or get too frustrated. Repeat tomorrow.
And here we were. Night four. Attack 674 was imminent, assuming my provocations landed right.
"I'm a proud dragon," the voice rumbled again, closer this time. "No insignificant being disrespects me like this and gets away with it!"
He was circling, a massive shadow moving through the trees. I could feel the ground tremble with his steps.
"Okay, Draco," I said, feigning a stretch. "So what are you gonna do about it? Kill me? Come on, give it your best shot. Honestly, my muscles are starting to ache. You keep this up, you might actually land a blow. Third time's the charm, right?"
A snort. "FOURTH TIME, HOOMAN! YOU'VE SAID THAT EVERY NIGHT!"
He was learning my lines. Problematic. Needed to switch up the script.
"Oh, was it the fourth?" I scratched my chin, feigning surprise. "Time flies when you're having fun dodging for your life. Look, just keep trying. You'll get me eventually. Maybe next week? Your aim is almost decent."
That did it. A frustrated bellow tore through the jungle, louder than any previous roar. The ground shook violently.
"YOU...!"
He charged. Not with fire this time, but with sheer, physical force. A massive, scaled form bursting from the trees, claws extended, jaws open in a roar of pure, unadulterated draconic fury.
Range: 2 meters. Attack type: Head-on Charge. Anticipated vector: Direct line.
My smile widened. Good. Stay angry, Draco. Just 326 more to go.
I braced my shield. Not to block – the task was to evade. But having it there felt right. A familiar weight. A promise I kept.
Range: 1 meter. Impact imminent.
Dodge vector: Narrow lateral, use shield's passive resistance to shave momentum.
Swoosh!
The dragon's charge roared past me, a wave of hot, musky air. He crashed into the trees behind me with a sound like a small landslide.
Progress: 674/1000.
Yeah. This was my life now. Dodging gods' errands and annoying dragons for XP. It was insane. It was dangerous. It was exhausting.
But damn it, I felt truly, completely alive. Now, if I could just figure out how to get that stupid Cursed Series while I was at it... Maybe poking the dragon with a rusty sword while dodging? Might be worth a try tomorrow. Assuming Draco didn't wise up and start using area-of-effect attacks. That would make things considerably less 'fun'.