Chapter 360: Uber Rex (5)

Eugene gathered information from those who had been present at the dragon’s battle throughout the march.

“Attacking the eyes didn’t work?”

“More precisely, we couldn’t aim for them. The dragon has kept its eyes closed since the battle began, yet it moved as if it could see everything.”

“Hmm.”

No matter how tough a creature was, the eyes were always a weakness. Eugene’s plan had been to restrict its movement by targeting the eyes with massed archer fire, then accumulate damage with ballistas.

Ostir would have used a similar tactic, so Eugene had assumed there must be some countermeasure given his defeat. But the fact that the dragon could fight perfectly even with closed eyes was unexpected.

Eugene recalled the dragon’s perfect camouflage, like a mimic octopus.

‘The dryad village records described the dragon as an existence that condensed the power of nature.’

Summoning thunder with its roar, causing earthquakes with its footsteps—those were the kinds of abilities Eugene had imagined. But according to the testimony of participants, its physical body itself was special.

“Did you notice any additional holes near the dragon’s nostrils? Or fissures, perhaps?”

“Holes?”

The chief looked puzzled, not expecting such a question. Eugene looked around at the other elves, but they all simply widened their eyes.

“There were! I clearly saw them with my own eyes!”

“There were several elongated slits beneath the large nostrils.”

But in a situation where many refugees had gathered, witnesses eventually emerged. At the time, the dragon had prioritized elite targets who were closer rather than regular infantry. The elves’ superior eyesight also played a role.

“Yes—it could see heat, like a snake.”

One of Eugene’s mysteries was solved.

“A snake can see heat?”

“What do you mean? How can you see a sensation?”

“Those things beneath the nostrils were definitely not eyes. They were just holes or slits.”

The medieval people had gained one more mystery.

“So what you’re saying is…”

After considerable effort, Eugene was finally able to explain the concept of thermal imaging.

“I’m not one hundred percent certain. But I can’t think of a better hypothesis.”

“Then what should we do?”

“We need to obstruct its vision. If it relies solely on heat, we need to confuse it.”

Fire-generating magic and summoning arts, flint and flammable materials were prepared. In addition to what they had brought just in case, more could be obtained from villages along the route.

For those living in the Great Forest, monster defense was a routine affair. Along with arrows, fire-based weapons were something the village garrisons stockpiled in great quantities.

How effective they would be was uncertain, but it was better than charging in unprepared.

“It’s sensitive to magical energy, you say…”

Eugene ordered the summoners to prepare for forced de-summoning, sharing what had happened to the elf mages in the previous battle.

“Do not worry, Your Majesty.”

“Those who would fall to such a thing have long since passed to the other world.”

Given their field of expertise, summoners possessed strong resistance to this kind of counter.

“We’re also canceling the plan to curse the ballista bolts.”

“Wouldn’t steel alone be sufficient to bring down the dragon?”

The summoners looked worried.

“I planned for a long battle from the start. You yourselves said you weren’t confident in how effective curses would be against an opponent of the dragon’s caliber.”

“That’s true. Without special catalysts, channeling precise power into iron and wood—projectiles—is extremely difficult.”

“Elf patrols testified that when they fired Black Arrows, the dragon detected even those coming from behind and dodged them.”

Eugene held up a dark arrow imbued with the mystique of wind.

“A weapon that misses is meaningless. If we try to increase power slightly and make it easier to dodge, that would be troublesome.”

He had no intention of being reckless, but the ones who could properly draw the dragon’s attention were Eugene and Might, the duo.

‘Alzhar’s golem challenges from the front, and I circle around with the lance—the dragon won’t be able to look away.’

While that was happening, if a ballista bolt happened to lodge in an armpit or similar weak point, that would be perfect.

*

Additional reports continued to arrive during the march. Locals who had lived there for decades—even over a hundred years—filled the ranks both inside and outside the army.

Elves and centauresses under Eugene’s command, along with scouts dispatched from nearby villages, spread out in all directions, tracking the dragon.

Neigh!

Whinny…

Horses and war dogs in the marching column froze in fear and refused to move.

“What’s wrong?”

“Why are you suddenly like this?”

Even the dog handler’s soothing was useless. The fierce war hounds that charged at wolf packs without hesitation had been reduced to trembling, urinating cowards with tails between their legs.

Ooh…

Even Homi’s tail was stiffly raised. Her long, soft fur had bristled like a chestnut burr—an expression of shock Eugene had never seen before.

“It seems the dragon urinated here.”

“Is it a territorial marker?”

“Not exactly—more like it just happened to relieve itself. This isn’t really an ideal spot for showing off.”

Homi’s answer came not from a hunter’s knowledge but from that of a fellow wild predator—full of frustration and competitive spirit.

Eugene was curious what constituted an “ideal spot for showing off” but didn’t press the lady for details.

“Your Majesty! We’ve found tracks!”

During the pursuit, large dragon footprints appeared.

“It doesn’t even bother hiding its traces.”

Homi tilted her head.

“When you look at how it defeated Ostir, it was extremely cunning. But now it’s acting the exact opposite.”

“It probably doesn’t know we exist. It already crushed an elf army and took out their leader—how could it imagine another army had entered? This isn’t a place where outside forces can come and go in large numbers.”

“Perhaps it now believes this forest is entirely its own.”

“Probably.”

The dragon had left many victims in its wake.

“Guardian of the forest!”

“How could it be so cruel…”

Several elves wept before an ent that had been torn to shreds.

Known as tree giants, ents were comparable in size to giants and wielded tremendous strength. Though their self-awareness was faint compared to dryads, they loved the peaceful forest and had maintained good relations with the elves.

“Don’t ents usually remain still? I didn’t think they were the type to move around like dryads.”

“As Your Majesty says. Though they are sentient beings, they are closer to trees in nature—spending nearly nine-tenths of their lives in sleep. When they’re sleeping still, they’re indistinguishable from ordinary trees.”

“But the dragon, possessing mystique, could distinguish them.”

Eugene examined the ent’s crushed legs.

“Trampled.”

Looking higher, he saw extremely deep wounds.

“It pinned it to the ground and scratched at it. Like a bear or leopard sharpening its claws against a tree.”

“Oh, God.”

Even the knights made the sign of the holy cross and shook their heads at the brutality.

If its purpose was merely to sharpen its claws, there was no need to target the ent specifically. The dragon had attacked a sleeping ent and tortured it to death purely for amusement.

“It’s a forest worm!”

Naturally, it hadn’t skipped attacks meant to fill its stomach either.

Eugene looked at the forest worm’s carcass and remembered a food he had long forgotten—kimbap. A green kimbap with its side burst open spectacularly.

“The interior of the torn section is completely hollow. The dragon split the forest worm’s body, thrust its head inside, and devoured the innards. From the smell, it was about a day ago.”

Sub-Chieftain Maya of the centauresses held her nose as she reported.

“We’ve almost caught up.”

Eugene saw animals fleeing from the unfamiliar army’s approach. They clearly hoped Eugene’s forces would pass quickly, unwilling to give up the rare free feast.

Eugene felt the same way. With another army pursuing from behind—one the dragon didn’t know about—this was the perfect opportunity.

*

The Gold Sea. When Eugene arrived at the Great Forest’s granary, he was greeted by abundant winter barley. Though not yet fully ripe, the size, quantity, and health of the grain already surpassed what was available in the market.

The high-elven chiefs beamed with pride when they noticed his reaction.

“Elven agriculture is special. We don’t need to compete with weeds, and we can control the number of fruits that set.”

For grains, they produced more kernels; for fruits, they reduced the quantity but enhanced individual quality. Elves could simplify tasks that would be impossibly tedious to do by hand.

“I know. Who do you think cultivates the vegetables I eat?”

“Hahaha! If I may say so, Your Majesty, there is no happier man in the world.”

At the Moving Castle or within Haven, the lord’s private field contained many things Valda grew as a hobby—and for her husband’s breakfast.

“That’s why animals drawn to crops like thieves after gold converge here. And bigger beasts drawn to prey on those animals converge as well.”

“That fortress there—was it built to drive those creatures away?”

Eugene gazed at the fortress at the heart of the Gold Sea. Like the elven residences and villages they had seen on the way here, it took the form of harmoniously joined trees. A large section had been destroyed.

“That wasn’t the work of monsters. Even an ogre couldn’t break it like that…”

It wasn’t something a powerful monster could smash by brute force. It bore the marks of something with overwhelming weight and strength that had crushed its way in.

“Release the familiars. Don’t approach the fortress at all—sweep the barley fields from above. If something with the dragon’s weight and size moved through, there must be traces.”

Footprints in snow could be erased by new snow and wind, and other prints by rain. But flattened crops left traces for months. A tail couldn’t sweep them away.

Birds flew over the barley fields. Small but sharp-eyed, they became their master’s eyes, reporting the situation below in detail.

“There are patches of barley flattened to the size of a training ground. As if something enormous had been rolling around. It finished hunting here too.”

“It seems the dragon has made the fortress its nest. There are traces of entry but no traces of exit.”

Even the fearless apex predator desired a comfortable lair. As a living creature, it needed sleep.

“In the dryad village’s records, I heard that a dragon’s sleep is similar to a human’s. Even living in the wild, it sleeps lightly, and its movements are somewhat sluggish immediately after waking.”

“We’ve heard similar stories. Tales of people entering a sleeping dragon’s lair and stealing its treasure.”

The knights each shared tales they had heard. A dragon’s deep sleep was a common element across all regions. It surely wasn’t an unfounded story.

A dragon was a creature of incomparable biological complexity. That was why the biological maintenance provided by sleep was so important.

An elven fortress, surrounded by quality prey, offering ample space, and shaped like a cradle unlike a village—it was perfectly suited to the dragon’s tastes.

The knights and chiefs clenched their fists in excitement. With the dragon resting inside, it was the perfect position to surround and set up the ballistas.

“Should we infiltrate with familiars?”

“Can’t you see from outside?”

“Sorry. The branches and leaves make it difficult…”

This was the second difference from human fortresses. The 360-degree outer wall wasn’t the only defense—thick branches also extended upward.

With its dome-like structure, the defenders guarding the outer wall could stand watch in dry comfort regardless of rain or snow. This too would have suited the dragon perfectly.

“That’s enough—withdraw the familiars. It would be troublesome if the dragon noticed them getting too close. If it’s lying in camouflage inside, it would be impossible to spot anyway.”

“Understood.”

A commander on the battlefield had to gamble at every moment. Whether the stakes and returns were large or small, at every crossroads of choice, one had to pick.

Trust the traces in the flattened barley and prepare a perfect encirclement and ambush? Or risk the encirclement being discovered in exchange for more certain information?

Eugene chose the former.

“Deploy the army. The dragon has just finished hunting and entered. The large monsters have likely fled, but stay alert. Small monsters could be feeding everywhere.”

A massive army moved without raising a single speck of dust. The sounds of boots and equipment clashing were masked by the wind rustling through the barley.

*

The Lantzheim artillery breathed in the fresh scent of barley as they busied their hands. Assembly was swift thanks to hundreds of repetitions in training.

“Please do your best, old friend.”

“You have to go ‘pow pow’ at the scary dragon so we can live.”

The artillerymen stroked the completed Vindicator ballistas. Designed as field siege weapons emphasizing mobility, their absolute power was not weak.

The secret was money. Regardless of era or location, equipment given to infantry was always made by the lowest bidder.

Even Eugene’s army couldn’t fully overcome this. But for the artillery units, they had spent lavishly enough to deserve the word “extravagant.”

-Your Grace, aren’t you favoring them too much?

-You’ve lost your love for us.

-…Why are you all being so cringe?

The dark elf mounted archers, who had been with them from the start, folded their proud noses and watched with envy.

Upon receiving the report that the encirclement was complete, Eugene mounted Might and received the Predator from Homi. As the enormous lance rose skyward, the soldiers’ morale soared accordingly.

“…”

Homi’s face held the thrill of the hunt and adoration for her master.

Just as a wife felt pride watching her husband dress handsomely, Homi loved Eugene best as a knight heading into duel. Especially when mounted on a warhorse and holding a lance—she couldn’t get enough of it.

And at that moment, a tremendous sound came from the fortress as a massive figure rose. The sleeping dragon had detected intruders.

From a distance, they could faintly sense magical energy, but what truly woke the dragon were the countless scents of flesh carried on the wind into its nostrils.

A massive tongue flicked out. The dragon had hunted many creatures since defeating Ostir’s army, but none matched the excellence of human flesh.

Salty yet clean, with just the right amount of fat. Smooth on the outside, tender on the inside in texture. Nothing could replace it.

*

The dragon was the apex predator of the ecosystem. It had always been regarded with fear, and having recently defeated even an elf army, its confidence was at its peak.

Having just woken, its body and mind were somewhat sluggish, but there was nothing to fear. Who would dare oppose it?

“Looks like it hasn’t fully woken up yet. Let’s teach that insolent beast a lesson.”

That was why, despite seeing the iron-disciplined soldiers staring it down, it made the mistake of letting its guard down. The camouflage provided by the barley field contributed to that misjudgment.

A flag flew from the tip of Eugene’s lance. As a weapon characteristic, it was useful for fire control as well.

“Commence firing.”

The lance raised high fell toward the ground. The two taut bowstrings released.

One was the rope of the Vindicator ballista, and the other was the military banner of soldiers burning with the glory of dragon hunting.

Shooaaah!

Iron-armored bolts carved into giant arrow shapes surged upward in unison. The dragon couldn’t even properly respond before being pummeled—the impact was audible even to the surrounding encirclement force.

“Did you see that?”

“The dragon is bleeding!”

The keen-eyed elves had clearly seen it. Some of the giant bolts had torn through the dragon’s hide, splattering red blood in all directions.

The dragon’s subsequent scream didn’t terrify the subjugation force. Because it was a scream of pain.

“Keep firing! Teach that arrogant beast what it feels like to be hunted!”

Moreover, Eugene and his knights, along with the summoners who were ready to counterattack at any moment, stood alongside them.

Shweeeek!

The Vindicator ballista lacked the raw power of a catapult with each shot. But in terms of loading speed, accuracy, velocity, and penetrating power relative to weight, it was far superior.

An obsession with killing monsters. That alone was the culmination of techniques honed by the Shadow Legion over long years.

“It’s approaching!”

The battered dragon chose a frontal charge. Fleeing to fight another day wasn’t a bad option, but the pride of an apex predator wouldn’t allow it.

The dragon was also an undefeated hunting champion, like Eugene—never having experienced even a single defeat.

“Alzhar!”

“Rise! Take the form of a giant that can stand against even a dragon!”

As if waiting for the cue, Alzhar unleashed the largest summoning of his life.

Prepared mandrakes dried up without even a scream, bearing the cost of the summoning. It was like watching death row prisoners hanged one after another.

Coordinating among summoners to share the cost, as in the mushroom village, was wasteful. If sufficient quality catalysts were available, having a single summoner bear the cost alone was ideal.

Kudududud.

The charging dragon’s eyes widened. A clay golem of comparable size was approaching with dignified steps.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Boom…! Boom…! Boom…!

As the two titans moved toward each other, the ground shook as if from a minor earthquake. Several seconds later.

Kwaaaang!!!

The greatest headbutt in history occurred.