When an earthquake occurs, gas and electricity should be turned off, and you should quickly move to a space free of falling objects.

If you can’t leave the building, protect yourself by taking cover under a sturdy table or structure.

In case of a fire, alert others loudly, cover your nose and mouth with a damp cloth, and evacuate in a low stance.

Daeun also had a rough idea of emergency procedures for typhoons, tsunamis, avalanches, and even wartime scenarios.

Some of this knowledge came from her own curiosity, and some from safety training.

However, she could swear she’d never been trained for a situation like this.

Of course not.

There’s no protocol on Earth for what to do in the event of a dragon attack.

‘Or… maybe there actually is if I look it up.’

If there’s an emergency guide for a zombie apocalypse, then there might be something out there for this too.

With hunter stories being so popular lately, someone might have written something similar.

But would reading it really help?

Daeun was doubtful.

“R-run!”

“Eeeeek!”

With each beat of the enormous wings, buildings crumbled, and flames spewed from its mouth, scorching the ground, leaving no room for other thoughts.

As the searing heat grazed her cheek, Daeun came to her senses.

“I… I have to run…”

But where to?

Buildings were collapsing like houses of cards.

“I just need to go… somewhere…!”

Staying in an empty field would only make her an easy target.

The dragon hadn’t noticed her yet, but she couldn’t count on that lasting.

So Daeun began to move without a clear direction.

‘There’s no way Kana lost. It’s just that we missed each other on the way.’

Suppressing the ominous thoughts flashing through her mind, Daeun found herself on a chaotic street.

She wasn’t the only one shocked by the sudden attack.

Demons ran out of burning houses, some clutching children close, holding their breath.

And there, Daeun spotted a demon she’d seen just yesterday.

“Attack it already!”

“But our attacks can’t reach it!”

“Damn it! Are our magic and arrows just for show?! Do something—use arrows, magic, stones, anything! Are you just going to watch the village burn?!”

“Commander! We’re out of arrows!”

“Then throw rocks!”

Arrows, spells, and rocks aimed at the sky surged upward, but most were swept away by the dragon’s wingbeats, missing their mark. The few that did hit barely scratched its scales due to the long distance.

It was unfair.

So this is why air superiority matters.

“…Can I help?”

The distance between the ground and the sky.

The distance between herself and the dragon.

As Daeun gauged the gap, she shook her head.

‘Impossible.’

There was no need to think further.

Though she had a skill to release sword energy, it wouldn’t reach the dragon so high above.

Even if it did, it would probably disappear against the scales without causing any damage, just like the demons’ magic.

Her clenched fists turned pale.

“…So, I was being stubborn for nothing.”

A feeling she’d only vaguely been aware of now pressed heavily on her.

A sticky sense of powerlessness, creeping up from her toes.

That same feeling from her childhood, gripping her once again.

“No.”

Slap!

But Daeun didn’t allow herself to be overcome.

With a slap hard enough to make a sound, she opened her eyes wide.

Yes, she’d been a burden.

Yes, she’d troubled Kana.

But that didn’t justify sitting down in despair.

She could apologize and ask for forgiveness when she saw them again—there was no point playing the victim and wallowing here.

Huff, huff…

Daeun took deep breaths.

Even if she’d steadied her heart, fighting was out of the question.

But fighting wasn’t the only thing she could do.

“Help! The building collapsed…!”

“I’m coming! Hold on a bit longer!”

With a grunt, Daeun lifted the heavy rubble from the collapsed building.

Even with her strong body, it wasn’t easy.

Beads of sweat trickled down her forehead.

“It’s clear! You’re safe!”

Thud!

Huff, huff, cough, cough!

As soon as she saw the demon crawl out from under the rubble, she released the debris, taking in a lungful of the dusty air and breaking into a fit of coughing.

“Thank you, thank you!”

“I thought all humans hated us…”

Cough… “No, it’s nothing. More importantly, it’s dangerous here, so please escape.”

Thanks to her ring, which protected her from miasma contamination, Daeun had no reason to avoid them.

Brushing off their words of gratitude, she moved on to her next target.

Daeun continued to tirelessly rescue others throughout the village, beset by the calamity of the dragon’s attack.

Thanks to her efforts, despite the chaos, there weren’t many casualties.

“….”

Still, there were some she couldn’t save.

A limp arm protruded from the wreckage of a building.

Below it pooled a red puddle of blood.

Sigh.

Daeun forced herself to look away from the lifeless arm.

You know there was nothing you could do.

Focus on what you can do now.

She coached herself, almost in a trance.

“Waaaah! Mommy!”

“—A child?”

At the sudden sound of a child’s wail, Daeun’s head snapped around.

Standing in what was once an alley was a child, dirt-streaked and covered in small cuts, crying out desperately.

Had they just lost their mother, or was it something worse…?

But Daeun didn’t have time to ponder the child’s situation.

A huge, ominous eye moved.

Though the child’s cries were loud, they didn’t particularly stand out compared to the screams and shouts filling the air.

And yet, those vertically-slit, ominous pupils were locked onto the child.

Daeun noticed this too.

“—Danger!”

Swallowing the words she couldn’t utter, Daeun threw herself forward.

Crash!

“Ugh…!”

Her landing was unsteady from the hasty movement, but she ignored the slight pain, pulling the child into her arms.

The child, wide-eyed with fear, looked up at her, the crying momentarily stopped.

Though she’d moved roughly, she had tried her best to protect the child, and they seemed unhurt.

A tear slipped down and dampened Daeun’s sleeve.

“Are you okay?”

“Y-yes…”

The child looked a couple of years younger than Kana.

Though in actual age, they were likely much younger—just outwardly resembling a child of that age.

“Did you lose your mother?”

Daeun asked the child, feeling a twinge of worry.

If it wasn’t just that they got separated…

The thought of a mother smiling faintly as she sent her child out of a collapsing building, only for debris to—

Eek!

Daeun shook her head, trying to erase the tragic image from her mind.

It would be painful if that was the case, but she had to ask in a situation like this.

Fortunately, the child nodded.

“We were holding hands, but… she disappeared…”

“I see.”

She must have lost her grip while evacuating in a hurry.

Losing a family member in such a panic was sadly common, so Daeun found it easy to believe.

“Should I help you find your mom?”

“…Really?”

“Of course. Really.”

But first…

Daeun glanced subtly behind her, ensuring the child didn’t notice.

The ground, melted by intense heat, was clearly visible.

And that ominous eye was still watching her.

The demons fighting against the dragon seemed to notice her situation, shouting urgently from a distance.

Though she couldn’t make out their words, they were probably telling her to run or do something to avoid drawing the dragon’s attention.

She took a deep breath, feeling the acrid smoke fill her lungs, and stood up.

“You filthy, creepy lizard.”

The fact that it had singled out this child out of all the demons made her certain it had a disturbing preference.

The monster that bore even a part of the name of the dreaded dragon that once terrorized the Ardina Continent… how had it turned into such a twisted creature?

“I didn’t think ‘the Shadow of Krumo’ would take on this meaning…!”

Normal perverts aren’t scary, but capable perverts are terrifying.

Especially if they’re fire-breathing, flying perverts—who wouldn’t find that terrifying?

Daeun certainly did.

“Stay close behind me.”

“O-okay…”

Daeun’s clothes weren’t particularly large.

But her frame, slightly above average, was enough to hide the small child.

Hiding the child behind her, Daeun considered her options.

Should we just stay hidden?

But with the dragon watching from above, hiding wasn’t an option.

Already targeted, running wouldn’t be easy, either…

“Well… guess I have no choice.”

She’d have to trust the demons.

Shing!

Her blade left its sheath.

Despite the blazing heat from the dragon’s flames nearby, her sword remained cool.

The icy feel of the hilt calmed her a little.

Finding comfort in an item that once seemed so frightening—what a strange feeling.

The moment she steadied herself, a fireball came hurtling toward her.

A normal sword would turn to charcoal against a fireball.

“Hyaah!”

Yet, Daeun’s sword, though not effortlessly, managed to cut through the fireball, splitting it in half and dissipating its force.

“Without the ability to control mana, I have no choice but to rely on my skills!”

She kept her composure as she deflected successive waves of crimson flames.

Her absurd stats as a follower helped make it possible.

‘It’s fast… but I’ve handled faster attacks!’

A surge of confidence filled Daeun’s heart.

If she held out, help would come somehow.

Just as she thought, some demons who had been attacking the dragon were now rushing toward her.

Once the child was safe, I’ll escape too.

With that plan, a gust of wind swept past her cheek.

“Huh?!”

The air was quickly sucked in a specific direction.

Daeun looked up, horror-struck.

A ribcage swollen as if about to burst.

A mouth wide open, with crimson flames visible between its teeth.

Daeun knew what this meant.

“A breath attack…!”

This was a powerful attack on a whole different level from the fireballs.

“I can’t block that…”

Standing before a dragon’s breath would reduce any mana-coated sword—or anything else—to ashes.

Realizing the severity of the situation, she quickly looked for shelter, but…

In a half-destroyed village, there was nowhere to hide from a breath attack.

“O-older sister…”

A tiny hand clutched her sleeve, and seeing the fear in the child’s eyes, Daeun made her decision.

She crouched down, meeting the child’s gaze, and pointed toward the demons.

“When I count to three, run that way, okay?”

“What about you?”

“I’ll be fine.”

The eye that had been targeting the child was now focused on Daeun.

This way, at least the child would be safe.

She gently patted the dirt-smudged head of the child.

“One…”

To make sure the dragon’s gaze stayed off the child, she slowly rose.

“Two…”

She spread her coat, turning halfway around.

“Three!”

At her signal, the child took off running.

Luckily, the dragon’s eye didn’t follow.

“Now I should escape too…”

…But there was nowhere to escape to.

So she’d have to fight.

With a determined look, Daeun raised her sword.

‘How many seconds can I hold out?’

She dismissed the thought immediately.

How many seconds, huh?

“I will survive.”

As she whispered her resolve, the air suction stopped.

The expanding ribcage paused.

Fwoooosh!

Then, a crimson breath poured down toward the ground.

‘…Ugh!’

A pressure so intense that it didn’t even allow her to groan transferred to her sword.

Her arms trembled as if they would break, but she clenched her teeth and held on.

Sizzle—

Her clothes, touched by the breath, quickly began to burn away.

As her skin felt like it was cooking in the searing heat, she prayed desperately for this moment to pass.

How much time had gone by?

With no time to count the seconds, she clung to her sword until she noticed the heat tormenting her had vanished.

The pressure that had threatened to shatter her sword was gone too.

“D-did I… make it…?”

Had she actually survived the breath?

Cautiously, Daeun opened her tightly shut eyes.

The flames that had reached even beyond her closed eyelids were nowhere to be seen.

Only Krumo’s Shadow remained, flapping its wings in frustration.

“Aha… ha ha! I did it! I really did it!”

Overcome with joy, Daeun cheered.

To survive a breath attack was no small feat.

Riding the thrill up her spine, she—

“Did you, now?”

—was interrupted by a sharp voice from below.

Looking down with a creak, Daeun saw, standing with a familiar expression of disdain, a young girl holding a soft red sword she’d never seen before.