Chapter 301: Leveling the Battlefield

Mark tore his eyes away from the beast for a moment and turned to the druid.

"How long ago did that thing show up?" he asked, his voice firm.

"Only a few minutes ago, Your Majesty," the druid answered, his voice shaking. "It appeared suddenly from the east, and the moment I saw it cutting across the sky, I came looking for you right away. I didn't waste a second."

Mark nodded without taking his eyes off the sky.

The dragon kept gliding above them, moving with an unsettling calm as its enormous wings held it suspended with barely any effort.

He stayed there watching it for several seconds, completely absorbed.

There was something hypnotic about the creature, but also something that stirred an instinctive fear.

Its sheer size was hard to wrap his head around, and even from so far away, its presence made the air feel heavier.

This was the first time Mark had felt something like that toward anyone other than the Demon Lord.

"Aria," he said, still looking upward. "How strong are dragons?"

She, who had also been watching the creature with a frown, took a moment to answer.

"Extremely…" she said, swallowing hard. "They might be the most powerful creatures on the continent."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah... Some live for centuries, even millennia, and their strength grows the older they get," she gritted her teeth slightly, clearly on edge. "And from what's said, a single adult dragon can take on an entire army without any help."

"Shit… just what we needed," Mark muttered, frowning.

"Although there's something that doesn't add up," Aria added, narrowing her eyes.

"What is it?"

"Dragons live in the frozen lands at the far edge of the continent, the Great White North... That's their territory, and they almost never leave it."

"And that means…?"

"That it's really strange to find one so far from there," she answered, shaking her head slowly. "I have no idea what one's doing this far south, but whatever brought it here, it can't be anything good."

Mark stayed quiet as he watched the dragon, but the longer he looked, the less he liked what he saw.

The creature kept flying slow circles above the village, showing no sign of intending to leave, as if it were watching every move from up there.

"Doesn't look like it's planning on leaving..." Mark said quietly.

His expression hardened before he turned to look at Alice.

"If it decides to attack us, could you take it down?"

Alice took a few seconds to answer.

Her eyes tracked every movement of the dragon as she sized it up with the precision of someone used to measuring an enemy before stepping into a fight.

"I can't promise that," Alice admitted. "A dragon is several levels above anything I've ever faced before."

She clenched her fists as she kept studying the creature.

"In my current state, taking it on alone would be too risky... But if Aria gives me every physical buff she's got at full strength, I think I might stand a chance."

Mark nodded slowly. That was exactly what he needed to know.

"Perfect… Then that's what we'll do."

"You're thinking of fighting that thing, Master?" she said, clear surprise in her voice.

"Not if I can help it," Mark replied with a shrug. "But that doesn't mean we're just going to sit around waiting and do nothing… If there's any chance that dragon attacks us, I want us ready before it happens."

Aria stayed silent for a moment, weighing what Mark had said, until she finally nodded with resolve.

"He's right," she said, turning to Alice. "I'd better get to work."

And then, one after another, streams of colored energy began wrapping around Alice as Aria chanted the spells.

[Reinforcement Spell: Strength Boost!]

[Alice's Strength has increased by 50%.]

[Reinforcement Spell: Steel Skin!]

[Alice's Defense has increased by 50%.]

[Reinforcement Spell: Swift Reflexes!]

[Alice's Speed has increased by 65%.]

[Reinforcement Spell: Unshakable Vigor!]

[Alice's Stamina has increased by 50%.]

[Reinforcement Spell: Devastating Fist!]

[Alice's Attack Power has increased by 55%.]

[Reinforcement Spell: Nature's Ward!]

[Alice's Resistance to elemental damage has increased by 50%.]

[Reinforcement Spell: Anti-Magic Barrier!]

[Alice's Resistance to magic damage has increased by 60%.]

Layer after layer of glowing energy settled over Alice, wrapping her in a multicolored radiance that grew more intense with every spell.

And when Aria finally finished, Alice flexed her hands, feeling the power surge through her body.

"Wow… that's way more than I expected," Alice said, flexing her fingers and staring at her own hands in amazement. "How many spells did you just cast?"

"Seven, and I've still got a few more saved up just in case."

"How'd you manage that? Normally you'd be out of mana halfway through."

"It's all thanks to the new gear," Aria replied with a smile. "Remember the rings and amulets from the treasure vault?"

"Those really came in handy…"

"I know, right, a lot of them let you store a spell inside, ready to fire off instantly without burning any of my mana," she explained with a shrug. "And honestly, I never imagined I'd need them this soon."

"Well, bless that gear," Alice said, feeling more powerful than ever.

"Girls."

Mark's voice cut through, interrupting them both at once.

There was something in his tone, a dry, cutting tension, that made them both fall silent instantly and turn their full attention to him.

"It stopped…" Mark said, his eyes locked on the sky.

Aria and Alice looked up immediately.

And sure enough, the dragon had stopped circling above the village. Now it hung suspended high above, holding itself in the air with slow beats of its enormous wings.

Its head had tilted down toward them, and those eyes, glowing like two burning embers, stayed fixed on them.

For a few seconds that felt endless, none of the three dared to move.

It was as if the whole world had gone silent under the weight of that gaze.

But then the dragon folded its wings.

Its massive body tipped forward, and for a split second, it seemed to hang completely still before plunging downward.

A deafening roar tore through the air as the creature dropped like a stone, shaking the ground beneath their feet.

It was coming straight for them.

"Alice!"