—Frozen Abyss—

The icy wind grew harsher as we climbed the mountain path. Maya’s footsteps were steady, but I noticed her shoulders tense every time a stronger gust shook the terrain.

"The dragon can’t be far now!" she shouted over the howling wind. "With that injured wing, it must’ve taken shelter in a cave!"

I nodded, though I doubted it’d be that simple. Something else nagged at me—the village elder had mentioned a red-haired girl… Who was she? Did she really go after a dragon alone?

A distant roar echoed through the mountains.

Maya froze.

"There it is!"

The Frozen Abyss wasn’t just a poetic name.

Before us stretched a chasm veiled in ice, and at its center—there it was.

The dragon.

Its scales were a dark blue, nearly black, and its eyes glowed yellow. A massive wound marred its left wing. No doubt: this was the dragon we’d been told about.

It was awe-inspiring. Its labored breaths sent plumes of frost into the air, freezing everything around it. This was the moment I truly realized I was in another world.

"Ren!" Maya drew her sword. "Get ready!"

The dragon saw us and charged.

I’d never seen anyone move like Maya.

She dodged the dragon’s first strike with an impossible pirouette, and before the beast could react, her sword ignited.

Flames erupted from the blade as if part of her very being, wrapping it in a glow that lit up the snow.

"HIYAAA!!"

The strike seared the dragon’s flank, leaving a charred mark. The beast roared in pain and writhed, but Maya gave it no respite. She leaped, spun midair, and drove another slash—this time at its foreleg.

Incredible. So this is an S-Ranker…?

Enraged, the dragon whipped its tail like a club and slammed it into the ground. Maya blocked with her sword, but the force hurled her meters back.

"Maya!"

"Don’t come closer!" she shouted, struggling to her feet. "This thing isn’t like normal monsters!"

The dragon turned its head toward me. Its eyes narrowed, as if detecting something… something that intrigued it.

Then, it opened its maw.

And spewed a blast of frozen breath straight at me.

I stood frozen, unsure what to do.

"REN!!"

Maya intercepted it at the last second. Her flaming sword split the icy breath into twin jets that flash-froze the rocks behind us—but the effort left her trembling.

"What the hell are you doing?!" she yelled, eyes locked on the dragon. "You’re S-Rank! Act like it!"

"It’s not that I don’t want to! I don’t know how to fight!"

"WHAT?!"

The dragon gave us no time to argue. It charged again, and this time, Maya couldn’t dodge. A claw struck her side, sending her crashing into an ice wall.

"MAYA!"

This was a nightmare. I was supposed to be S-Rank, but I felt nothing special in me. I couldn’t even wield a sword, and now Maya was hurt because of me.

Something inside me burned with frustration.

"Ren!" Purin’s voice echoed in my mind—but this time, it wasn’t playful. It was urgent. "Listen! You can do this… Trust yourself!"

"I don’t understand!"

"TRUST IT!"

The dragon raised its foot, ready to crush me.

And then…

Everything slowed.

I could see the attack coming, its trajectory.

My legs moved on their own, dodging effortlessly.

The dragon’s strike shattered the ground where I’d stood a second ago—but I was already gone.

I’d jumped.

And before the beast could react—

"PUM!"

My fist connected with its jaw with force I never knew I had.

The dragon staggered back, dazed.

Behind me, I heard Maya’s voice, breathless and stunned:

"...Ren?"