"Thinking of running now? It's a bit too late for that. Night God Style: Iai - Flying Dragon!"
The light of the drawn blade shot out from its sheath, leaving a silver streak in the air. In the blink of an eye, an extremely fine but incredibly fast slash flew from Gin's blade, targeting the already distant poisonous dragon.
The dragon, having flown a considerable distance away, initially thought it had escaped. Seeing that the human wasn't pursuing, it assumed it was out of danger. Given its resistance to magic thanks to its dragon scales, the dragon felt secure.
However, just as the dragon was basking in its presumed safety, a sudden sense of impending doom gripped it. Turning to see what was wrong, it saw a brilliant streak of light filling its vision.
Before it could react, the blue streak sliced through its body.
The dragon's eyes lost their color, and a gentle breeze blew past as its enormous form split in two in mid-air.
"Boom——————!"
It wasn't until the bisected dragon's corpse crashed to the ground that the elven girl finally snapped out of her shock. Staring at the dismembered dragon, she remained in a state of disbelief.
When Gin had first appeared, she had hoped he wouldn't throw his life away. For human adventurers, a poisonous dragon was not a foe that could be beaten solo.
However, she never expected Gin to be so strong, capable of facing the dragon head-on and even slicing it in half with a single blow!
"Mountains collapse, the path is cleared, light through crystal, footsteps of thunder, the night folds upon the clouded peaks. Bakudō #73: Tozanshō!"
Just as the elven girl was marveling at Gin's victory, she found herself suddenly encased in a crystalline triangular barrier.
Initially thinking she was being imprisoned, she tried to stand, gripping her sword defensively and looking at Gin with wary eyes.
"I wasn't planning to interfere, but since I did, it would be a waste if you died here. If you don't treat your poison soon, you'll end up like that dragon."
Gin's words made the elven girl's vigilant expression soften. She realized the barrier was protecting her from the corrosive poison gas around them. When she looked down at her state, her face turned crimson with embarrassment.
She let out a shy gasp and quickly crouched down, glaring at Gin with a mix of shyness and annoyance.
"Who are you, and why are you so strong? And what kind of magic is this? It can completely block the dragon's poison gas."
Seeing the barrier was meant to protect her and not imprison her, the elven girl relaxed. When Gin used Kaidō to heal her and remove the poison, she was even more astonished.
In this world, while most people could use magic, healing magic was rare. Injured adventurers typically used potions for recovery.
The elven girl, possessing elven royal secret arts, had a storage space with healing and antidote potions. Yet, she didn't mention it when Gin offered to heal her.
"Are you a curious little cat? There's no need for so many questions. I'm handsome and strong, isn't that enough? Besides, you haven't paid for the information, so why should I tell you?"
Gin's response left the elven girl speechless. Realizing what kind of person Gin was, she reached into her storage space and tossed a pouch full of gold coins on the ground.
"This is for your healing fee and the information. Now can you answer my questions?"
Seeing the elven girl pull items from thin air, Gin was surprised to discover spatial magic in this world. His attention was quickly drawn to the pouch, which clinked with the sound of gold coins. He realized it was full of gold!
Another rich lady, and a super-rich one at that!
Why? Because Gin's two A-rank commissions, "Explore the Underground Labyrinth" and "Hunt the Poisonous Lizard," only offered ten and fifteen gold coins respectively. One gold coin could afford a luxurious three-day feast.
And the elven girl—no, the elven rich lady—had just thrown him a pouch with nearly a hundred gold coins, equivalent to ten A-rank commissions.
In that moment, Gin felt saving her was absolutely worth it.
"Greetings, boss. My name is Gin. Don't you think this Tozanshō is a bit too plain? I can make a more luxurious, comfortable version. And the Kaidō I used for healing? It has even more advanced versions. Would you like to try them out?"
Seeing Gin's immediate change in attitude after receiving the pouch, the elven girl was left stunned.
(End of Chapter)