Standing between two facing houses, Ryu looked left and right, carefully measured the distances, and after confirming several positions, he took out black boxes one by one from his "backpack." After installing the transceivers, he hid them away.
"With this, it's foolproof," Ryu said to himself as he stood up.
The Red Dragon's defense is strong, but that's relative to ordinary cold weapons. Enchanted weapons, special metals, and high-powered magic can all break through its scales.
However, on one hand, its body is massive, making it difficult for human-sized weapons to damage its internal organs. On the other hand, it's hard for a vanguard to survive its tail and breath attacks. That's why adventurers in this world choose to attack its reverse scale.
But for Ryu and his collection, it's a completely different story~
Few spells in this world can achieve explosive levels of destructive power, but 21st-century C4 and TNT can do so with ease, and there's even more explosive stuff!
If it were a point-blank explosion, the Red Dragon would suffer considerable damage. As long as the yield is large enough and the placement is right, the dragon meat banquet can begin immediately!
To put it bluntly, the dragon in Delicious in Dungeon is just a large monster, not a statistical monstrosity that has lived for millions of years, is proficient in draconic magic, and competes on the same stage as gods and demons like in other works!
Ryu had prepared for a month in the main world, with contingency plans for all sorts of possible situations. Naturally, he wouldn't forget the most effective tool humanity has invented to dispel fear—dynamite!
Theoretically, after setting the traps, he could incapacitate the Red Dragon with "landmines" and then finish it off from a distance by shooting the reverse scale.
—That would make obtaining the title of "Dragon Slayer" far too easy~
However, today Ryu planned to try the traditional method:
A real man fights hand-to-hand!
With defensive magic, teammate support, and pre-set traps, facing a large beast with a clear weakness—there's no better opportunity to gain experience!
He could, of course, easily take down the Red Dragon, or even stronger opponents, using modern or even cybernetic technology now.
But unless he possessed cosmic black technology on the level of Ultraman Hikari, he would eventually have to rely on himself!
Even Ultraman Hikari often relies on idealistic power-ups to defeat bosses, doesn't he?
Even a "speedrun" has its methods. Experience that should be gained must not be skipped!
Of course, this didn't stop him from preparing a backup plan... If he was incredibly unlucky and the battle plan failed by some slim chance, he would just flip the table!
Hopefully, the Red Dragon would be sensible and stick to the established plan. That way, it could at least get a decent "hero and the evil dragon" ending. Otherwise, it would have to taste the art of explosion~
...Having arranged everything, Ryu quietly returned to the temporary base. He didn't speak to anyone about what he had been doing.
"Now that Ryu is back, let's review the plan one more time." Laios started drawing on the ground with a wooden stick.
"Marcille will create a familiar to attract the Red Dragon's attention, trying to lure it onto this main road. After turning a corner, it will enter a narrower section. At this exact spot, there's a footbridge crossing the street. This will be our preset battlefield.
We'll be hiding nearby. Once we see the Red Dragon is in position, we'll signal Chilchuck to notify Marcille to trigger the trap and blow up the footbridge!
This way, the Red Dragon will be trapped by the falling rocks and temporarily lose its mobility.
There are two possibilities. One, the Red Dragon is caught off guard, and we take the opportunity to pierce its reverse scale directly. Two, the Red Dragon isn't seriously injured and uses its dragon breath on us while it's immobilized.
That's when Senshi and I come in!"
"I have a question," Chilchuck raised his hand.
"Go ahead."
"Um... is my presence redundant? Why not just signal Marcille directly?"
"Because Marcille isn't skilled enough at controlling the 'familiar' yet. She needs to concentrate fully while luring the dragon and can't multitask. So, Chilchuck, you need to be by her side to watch for external signals."
The halfling glanced at an embarrassed Marcille and nodded. "I get that part, but there's one more thing. We discussed how to withstand the dragon's breath before... To be honest, I think your plan is a gamble."
"We have some defensive magic and fire resistance... and we can use this pot to block it. We should be able to withstand the first wave!"
"...Are you serious?" Chilchuck glanced at Senshi's black pot, his expression almost cracking. "That's a Red Dragon's breath!"
"This is a top-quality wok!"
Senshi caressed the iron pot like a treasure, saying reminiscently, "This was originally a shield passed down through the family of a former companion of mine. Over the decades, it's helped me block countless monster attacks. Its durability is guaranteed!"
"...So you took something with that much sentimental value and used it as a pot, huh?"
"..."
Senshi looked away. "Nothing is more important than a full stomach. If he knew, he would surely agree."
Could this pot be made of some rare metal? Chilchuck didn't quite believe it, but since Laios and Senshi were willing to bet their lives on it, he, being in a safe position, had no standing to object.
"No more questions?"
Laios paused, then continued, "Senshi and I will be responsible for drawing its attention. Ryu has the best skills among us and a magic sword that can pierce dragon scales, so we'll have him look for an opportunity to strike the Red Dragon's weak point!"
"The first time I heard this plan, I was so excited I thought it sounded plausible...
Reviewing it again, why am I getting more and more worried?"
"Although Laios isn't very reliable, we have to go for it at this point!"
"I hope everything goes smoothly, I hope everything goes smoothly..."
The Elf prayed silently for a moment, then took out her Grimoire and materials, starting to review the process of creating a familiar from her student days.
"Let me help too. Tell me how to process the materials."
"That's great, thank you, Ryu!"
Marcille sighed in relief, handing the task over to Ryu while she focused on reading her book.
Throughout this journey, she could often be seen cramming at the last minute, giving off the impression of a fresh college graduate.
But she was actually quite an experienced adventurer. The reason she was so flustered was that Falin, who was originally responsible for these things, was gone, so she had to temporarily "change classes" and take on these extra tasks.
"Alright! Next is to design the monster's appearance and function... Laios?"
Marcille frowned and forcefully pushed Laios's approaching head away. "Go play somewhere else, we're busy with serious business!"
"Uh, I just wanted to see how it's made... By the way, what kind of monster are you planning to make?"
Laios's eyes were wide, full of anticipation like an innocent child. "It has to be a wyvern type, right? Cool and strong! You can't go wrong with that!"
"We don't have the resources for that. At most, it'll be the size of a peregrine falcon... That's enough, go find Senshi over there, don't come here!"
"Mmmph~~~"
Laios walked away dejectedly like a large, wounded dog. Watching this scene, Ryu couldn't help but twitch his lips.
This man was actually quite reliable most of the time, but the impression he gave was... how to put it...
In contrast, Marcille was the type who was the same on the inside as she was on the outside—pretty, cute, and hardworking, a model student at a glance. Aside from secretly researching forbidden magic, she really had no flaws.
This feeling of wanting to both care for and worry about her... A daughter?
Ryu shook his head, his expression becoming a bit strange:
You're kidding, Marcille is over a hundred years old!
But because she's a half-elf with a very long lifespan, mentally speaking, she really is only about thirteen or fourteen?
Tsk, tsk, tsk—
Human subjective perception is truly interesting!
Ryu recalled his memories and found that some characters, despite being old enough to be grandmothers, had a pitifully earnest look that made people feel like a protective father;
Conversely, some characters looked like lolis, spoke like lolis, and were in fact lolis, but some people saw them as spiritual mothers to seek comfort from;
And for characters who were genuinely positioned as "Mother" or even "Mother of All Things," people instead preferred their loli forms, enjoying the combination of a little girl's voice with mature tolerance;
Characters who were meant for fanservice were met with little interest;
And for those set up to be serious and old-fashioned, everyone wanted to see them in an overwhelmingly sexy state;
—So, one occasionally feels that "humanity is beyond saving."
Ryu laughed as he unconsciously kneaded the processed raw materials, but when he came to his senses and glanced down, his face changed drastically.
He quickly looked around, and seeing that no one was paying attention, he suddenly squeezed hard, crushing it to start over.
Damn it, I sculpted a figurine of Young Tiamat!
No! I don't need a loli mom! That's the ultimate fantasy of a complete degenerate!
Besides, Tiamat just has a child form; her essence is still a mature woman, so it doesn't count at all!
I've been an onee-san faction guy since birth, someone must be messing with my Dao heart—
This must be the scheme of those Interdimensional Demons!
...
Swish, swish, swish~
Swish, swish, swish~
An annoying, sharp, and brisk sound rang out. The Red Dragon, which had been observing the distance, suddenly looked up, its logic circuits locking onto a fleeting red figure in an instant.
Caw!
Caw!
It was a small monster shaped like a swallow, but with smoother body lines. When it folded its wings, it was like a shuttle flying through the air.
The whistle-like sound came from the two longest hard feathers on its tail, a design intentionally added by Laios. When air passed through them at high speed, they would emit a high-frequency whistle, the very kind that dragons hated most.
The Red Dragon was naturally drawn to it, but its massive body took some time just to turn, and the small monster had already flown far away.
Normally, that would be the end of it. The Red Dragon had other tasks and wasn't interested in such a small, non-nutritious thing. But unexpectedly, after circling around, the other party flew back towards it!
Clack clack
The Red Dragon opened its mouth slightly. A crisp clicking sound, like flint, accompanied by a spark, echoed through the dark space.
—BOOM!!!
A roaring inferno, covering a straight-line distance of thirty meters and the entire width of the street, consumed everything!
The small monster failed to dodge in time and was instantly scorched by the flames, falling to the ground!
But before the Red Dragon could turn back, that sound rang out again, and another red peregrine falcon flew past it.
"ROAR!"
This time, it was truly angered. The Red Dragon's massive body stood tall, its four feet stomping hard on the ground as it rampaged down the street at a speed that seemed slow but was no less than a human's hundred-meter dash, trying to swallow this annoying thing in one gulp!
But this peregrine falcon was much smarter, sometimes accelerating, sometimes circling, sometimes flying erratically like it was trembling, never pulling too far away from the Red Dragon, always dangling in front of it.
Once there was any sign of it breathing fire, the little guy would quickly perform an "act of humiliation under the crotch," turning around and flying out from under the Red Dragon.
—And Chilchuck, hiding in the distance, could see Marcille, who had been flapping her hands wildly like a little bird, suddenly bend over as if her waist was about to break, then straighten up forcefully amid a pained groan.
Luckily, she hadn't watched One Piece, or she would have exclaimed that this was a perfect cosplay of the Empress!
Thanks to the Elf girl's tireless efforts, the Red Dragon was thus haltingly lured to the designated location.
A white flag was suddenly raised at the top of a high tower. The sharp-eyed halfling spotted it at once, quickly grabbing Marcille's hand and stopping her from flapping around.
"That's enough!"
Chilchuck pulled off the Elf's blindfold and pushed her forward a few steps. "Now's the time!"
"...Oh!!"
Marcille snapped back to her senses, immediately taking the staff from Chilchuck's hand as her body was pushed onto the magic square.
"Alright!"
Thud!
The wooden staff tapped on the magic circle outlined in white lines, and instantly a long string of runes lit up like a fuse.
At the same time, the Red Dragon swallowed the suddenly sluggish peregrine falcon, only to look up and see another shadow—it had run under the footbridge.
—BOOM!!!
The walls on both sides and the footbridge overhead exploded simultaneously. The collapse of key nodes triggered a cave-in of the entire structure. Hundreds of tons of hard stone blocks smashed directly onto the Red Dragon's head and body, forcefully pinning down its massive frame!
"Alright! It's a success!"
Laios and Senshi, hiding on either side, were overjoyed to see this scene, never expecting things to go so smoothly.
An earth and stone burial of this scale, even the apex monster, a giant dragon, would—
BOOM!
Bricks and tiles were sent flying like small pebbles. The mountain-like monster's body pushed aside the dragon-bone beams, and a roar of extreme anger echoed throughout the entire Dungeon!
"—!!!"
Not good!
It's coming! The dragon's breath!
Laios took a deep breath, tense to the extreme, but he stood out at the most dangerous moment as planned.
There's only one chance for an ambush; the Red Dragon must not be allowed to leave this place!
Now, he could only trust in Senshi's pot—
Swoosh!
Before it entered their field of vision, no one noticed it in advance.
Not the furious Red Dragon, not Laios who was stunned by the draconic pressure, not Marcille watching from a safe distance, and not even Chilchuck, whose senses were far superior to an ordinary person's.
Like a bat blending into the darkness, from the corners, from the eaves, from the shadows, his path avoided everyone's focus and perfectly found the Red Dragon's blind spot.
Because he was a god of death who hunted monsters and humans; not letting the prey become alert beforehand was the most basic of skills!
The broken walls became his stepping stones. With a light step, he leaped up, hooked his hand onto a protrusion on the dragon's tail, and his body flew forward with the dragon's swing like an ape. The moment his feet landed solidly, he had already reached the junction of the spine and tail.
The Elf's lightness spell made him seem like a falling feather, moving with the Red Dragon's angry undulations without losing his balance at all. Instead, he rushed up its neck at an extremely fast speed!
Only then did the Red Dragon realize something was on its body. Just as it was about to turn its head, Ryu had already slid down along its smooth, hard scales. The Red Dragon's vertical pupils could only catch a glimpse of what seemed to be an elongated night—
No need to search. A long-distance observation was enough to lock onto the position. The "hunter" was already intimately familiar with the body structures and weaknesses of these monsters.
There was less than half a second to pass by, and the window to strike was even shorter, but in that fleeting moment, a scorching red light swirled and extinguished in the darkness!
Thwack!
He landed steadily. The lightness spell stirred a faint breeze, and [Demon Back] coordinated his whole body to dissipate the impact force. Ryu jumped down from a height of three stories as if it were nothing, calmly standing up and walking out from right under the Red Dragon's head with utter effrontery.
—SQUIRT!!!
Scorching blood sprayed like rain from the reverse scale!
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