A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

Longshan is located some distance from the palace.

Bray then took a railcar to a nearby town and set off towards Dragon Mountain.

However, once he arrived, Bray discovered that not many people were willing to act as his tour guide.

Just kidding, that's Longshan.

In the end, only one person pointed out the approximate location of Longshan to Bray.

Bray found his way to the vicinity of Longshan entirely by trial and error.

Fortunately, Bray was surprised to find an Imperial army on the mountain.

So Bray followed right behind the army.

This dead-eyed guy is treating the army like a temporary tour guide.

If Garrett knew what Bray was thinking, he would definitely order the entire battalion to turn around and beat Bray up.

"Brey, what if we follow them and get kicked out?" Naruko was a little worried about the army's reaction.

Naruko would never believe it if you told her that the army hadn't discovered her and her group.

Naruko estimated that if the military had any doubts about them, they would immediately begin to expel them.

After all, there's no way to guarantee that these people aren't spies or enemies.

“It’s alright.” Bray nodded calmly, his confidence seemingly coming from nowhere.

“Oh! It’s okay!” Levy said seriously.

I don't know why Levy has such a strange confidence.

Perhaps it's because Bray said there was no problem?

Naruko sighed, following behind the army was truly nerve-wracking.

"We estimate we're about to enter the foothills," Naruko guessed, looking at the increasingly dense vegetation.

“Now that we’ve reached the foot of the mountain, there’s no need to continue following them,” Bray said.

The purpose of the Braelong Mountain trip was simply to collect the breadgrass, not to cause trouble.

"Is it free time, Bray?" Levy asked excitedly, stretching her small body.

“No, it’s not free time,” Bray denied immediately.

"Well…"

“You still have to come with me,” Bray said earnestly.

Not having to follow the imperial army in front doesn't mean you can act freely.

Let Levy roam freely? They wouldn't even know when Levy got lost.

“They’re heading straight up the mountain, so I’ll go around them from this cliff.” Naruko pointed to the towering cliff not far ahead.

The cliff blocked their path.

“Then let’s go around it.” Bray stroked his chin, agreeing with Naruko’s suggestion.

"I'll lead the charge!" With that, Naruko started walking.

Isn't this guy afraid that some kind of monster might jump out from the side?

Or perhaps Naruko was actually hoping that some monster would jump out from the side and launch a sneak attack.

This thrill-seeking idiot.

If a monster were to jump out, that would be very troublesome.

The reason why Longshan is called Longshan is because the monsters here are all sub-dragons.

That's right, they are all dragons; there are no other types of monsters at all.

The dragons in Longshan include various types.

Everything that flies in the sky, runs on the ground, and swims in the water is available.

"You idiot, walk more quietly."

"You're here, what's there to be afraid of!" Naruko strode forward.

As for dragons, Naruko had seen this guy, Bray, kill one off with ease.

"Hmph, and what dangerous monsters could possibly be at the foot of the mountain?"

"Powerful monsters are usually found deep in the mountains!"

"Let me tell you, even if one of them jumps out, I might be able to handle it."

Naruko said smugly, hands on her hips.

"Hiss—" A strange sound came from the bushes nearby.

Naruko's feet hovered in mid-air, her whole body frozen.

“Eek…” Naruko’s forehead was covered in cold sweat.

The bush from which the strange noise came was right next to me.

"Whoosh—" Then a dragon darted out from the bushes.

This dragon's strong legs support its body, but its forelimbs, which hang in mid-air, are quite short.

The claws on its forelimbs look very agile.

"Holy crap, a rooster-like head!" Naruko exclaimed, and without saying a word, she swung the grappling hook from her arm armor onto the tree next to Bray.

The dragon's head does indeed have something on it that looks like a rooster's comb.

"Hit it! Fire!" Naruko's figure swept past the mine in a few seconds, still having the energy to shout as she passed by.

However, Naruko was quick, and the dragon was not slow either, leaving a mark on Naruko's clothes in mid-air.

The cut was right on Naruko's chest.

Bray glanced discreetly at the rather impressive Naruko, then sighed.

"Hiss—" Despite being a dragon, it made a sound like a snake.

“You should be glad this guy was acting alone.” Bray recognized him immediately.

The "Blue-striped Serpent Bird Dragon" has a voice like a snake, and its body has the characteristics of both a chicken and most of the sub-dragons.

These dragons cannot fly, but they are extremely fast on land and like to ambush.

They usually act in groups of three to five, and rarely act alone.

"Oh dear, actually what I wanted to say was that there are a few more hiding nearby." Naruko chuckled sheepishly.

Actually, this dragon was not acting alone.

As if to verify Naruko's words, several other "Blue-striped Serpent Bird Dragons" darted out from the side and surrounded Bray and his two companions.

"Meow!" The fireball stood imposingly on Levy's head, letting out a roar.

Unfortunately, the Blue-striped Serpent Bird Dragon looked at the fireball with the same gaze one would give someone who's eyeing food.

The Blue-striped Serpent Bird Dragon's positioning was very precise, preventing Bray and his group from breaking through.

It seems these guys have done their fair share of sneak attacks and ambushes.

“Take it and eat it,” Bray said, surprising everyone.

"Huh? What are you saying?" Naruko wondered if she was hallucinating.

Did you just hear something incredible?

Bray said he was going to eat these guys??

"Clang—" Bray drew the greatsword from his back.

The scabbard of the Bray Greatsword is different from that of ordinary sword scabbards.

The sides of the scabbard are fastened, not sealed.

Although it was fastened very tightly, Bray's strength allowed him to easily untie it.

Once the clasp is opened, the greatsword can be drawn from the side of the scabbard, avoiding the awkward situation of the blade being too long to be carried from behind.

What Bray thought was that he could get the greatsword pretty quickly.

As for why Bray used the greatsword, the reason is quite simple.

These "Blue-striped Serpent Bird Dragons" all have to die.

These are what we have for lunch.

"Ignite it with the fireball," Bray said expressionlessly, picking up the fireball.

"Meow..." The fireball felt wronged. Was it really just a portable lighter?

Bray pressed his finger on the fireball's little head and gave it a squeeze.

"Boom—" The next moment, small flames spewed out from the fireball's mouth.

The fireball was devastated; it had been treated like a lighter, when it was supposed to be a proud lion.

Although their body shape is abnormal, they are still related species.

The flames landed on the pile of firewood on the ground.

The process of starting a fire was eliminated, and the campfire was lit very easily.

The moment the campfire was lit, the surrounding area was also illuminated.

Several dismembered dragons were strung together.

"Do you think these things taste good..." Naruko said as she skillfully skewered the meat pieces.

The pieces of meat from these dragons were washed clean, and even the bark of the branches that were strung together with them was peeled off.

The one who provided this labor and resources was, of course, not Naruko and Bray, but Levy, who was patting Fireball's little head on the side.

If you use your abilities properly, getting some water out is relatively simple.

Skinning is even simpler for Rebi, who is good at surviving in the wild.

The adorable Levy is surprisingly vicious.

“I brought some salt.” Bray pulled a bottle of salt from his waist bag.

Bray didn't bring much food, but he did bring some seasonings.

After all, we didn't know how long we would be staying on the mountain, and it wasn't realistic to rely solely on dry rations to get through it.

The most logical thing to do is to hunt and cook outdoors in the mountains.

"Oh, it's grilling now." Naruko set up the skewers of meat and placed them around the campfire.

The heat of the flames seared the surface of the meat.

The grease dripped onto the edge of the campfire, making a sizzling sound.

Naruko stared intently at the meat skewers, intending to be the first to eat them.

"Hmm..." Levy seemed to be comforting Fireball, but in reality, she was also keeping a close eye on the campfire's movements.

The meat chunks slowly turned from a tender red to a golden brown.

"I'll test for poison!" Naruko snatched a skewer of meat with lightning speed.

“!!” Both Bray and Levy were shocked.

While Bray and Levy were still in shock, Naruko had already started eating chunks of the dragon's meat without a care for appearances.

With one bite, the oil gently splatters out.

Naruko wore an expression of enjoyment.

"This thing actually tastes like chicken." It looks rather shabby, but the taste is surprisingly good.

"Oh, oh, oh, and it even tastes like snake meat!" Naruko began to explain.

"The natural sea salt, combined with this mixed flavor, is unexpectedly a delight!"

"..." Bray picked up the skewer without saying a word and took a bite.