I slowly looked up to where Grizella was staring.
"...Rock Dragon," I whispered.
It looked nothing like the dragons from legends.
It had no wings.
Instead, it possessed a massive, heavy build that seemed capable of crushing mountains.
Its mouth resembled the beak of a giant bird, except it was solid stone, powerful enough to grind boulders into dust.
Jagged, rock-like scales covered its entire body.
It stood on four thick legs, each ending in enormous claws that dug into the stone floor.
Its head was broad and thick, like a giant stone shield.
But the most terrifying part...
...was its eyes.
Large, glowing orange eyes with narrow slit pupils stared directly at us.
For several seconds...
No one moved.
Behind us was the endless cliff hidden by the darkness of night.
In front of us stood the Rock Dragon.
The moonlight spilling into the cave was the only thing illuminating the battlefield.
This was the worst place to fight.
Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
There was barely enough room to move.
"Grrrr..."
I glanced at my side.
Grizella had regained her composure.
She lowered herself onto all fours.
An orange aura gathered around her arms and legs.
She's going to fight...
I coated my own arms and legs with green mana.
If we fought together...
We might have a chance.
Without warning—
Boom!
Grizella exploded forward.
Her fist slammed into the dragon's face.
BAM!
The impact echoed throughout the cave.
The Rock Dragon didn't move.
Not even an inch.
Grizella's eyes widened.
She roared and attacked again.
"Raaahhh!"
Bam!
Bam!
Bam!
Bam!
A relentless barrage of punches rained down upon the dragon's head.
Each strike carried enough force to shatter stone.
Dust and fragments of rock scattered everywhere.
When her assault finally ended, she leaped backward to create distance.
Before her feet could touch the ground...
The cave floor suddenly bulged upward.
A massive pillar of stone erupted beneath her.
CRASH!
It slammed her into the ceiling.
The entire cave shook violently.
"Grizella!" I shouted.
Her body fell lifelessly from above.
I caught her before she hit the ground.
Her right arm bent at an unnatural angle.
Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
Several of her bones were clearly broken.
Whether she was conscious or not...
I couldn't tell.
One thing was certain.
She was out of the fight.
I gently laid her against the cave wall before stepping back toward the dragon.
The Rock Dragon hadn't moved.
Not a single step.
It simply watched me.
How am I supposed to fight this thing?
I don't even know how it will attack next.
It's definitely an Earth Rune user.
It can manipulate the stone around us at will.
And its body...
Grizella's punches were anything but weak.
I knew that better than anyone.
I had experienced them firsthand.
Yet after taking every one of her attacks...
The dragon hadn't suffered a single scratch.
If Grizella couldn't even leave a mark...
...how am I supposed to defeat it?