Chapter 258: Chapter 258

The reverse scale had been split.

To a dragon, the reverse scale was essentially its heart—its most vulnerable and sacred spot.

For such a place to be torn in half, the Molten Dragon’s mindless thrashing was only to be expected.

As the pain overwhelmed it, the Molten Dragon writhed like a salt-sprinkled eel, lashing out violently.

Ironclad Soldiers were flung into the molten furnace, and even the unbending iron tracks buckled and twisted under the rampage.

Su-ho, of course, was busy dodging for his life.

His fire resistance was near perfect—but that didn't extend to physical damage.

[The enraged Molten Dragon uses Heatstorm.]

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!!

The Heatstorm erupted once more.

That was fine—Baekgeunchu could handle that.

But not everyone was so fortunate.

Especially not Yeomma.

While the Ironclad Soldiers were the dragon’s minions and could simply burn and be reborn in the furnace, Yeomma wasn’t part of its retinue.

And so, it darted about, scrambling to avoid the waves of magma, frantic to save its own hide.

Mid-rampage, the Molten Dragon suddenly bit down on Yeomma.

Not just a bite—its jaws crushed the demon’s body, then tossed it into the air and swallowed it whole.

Right after devouring Yeomma, the dragon’s crimson body began to darken—its scales turning a sinister black.

And just like Yeomma, it began to emit ghostly blue flames.

Even the lava on the ground changed hue, flowing in chilling azure waves.

[The Molten Dragon enters a berserk state.]

RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!

The entire furnace shook violently, as though an earthquake had erupted.

The surrounding walls blackened, scorched by the dragon’s overflowing mana.

‘So this is how it enters Phase Two...’

The transformation completed, the Molten Dragon immediately launched an attack.

[The Molten Dragon uses Heatstorm.]

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!!

Another wave of burning wind roared forth.

Su-ho instantly activated Baekgeunchu.

But even with that, it was a struggle to keep his footing.

‘This wind speed... It’s insane.’

It felt like a typhoon laced with hellfire.

The temperature wasn't just hot—it was stinging, like being slapped by fire itself.

‘If I hadn’t brought my fire resistance up to 96%, this would’ve been the end.’

With eyes squinted against the blazing gusts, Su-ho crossed his arms to shield his vision.

Fortunately, the upgraded Forge Eye showed no discrimination—it revealed weaknesses whether the enemy was a regular monster or a boss.

But even so, things were bad.

The dragon’s strengthened Heatstorm just wouldn’t let up.

Worse, the Molten Dragon was fully mobile while casting it.

Its tail lashed out toward Su-ho.

The massive tail struck the very ground Su-ho stood on, warping the metal tracks.

In Phase One, those tracks hadn’t even dented.

‘A direct hit would’ve shattered bones—at the very least.’

Avoiding the tail was a must.

But this time, dodging wasn’t easy—not in a hurricane of fire.

‘The wind’s too strong—I can’t even throw Guiyeong Spear properly.’

If only he could upgrade Baekgeunchu to Cheongeunchu by using Giseunghwan...

But most of that resource had already been spent since coming to North Korea.

He’d have to manage with what he had.

Retreat wasn’t an option.

This was his final chance.

Narrowing his eyes, Su-ho leapt.

The dragon’s blazing winds pushed him off trajectory midair.

Its tail came flying straight at him.

[Blood Weapon has activated.]

The tail crashed down.

But Su-ho was already gone.

Right before impact, he extended his Blood Sword like a staff, shifting his position in midair.

‘Looks like I’ll have to rely on Blood Weapon for a while.’

A Blood Spear in his left hand for mobility, a Blood Sword in his right for offense.

It would cost him in blood, sure—but he could handle that for now.

After a few sharp movements, Su-ho was at the dragon’s doorstep.

[Blacksmith’s Eye has activated.]

The fine mesh of lines covering the Molten Dragon’s body—weak points.

Crimson dots nestled in the pattern: true vulnerabilities.

Su-ho released the Blood Spear, thickened the Blood Sword, and slashed at the closest weak point.

[Steel Cleave has activated.]

The blade bit in fully.

But not all the way through.

Phase Two had clearly hardened its scales.

Still, it had penetrated—just not completely.

‘If I use Enhance, I could probably cut clean through...’

The idea was tempting.

But burning mana on just one scale wasn’t efficient.

The tail slammed down where Su-ho had stood.

Using pain-based techniques like Brand of Agony wasn’t much help here.

The dragon wasn’t pressuring him with spells—it was using overwhelming environmental heat and raw physical power.

‘So there’s only one method left...’

He backed off, checked his remaining mana, and sighed.

‘Alright. Let’s do this.’

He’d tried to avoid using it—it wasn’t efficient.

But now he had no other choice.

[Weakening has activated.]

Weakening—the fifth Crusader skill Su-ho had gained upon reaching level 180.

A white light radiated from the tip of his blade, enveloping the Molten Dragon.

[All stats of the Molten Dragon have been reduced by 20%.]

A simple effect, but devastating in impact.

Straightforward, but heavy.

‘70% mana for 20% debuff... definitely not something I’d use lightly.’

But still—a boss-specific nuke if there ever was one.

Luckily, Su-ho had rested during his crafting session, so his health and mana were topped off.

And since Weakening could only affect one target at a time, this made it perfect for a boss like the Molten Dragon.

His buffs were active, 70% of his mana was spent.

But the hardest parts—fire resistance and survivability—were handled.

All that was left now was to hunt with raw ability.

And that, more than anything, was Su-ho’s specialty.

Another tail strike where he had just been.

Su-ho leapt backward, dodging, then extended the Blood Spear like a staff to close the gap.

He reached the same weak point as before and swung again.

[Steel Cleave has activated.]

He felt the blade sink in—cleaner than before.

This time, the scale split open.

He followed up immediately, swinging Steel Cleave horizontally to peel it off completely.

Realizing a scale had been ripped off, the dragon bellowed in rage.

[The Molten Dragon uses a boss-level Fear aura.]

[Dragon’s Blood negates all Fear effects.]

Phase Two or not, it was still the same creature.

And that was when Su-ho unleashed hell.

[Steel Cleave /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ has activated.]

[Steel Cleave has activated.]

[Steel Cleave has activated.]

Swordsmanship skills barely used any mana.

They were essentially techniques of action, not magic.

Which meant Su-ho could swing as much as he wanted.

He tore into the dragon’s exposed weaknesses—relentlessly, surgically.

Even without targeting the reverse scale, just exploiting those weak points was enough to shred through the beast’s armor.

[The enraged Molten Dragon uses Breath.]

Eventually, it lost patience and unleashed its Breath once more.

But Su-ho didn’t move.

KWA-KWA-KWA-KWAHHHHH!!

The Breath exploded around him.

And while the dragon’s head remained fixed during the Breath...

He tore into the raw flesh beneath the scale, feeling the blade pierce deep.

So the flesh did hurt.

The dragon’s brow furrowed.

Whether it couldn’t or wouldn’t, the Breath kept pouring.

He had no intention of stopping either.

He drove his blade deeper into the exposed flesh—then activated Enhance.

The skill he chose: Cloud Cutter.

It had the widest area of effect among his attacks.

Perfect for tearing this thing open from the inside.

Su-ho, blade buried deep, swung wide.

[Cloud Cutter has activated.] ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⟡𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕥⟡𝕟𝕖𝕥

[Cloud Cutter’s power greatly increased.]

A white flash tore through the Molten Dragon’s body.

In that instant, its Breath cut off.

The strike had landed cleanly—his raised arms the only proof needed.

The dragon’s body split in two.

A gush of blood erupted from the sundered torso.

[You have slain the Molten Dragon.]