CHAPTER 276: CHAPTER 275 - THE PAIN SHE NEVER EXPECTED.

For three full seconds, the battlefield was silent.

The dragon stood frozen, eyes wide, tail twitching, molten pupils dilated like someone had just whispered the dirtiest secret in existence straight into her ear.

Even the moss walls from earlier would’ve been blushing if they’d seen this.

"...Did... we just...?" Jessy whispered.

Raven’s voice cut through the stillness like a guillotine.

"Not enough. The tip barely went in."

The dragon’s gaze snapped toward him, eyes wider than before under the metal cover. ’Only the tip?!’

Her mind screamed. ’What in the nine hells happens if it goes all the way—’

Raven didn’t wait for her to finish the thought.

His body rippled, red-black dragon scales surging over him, claws sharpening, and a growl leaving his mouth.

He didn’t activate the voidfire, as it could trigger the survival instincts of the dragon, but he kept the partial dragon form on for the strength boost.

He needed that boost.

Without ceremony, he stepped forward and slammed his fist into the base of the spear.

The spear slid deeper.

The dragon... did not roar. She did not scream. She made a noise that could only be described as "half opera singer, half tavern wench seeing a gold purse."

"...Did she just...?" Alex said, blinking.

"Oh-ho-ho, she did," Omni cackled from Raven’s arm. "We are officially in the splash zone now, boys and girls."

The spear still wasn’t all the way in.

Raven turned sharply. "Clara! Make it ring."

Clara’s brows lifted in perfect calm. "Of course."

She stepped forward, fingertips grazing the spear. A low vibration pulsed out, humming through the metal.

The dragon shuddered. Her tail relaxed. Her molten eyes rolled halfway back.

She was getting vibrated, feeling the sensation for the first time.

"Yo," Rufus muttered, "this is starting to feel like a scene Nibbles is not legally old enough to be watching."

Nibbles, however, had his eyes fixed on the ongoing scene.

Alex, like an uncertified and unqualified guardian, didn’t even cover the squirrel’s eyes.

But before anyone could reply to Rufus’s words, Raven reared back and slammed both fists into the spear.

With a satisfying metallic CHUNK, it went all the way in.

The dragon let out a moan that could have stripped paint from walls.

The surroundings shook as the air trembled.

Then, without a warning, the dragon collapsed—slow and dramatic, like a fainting diva—onto the ground, her eyes rolled back.

The battlefield was dead silent again... save for the sound of the metal plates that had covered the dragon’s eyes clattering away.

For a while, the quiet was maintained until Graye let out a long exhale. "I don’t know why, but... I feel like we won something very, very wrong."

One by one, everyone else let out the kind of relieved sigh you give when the cart barely misses hitting you... But you know it’s still carrying explosives.

The corrupt panther trotted over, sniffed the spear, and batted it with a paw. The dragon twitched, letting out a weak moan.

Alex immediately joined in, giving it a tiny shake. The dragon made a noise that could have meant stop or don’t stop.

Probably the latter, as she had the power to stop them whenever she wished.

Jessy groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "We are never speaking of this again."

"Oh, we speaking of it forever," Omni said. "This is going down in history as ’Operation Backdoor Breakthrough.’"

Selena, who had been composed the entire time, leaned to Raven’s side and whispered with deadly softness, "You looked far too practiced doing that, Raven."

Clara, smirking faintly, added, "I’m starting to think he’s been keeping a few... talents hidden from us."

Siris grinned, completely unbothered. "I liked it. Let’s do it again."

Lia’s face was scarlet. "Y-you people are insane! I didn’t come here to—to—"

She sputtered. "—poke dragons in that place!"

"Cluckles sees the truth," the chicken intoned gravely, stepping forward. "All beings share the same weakness. Dragons, kings, squirrels..."

Nibbles squeaked indignantly.

"...and perhaps," Cluckles finished, "even chickens. But we do not speak of such things in polite company."

Jake said nothing, just walked over, gave the spear a test wiggle, and stepped back like nothing happened.

The dragon, weak but still breathing, now knew one undeniable truth: she wasn’t invincible.

Her eyes locked on Raven with something between humiliation and respect... and maybe a little interest—not the modest kind, though.

...........................

For a long moment after the... incident, nobody spoke.

They just sat in a big, awkward circle in the dragon’s cavern, everyone very deliberately not looking at the spear now lying harmlessly to the side.

The dragon herself—now much calmer and looking far less like the apex predator of nightmares and far more like someone nursing the memory of a bizarre date—broke the silence first.

Her voice was smooth but carried an edge.

"So," she said, her molten eyes sweeping the group, "you have caused me to... feel. Pain, yes... but also..." She trailed off, catching herself, "...pain. Therefore, I will help you the best I can."

Without missing a beat, Alex, Nibbles, Cluckles, the corrupt panther, and Graye all pointed to the same thing.

"The food," they said—or, well, said, squeaked, whimpered, and clucked—in unison.

The dragon blinked. "Food? That? Pfft. That is no treasure. I made those. Eat as much as you want."

Instantly, the entire group turned toward Raven with a unified glare.

This was the same guy who had explicitly told them earlier, "Don’t eat the dragon’s stuff unless you want to die horribly."

Raven shrugged. "New information."

The four pairs of eyes stared at him for a second longer before the glares vanished—replaced with a stampede.

Alex reached the pile first, stuffing something that looked suspiciously like a glowing croissant into his mouth.

Graye shoved a plate of roasted meat toward Nibbles, who dove in face-first.

The panther bit into a chunk of sizzling red meat big enough to feed three people.

Cluckles... went straight for a whole roast chicken.

That action, however, made the dragon tilt her head.

Her eyes narrowed as she muttered, "...Is the small bird eating another bird?"

Raven didn’t even look. "Ignore it, or you’ll feel a mental pain unlike anything before."

The moment pain was mentioned, the dragon twitched.

The sound that followed was... unmistakable.

Everyone froze.

It was the distinct, echoing clench of a certain muscle.

Dead silence.

Every single one of them deadpanned in unison.

"Was that—?" Rufus glanced at the dragon, but before he could complete his words, the dragon coughed—a deep, rumbling sound—like she was trying to play it off.

"Ahem. What else do you want? I can give you anything you can take."

They silently exchanged doubtful glances until Lia finally spoke. "There’s a rule outside that says we shouldn’t be greedy."

Another silence followed as the dragon tilted her head, her eyes squinting as if she was trying hard to recall something until her eyes shone with realization.

Then, she waved a claw dismissively. "I made those rules. They are for people who try to sneak in. They do not apply to you."

That was all the encouragement Alex, who was still eating, needed. "You heard her! Open season!"

The buffet instantly doubled in noise.

Nibbles was dual-wielding cheese wheels.

The panther was dragging a whole platter into a corner like it was a fresh kill.

Cluckles had two drumsticks and was clucking in pure bliss.

Even Jake and Rufus—who had been standing off to the side like they were too cool to care—slid over as if they were "just checking things out."

Ten seconds later, Jake was holding a plate stacked so high it looked like a game of edible Jenga, and Rufus was gnawing on a rack of ribs.

"Don’t tell anyone I came here," Rufus muttered between bites.

"Hm," Jake merely nodded seriously.

But those who knew him could tell that this single nod meant, "Brother, I will die before I snitch."

Rufus nodded back, sharing a piece of meat with the silent member of the group, who gratefully accepted it.

Meanwhile, Selena and Clara had also moved, sipping drinks from delicate, glowing goblets, perfectly composed, while absolute chaos unfolded around them.

Everyone was around the buffet table in one way or another, including Lia and Jessy.

Siris, on the other hand, was trying to balance a pie on her head while eating a second one with her hands.

The dragon, watching this display, murmured under her breath, "...You’re all insane."

Raven smirked. "You’re just figuring that out?"

It was then that Omni’s voice echoed in Raven’s head. "Man, the buffet’s hitting deeper than the spear."

The protagonist almost choked, thankful that Omni said that in his head and not out loud.