If only it was that easy. Jack was sure the dragon’s eye was not on him when he approached, which meant the dragon had sensed him. Considering Broidrireg was an eternal grade, Jack didn’t find it strange for the dragon to have mana sense as well.
Jack didn’t let the failure sway him. Next was the seventh time, he still had four chances. He was still thinking as Broidrireg’s claw came and grabbed him.
“Hma?| You are awfully quiet. Where is all that blabber from before?” Broidrireg asked as he flew upward.
“Oh? Do you miss talking with me?” Jack asked.
“Goodbye!” Broidrireg uttered as he threw Jack far away before diving back into the clouds again.
“Hey! What was that all about?” Peniel asked. She was now holding tightly to Jack’s armor again. She had caught up when Broidrireg brought Jack back up here.
“I think what he meant by flying with him is literally flying with him. Meaning I have to catch him and fly on his body.”
“You are saying you want to ride him.”
“Well, I think he might be offended if we say it that way. But yes, we are supposed to ride this motherf*cking dragon to pass the trial,” Jack said.
“So, are you going to try again?” Peniel asked.
“I am, but I’m going to do it differently,” Jack said. He then positioned himself horizontally and spread his arms and legs in an X-shape. Increasing the air drag on his body and slowing his descent this time.
He slowed his breathing and fused himself with his surroundings. The air, the current. He might not be able to do mana concealment during a fight, but he was good enough at concealing his mana when being still. Right now, the falling allowed him to still move downward while being still.
As he felt himself blending with his surrounding, he slowly repositioned himself to aim his fall in the direction where Broidrireg’s shadow was seen. He fell while continuing to shroud his presence.
This time, Broidrireg didn’t notice his approach. Jack fell right at the back of the dragon’s neck, which was covered by multilayered thick plates. These large plates were like plate armor that protected the dragon’s neck. Jack had aimed for this part because these plates looked handy enough for a handhold. Other than these plates and the horns, other parts were covered by tight scales which didn’t provide good enough handgrips.
Jack caught onto one of these plates as he bumped onto Broidrireg. He was right, this plate allowed for a solid hold. He grabbed onto it as if his life depended on it. In a way, it did.
Broidrireg was startled to find that Jack had already clinging to his neck.
“Not bad, outworlder,” Broidrireg uttered.
“So, have I passed the trial?” Jack asked.
“Hahaha, cute. We will have to see if you can hold on first,” Broidrireg replied.
“Hold on? Whya?|” Jack’s words were cut short as Broidrireg made a sudden lunge. The sudden burst of speed didn’t trouble Jack as the strength of his grips was solid. What followed after was the problem, a sudden explosion of air happened as Broidrireg lunged. This explosion caused a shockwave that radiated backward. When this shockwave hit Jack, he felt as if he had been slammed by a high-speeding train. His grips were forcefully torn away and he found himself spiraling in the air.
<br/>He didn’t know where was up or down. The spiraling made him feel extremely dizzy. Suddenly he was caught by something and his body stabilized. He was still woozy when he looked up and found himself in Broidrireg’s claw again as the dragon flew upward.
“Nice try,” Broidrireg complimented. “But not enough.”
“That is cheating! How can I hold on with such a force?” Jack protested.
“Less complaining, more effort,” Broidrireg replied. “Hehe, tell you what. If you can hold on against that sonic wind for eight times, then we can consider you passing the trial.”
“Eight times? I can’t even survive it one time!” Jack complained.
“Haha. So, are you giving up?”
Jack didn’t answer. He gave the matter some thoughts. There should be a way. No way a trial was made without a way to solve it. He was watching Broidrireg as he was thinking.
‘Eight?’ He thought and noticed the thick plates behind Broidrireg’s necks that he had used for handholds. There are nine of them.
Jack was still thinking when Broidrireg threw him away before diving back into the clouds below.
“Do you have an idea?” Peniel asked after seeing Jack’s contemplating expression.
“I think I do. However, whether it works or not is still to be seen,” Jack answered. “Only three chances left now. I hope this works.”
He then repeated his previous process. He concealed his mana while diving towards where the dragon was. He aimed at the upper part of the neck now. If his suspicion was right, he would need to reach the first plate that was closest to the head.
Even when Broidrireg already knew that Jack would be coming from above, he didn’t make any attempt to look up. The dragon relied entirely on mana sense to detect Jack’s approach. Since Jack concealed his mana during his approach, Broidrireg was unaware. Jack figured this should be all part of the trial, which meant that only someone with mana sense ability and some basic mana manipulation, enough to do mana concealment, could attempt this trial.
Jack had played several past games that involved skydiving. So, he had learned some tracking methods to aim his fall. After several freefalling in the sky, he was getting a hang of this tracking skill again. He accurately fell where he was aiming at, the first plate of Broidrireg’s neck.
He immediately locked his grip once he bumped into the plate. Broidrireg noticed it.
“Haha, are you ready?” He asked.
‘This dragon was clearly enjoying this a bit too much,’ Jack said in his mind.
Broidrireg made his lunge. Jack was ready for it. Another thing about this trial that Jack had noticed, it was designed for the Draconian race. Broidrireg had said that only the draconian race could undergo the dragonification process. This trial reflected that because a draconian race’s skill was needed for this phase of the trial.
The air exploded as Broidrireg lunged and the powerful shockwave arrived. Jack activated his Gold Scale Armor. The skill increased all his defense as well as preventing knockback effect, similar to draconian’s age four skill, Hard Scale.
? The last time Jack was hit by this shockwave, he lost all control and was swept up immediately. This time, even though the force was still powerful enough to tear his grips, he didn’t lose control. His body simply flew backward. And since he was ready for it, he immediately re-lodged his hands on the next plate behind.
‘Yes! It is as I expected!’ Jack celebrated inwardly.
Broidrireg looked back, a surprising glint was in his eyes. “You are getting it rather fast, outworlder,” he said. “I’m impressed.”
Jack didn’t give any response. He was concentrating all his attention on his grips. Even without the air blast, staying on was an effort. Broidrireg had picked up in speed once Jack landed on him. He was currently flying at a crazily high speed. Jack felt as if the air itself was pulling him, trying to tear him away. If he didn’t have the strength stat of three classes, he wouldn’t be able to hold on. No wonder Broidrireg said that even higher-level natives had difficulties attempting this trial. No weakling would be able to ride this dragon.
Broidrireg made another lunge and the shockwave came again. Jack lost his grip and grabbed at the third plate. Eight sonic wind, nine plates to hold on to. By the eighth blast, he should be at the ninth plate. Then he would pass this trial. It’s a good thing his Gold Scale Armor lasted three minutes, much longer than a draconian’s Hard Scale. It was more than enough to resist this sonic wind eight times.
The sonic wind came again and again. Jack was knocked to the next plate again and again. He was on the eighth plate now, getting ready for the last sonic wind. He didn’t let himself get careless just because it was the last. Instead, he gave all his concentration. When the sonic wind arrived, it again tore his fingers from the plate he was hanging on. He was already looking at the next plate before it happened. He then quickly caught that last plate and steadied himself.
“Yes, success!!” Jack exclaimed.
Broidrireg looked back, grinned, and said, “Congratulations, hehe. However, there will be two more sonic winds!”
“Whata?|?!” Jack was stunned by the dragon’s words. “But you said there will only be eight!”
“I lied! Hahahahaa?|”
‘You lying piece of Motherf*cking dragon! Where is your dignity as onea?|?!’ Jack scolded in his mind.
“Get ready, hahaha,” Broidrireg was still laughing. He then lunged forward.
Jack watched with trepidation as the air exploded ahead.
