Growth Part I

“How did it go?”

Rin asked as soon as the three men from the survey team dismounted from the Fire Dragon upon returning to the White Dragon Island, their current base. The faces of the trio, who had volunteered for the mission, were clearly exhausted, especially Dani, who immediately grimaced.

“Terrible,” he said weakly. “On the way back, we had to fight off a swarm of dragons—probably hundreds.”

“What? A swarm of dragons!?” Rin’s eyes widened in shock.

“Those infected by the parasites,” Wolf explained. “We wanted to get closer to the boss, but as soon as we got within range, the frontline swarm appeared to block our path. We didn’t want to waste energy, so we pulled back.”

Rin’s face fell. She could already tell this mission wasn’t going to be as straightforward as others they’d faced. Even getting to the boss now meant fighting through its minions.