Safe City Ch.53

Chapter 53: The Distant Sky where the Skywing Dragons Circled

This time, the people of Blue Sea advanced in silence.

No one shouted or cheered.

As if by unspoken agreement, everyone slowed their breathing and followed the routes marked on the official map, charging forward with their heads down.

Even so, they moved as lightly as possible, afraid that too much noise would alarm the Skywing Dragons and cause them to fly away from the area.

Light on their feet, yes—

But they still had to be fast.

It wasn’t because they were afraid they couldn’t outrun the Skywing Dragons.

It was because they were afraid they couldn’t outrun their fellow Blue Sea residents.

Those were flight wings, after all!

At present, only two million pairs could be manufactured immediately.

As for any additional pairs beyond that, everything would depend on how many Skywing Dragon wings were turned in and when they were submitted.

Even the people from the other civilizations who had joined Blue Sea later found themselves tempted.

Humans weren’t born with wings.

But humans had always dreamed of flying.

Since they all belonged to human civilizations, of course they wanted flight wings too.

Even if they knew they couldn’t compete against the Blue Sea citizens going all out…

Surely they could at least get in line after those first two million slots.

The sooner they joined the queue, the sooner they would receive a pair of flight wings of their own.

At last, the first Blue Sea resident reached the Skywing Dragons’ territory.

His eyes met those of a Skywing Dragon that had just returned to its nest.

The battle had begun.

“Screeeech—!”

It was still daytime.

Only a small portion of the Skywing Dragons had returned to their nests; most were still out hunting.

The moment that Skywing Dragon spotted a human, it let out a fierce, piercing cry.

Skywing Dragons weren’t particularly intelligent. The cry wasn’t a warning to its companions—it was simply an instinctive reaction upon spotting prey.

Without bothering to wonder why the prey had voluntarily come to it, the creature opened its jaws and prepared to swoop in for its meal.

But before it could even flap its wings and take off, the roughly two-meter-tall, heavily muscled Blue Sea resident lunged onto its back.

A long, razor-sharp spike drove straight through the Skywing Dragon’s back and buried itself deep into the ground beneath it.

“SKREEEE—!”

This time, it was a scream of agony.

The next instant, the entire Skywing Dragon nesting grounds erupted into chaos.

Ever since they had claimed this territory, the Skywing Dragons had never seen humans bold enough to invade it.

Accustomed to dominating every encounter with humans, they immediately soared into the sky before diving down in coordinated attacks, striking at the Blue Sea resident with their razor-sharp beaks and deadly talons.

But the Blue Sea resident had anticipated exactly this.

With a nimble roll, he slipped beneath the wounded Skywing Dragon he had pinned down.

The reason Skywing Dragons were such a nightmare for so many city lords was that they lived in flocks and fought as a group. Their beaks and talons were lethally sharp, and even their wings were tough enough to serve as shields.

When dealing with flying enemies, many Safe City residents preferred bows and arrows.

But Skywing Dragons could simply twist their bodies in midair, using their sturdy wings to block incoming arrows.

Then, once the barrage weakened, they would swoop down with remarkable agility, crushing their prey’s skulls with either their beaks or their talons.

This time, however…

The Skywing Dragons had encountered opponents even more agile than themselves.

The Blue Sea resident had taken cover beneath the injured Skywing Dragon, but that didn’t stop the others from attacking with full force.

Already in agony, the wounded beast had been skewered to the ground by a specially made spike that pierced straight through its body, leaving it unable to take flight.

It could only shriek viciously while spreading its wings, instinctively shielding itself from the attacks of its own flockmates.

At the same time, beneath it, the Blue Sea resident endured the creature’s massive weight on his shoulders while repeatedly driving his dagger into its body, opening wound after wound.

The Skywing Dragon fumbled with its claws, managing to slash him several times.

Fresh cuts appeared across his body.

His insulated winter suit was torn in several places, and the bitter cold slowly began seeping inside.

The Blue Sea resident couldn’t have cared less.

So what if he got injured?

At worst, he’d lose a chunk of flesh.

As long as he protected his head from being ripped open, he’d be fine.

And if things got really bad, he could always activate one of his green-grade item cards.

The battle filled him with exhilaration.

That slight chill meant nothing.

As long as his winter suit wasn’t completely destroyed, he could keep fighting.

And if worst came to worst…

He could always crawl inside the Skywing Dragon’s corpse to shelter from the freezing wind for a while.

He held the Skywing Dragon pinned beneath him with an iron grip, relentlessly searching for its heart.

Using nothing more sophisticated than repeated stabs with his knife.

“SKREEEE—!”

The flock that had surrounded him was soon distracted by other prey.

One after another, the faster Blue Sea residents arrived on the battlefield.

Before long, the main force reached the area as well.

The snowy plain was instantly filled with the savage cries of the Skywing Dragons and the excited, heavy breathing of Blue Sea’s fighters as they battled.

This was nothing like the kind of fights the Skywing Dragons were used to.

In the past, they had always been the ones diving down from the sky while the prey below either fled in panic or brandished weapons in a desperate attempt to stop the charge.

But these prey…

Most of them didn’t dodge at all.

Instead, the moment the Skywing Dragons swooped down—

They charged toward them.

And not just one or two.

Large groups of them rushed forward together.

“Don’t let them get away!!”

To the Blue Sea residents, there was only one thing in sight:

Those enormous, gently beating wings.

They were terrified the Skywing Dragons would realize the battle was turning against them and simply fly away.

Every time one landed, several Blue Sea residents immediately threw themselves at it, doing everything they could to keep it grounded.

Even if they couldn’t stop it from taking off…

It didn’t matter if they got carried into the air along with it.

After all…

Every single Blue Sea resident had successfully attached themselves to a Skywing Dragon one way or another.

If someone’s weapon was knocked away during the fight, they simply switched to using their fists, hammering the creatures with savage punches.

Force worked both ways.

The Skywing Dragons certainly felt the blows.

But at the same time, the shattered bones of the dragons cut deeply into the Blue Sea residents’ fists, leaving their hands covered in blood.

Yet none of them seemed to care.

If anything—

The sight of blood only made them more excited.

Even when a violent thrash hurled someone several meters away, they would hit the ground, scramble back to their feet in less than half a second, and lunge right back into the fight.

Grabbing onto a Skywing Dragon’s claws just as it tried to take flight,

They clung to it once more—

Like relentless ghosts that simply refused to let go.

Even if one person couldn’t hold a Skywing Dragon down, another Blue Sea resident would immediately rush over to take their place.

Some became so frantic in the heat of battle that using both hands and feet wasn’t enough.

They simply bit the creatures.

With their teeth, they tore chunks of flesh straight off the Skywing Dragons.

One person doing something like that wouldn’t be particularly remarkable.

But when everyone was doing it…

That was an entirely different matter.

The Skywing Dragons on the ground rolled about desperately, trying to throw off the restraints binding them.

Those still in the air couldn’t tell what their companions were going through. They continued searching for openings to dive down and attack, only to have other Blue Sea residents seize the same opportunity, dragging them to the ground with tools—

Or simply with their own bodies.

The moment a Skywing Dragon landed, anywhere from a handful to more than a dozen Blue Sea residents would converge on it.

Almost none of the grounded Skywing Dragons ever managed to take flight again.

——

Quan Shazi could only stare in stunned silence.

This scene felt so familiar.

He had never lived through a zombie apocalypse.

But before the end of the world, he had watched zombie movies.

And what he was seeing now looked almost exactly the same.

Like those scenes where a lone survivor runs through the streets with thousands of zombies in pursuit.

Eventually the person is caught.

The camera shifts to an overhead view.

Countless zombies swarm over the unfortunate victim until the human disappears beneath the horde.

Only this time…

The ones being swallowed by the “zombies” were the Skywing Dragons.

There were still plenty of Skywing Dragons left.

Many circled overhead, searching for chances to attack while continuously letting out savage cries.

Those cries would inevitably attract other Skywing Dragon flocks from across the region.

That was what made flying snow beasts so troublesome.

Not only could they fly—

They also acted as beacons for other snow beasts, signaling where prey could be found.

Across these endless snowy plains, communication wasn’t easy for humans.

Nor was it for snow beasts.

But when large flocks of flying snow beasts gathered in circles above a single patch of sky, even creatures from far away could spot them.

They would converge on the area, hoping to claim their own share of the feast.

By then, the humans would naturally find themselves surrounded on all sides.

In the past, if Quan Shazi had witnessed something like this…

His liver would have been trembling with fear.  

Ever since his residents had encountered these Skywing Dragons, they had been completely suppressed. They had never witnessed anything on this scale.

Yet now, as Quan Shazi watched the Skywing Dragons calling for reinforcements, he found himself feeling strangely calm.

Not frightened.

Not panicked.

Perhaps it was because the Blue Sea residents fighting below weren’t afraid, either.

If anything, their excitement was visibly growing.

Besides…

People were still pouring out of Blue Sea’s city gates.

“SKREEEEEEE!!!”

In just that short span of time, nearly every Blue Sea resident had been splattered with the blood of Skywing Dragons.

Dragon corpses already littered the snow.

Some fighters kept their heads down, completely absorbed in combat.

Others looked up at the Skywing Dragons circling overhead, shrieking without end.

Every Blue Sea resident who had left the city had memorized the Skywing Dragons’ information before departing.

They knew perfectly well that the creatures’ cries could travel for great distances, attracting even more snow beasts.

That was exactly what the people of Blue Sea wanted.

One woman wiped the blood from her face and stepped onto the corpse of a Skywing Dragon.

She planted her squad’s flag firmly into the carcass.

The flag bore her squad’s name and identification number.

Their entire battle was also being recorded by the wrist-mounted devices each member wore.

A smile spread across her face.

Because it was streaked with blood, the smile looked almost savage.

Our squad has secured one pair of flight wings.

But…

One pair wasn’t enough.

There were eleven people in her squad.

The squad leader raised her head toward the Skywing Dragons circling high above.

Her eyes burned with fighting spirit.

Call.

Go on—keep calling.

Use your cries to summon even more Skywing Dragons.

Bring us more flight wings.

Whether her squad would be able to travel freely across Dazzling Star, obtain more item cards, and earn even more contribution points…

Depended on whether every member could be equipped with a pair of flight wings this time.

Our God…

Please grant us more Skywing Dragons.

——

Several residents of Puya Safe City were running for their lives, chased by more than a dozen Skywing Dragons.

Their lives had only recently begun to settle into a routine.

Each of them had built a small wooden cabin, and by hunting in small groups every day, they were just barely able to maintain a stable existence.

Then a flock of Skywing Dragons flew into the region.

From that day onward, life became miserable for the residents scattered around Puya Safe City.

In this world, there was only one way to obtain resources:

Fight snow beasts.

They couldn’t simply retreat into the Safe City and stay there. While the city’s walls and protective barrier could keep snow beasts out, remaining inside also meant they had no way to obtain the resources this world offered.

So even after these flying snow beasts arrived, forcing the residents to face life-and-death situations every so often…

All they could do was grit their teeth and endure.

Their method of enduring was simple.

Run.

Run!

Run back to their cabins!

Skywing Dragons weren’t especially intelligent.

They could easily spot humans out on the snowfields, but once a person made it inside a wooden cabin, most of the Skywing Dragons would simply lose interest and fly away.

A few of the more persistent ones, if they had actually seen someone enter the cabin, would try to tear the building apart.

But as long as the resident hid under the bed or inside a storage chest, the dragons usually couldn’t find them.

The only price was that the resident would probably lose a building item card.

Still…

Losing an item card was better than losing your life.

And so, life for the residents living in this region gradually became a repetitive cycle.

Every day they ventured out to hunt snow beasts in order to survive.

They fought desperately.

If they encountered Skywing Dragons, they fled with everything they had back to their cabins.

Once the danger had passed, they dragged their exhausted bodies back outside to continue fighting the land-dwelling snow beasts.

They had no choice.

Without killing snow beasts, how could they obtain food item cards?

Today was no different.

Several residents sprinted across the snow at full speed.

Listening carefully to the sounds above them, they threw themselves into rolling dodges whenever they heard Skywing Dragons diving from the sky, barely avoiding the creatures’ slashing talons.

Then they scrambled back to their feet and ran desperately toward their little wooden cabins.

As they ran, the Skywing Dragons overhead suddenly let out a series of shrill cries.

Then…

The foul-smelling pursuers behind them were gone.

The Puya Safe City residents, having narrowly escaped death, looked up in confusion and saw that the Skywing Dragons had abruptly changed direction, flying off toward somewhere else.

“What happened?”

The group had only just breathed a sigh of relief when they realized where the dragons were headed.

Their faces instantly turned pale.

“Oh no! That’s the direction of our Safe City!”

If the Safe City were destroyed…

Wouldn’t they be stranded in this miserable world forever?!

Forgetting all about their exhaustion, the residents immediately turned and sprinted toward Puya Safe City.

Yet before they could reach it…

They caught sight of another Safe City.

One so enormous that it dwarfed their own.

On another stretch of snowy wilderness, an inhabitant of Dazzling Star, whose arm had been bitten nearly in half, twitched his ears.

Gritting his teeth, he looked up.

In the distance, he saw a flock of Skywing Dragons circling high overhead, and a grave expression crossed his face.

What’s happening over there?

Why are so many Skywing Dragons gathering in one place?

Across from him, a land-dwelling snow beast stood facing several Dazzling Star natives.

It, too, had wounds covering its body and had clearly heard the Skywing Dragons’ cries.

The beast hesitated.

It glanced toward the distant flock of dragons, then back at the handful of stubborn prey standing before it.

After thinking it over, it turned around and left, racing toward the place where the Skywing Dragons were circling.

When Skywing Dragons attacked in groups, prey almost never survived.

If it hurried over now, there would still be a feast waiting.

This land snow beast was somewhat more intelligent than the Skywing Dragons.

It had vaguely realized that today’s prey was unusually difficult.

But that didn’t matter.

The prey the Skywing Dragons had already locked onto…

Those would be easy pickings.

“Haa…”

Watching the snow beast leave, the Dazzling Star natives all let out relieved sighs.

“Dad!”

The people shielding the elderly man with the nearly severed arm quickly turned around and helped him back to his feet.

Another elderly man called out,

“Let’s go! We need to get home and treat your wounds!”

Supported by his wife and children, the injured old man slowly struggled to his feet.

Even as he stood, his gaze remained fixed on the distant sky where the Skywing Dragons circled.

“I wonder who’s fighting those things over there… To draw in so many of them…”

There was both concern and anticipation in his voice.

These flying snow beasts always attacked in groups, but ordinarily it was only a dozen or so dragons ganging up on a single target.

As for a gathering this large…

In all his fifty-five years of life, he had never seen anything like it.

Which also meant one thing.

The Skywing Dragon flock believed the enemy they were facing was extremely powerful.

Thanks to that, his family had unknowingly benefited from the situation.

They had managed to save his life.

“I just hope it’s something good.”

The old man slowly let out a breath.

“Don’t go home yet. If those damned things weren’t facing a worthy opponent, they would never gather in such numbers.”

Snow beasts fought among themselves as well.

His greatest fear was that an even more powerful kind of snow beast had appeared in this already dangerous region, prompting the Skywing Dragons to attack it.

“Help me up. Let’s head to the top of that ridge and have a look.”

“At the very least, we need to find out what those flying snow beasts are fighting.”

“It can’t be the people from that Safe City.”

Puya Safe City had been in the region for nearly half a year, so the people of Dazzling Star naturally knew of its existence.

At first, the locals living nearby had regarded it with a mixture of caution, curiosity, and hope.

They’re aliens.

They somehow managed to come to our world.

Maybe they’re incredibly powerful.

But it didn’t take long for everyone to discover the truth.

The residents coming out of Puya Safe City weren’t even as capable in battle as the natives of Dazzling Star.

Even the stronger fighters among Puya’s residents had a lower survival rate on these snowy plains than the locals did.

After all, the people of Dazzling Star had lived in this harsh land their entire lives.

No one understood how to survive here better than they did.

For example, both of the family’s elders understood that the most urgent thing wasn’t returning home.

It was finding out what those flying snow beasts were fighting, so they could prepare themselves in advance.

No one understood how troublesome those flying snow beasts were better than the people of Dazzling Star.

They couldn’t even withstand attacks from three or five Skywing Dragons.

An assault on this scale was beyond imagination.

Which meant that whatever was capable of fighting so many flying snow beasts at once had to be extraordinarily powerful.

Life in this region was already difficult enough.

If even larger snow beasts—ones capable of standing toe-to-toe with flying snow beasts—had appeared, then even though relocating on Dazzling Star was practically synonymous with s**cide, their family would have to seriously consider moving.

The younger members of the family exchanged hesitant glances.

They wanted to hurry home and treat their father’s injuries.

But their mother, who had also lived here for more than fifty years, shared the exact same opinion as the old man.

Since both parents insisted, the younger generation had no choice.

Supporting their father, whose wounds had already been bandaged and treated with medicine, they carefully wrapped themselves in snow cloaks and climbed a snowy ridge.

It was a place their family often used to observe the movements of prey.

They knew the route by heart.

When they reached the summit, the view opened up before them.

Sure enough, they could clearly see the area where countless large flying snow beasts had gathered.

The entire family’s pupils contracted in perfect unison.

The snowfield had already been stained crimson with blood.

The battlefield wasn’t especially far away.

They could clearly make out the countless Blue Sea residents fearlessly launching ferocious attacks.

They could see another Safe City in the distance—one far larger than Puya Safe City.

And they could also see…

Across the blood-soaked snow—

Layer upon layer…

The corpses of Skywing Dragons, carpeting nearly the entire battlefield.

<< _ >>