Starting the Strategy from Frieren

Linton, filled with worry, knelt on the ground and bowed his head sincerely to Ivan.

"Please, could you check the main battlefield for us? We're willing to pay you whatever you ask! I beg of you—"

"Whoa, whoa, stop that!" Ivan exclaimed, quickly helping him up. "No need to bow—I never said I wouldn't go. Besides, I'm heading to the Village of the Sword to pull the hero sword and become a hero anyway. Protecting people from magic beasts? That's just part of the job!"

After pulling Linton to his feet, Ivan prepared to fly directly to the battlefield but paused, realizing the hunter might be in danger if left alone. He decided to bring Linton along.

"Hold on tight—we're taking off!"

"Whoa—aaaahhh!"

Linton flailed in panic as they shot hundreds of meters into the air. It took him a few moments to calm down.

Ivan raised an eyebrow. When he first took Flamme into the sky, she'd been ecstatic for several minutes. He hadn't expected this ordinary hunter to regain composure so quickly.

"Linton, could you point me toward the main battlefield? The fog's getting thicker, and I can't see very far."

"Sorry, Mr. Ivan, I'm afraid I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because my eyes are shut... I'm terrified of heights. If I open them, I might faint right here."

"...Seriously?"

Despite keeping his eyes closed, Linton managed to describe nearby landmarks and give general directions, allowing Ivan to navigate swiftly.

"The fog is getting heavier. Why'd you all decide to hold a hunt in weather like this?" Ivan asked.

"I don't know. The village elders predicted clear skies today—it was sunny this morning. I've got no idea why it's so foggy now."

"ROAR!"

Their conversation was interrupted by a guttural roar. A blazing dragon flame tore through the mist, narrowly missing them. Ivan dodged with ease, but his expression darkened.

"Wait… Was your hunt supposed to involve taking down a Dark Dragon?"

"Impossible!" Linton's eyes flew open in shock. But as he glanced at the ground below, he immediately shut them again, trembling.

"Dark Dragons live in the Abyss Cavern, over ten kilometers away, and they hibernate during winter. There's no way one would show up here!"

"Well, it is here."

Ivan descended to a relatively safe spot with Linton. The battle nearby was in full swing.

The Village of the Sword team—five warriors, three mages, two priests, and a few hunter-clad villagers providing support—was struggling. While capable against ordinary magic beasts, they were no match for a creature as powerful as a Dark Dragon.

This particular dragon bore old wounds: one of its horns had been severed, and mist constantly poured from the break, likely the cause of the sudden weather change. A healthy Dark Dragon would wield devastating dark-attribute magic through its horns. This one had lost that ability but could still use its signature Dragon Flame. Its thick scales provided near-impenetrable resistance to magic and physical attacks, save for the vulnerable reverse scale on its neck.

Ivan analyzed the situation. A direct confrontation was out of the question, but knowing the dragon's weakness gave him a way forward.

He fired two magic missiles at the reverse scale, but both were intercepted by a localized barrier. The dragon was clearly aware of its vulnerability and had reinforced it.

Ivan spotted a warrior being knocked unconscious and about to be crushed under the dragon's massive claw. Acting swiftly, Ivan used spatial magic to teleport the warrior out of harm's way and into the care of the priests.

"I'm just a passing mage—no time to explain! Heal him now!"

The double teleport drained half of Ivan's mana. Without hesitation, he retrieved four snow wolf corpses from his spatial ring and instantly refined them to restore his mana.

"By the way, mind if I borrow your sword? I'll return it after we deal with the dragon," Ivan said, addressing the unconscious warrior. Without waiting for a response, he stowed the longsword in his ring, assuming silence was consent.

Approaching the blond warrior who appeared to be the leader, Ivan said, "Keep the dragon busy. I'll attack from above. When I give the signal, scatter immediately."

"Understood!"

Recognizing Ivan's power, the leader quickly adjusted their tactics.

Ivan's effortless flight bolstered the team's morale. Flight magic was still a rarity among mages, and his mastery suggested he was either a prodigy or a seasoned expert.

High above, Ivan retrieved a massive boulder from his spatial ring. Aligning his thumb and squinting like aiming down a sight, he locked onto the dragon far below.

Disabling his flight magic, Ivan let gravity take over, plummeting like a meteor. Wind sliced at his skin, leaving faint cuts.

It was a scene reminiscent of Stephen Chow's Kung Fu Hustle, where a character descends from the sky like divine retribution. However, Ivan lacked martial arts skill, so diving headfirst would have been suicide.

Instead, he opted for something more practical—and just as devastating.

Using the spatial ring's property of maintaining relative motion, Ivan hurled the boulder mid-fall. Its speed, amplified by his descent, turned it into a deadly projectile.

The faster it moved, the harder it would hit.

Meanwhile, on the battlefield below, the team grew restless.

"Captain, we should retreat! We're almost out of mana!" one mage pleaded.

Another added, "That mage probably ran into trouble—or worse, abandoned us. We should leave while we still can!"

"He's not coming back! Let's go before we all die!" shouted a wounded warrior, pale and missing an arm.

The captain gritted his teeth. "Just a bit longer... I trust him. He saved Sean at great risk to himself. He has no reason to betray us."

Resolute, the team braced for another charge, though their morale wavered.

The Dark Dragon, sensing danger, grew increasingly agitated, but it couldn't pinpoint the threat looming from above.