Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

Rain approached his friends and began to heal them, and slowly, they began to wake up. He started with Terra to help him with that since, in his charge, he messed up his leg again by using all his might with a step in.

"That was nightmarish… we must have gone insane thinking that we could have fought that," Terra said when she got up.

"You guys did well since these ones were stronger than the one I defeated," Rain said and then pointed to his leg and his disheveled hair.

Rain earnestly attempted to lift his friends' spirits, but their faces still bore the weight of disappointment and frustration. Despite their rigorous training in the past months, the presence of the dragons had left them feeling disheartened, as if they were facing an insurmountable obstacle that no amount of preparation could conquer.

Rain offered words of encouragement, reminding them of the progress they had made and their unwavering determination. However, the dragons' imposing presence had cast a shadow of doubt over their efforts. The sheer magnitude of the challenge ahead had left them grappling with uncertainty.

Their unyielding dedication to training had not prepared them for the overwhelming might of the dragons. It was a stark realization that threatened to diminish their confidence and test their resolve.

Rain acknowledged his own limitations when it came to providing emotional support, and he decided to give his friends some space. They were all twenty years old, so they could handle that much.

Terra appeared to be handling the situation with greater composure. Her role as a healer likely contributed to her ability to endure the water dragon's breath attack and boost her confidence. Her composed demeanor served as a source of comfort amid the prevailing unease.

Rain respected the fact that everyone had their own way of coping with challenges, and he understood the importance of allowing his friends the time and space to process their emotions.

The group checked the drivers, and a lot of them ran away thanks to the chaos… a lot of the merchandise was also knocked down from the wagons, but it was mostly intact. It was amazing, but no one died in that fight…

"... It looks like you messed up your leg to save our asses," Jori said after a long sigh. "Sorry about that."

"You are too old to act all gloomy. Deal with those feelings properly if they are bothering you," Rain said.

"... What are we going to do about the dragon that you defeated?" Jori asked.

"Sell or take it back home after dismantling it. We have plenty of room, after all," Rain replied. "Hey, who is your leader here?"

Rain decided to approach the magic people stationed at the post to discuss the body of the earth dragon. Unfortunately, their leader wasn't there.. Although the leader wasn't present, they did not refuse Rain's request to retrieve the defeated dragon.

While the idea of bringing the dragon back for potentially more profit crossed Rain's mind, he understood the importance of negotiating with Josar to ensure a smooth and mutually beneficial arrangement. This cautionary approach aimed to guarantee the satisfaction of all parties involved.

The group decided to only depart the next day in order to recover from the surprise. Rain's leg was already healed, but they needed some to put their minds in the game again.

Although it cost a bit of mana, Rain transported the dragon's body to the magic people's military post. They also said that they could ask for some vehicles to transport the dragon to the human country if Rain wishes for it.

Rain couldn't help but notice that the magic people were being surprisingly nice, especially considering that just six months ago, they had been locked in deadly combat with him and his group.

Rain could only speculate that the change in the magic people's attitude stemmed from viewing humans not as mere weaklings but as another formidable species. It seemed that they had come to respect the humans' strength and capabilities, leading to a shift in their approach.

"Although we had our ass kicked, I guess we can brag about seeing four dragons on a single day," Jori said when the group was having dinner.

"Rain, don't you think that you would have defeated all of them if you had trained with a sword or something?" Reca asked. "I think that you would truly be something else if you used your magic skills with a sword."

"I highly doubt it," Rain said. "I feel more comfortable fighting like I do."

Rain wondered if they would ask where he got the inspiration to fight like that… until recently, the martial artists of the magic people weren't known, so it was really weird for Rain to pick that kind of fighting style.

Rain also realized that his plan to use the martial artists of that country to learn a bit more probably wasn't going to work… Josar said that they didn't have to go to two posts, and there was a chance that they would be one of those since Rain killed their previous leader.

"Rain, can you increase the weight on my legs? I don't want to have my ass kicked like that again," Jori suddenly said after he slapped his cheeks. "I guess the only way to deal with this is to train more than you."

"That seems like a challenge," Rain said. "Still, I can't respect your foolishness for thinking that you can train harder than me."

To uplift the group's spirits and fuel their determination, Rain introduced a rigorous training regimen. He made their weights even heavier, intensifying their workouts to push the boundaries of their physical capabilities.

It felt like he was molding a squad of elite warriors that were actually people who had muscle for brains, each member dedicated to reaching their maximum strength and endurance, much like Rain himself. That seemed like something interesting, so Rain wondered what would be the final result.