Red Mirror Dragon
With the awakening of the Red Mirror Dragon, Stark no longer hesitated and immediately charged forward like Battle Axe Warrior.
"Roar!"
Upon seeing Stark break the agreement and intrude into its territory, the Red Mirror Dragon was utterly enraged. Although it feared Stark, the other party had already bullied its lair, and at this moment it only wanted to tear Stark had invaded its lair, to pieces.
The angry flames shot straight towards Stark's position, Stark, with his keen physical abilities, dodged the scorching Breath of Flame and swung his Battle Axe fiercely at the Red Mirror Dragon's claws.
The clear sky was filled with howling winds, carrying the smell of earth and rocks, creating a sense of oppression. Stark was slammed into the canyon wall by the dragon's claws, his body seemingly becoming one with the rock, his whole body covered in dust.
Struggling to emerge from the stone wall, Stark stood in the center of the canyon. His figure appeared exceptionally tall in the firelight of the Red Mirror Dragon. He gripped his Battle Axe tightly, his hands trembling slightly, but his eyes were as firm as iron. The smiles of the villagers flashed through his mind. Even though he was trembling all over from the ferocity of the Red Mirror Dragon, and his body wanted to turn and run away, his heart restrained him. He couldn't abandon the villagers who were full of hope for him. Just hold on for another twenty seconds, and his master's friends would kill the Red Mirror Dragon with magic.
His heart pounded like a war drum, each beat brimming with power. The Red Mirror Dragon roared not far away, its eyes flashing with a fierce light, its scales reflecting a dark luster in the firelight.
The battle resumed, with Stark launching the first attack. He wielded his Battle Axe and charged towards the Red Mirror Dragon, the Battle Axe drawing sharp arcs through the air with a whistling sound.
The Red Mirror Dragon nimbly dodged while retaliating with its sharp claws and tail. Each of its attacks sent a sharp pain through Stark, but he did not back down. Instead, he continued to swing his Battle Axe, enduring the onslaught of magical attacks.
The battle lasted for a long time. Stark looked up at the canyon in confusion. According to the agreement with his master and friends, they should have been ready with their powerful magical attack by now.
The moment he looked up, he couldn't help but widen his eyes. There was no magical attack at all; his master's friends were leisurely eating sunflower seeds and watching him fight.
Upon realizing the truth, Stark instinctively wanted to run away, but he inadvertently noticed that the Red Mirror Dragon was also covered in wounds. Only then did he realize his own strength; he was actually capable of fighting quite well, even against a terrifying Monsters like the Red Mirror Dragon.
Realizing that no one could help him anymore, and that he had to rely on himself in the face of this situation, Stark only wanted to kill the Red Mirror Dragon before him or be killed by Red Mirror Dragon. He dodged one of the Red Mirror Dragon's fierce attacks, his blood rushing through his veins, and with terrifying speed, he leaped onto its outstretched claws to get close to its body. After dodging the Red Mirror Dragon's last burst of flames, he gripped his axe with all his might and cleaved it downwards. A pillar of light shot into the sky, and the Battle Axe, powerful enough to split mountains, slammed down on the Red Mirror Dragon's head.
"Flash Heaven Strike!"
The Red Mirror Dragon let out its final scream, Red Mirror Dragon mournful roar echoing through the sky, before collapsing helplessly to the ground.
Stark, panting heavily, looked at the fallen Red Mirror Dragon, his heart filled with exhaustion and joy. He knew he had won this life-or-death struggle, and the village would no longer have to worry about attacks from the Red Mirror Dragon.
"Wow, that's amazing. He was fine even when the dragon bit his head and flung it away. I thought that was his limit, but I never expected him to kill a dragon with a single axe strike."
Fern couldn't help but sigh, and she began to look at Stark in the canyon with new eyes. She had previously thought Stark was a complete coward, but it seemed she was wrong.
"Ahem, it's nothing special. Back then, my Junior Sister and I each stormed the Demons Realm, and we killed seventy or eighty dragons in the process, just like it was nothing."
Li Yan stood in front of Fern, spouting nonsense. Frieren tilted her head slightly, somewhat confused. She didn't remember that she and her senior brother had killed many dragon-like Monsters.
"Godfather, this must be Eize's apprentice. He's certainly a promising talent." The belated Himmel gazed admiringly at Stark below the canyon.
"Yes, take him with you. He'll be yours from now on."
Li Yan spoke expressionlessly, casually waving his hand to signal Himmel to act quickly.
"Godfather, don't you need another avant-garde traveler? I think Stark would be perfect, and he can even help you out."
Himmel scratched his head, somewhat confused. Logically, his Godfather should have liked this kind of young man the most and taken him in as his godson.
"Himmel!!"
Li Yan glared at the still somewhat confused Himmel. He had a beautiful and healthy girl by his side, and this idiot Himmel was putting a pig next to him. She was such a fool!
Feeling Li Yan's deathly gaze, Himmel shuddered, then instantly realized that her Godfather had a beloved daughter by his side and no longer cared about raising a son.
"I understand, Godfather. I will train Stark diligently."
Himmel didn't hesitate either, using her agility to leap down into the canyon. Looking at the exhausted Stark, she couldn't help but feel a sense of relief.
"Hello, Stark. My name is Himmel, a friend of your master, Eize. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Himmel stepped forward in a friendly manner. Stark blinked slightly. He had heard Himmel's name since he was a child, but he never expected that the one who killed the Demon King would actually come to him in person.
Seeing Himmel and Stark make contact, Li Yan led Frieren, Fern and the others down. He didn't want any of the Red Mirror Dragon's spoils, only a Magic Tome among them, a book that could see through clothes to reveal inner magic.
Frieren and Li Yan shared the same goal: to seize the Magic Tome among the many Mana treasures before Li Yan could.
"What type of Magic Tome is it?"
Fern asked curiously, then leaned closer to the Magic Tome in front of Frieren and began to look at Frieren together.
Li Yan felt a pang of heartache at failing to obtain the Magic Tome. The moment Frieren saw the contents of the Magic Tome, he had already given up hope of learning that magic, not to mention that Fern was also reading it.
"It seems to be a kind of magic that allows you to see through clothes."
Frieren scratched her head; this magic felt so boring.
"Sigh, I'll try to learn."
Fern held the Magic Tome and examined it carefully. After studying it for half an hour, she blinked at Frieren.
"Ugh... mmm..."
Fern gazed at the Magic Tome, then at Frieren, his eyes glancing slightly towards Li Yan's direction.
"How is it? Can you see through the clothes?"
Frieren opened her arms, asking with a curious expression.
"It is possible, but it's not a particularly interesting kind of magic."
With slightly flushed ears, Fern closed the Magic Tome and handed it to Frieren.
"Well, I'm really sorry, I have an uninteresting body shape."
Frieren spoke calmly. Judging from Fern's answer, it seemed the magic was effective. Even she, Thousand-Year Mage, couldn't detect whether Fern had used magic or not; she only knew that Fern had used magic and there was a fluctuation of Mana.
Putting away the Magic Tome, Frieren glanced at Li Yan, who was leaning against the ancient tree looking nonchalant, and couldn't help but ask, "Senior brother, aren't you going to take a look? Maybe there's some useful information."
Li Yan was about to nod in agreement to Frieren's enthusiastic invitation, but then, remembering the strange look he would receive from Fern later, he coughed lightly and waved his hand. "I'm not interested in ordinary magic; only magic that grants eternal youth can pique my slight interest in studying."
"Oh."
Frieren blinked. Her senior brother had been staring intently at the Red Mirror Dragon, and she had assumed he already knew what kind of magic it contained.