Roars echoed through the empty valley.
A Crimson Dragon, red from head to toe, skimmed close to the ground, spewing Dragonfire from its jaws at a fleeing figure ahead.
The Dragon spat another blast of Dragonfire. The figure barely dodged and shouted toward a nearby mountaintop, "Help! Why are you all just standing there watching?!"
That figure was Erik.
After they had settled on the materials for the magic book, Erik had boasted that he would personally slay a Dragon to prove his strength.
Miss Serie had not been pleased by that.
Even she herself was not confident she could kill a Dragon. What gave a mere magic apprentice like him such confidence?
So, Serie brought everyone to the territory of this rather famous Dragon.
She gave Erik a perfect chance to show off.
Only now, it seemed he was making a complete fool of himself.
"Is this really okay?" Norn asked worriedly.
Having known Erik longer than anyone else, he was naturally concerned for his friend's safety.
The Dragon before them was as large as a small mountain, and its sheer presence sent chills down their spines. Its Dragonfire could even melt solid rock.
He seriously doubted whether his friend's scrawny body could withstand it.
"Don't worry." Serie glanced over and said casually, "With Rhode here, that guy won't die."
As it turned out, Rhode was holding a small Magic Circle in his hand. If Erik had looked closely, he would have noticed a nearly transparent magical barrier covering his body.
It was Rhode's improved version of Elven Defense Magic.
He had fixed the flaw that allowed it to defend only the front, added the ability to cast it on others, and strengthened its defensive power.
The cost was that its mana consumption had doubled.
After hearing Rhode's explanation, Norn's anxiety eased. He even found the time to start coaching Erik.
"Hey! Erik, more Dragonfire is coming! Don't get burned!"
Seeing the Dragon about to breathe Dragonfire again, Norn shouted at him. At their distance, Erik could hear him clearly.
"You bastard! Then you do it yourself!"
Erik instinctively dodged another blast of Dragonfire, yet still found time to turn around and curse at Norn.
"He can still talk. Looks like he hasn't reached his limit yet."
Seeing Norn's gloating expression, Rhode silently offered a moment of sympathy for the stubborn Erik.
"By the way, why is that Dragon only chasing Erik?" the Dwarf Som asked.
They were not standing very far away, and the Dragon could clearly see them. He had even prepared himself for battle, yet for some reason, the Dragon did not so much as glance in their direction.
"Because Dragons are highly sensitive to auras," Serie explained as invisible magic gathered around her. "One is an unremarkable, weak creature. The other is someone capable of threatening its life. Naturally, it chooses the former."
"Then whose aura is this Dragon afraid of?" Som asked the obvious question.
After all, Serie was by far the strongest person present.
She was even openly releasing her magic at this very moment. It was obvious whom the Dragon feared.
But before Rhode could answer, Erik's cry for help came again from nearby.
"Mr. Rhode! Save me!"
Since Erik had called him out by name, Rhode naturally prepared to act, but Serie stopped him.
"Why didn't he ask me for help?"
Seriously? She could get jealous over that too?
Rhode was dumbfounded.
Serie was not telling Rhode to stand by and do nothing. She was preparing to act herself.
The magic around her gradually condensed into something tangible, and the powerful fluctuations forced the others nearby to instinctively retreat several steps.
She opened with her ultimate move.
A Light Pillar began to form in the air. It was not Rhode's magic that could devour even light itself, since that spell required charging. Serie usually preferred magic that did not need such a long buildup.
The Crimson Dragon, which had been relentlessly pursuing Erik, suddenly stopped. Its enormous head turned toward the mountaintop where they stood, having sensed a dangerous aura from there.
ROAR!!!
The Dragon let out a deep roar, abandoned its pursuit of Erik, spread its wings, and rose into the sky. Its yellow draconic eyes locked onto Serie.
"See?" Serie smiled. "That was not a rational choice."
When the Dragon finally stopped chasing him, Erik collapsed onto the ground and panted heavily.
He would never dare boast so recklessly again.
On the other side, seeing the Dragon charge toward them, Rhode hurriedly told everyone to retreat, leaving only himself and Serie to face it.
The main issue was that the Dragonfire was too terrifying. Of their group, only he and Serie knew Defense Magic well enough to withstand its attacks head-on.
"It's coming!"
Serie said softly. Above them, the Crimson Dragon spread its wings, blotting out the sky. Dragonfire churned in its throat, and in the next instant, it unleashed a blast.
Faced with Serie's magical attack, which was powerful enough to harm it, the Dragon chose to strike first.
After all, this was its territory. No matter what race entered it, it would not let them go.
It had only chased Erik first because instinct told it to start with the weakest creature.
The Dragonfire collided with Serie's Light Pillar, erupting in a dazzling blaze. Then, in the next second, the Light Pillar pierced straight through the Dragonfire and shot toward the Dragon.
The Dragon beat its wings and barely dodged the attack before spewing another blast of Dragonfire.
As a fire-attributed Dragon, Dragonfire was its magic. Not only could it unleash it repeatedly, its power was also astonishing.
Even its casting speed was faster than Serie's ultimate move.
But it had clearly overlooked one thing: Serie was not fighting alone.
Rhode swiftly cast his magic, raising three layered Defense Magic barriers before the two of them.
Som swung his battle axe, while Norn drew his longsword. His magic was not yet skilled enough for him to cast spells as effortlessly as Rhode and Serie, but he could fight as a warrior.
The three layers of Defense Magic withstood several breaths from the Dragon in succession. Seizing the opportunity, Serie directly pushed the number of Light Arrows to the limit.
With a light tap of her fingertip, hundreds of golden arrows shot toward the Dragon like a torrential downpour.
The Dragon roared and spewed Dragonfire. This time, it was not a single breath but a continuous stream that formed a crimson Fire Pillar in midair.
The Fire Pillar collided with the golden Arrow Rain in the air, erupting in a blinding flash.
The Dragonfire knocked down by the Arrow Rain struck the ground and melted all the surrounding rocks into liquid. Erik scrambled away from the center of the battle.
"This is way too insane, isn't it?!" He wiped the ash from his face, his clothes already soaked through with cold sweat.
Even so, he got back to his feet and hurried over.
With such a lively scene unfolding, he had to help out.
Before you continue