Slaughtering a Saint-level, the Arrogant Linley

"Dragonman, are you prepared to be killed by the great Sartius?"

"Sartius?" Linley raised an eyebrow, looking at the Spiked Back Iron Armored Dragon floating in the air. "That's a decent name. As the first Saint-level opponent I've killed, I will remember it."

"Arrogant!" Sartius felt offended. "You will pay for this, what—?"

Before Sartius could finish his sentence, Linley had already appeared right in front of him.

"A newly broken-through Saint-level?" A savage grin spread across Linley's face. "You don't seem very strong, do you?"

As soon as the words left his lips, Linley threw a punch forward.

The fist, which seemed to move in slow motion, landed on Sartius's head before the dragon could even react.

"Dragonman!" Sartius steadied himself in the air. "You have angered me. The great Sartius is going to kill you."

Before the sound had even faded, Sartius charged toward Linley.

Looking at the sky, Linley and the Spiked Back Iron Armored Dragon seemed like two extremes.

The Spiked Back Iron Armored Dragon was incredibly fast, leaving behind nothing but a blur of afterimages.

Linley, on the other hand, was the complete opposite.

Linley's speed was too slow.

So slow that one might think he was just out for a stroll.

Yet, despite this, every single one of the Spiked Back Iron Armored Dragon's attacks missed, brushing past Linley by the narrowest of margins.

"Speed?" Linley watched the Spiked Back Iron Armored Dragon as it continued its relentless assault. "Your speed is indeed fast, but the Laws are the foundation."

Unfortunately, Sartius had no idea what Linley was talking about.

"Sartius wants you dead!"

The Spiked Back Iron Armored Dragon let out a roar, and a darkness so dense it reached its limit spread outward from its center.

The darkness seemed capable of devouring everything.

Dust floating in the air, branches, leaves, and even the elements themselves.

Everything that fell into that black expanse vanished completely.

"An application of the Laws?" Linley couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the sight. "Then, let's see whose is stronger."

The next moment, instead of retreating, Linley took the initiative and charged directly into the dark zone.

Linley, whose speed had been incredibly slow, seemed to hit an acceleration button the moment he entered the darkness.

"He's already grasped the Mysteries of Fast?" Lin Ke, watching the battle, couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "As expected, the Wind Element and Earth Element laws are a perfect match for Linley. I just wonder when he will be able to fuse the two into the Mysteries of Fast and Slow."

And just as Lin Ke was sighing in admiration:

"Squish~"

"How is this possible?" Sartius looked on in disbelief as Linley suddenly appeared before him, plunging his right hand into his eye socket.

"I've been aiming for this from the very beginning." A savage smile appeared on Linley's face as he gripped the fist-sized Magic Core. "Goodbye!"

"Ah~~~~~"

Sartius let out a miserable shriek as Linley's right arm, coated in blood and white brain matter, tore the Magic Core from his body.

"Boom~"

Sartius's corpse collapsed onto the ground, his back facing Linley.

"A Saint-level Magic Beast?"

Linley weighed the Magic Core in his hand and shook his head dismissively.

"Linley, don't say I didn't warn you." Lin Ke's voice echoed in Linley's mind. "Being too arrogant will eventually lead to your downfall."

"What?"

Linley didn't immediately grasp what Lin Ke meant.

But the next moment, the sword-like spikes on Sartius's back shot toward Linley one after another.

"Damn it!"

Linley reacted, but the distance between them was far too close.

Moreover, even though Linley had grasped the Mysteries of Fast and Slow.

The speed at which the spikes were fired far exceeded the attack speed of an average Saint-level.

Linley was destined to take the hit head-on.

"Bang~"

"Bang, bang, bang~~"

"Bang~"

Linley was struck by seven or eight spikes, having only had enough time to cross his arms in front of him.

"Cough, cough~~"

On the ground, Linley coughed dryly, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

At this moment, Linley could be described as exceptionally battered.

His right arm was snapped in the opposite direction, the scales on his left arm had completely fallen off, a fist-sized wound pierced through his lower abdomen, his right kneecap was thoroughly shattered, and his left leg remained attached only by a sliver of skin and scales from the base of his thigh.

[Congratulations on slaying a Saint-level Magical Beast, Green Energy Point +1,000,000]

"Linley? Linley!"

Doehring hurriedly called out to Linley, and Beibei also ran over from a distance, standing upright on his hind legs beside Linley.

"Lin Ke, brother Lin Ke." Linley felt the scene before his eyes growing increasingly blurry, "Exchange, give me healing medicine."

"No problem." Lin Ke snapped his fingers, and a green bean appeared before his eyes, "Senzu Bean, one million Green Energy Points per bean, restores any injury below the Saint-level."

As Lin Ke's voice faded, the green bean was already in Linley's mouth.

"Haa~ hoo~ haa~ hoo~~~"

Linley jolted awake, looking around with a face full of terror.

The earth was in ruins, and broken trees were scattered everywhere.

Beibei stood upright, his eyes bloodshot.

Grandpa Doehring floated nearby, looking somewhat dazed.

"Linley, Linley!" Seeing Linley stand up, Doehring instantly regained his spirit, "Heavens, everything is restored! Linley, you look as if you were never injured at all."

"Squeak squeak~"

"Boss~ you're okay~"

The voices of Doehring and Beibei brought Linley back to his senses, and he hurriedly looked down at his own body.

He had already deactivated his Dragon Transformation, yet there was not a single injury on him.

"I'm fine, I didn't die?" Linley touched his body up and down, his tone full of pleasant surprise, "That's great, Grandpa Doehring, I didn't die."

Linley looked at Doehring with a joyful expression, but then he saw Doehring's dark face.

"Linley." Doehring's surprise faded, replaced by anger, "Why? Why take such a risk? You could have stopped it, so why did you have to let it successfully evolve into a Saint-level Magical Beast? You were gambling with your own life."

Doehring practically roared, his voice booming, and Linley froze for a moment before he could only lower his head to take the scolding.

"I'm sorry, Grandpa Doehring." Linley said in a dejected tone, "I, I felt I was strong enough at the time to handle any crisis. I'm sorry, I was too arrogant."

"Linley." Doehring took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself down, "The rapidly increasing strength has caused you to lose your composure; you haven't truly mastered your own power."

Doehring's words caused Linley to lower his head once again.

Meanwhile, inside the System Space, Lin Ke rubbed his chin.

"Compared to the original story, Linley has received too little tempering and his strength has increased too easily. Next, I should give Linley a mission to help him recognize his true self."

Thinking of this, Lin Ke couldn't help but snap his fingers.

A system message appeared before the eyes of Linley, who was still lowering his head while listening to Doehring's lecture.

[Mission: Survive and fight within the Magical Beast Mountain Range for six months without transforming into a Dragonblood Warrior]

[Mission Reward: Determined by the strength of the Magical Beasts slain during the mission period]

[Note: If you transform into a Dragonblood Warrior during the mission, it will be considered a failure, and the Energy Points gained from slaying Magical Beasts for the next ten years will be halved]

Looking at the mission that appeared before him, Linley was stunned for a moment.

"Without transforming into a Dragonblood Warrior?" Linley calculated internally, "There is exactly half a year between the magic test and the start of school, so then."

Thinking of this, Linley looked up at Doehring, "Grandpa Doehring, I understand my mistake. From now on, I will make sure to master my own strength as quickly as possible. Believe in me."