Cunning Evil Dragon!

"An Adolescent Stage Copper Dragon with a Life Level of 7."

Garos fixed his gaze on the Copper Dragon flying straight toward him like a crimson sandstorm and used the Life Level Detection Technique, confirming that its Life Level was the same as his own.

An Adolescent Dragon.

A dragon between sixteen and twenty-five years old.

Garos could not determine its exact age, but judging from its roughly nine-meter-long body, it fell within the range of an Adolescent Dragon. Alternatively, it could have been a Hatchling Dragon that had developed ahead of schedule, though that was unlikely.

As for why an Adolescent Dragon had the same Life Level as him, a Hatchling Dragon—

The reason was simple.

One dragon's physique could not be compared wholesale to another's.

Among dragonkind—

Whether Red Dragons or Iron Dragons, both were among the finest dragon species.

Copper Dragons ranked near the bottom among Metal Dragons. At the same age, their Life Levels were completely inferior to those of Red Dragons or Iron Dragons, let alone an outstanding hybrid like Garos. A Gold Dragon in its Adolescent Stage would be at least Level 9.

The Copper Dragon did not dive straight down to attack Garos.

Instead—

It circled slightly before landing on a charred rock platform.

About a hundred meters from Garos, its spiraling horns reflected the Blazing Sun at noon.

It tilted its head, examining Garos's cracked scales.

The tip of the Copper Dragon's tail tapped rhythmically against the ground as it paced back and forth, weighing its options.

A Red-Iron Hybrid Dragon nearly seven meters long, Life Level 7. Its body is shorter than mine, but it looks so strong. Heavens, those dragon wings look like weapons. Its heart must be thoroughly evil.

It probably won't be easy to deal with.

But I have three alchemical items gifted by my parents. They're more than enough to handle a foolish Evil Dragon at the same level.

After pondering for several seconds—

The Copper Dragon's lips curled into a delighted smile. It stopped pacing, stared at Garos, and said, "Oh, innately evil Red-Iron Hybrid Dragon, it is now question time."

"Tell me, what needs both fire extinguishing and rust removal to survive?"

Among the five types of Metal Dragons—

Brass Dragons and Copper Dragons had personalities that annoyed other dragons the most.

Brass Dragons were overly chatty and talkative, fond of tormenting opponents with words. When they held the advantage, they would restrain their foes—for example, burying them in the earth with only their heads exposed, then forcing them to listen to them talk.

Copper Dragons were not as eloquent as Brass Dragons.

However, they especially loved teasing and pranking enemies with jokes they considered humorous rather than immediately starting a fight.

If one encountered a Copper Dragon in the wild and accidentally offended it, as long as one could offer it an amusing joke, story, or riddle, there was a high chance of receiving forgiveness, perhaps even its admiration and favor.

At the same time—

The Copper Dragon giggled.

"The answer is—you! A Red Dragon's temper combined with an Iron Dragon's rigidity is simply the most disastrous recipe."

Her voice sounded rather crisp to dragonkind, like wind chimes in the desert. Her well-proportioned, slender body also showed that she was a female Copper Dragon.

As she spoke—

The Copper Dragon lowered her body slightly, all four limbs taut with muscle as she remained fully on guard.

The alchemical item pressed beneath her tongue was ready to activate at any moment, so she could strike the enraged Red-Iron Hybrid Dragon head-on when he charged at her.

But what the Copper Dragon had not expected was—

The Evil Dragon before her did not play by the rules. Faced with such blatant provocation, he remained utterly unmoved. Instead, he beat his wings, shot into the sky, and flew off into the distance.

Garos ignored the Copper Dragon. He had no interest in getting entangled with her.

Metal Dragons valued familial bonds.

When underage dragons ventured out to adventure, they could receive equipment bestowed by their elders, or life-saving spells inscribed within the inner layers of their scales—and often more than one.

With a single glance earlier—

Garos had noticed the thick gold chain around the Copper Dragon's neck and the red ring hanging from the protrusion at the tip of her dragon wing. Both glimmered faintly beneath the sun, their dense engraved runes barely visible.

Those were only the things he could see directly.

Who knew whether she had hidden alchemical items or life-saving Spell Scales as well?

Unlike Gold Dragons, Copper Dragons did not favor open, overwhelming battles. Their temperament was instead somewhat cunning and sinister, similar to the Green Dragons among Chromatic Dragons.

Unless the benefits were immense or his life was at stake, Garos did not fight battles he was not certain of winning.

"Hey! Are you some rare Evil Dragon coward? Don't run!"

The Copper Dragon froze for a moment, then flapped her wings into the air and relentlessly chased after Garos.

To her surprise, her speed was actually far inferior to Garos's. His body looked thick and heavy, but his enormous, exaggerated wings could fully bear it and provide unbelievable flying power.

The distance between them rapidly widened.

"What incredible speed."

Her competitive spirit had been stirred. The Copper Dragon refused to give up, determined to make the evil Red-Iron Hybrid Dragon accept justice's judgment.

The fiery-red ring hanging from the tip of her wing lit up rune by rune.

Its color became more vivid, and the high temperature warped the air around it.

The fiery-red ring became like a red-hot branding iron.

Whoosh!

A cluster of flames ignited, extending and spreading at tremendous speed until it covered the Copper Dragon's wings, coating them in flowing fire.

As her wings beat, flames surged.

The Copper Dragon's speed abruptly increased.

Garos glanced back and noticed the Copper Dragon's pair of flowing-fire wings.

"An alchemical item that can coat its user in flames. It's somewhat similar to my Lightning Tail Ring."

He thought to himself.

"I want it. Let's test its capabilities first."

A dangerous gleam flashed through Garos's eyes.

He suddenly turned around, and the Red Iron Dragonet opened his jaws.

A cone-shaped burst of brilliant electric fire, formed from flame and lightning and blooming like countless flowers along its path, erupted from his mouth. Fast and precise, it tore through the air and shot toward the Copper Dragon.

The Copper Dragon was caught off guard.

By the time she reacted, the Electric Fire Breath inherited from the Iron Dragon Bloodline was already right before her.

In terms of pure destructive force, Electric Fire Breath was inferior to a Red Dragon's Flame Dragon Breath. However, it was faster and also carried a paralyzing effect, making it more effective in practice than Flame Dragon Breath.

At the critical moment—

The gold chain around the Copper Dragon's neck suddenly lit up.

A layer of golden shield appeared around her, clinging to the surface of her scales.

Sizzle!

The Electric Fire Breath struck the golden shield. Both the lightning and fire it carried were blocked, while the golden shield rapidly dimmed.

The Copper Dragon veered sideways, narrowly avoiding the remaining Electric Fire Breath with lingering fear.

Yet she was not frightened. Instead, she continued pursuing Garos.

Garos's breath had failed to break through her defenses, which only made her more convinced that she could defeat him with certainty.

"Cunning, evil wretch. Before absolute strength, even a sneak attack is useless."

The Copper Dragon snorted softly, thinking to herself.

Arrogance and conceit were common flaws among dragons. Metal Dragons were no exception; they were not traits exclusive to Chromatic Dragons or Ferrous Dragons.