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"This adolescent dragon's combat experience is still far inferior to mine."

Judging from the speed at which the Copper Dragon had begun chasing him, Garos concluded that it was not particularly strong. Even after using an alchemical item to enhance its speed, it was still slightly slower than him.

And after that brief test just now.

He had confirmed that its reaction speed was lacking, its practical combat experience limited, and he had also learned the effects of the golden-chain alchemical item.

It was a Copper Dragon fresh out of the nest, with little real combat experience, relying on a few alchemical items and brimming with arrogance—Garos made his assessment.

"All the alchemical items on it are mine now. Let it experience the dangers of the Wilderness."

Garos's gaze flickered as he changed his mind.

He had not been interested in tangling with the Copper Dragon, but after testing it, he confirmed that it was nowhere near as formidable as he had expected. On top of that, it carried treasures, which changed everything.

The Copper Dragon continued its relentless pursuit.

Garos slowed down slightly, keeping it hooked so it would not fall behind.

After some time, the Red Iron Dragonet tucked in his wings, tore through the thick clouds, and dived downward, abruptly vanishing from the Copper Dragon's sight.

"Can't fly anymore?"

The Copper Dragon perked up.

In its eyes, Garos's heavy, burly body had to consume tremendous magical energy in flight. He must have exhausted himself by now, while it had the boost of alchemical items and had conserved its strength. This was the perfect opportunity.

Changing direction, the Copper Dragon also dived down, the frills along its neck fluttering.

In the blink of an eye, it landed.

"Where did it hide?"

The Copper Dragon swept its gaze across the surroundings and noticed an abandoned mine pit ahead.

It slowly approached and looked down, spotting several dragon scales scattered across the jagged rocks at the bottom of the mine pit, as though they had been scraped off by accident.

"Hiding in a place like this really suits an Evil Dragon's crude taste."

The Watcher Necklace—the huge golden chain around the Copper Dragon's neck—gave off a defensive glow that covered its entire body.

It lowered its wings and spiraled down to the bottom of the mine pit. Narrowing its eyes, it scanned the pitch-black tunnels one by one, trying to find Garos.

A few short seconds later.

The black rock beneath its feet suddenly began to tremble.

Bursts of foul wind blew out from the widest tunnel.

"Evil Hybrid Dragon! Come on, let me show you what I'm made of!"

The vigilant Copper Dragon's eyes lit up.

But it quickly realized that something seemed wrong. The ground was shaking far too violently, and the commotion from the tunnel sounded like some enormous creature was moving through it.

At the same time.

A massive black shadow shot out of the tunnel and into the sunlight.

It was an exceptionally huge Rock-Crushing Worm. Countless sharp teeth interlocked within its vicious, meat-grinder-like maw as it lunged at the Copper Dragon.

It was the Rock-Crushing Worm King.

Because Garos had come here many times to catch Rock-Crushing Worms, the Worm King was now extremely vigilant. At the slightest disturbance, it would explode into action. Garos knew this well and used it to his advantage.

"Ah, you cunning Evil Dragon!"

The Copper Dragon was terrified as it realized it had been played.

This was a trap.

It truly had not expected that the Red Iron Dragonet, who looked even sturdier than a Red Dragon, did not have a brain packed full of muscle like one.

The Copper Dragon immediately opened its mouth.

Its tongue curled, revealing an exquisite silver ring.

Taking half a step back, the Silver Frost Ring on the Copper Dragon's tongue suddenly lit up.

Freeze!

A powerful icy current erupted from the Copper Dragon's mouth—or rather, from the ring. Like the breath of a Silver Dragon, it struck the colossal Rock-Crushing Worm charging toward it head-on.

A layer of frost instantly covered its body.

Then, amid teeth-grating cracks, the ice coating its shell rapidly shattered.

The Worm King continued its attack.

While it was slowed by the effect, the Copper Dragon frantically beat its flame-covered wings and shot upward without daring to pause for even a moment, evading the Worm King's follow-up pursuit.

But before it could relax.

A black-and-red dragon figure suddenly burst up from somewhere on the ground. Its spread wings were like gigantic guillotine blades, tearing through the air with a terrifying shriek.

The Copper Dragon's heart jolted.

It opened its mouth and spat out a stream of orange-red, gel-like acid. The acid expanded into a web in midair and descended over Garos's head.

Flame Dragon Breath surged from Garos's mouth, igniting the Copper Dragon's Acid Dragon Breath and destroying its corrosive and adhesive properties.

Whoosh!

The gale kicked up by his dragon wings swept the flames along, tugging and fluttering behind him like a cape.

With unstoppable force, Garos charged straight at the Copper Dragon.

His breath caught. Facing Garos directly, the Copper Dragon finally realized that it had made a mistake. This Evil Dragon was far stronger than it had imagined. Worse, he was not only powerful, but also sinister and cunning. One day, he would surely become a terrifyingly great Evil Dragon.

In front of its body, the Watcher Necklace condensed an even denser curtain of light.

The Copper Dragon prepared to meet the attack.

Garos raised his right wing, and his body suddenly shot diagonally forward.

Magical energy flooded into his wings, causing his speed to surge.

—Normally, Garos relied entirely on his long-trained, evolved wings to fly, rather than needing magical energy to enhance his flight like other dragons.

His body traced an arc through the air.

Garos almost instantly circled behind the Copper Dragon.

The muscle fibers in his tail tightened and twisted one by one like steel wires. The Lightning Tail Ring hidden beneath the gaps in his dragon scales also lit up, forming countless snake-like arcs of electricity around his tail that crackled loudly. At the same time, the current stimulated his muscles, unleashing even greater power.

Unlike the Copper Dragon, which openly displayed two pieces of equipment.

Garos kept his Tail Ring hidden between his dragon scales whenever he was not using it, never taking it out to show off.

With a motion like a forward flip.

The Red Iron Dragonet's lightning-wreathed tail drew a full-moon arc of light and smashed fiercely onto the Copper Dragon's back.

Crack!

The curtain of light instantly shattered.

The glow from the Watcher Necklace went out at once, having exhausted all the energy it had stored.

The weakened tail strike landed on the Copper Dragon's back scales. Rows of sharp dragon scales, blade-like in their edge, raked densely across it, slicing apart its scales and leaving behind a long, horrifyingly mangled wound.

The Copper Dragon cried out in pain and twisted around.

It opened its jaws, and the Silver Frost Ring on its tongue shone once more as a chill rapidly spread.

Against a Red Dragon and Iron Dragon hybrid.

The icy current produced by the Silver Frost Ring could deal double damage, and it was the Copper Dragon's greatest reliance.

However.

Something already revealed could not be called a trump card.

Garos had long been prepared. Before the Copper Dragon could spit out its icy current, he thrust his head forward and slammed it into the Copper Dragon's jaw with a dull thud.

The Copper Dragon was forced to shut its mouth, unable to retaliate immediately.

Whoosh!

At close range, Garos exhaled a large cloud of white gas, engulfing the Copper Dragon.

This was another type of breath belonging to his Iron Dragon Bloodline—Hypnotic Breath.

Any creature struck by Hypnotic Breath would enter a sleepwalking, dreamlike state as long as its willpower check failed, answering every question asked of it.

A sufficiently old and powerful Iron Dragon could even directly hypnotize enemies into serving it like puppets on strings.

Flame Dragon Breath, Electric Fire Breath, Hypnotic Breath.

These were the three types of Dragon Breath Garos possessed.

Hit squarely in the face by the Hypnotic Breath, the Copper Dragon's vision blurred and drowsiness washed over it. But it was older after all, and its mind had grown tougher, so it was not instantly hypnotized.

Garos slapped a dragon claw against the Copper Dragon's neck.

Clatter.

Many glittering things flew out.

—They were gemstones and gold coins. Some dragons liked to keep them close against their bodies beneath the inner layers of their neck scales.

Garos swept his dragon wings around, catching every gemstone and gold coin that had burst out. Then he struck it several more times, sweeping away even more gems and coins.

Before the Copper Dragon could come to its senses.

Garos grabbed the huge golden necklace from the Copper Dragon's neck. Then, with lightning speed, he hooked away its Wing Ring with his claw tip, pried open its mouth, straightened its tongue, and removed the ring.