Twin moons cast their clear radiance over the rocky ground of the Iron Fir Hills.
Samantha was sticking her rear up, her tail raised high, completely focused as she used her claws to carve crooked furrows into the ground. She was not drawing an alchemy array, but teasing ants.
She watched a group of ants flounder helplessly, able only to follow the furrows she had drawn.
A pleased smile appeared on Samantha's face.
As a red dragon, she naturally enjoyed the feeling of controlling the life, death, and even fate of other creatures like a monarch. Her current strength did not allow it, so she could only amuse herself by playing with ants.
With a swipe of her claw, she connected the beginning and end of the furrows.
The poor ants crawled helplessly through the maze-like trenches, which had no exit at all.
Samantha lifted her chin, her gaze imperious. Imitating the deep voice of an Adult Dragon, she said, "Lowly ants, cry out and beg the great Red Dragon Queen for mercy. Bow and scrape, and perhaps I will show mercy and spare your insignificant lives."
The ants said nothing and continued crawling.
Among them was a clever and strong ant. After discovering that it could not get through the path ahead, it began climbing upward, crawled out of the trench, and unknowingly arrived before Samantha's claw.
The "Red Dragon Queen" gave an interested little sound.
"The most powerful and intelligent legendary leader of the Abyss Demon Ants, are you defying this queen's arrangement for your fate and challenging me?"
"Good, very good. I admire your courage. As you wish, I grant you—death!"
Splat!
The Red Dragonet brought down her claw and crushed the "Abyss Demon Ant" in one strike.
Feeling a little embarrassed, Samantha only secretly played such childish games when there were no other creatures around.
Garos was not here, and Mobel the Dire Bear had gone out hunting. This was her private time for entertainment.
After noisily entertaining herself for a while longer, Samantha stood up, holding her head high. Still immersed in the sensation of the "Red Dragon Queen" ruling all things, she swaggered toward the Alchemy Workshop.
—A crude shack built from stone slabs.
On closer inspection, the boiling Black Oil in a metal crucible inside the workshop was giving off strange purple smoke.
"I got carried away and forgot the heat! I'm done for! Garos is going to beat me when he gets back!"
Her proudly raised head instantly drooped. Samantha rushed over in a flurry, pouncing before the crucible and hurriedly using Magic Energy to draw Alchemy Runes, sending them into the boiling Black Oil until it gradually calmed down without exploding.
Sparks puffed from Samantha's nostrils as she let out a sigh of relief.
She lowered her head to sniff the bubbling Black Oil, completely unaware that five shadows were watching her from the dark.
The Rogue hidden behind a rock raised his crossbow.
A crossbow bolt with armor-piercing and Silence Spell rune effects was already loaded. Its tip glimmered blue in the night, clearly coated in deadly poison.
Elsewhere.
A blond warrior stepped through the shadows cast by the hanging Iron Fir branches, approaching the Red Dragonet. At last, he slowly drew the door-sized greatsword from his back, pressed one hand downward, and made a gentle gesture to begin the hunt.
Without a sound.
A specially made alchemical crossbow bolt tore through the night and accurately embedded itself in Samantha's right wing joint. The shaft trembled slightly, producing a metallic hum.
The blue color immediately spread, covering a small area of her wing membrane.
The sudden attack and the intense pain in her dragon wing.
Samantha's pupils narrowed into slits from the agony. She whipped her tail wildly, sending the alchemical crucible trailing purple smoke flying. The boiling Black Oil splashed across the ground, releasing a pungent odor.
"Damn humans!"
Seeing her attackers, Samantha let out a furious roar.
The blond warrior charged forward in a single stride and leaped high. Every Alchemy Rune on his greatsword lit up, exuding an imposing aura.
Leaping Slash!
The heavy sword cleaved down at her head, and Samantha raised a dragon arm and swept it sideways.
Weakness Spell!
A ray of dark light shot from the Necromancer's outstretched pale finger and landed on Samantha, making her instantly feel weak all over. She lost much of her strength, and her movements became feeble and sluggish.
The blade split dragon scales and sliced through flesh.
Whoosh! Another crossbow bolt flew over and embedded itself beside Samantha.
The blond warrior turned and spun, and the bloodstained door-sized greatsword struck Samantha's shoulder again.
Faced with the sudden ambush of these professionals, the completely unprepared Samantha fell into a disadvantage. Furious, she made lava-like light glow between the scales on her chest, while a blinding red radiance lit up in her mouth.
She was going to use Dragon Breath to burn the warrior who dared offend her to ashes.
"Havyn!"
The blond warrior sensed danger and shouted.
Silence Spell!
The Spellcaster of the spellcasting school had finished preparing the spell. Complex incantations flew over like a stream of silk, landing around Samantha's neck and weaving into a ring. They transformed into a force of silent sealing, preventing Samantha from immediately breathing out Dragon Breath.
The incantations around her neck continued cracking.
Samantha roared soundlessly and swatted at the blond warrior with one claw. Though he blocked it with the flat of his sword, the tremendous force still sent him flying, and he crashed through an Iron Fir.
Samantha was about to pursue him when skull-like ghostfire rapidly approached and smashed into her body.
They were icy cold and not ordinary flames. Samantha's fire resistance could only weaken part of their effect, and she inevitably suffered damage.
Elsewhere, white light radiated from the priest and fell upon the blond warrior.
He rose to his feet and rushed toward the Red Dragonet at an even faster speed.
As Samantha let out a draconic roar, the Silence Spell around her neck shattered into pieces. But before Flame Dragon Breath could gather and burst forth again, the Rogue threw a sphere at her. It exploded with an intensely irritating smell, making Samantha sneeze uncontrollably as flames burst from her nostrils.
When she raised her head again.
The blond warrior was already right before her, his door-sized greatsword chopping toward her.
Being restrained at every turn made Samantha realize that she was no match for these humans.
Thanks to Garos's teachings, she had improved considerably from her former arrogance and conceit. Suppressing the urge to fight to the death, she spread her wings and shot directly into the sky, preparing to disengage and flee.
But after rising only a few meters.
The Rogue hurled out a large net covered in hooks, enveloping her body. Dense iron hooks caught on her scales, making it difficult to break free.
The blond warrior grabbed the iron net with one hand and yanked it down hard, slowing Samantha's ascent.
The Spellcaster completed the construction of another spell.
Anti-Air Spell! Solid-looking incantations directly locked onto Samantha's wings and branded themselves there, dispelling the Magic Energy upon them.
An ordinary Hatchling Dragon's wings could not support its heavy body through wing strength alone without relying on Magic Energy. Samantha flapped several times, but in the end, she was dragged back to the ground.
She tore open the iron net, her face filled with rage.
Since she could not escape, then she would fight to the death! Red dragons feared no challenge and feared no death! Samantha roared and continued battling the five people. Though she was at a disadvantage and suffered wounds continuously, she did not immediately fall.
At the same time.
High in the night sky, among a thick mass of clouds.
Garos silently watched the battle below.
"These adventurers seem rather weak. They cannot even take Samantha down directly."
"But just as I expected, relying mainly on Magic Energy for flight truly is a major weakness. It is easy to exploit."
Garos had happened to return just as the battle began.
Seeing that Samantha's life was not in danger, he did not intervene immediately. Instead, he silently observed for a while and discovered that these adventurers were far less formidable than he had imagined.
Perhaps he would not need to be so cautious when facing adventurers in the future.
With my current strength, I should be able to deal with them effortlessly.
Adventurers? Mere rabble!
At that thought, Garos hurriedly shook his head.
"Arrogance always grows quietly. I must guard against it at all times."
"These should only be the lowest-ranking adventurers, yet they can already deal with a normal Hatchling Dragon like Samantha. And it seems they want to capture her alive, so their attacks have not been too fierce."
Garos thought to himself.
After confirming that these adventurers posed no great threat, he folded his wings. His guillotine-like dragon wings sliced through the night as he dove down at tremendous speed.
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