Ambush, Arrogance (Please Vote, Please Follow)

Twin moons cast their clear radiance over the boulder-strewn Iron Fir Hills.

Samantha had her rear raised and tail held high, completely absorbed as she used her claws to carve crooked furrows into the ground. She was not drawing an alchemy array, but teasing ants.

Watching the 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 lives, deaths, and even fates of other creatures like a monarch. Her current strength did not allow for that, so she could only entertain herself by playing with ants.

With one sweep of her claw, she connected the beginning and end of the furrows.

The pitiful ants crawled helplessly through the maze-like furrows, which had no exit.

Samantha raised her chin, her gaze lofty as she imitated the deep tone of an adult dragon. "Lowly insects, cry and beg the great Red Dragon Queen for mercy. Bow and scrape, and perhaps I shall show kindness and spare your insignificant lives."

The ants said nothing and merely continued crawling.

One clever and strong ant, after discovering it could not find a way forward, began climbing upward. It crawled out of the furrow and unknowingly arrived before Samantha's claw.

The "Red Dragon Queen" gave an interested little sound.

"Most powerful and wise Legendary Realm leader of the Abyss Demon Ants, are you defying this queen's arrangement of your fate and challenging me?"

"Good, very good. I admire your courage. As you wish, I grant you—death!"

Smack!

The Red Dragonet brought down her claw and crushed the "Abyss Demon Ant" to death.

Feeling a little embarrassed, Samantha only secretly played such childish games when no other creatures were around.

Garos was absent, and Mobel the Dire Bear had gone hunting. This was her own private time for entertainment.

After noisily amusing herself for a while longer, Samantha stood up, held her head high, and remained immersed in the feeling of the "Red Dragon Queen" ruling all things. Her limbs moved with an arrogant swagger as she headed toward the Alchemy Workshop.

—A crude shack built from stone slabs.

Looking closely, black oil boiled in a metal crucible within the Workshop, giving off strange purple smoke.

"I got carried away and forgot the heat! I'm done for! Garos will beat me when he gets back!"

Her proudly raised head immediately drooped. Samantha rushed to the crucible in a panic, pouncing toward it as she hurriedly drew Alchemy Runes with magical energy and struck them into the boiling black oil, gradually calming it and preventing an explosion.

Sparks puffed from Samantha's nostrils as she let out a breath of relief.

She lowered her head to sniff the bubbling black oil, completely unaware that five shadows were watching her from concealment.

The Rogue hidden behind a boulder raised his crossbow.

A crossbow bolt carrying armor-piercing and silencing rune effects was already nocked. Its tip glimmered blue in the night, clearly coated in deadly poison.

Elsewhere.

The Blonde Warrior stepped through the shadows cast by the Iron Firs, approaching the Red Dragonet. At last, he slowly drew the door-sized greatsword from his back, lowered his palm, and gave a light wave—the signal to begin the hunt.

Without a sound.

The specially made alchemy bolt tore through the night and struck precisely into Samantha's right wing joint. The shaft still quivered lightly, giving off a metallic hum.

The blue color immediately spread, covering a small portion of her wing membrane.

The sudden attack and the intense pain in her dragon wing.

Samantha's pupils narrowed to slits from the pain. She wildly swung her tail, knocking away the alchemy crucible emitting purple smoke. The boiling black oil splashed across the ground, releasing a pungent odor.

"Damn humans!"

Seeing her attackers, Samantha let out a furious roar.

The Blonde Warrior rushed forward in a single stride and leaped high into the air. Every Alchemy Rune on his greatsword lit up, radiating imposing power.

Leaping Slash!

The heavy sword chopped down at her head, and Samantha raised a dragon arm, swinging it horizontally to swat it aside.

Weakness Spell!

A beam of dark light shot from the Necromancer's pale outstretched finger and landed on Samantha, making her instantly feel weak all over. She lost a great deal of strength, and her movements became feeble and sluggish.

The blade split her dragon scales and tore through flesh.

Whoosh! Another crossbow bolt flew in and lodged in Samantha's side.

The Blonde Warrior spun and slashed, his bloodstained door-sized greatsword cutting into Samantha's shoulder again.

Facing the sudden ambush of several professionals, the unprepared Samantha fell into a disadvantageous position. Enraged, lava-like light shone through the gaps in the scales on her chest, while dazzling red light also glowed within her mouth.

She was about to use Dragon Breath to burn the warriors who dared offend her into ash.

"Havyn!"

Sensing danger, the Blonde Warrior shouted.

Silence Spell!

The spellcaster had finished preparing the spell. Complex incantations flew over like ribbons, landing around Samantha's neck and weaving into a ring. They transformed into a force of silent suppression, preventing Samantha from unleashing Dragon Breath immediately.

The incantations around her neck continuously cracked apart.

Samantha roared soundlessly and swung a claw at the Blonde Warrior. Although he blocked it with the flat of his sword, the tremendous force still sent him flying, smashing through an Iron Fir.

Samantha was about to pursue him when ghostly fire resembling skulls rapidly approached and struck her body.

They were incomparably cold, not ordinary flames. Samantha's fire resistance could only reduce part of the damage, and she was inevitably injured.

On the other side, white light radiated from the priest and shone upon the Blonde Warrior.

He rose to his feet with even greater speed and strode toward the Red Dragonet.

With Samantha's draconic roar, the Silence Spell around her neck shattered completely. But before Flame Dragon Breath could gather and erupt again, the Rogue threw a sphere at her. It burst with an extremely irritating smell, making Samantha involuntarily sneeze violently, flames spraying from her nostrils.

When she raised her head again.

The Blonde Warrior was already right before her, his door-sized greatsword chopping down toward her.

Being restrained at every turn made Samantha realize that she was no match for these humans.

Because of Garos's teachings, she had improved considerably from her former arrogance and conceit. Suppressing the urge to fight to the death, she beat her wings and shot directly into the sky, intending 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 in her scales, making it difficult to break free.

The Blonde Warrior grabbed the iron net with one hand and yanked it down hard, slowing Samantha's ascent.

The spellcaster completed another spell.

Anti-Air Spell! Solidified incantations directly locked onto and branded themselves onto Samantha's wings, dispersing the magical energy there.

For an ordinary Hatchling Dragon, its wings could not support its heavy body through wing strength alone without magical energy. Samantha flapped several times, but was ultimately dragged back to the ground.

She tore apart the iron net, her face filled with rage.

Since she could not escape, then she would fight to the death! A Red Dragon feared no challenge and feared no death! Roaring, Samantha continued battling the five people. Though she was at a disadvantage and constantly being wounded, she did not fall immediately.

At the same time.

High in the night sky, amid a thick, dense cloud.

Garos silently watched the battle below.

"These adventurers seem rather weak. They cannot even take down Samantha directly."

"Still, just as I expected, relying mainly on magical energy for flight truly is a major weakness. It is easy to target."

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 watched for a while and discovered that these adventurers were nowhere near as formidable as 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 easily.

Adventurers? Mere rabble!

Thinking this, Garos hurriedly shook his head.

"Arrogance always grows quietly. I must remain on guard at all times."

"These should only be the lowest-tier adventurers, yet they can already handle 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.

Once he confirmed that these adventurers posed no great threat, he folded his wings. His guillotine-like dragon wings cut through the night as he dove down at extreme speed.