Legendary Dragon-Slaying Sword, Galapeya

The inn was not far from a marsh, and further on was a mangrove forest, dense with leaves and shrouded in mist. Fang Heng got up from the ground, not bothering with much else, and followed the others into the water.

The night was pitch black, with only faint starlight filtering through the trees. The figures of those ahead were almost invisible, and only the sound of rushing water could be heard from afar. Hong Ye, to his left, was wading through the water, her feet sinking deep and shallow. To keep up with the others, she had put away the Annihilator—and anyway, they wouldn't pose any threat to that dragon.

To his right front was Etila. The elven girl carried a bow and a spear, and occasionally looked back at Fang Heng, concerned if he was in trouble.

This made Fang Heng feel a little flattered.

Further away, the faint figures should be Luo Yu and the Paparal. The latter was struggling in water that came up to his chest—at least, relative to him. The tall trainee walked up to him, squatted down, and gestured for the Paparal to climb onto his back.

Parker complained a bit that the Paparal had dignity, but still obediently climbed up.

As for Tian Lan, Jita, and Hudi, who had entered the water first, they were estimated to have already reached the mangrove forest. Their figures were completely lost in that direction, with only a pervasive mist.

Sylvid and her maid, Shesta, had long since disappeared somewhere, making Fang Heng mutter under his breath that this mistress and servant duo were faster than rabbits.

Bringing up the rear were Wu Di and Liuli Yue. The latter was still loudly complaining, mostly about the dragon that 'should go to hell.' He chattered on until Hong Ye, unable to stand it any longer, said, "Enough, are you done yet—"

Liuli Yue opened his mouth to retort, but Wu Di added, "Stop talking," causing him to shut up with great reluctance, merely glaring at Hong Ye.

Fang Heng looked back towards the direction of the dirt mound. The people from the Scarlet Fire Guild didn't seem to be all dead yet. Suddenly, a light flashed in the darkness. From afar, the dragon spewed golden flames, and the fire swept across the entire dirt mound, reflecting on the water's surface, creating a bright, blazing solitary island.

The dragon paced within the flames, as if searching for survivors. Then, it suddenly raised its head and looked in their direction. Even from a hundred meters away, Fang Heng could see its eyes, flashing with golden-red light, fixed on him.

Then, it spread its wings and flew into the sky.

Fang Heng knew it was coming.

He immediately turned around and involuntarily quickened his pace, but moving forward in deep water was not easy. The mud clung to his feet, and the water soaked the alchemist's robe, as if several hands were dragging him down.

Fang Heng pushed through the water, struggling forward, parting water weeds and mangrove roots. Countless aquatic insects scattered in all directions, most of them glowing, dotting the darkness like stars, which was quite beautiful, but he had no mind to appreciate it.

Because he knew that the water might hide mud pits and deep holes, some of which were naturally formed, but others had 'owners.' Fang Heng couldn't help but think of terrifying scenarios, as if he would fall into quicksand at any moment, with rotten water weeds dragging his ankles down.

Beneath the heavy water surface lay white bones, and pale, swollen faces, like corpses soaked in formalin. One of these faces even opened its eyes, its pale eyeballs like semi-transparent insect eggs, with something wriggling inside, about to hatch.

Several fish darted past his feet, scaring Fang Heng into a cold sweat. He finally came to his senses, realizing he had fallen for the dragon's trick again. The Dark Dragon possessed a fear aura that could infinitely amplify the darkness within one's heart. As long as there was a slight crack in one's mind, it would seize the opportunity, which was highly effective against low-level characters like them.

The sound of rushing wind could already be heard from behind, and ripples began to form on the water's surface.

"Let's split up and run," Wu Di suddenly said in a low voice.

This was undoubtedly the best course of action.

At this moment, several trainees were already at the forefront, basically out of danger. It was clearly unlikely for all of them to survive. Splitting up and leaving things to fate was the best option, at least ensuring they wouldn't all be wiped out.

Everyone nodded, looking at each other. Although they hadn't known each other for long, they had fought side by side.

"Take care, little brother. Be sure to come to our guild," Hong Ye glanced at Fang Heng, and without time for more words, sent him a communication code. "This is my communication ID. Good luck—"

With that, she turned and disappeared into the darkness, leaving behind only the sound of water.

"Remember, we're not done yet," Liuli Yue's parting words to him were: "Don't think I'm afraid of you just because you can control fairies. I'll be waiting for you at the Silverwood Spear."

Fang Heng savored those words carefully before realizing that this guy was also quite cunning. However, as Tian Lan had said, he would never go to the Silverwood Spear, not even if he were beaten to death. He refused.

Wu Di remained silent, just giving him a look with his dead fish eyes. Yet, Fang Heng felt that the look held a deep meaning.

It was as if he were looking at a fish waiting to be slaughtered on a chopping board—

The figures of the two also gradually faded into the distance.

Fang Heng turned his head and said to Etila beside him, "Miss Etila, let's split up for now too."

Etila looked at him, did not refuse, and nodded. Seeing the gentle, understanding eyes in the darkness, Fang Heng breathed a sigh of relief. If it had been Miss Scarpe, he probably would have received a chop to the hand just now.

But the elven girl merely put away her spear and walked in another direction. Before leaving, she turned back and said to him, "Be careful, Ed."

Fang Heng felt that Etila's gaze towards him was very familiar, reminding him of his days on Earth, his aunt and uncle, and that annoying cousin.

Silence returned to the surroundings, with only the chirping of insects.

A line of waves surged forward on the water's surface. Fang Heng quickly grabbed a nearby root to steady himself. A black shadow swept overhead, making the mangrove trees sway.

The dragon was circling, and Fang Heng knew it was confirming its target. He knew in his heart that it was undoubtedly him, and instinctively covered the back of his hand.

On the water's surface not far away, several clusters of luminous crystals hung beneath the cage-like roots of a red tree, illuminating the surroundings.

At first glance, they looked like the floating crystals commonly seen in the world of Aethelria—Geodes, but they were actually the first fin spines and luminous skin flaps of a Swamp Anglerfish. That thing was a rare giant in the low-level swamps.

Level twenty-two, extremely good at mimicry, with no other weaknesses besides slow movement. As long as one got within five to seven meters of it, death was almost certain, but fortunately, Fang Heng recognized this creature.

He cautiously skirted around it.

Even on the outermost fringes of the Traveler's Marsh, it was full of danger.

He didn't know when the dragon would fly back, but it definitely would. From the moment Wu Di proposed splitting up, Fang Heng understood that for the others, this would be an adventure with little to no danger.

But for him—

It would be a matter of life and death, or even certain death.

He was carefully walking deeper into the mangrove forest, hoping to find a glimmer of hope in the dense woods. Although the dragon appeared in this area, it was likely a leader, but its rank wouldn't be too high.

No matter what, it was only a part of the dragon, or perhaps even just the power of a broken horn.

As Fang Heng was lost in thought, a line of text faintly appeared on his system window:

"ID--064212215H is applying to become your contact."

Fang Heng paused slightly.

He quickly looked down and saw the verification message: "I know who you are, Ed—"

Looking further down, the signature read Wu Di. Fang Heng almost stumbled and fell into the water. At that moment, he finally understood how reliable that old saying was—a barking dog doesn't bite.

No wonder the other party had looked at him like that earlier.

As he stood there, lost and confused, a gunshot suddenly sounded from behind him, coming from the direction Wu Di and the others had left. Fang Heng turned his head, suddenly realizing what they were doing—they were luring the dragon away.

Unfortunately, he couldn't help but feel a sense of wry amusement.

It was useless.

Wu Di retracted the smoking hand cannon from his hand, also somewhat surprised. He had clearly hit the dragon's right wing with a shot, the lead bullet leaving a long trail of sparks, but the creature hadn't even glanced at him before flying directly north.

That was precisely the direction Fang Heng had left—

Fang Heng also saw the dragon. After all, its massive body and unique golden-red eyes were hard to miss in the night sky. After a magnificent turn above the redwood forest, it swooped down in this direction.

At that moment, Fang Heng felt the mark on the back of his hand become burning hot, but he couldn't afford to care. He turned and ran.

The giant dragon spread its wings and drew a straight line across the sky above the redwood forest. Where it passed, two golden flames trailed behind its wings, and sparks rained down, igniting the top of the redwood forest the moment they landed.

The entire swamp seemed to be set ablaze, becoming brightly lit.

Another long roar echoed.

It was as if the water surface had begun to boil, vibrating intensely.

The fairy doll controlled by Miss Tata sat on Fang Heng's shoulder, tightly gripping his collar with its small hands. As Fang Heng ran, its silver hair occasionally brushed against his face. It was at this moment that Tata suddenly said, "Careful!"

Fang Heng had also seen a fleeting magical reaction above through her senses—were there others in the forest? The moment this thought crossed his mind, a figure leaped down from a tree branch and pounced on him.

Fang Heng felt a pair of strong hands grab his throat and another press down on his head, forcefully pushing him underwater. Water, carrying the earthy scent of mud, rushed in from all directions. Before Fang Heng could react, he choked on a mouthful of water.

Someone wanted to kill him?

His entire body tensed, and he desperately tried to struggle and lift his head. It was at this moment that the dragon descended from the sky. Its appearance seemed to activate the Crown Mark on Fang Heng's hand, and a bright flash erupted, forming a massive hemispherical shield. Not only did it cause the dragon to crash headfirst into the shield, but the force field also pushed away the person who was suppressing him.

Fang Heng looked at his hand in surprise, then turned back to get a clear look at the attacker.

It was an assassin wearing a mask and a strange, hooded hat. The other party was thrown back by the force field and crashed heavily into a tree.

On the other side, the dragon was also injured, still shaking its massive head. The experience of diving from dozens of meters high and crashing into a wall was clearly not pleasant, as one could imagine.

Fang Heng watched as the Crown Mark on his hand dimmed again, but he now understood that it wasn't allied with either of these two. He glanced at the two figures, one large and one small, covered the mark with his hand, and turned to run in another direction.

The assassin behind him recovered first, grabbed a tree root, and climbed up. He then stepped on the gnarled branches of the mangrove trees and pursued in this direction from the canopy. Fang Heng kept looking back to gauge the distance between them. The magic furnace behind the assassin had clearly entered operation, and the crystals on his boots and gloves were glowing, allowing him to move as if on flat ground among the branches.

Occasionally, he would grab a vine and swing forward, like Tarzan.

Climbing Gloves and Balance Boots—

Not many people could use these two pieces of Battle Gear well; even among assassins, they were one in ten. However, being targeted by such a skilled individual made Fang Heng anything but happy.

He suddenly remembered what Tian Lan had told him during the day: among the Big Sister's group, there was a very powerful assassin.

That French Girl was truly a super jinx.

He ran forward desperately. Ahead was a lone mangrove tree standing in the water. The surroundings were already engulfed in a raging sea of fire. The dragon's flames even burned directly on the water's surface, persisting without ceasing.

The firelight obscured everything, casting long shadows of the cage-like root system.

Fang Heng estimated the distance.

The assassin finally reached above him and lunged forward. Fang Heng abruptly stopped, causing the assassin to plunge into the pool of water in front of him.

He watched as the person fell into the water, splashing up a column of water with a 'splash.'

He could at most give that entry into the water a three out of ten, no higher.

The assassin finally managed to stand up again, looking at Fang Heng with some confusion—the latter hadn't run and was even waving at him.

"Farewell," Fang Heng shouted.

Then he turned and ran.

The assassin was slightly stunned. He picked up his hat, poured out the water inside, and put it back on his head. It was at this moment that a huge shadow loomed over him from behind.

He turned his head and saw only a massive, gaping maw—a Swamp Anglerfish.

And its dense, sharp teeth, like a whirlpool.

"MMP!"

This was the assassin's final line.

However, Fang Heng wasn't much better off. He hadn't run far before he discovered another problem—this direction was the way he had come, closer to the 'Traveler's Respite' inn.

And as he turned back, he saw a massive shadow emerge at the edge of the mangrove forest.

The dragon had chased him out.

Fang Heng froze on the spot.

Nicobolas's remnant soul raised its neck, looking down at the tiny human. Its gaping maw seemed to hold a mocking smile.

And in its only remaining golden-red eye, a victorious gleam resided. It raised its claw, and a huge shadow enveloped Fang Heng.

"Now I really only have one life left," Fang Heng couldn't help but close his eyes and think.

But at this very moment.

A bright light suddenly pierced the darkness, striking the dragon's chest.

The latter let out a world-shattering roar, its entire upper body rearing up before falling backward. It crashed into the water with a boom, then thrashed and struggled to its feet, panting and glaring forward with golden-red eyes filled with rage.

A low growl rumbled in its throat, and for the first time, it spoke: "You again, Xiuyode!"

The voice was a deep, androgynous female voice, filled with bone-chilling hatred.

Fang Heng turned his head in surprise and saw a tall figure emerge from the mist, holding a slender sword.

It was the innkeeper—Mazak.

Slept in, 233. I should be able to arrive around two o'clock tomorrow. Yesterday, my mind was fuzzy, and I wrote "one inch wide" instead of "one palm width" for the sword