Mephist Appears Out of Nowhere

With a loud bang, the black dragon landed directly on the roof of a two-story building not far from Xiao Yu, crushing the building into a pile of rubble. The dragon was buried inside, sinking into the ruins. It struggled to crawl a couple of times, barely managing to stick half its body out, before lying there motionless, seemingly lifeless.

What a golden opportunity! Big Broadsword Wang Wu, brandishing his infantry longsword. This kind of chance to gain reputation points was incredibly rare. He had initially thought he wouldn't get any reputation points today because he lacked ranged attack capabilities, but unexpectedly, a heavily wounded, near-death black dragon fell from the sky. What could be more exhilarating in a game than this? This was practically the treatment of a protagonist in a fantasy novel!

Xiao Yu and Esmehalda exchanged a glance, then immediately rushed towards the spot where the black dragon had fallen.

Although this black dragon looks rather small, only about ten meters long and probably just an adult dragon, the combat power of the Dragon Clan is much higher than that of monsters of the same level. The reputation points will naturally increase proportionally. Besides, even a small amount of reputation points is still valuable, so why not take advantage of this kind of free reputation points?

So the two reacted almost instantly. Esmehalda was especially quick, Blink to a spot near the black dragon and raising her hand to unleash Frostbolt. The Big Broadsword Wang Wu, seeing someone stealing the kill, immediately panicked. He leaped into the air, thrusting his infantry sword towards the dragon's head. With that thrust, he seemed to see countless reputation points raining down from the sky, his golden light flashing as he advanced to hero status, the title of Dragon Slayer beckoning him...

However, life is full of disappointments, and things often take unexpected turns. Just as he rushed forward, the black dragon, which had been unconscious, suddenly opened its eyes. A cunning and wild light flashed in its black eyes. Big Broadsword Wang Wu instinctively felt something was wrong, but being in the air, he had no room to maneuver. He watched as the Deathwing Dragon opened its mouth and bit off half of Big Broadsword Wang Wu's body. It chewed a few times and then swallowed him whole.

[Devour: Devours a target (limited to medium or small-sized creatures), dealing 50 corrosive damage per second for 60 seconds. If the target is digested during this time, it restores you health equal to the devoured target's original value. The devoured target is affected by a binding effect, which can be broken using a strength check. If the target is not fully digested after 60 seconds, it will be regurgitated.]

This skill is almost universal among giant creatures; it can heal, kill enemies, and fill their stomachs all at the same time. Normally, Deathwing would rarely use this move, let alone on humanoid creatures, because it's rather disgusting. However, today's battle was so infuriating that in a fit of rage he disregarded everything else and swallowed the Big Broadsword Wang Wu whole.

This startled Esmehalda and Xiao Yu, who were close behind.

(Holy crap, it's still alive! It doesn't matter, I wasn't planning on going over anyway, I'll just finish it off from a distance.) Xiao Yu and Esmehalda stopped at the same time, watching the black dragon warily. However, the black dragon was clearly at its last gasp. Most of its body was trapped under the rubble and it couldn't move at all. It just raised its head with a furious expression.

(What are you staring at me for! Take this!) Xiao Yu raised his hand and fired a Frostfire Bolt, -267!

A tiny red number—the damage was truly appalling. Because Dragon Clan are inherently resistant, and Xiao Yu was using projection mode for convenience, he couldn't take away much health in one go.

However, Esmehalda immediately followed up with a Frostbolt, dealing -2786 damage. The spell power boost from the Kirin Tor Scepter was no joke; a casual blast dealt over two thousand damage.

The two of them took turns attacking, and it looked like they were about to kill the black dragon.

Just then, a loud shout came from behind, "Spare his life!"—no, I mean, "Spare the dragon!"

A jet-black warhorse clad in full leather armor suddenly charged towards the two. The rider on the horse was a valiant man from the valley, dressed in black armor, carrying a greatsword with both hands, wearing a large winged helmet, and draped in a scarlet velvet cloak. He was a two-star human hero with a majestic and imposing appearance.

Mephist (Dragon Slayer)

(Wait, why does this guy's name sound so familiar? It's only one character different from his old friend Mephisto, and he even has the title of Dragon Slayer?) Xiao Yu couldn't help but start making wild connections in his mind.

Mephist (Dragon Slayer): "Please hold your fire, gentlemen. This black dragon attacked Stormwind City, clearly at the behest of some evil force. As the general of Stormwind City, I must capture it for interrogation, so I must spare its life. Therefore, please cease your attack."

(Damn it, you think you can just quit like that? You're going to give me back the reputation points, experience points, and rare materials I was about to get!)

Although this adult dragon is only a mid-level BOSS, Dragon Clan BOSSes are much more valuable than BOSSes of other races. Its dragon skin, scales, bones, blood, teeth, and whip are all worth money. Even if the lion's share goes to Esmehalda this time, I can still get a few thousand dollars. It's not that easy to just let it go.

Xiao Yu couldn't say these thoughts out loud.

Azathoth (Water Elemental Prince): "This black dragon is my prey. There are other dragons around. Human, you can find those dragons and torture them."

Mephist (Dragon Slayer): "This is Stormwind City territory. These dragons are our prisoners. You have no right to dispose of them."

Esmehalda (Kirin Tor Councilor): "He killed my best friend, and I must avenge him." Esmehalda didn't even need to write a draft; she just blurted it out, while putting on a heartbroken expression. However, her acting was a bit fake, only at the level of a third-rate romance drama heroine.

Xiao Yu also wanted to showcase his acting skills and express his determination, but unfortunately, elemental creatures are born with incomplete facial features, so he could only make up for it with lines rather than acting skills.

Azathoth (Water Elemental Prince): "We elementals have always been clear about our gratitude and resentment. That human just now helped me, and I must avenge him. This is a matter of principle, and there is no room for negotiation."

Mephist (Dragon Slayer): "Forget it, how can a common soldier help you? If you two were really friends, I'd be a different person."

"That's right, it's him." Xiao Yu was all too familiar with Mephisto's catchphrase. He suddenly asked tentatively, "Mephisto?"

Mephist (Dragon Slayer): "Hmm? -- You know me?"