Chapter 23

A point of green light flashed before Rad, then formed an illusory eyeball.

The illusory eyeball stared at the twelve arenas, recording everything as images.

This eyeball technique, very similar to the first-ring spell Mage's Eye, is actually the fourth-ring spell Record's Eye.

Mage's Eye only has observational ability, whereas Record's Eye can store what it sees and hears; when released, it can be viewed like a 3D video.

This "video" will ultimately be sent to the Juvenile Dragon Management Bureau of Emerald City.

If a juvenile dragon with talent and potential appears, the bureau will allocate resources according to its specific performance to accelerate its growth.

No one may encroach upon these resources tilted toward the young dragons.

Violators, felony!

"Juvenile dragon, I, Mandy, come to challenge you!"

A red dragon, one size larger in body length than the black dragon Hall, arrived at the ninth arena and loudly said to Lai Ang, who was observing the other arena battles.

Lai Ang looked at the challenging red dragon juvenile, saw it looking at him with disdain, and inwardly sneered.

The black dragon Hall gloated, walking to the side of the arena, obviously not intending to intervene in this fight.

"Beat, beat him hard." Hall widened his dragon eyes, hoping to see through this fight Lai Ang's progress over the past four months, so he could feel assured.

"As you wish." The black juvenile dragon slowly rose, walked to the arena center, and its pale yellow dragon eyes coldly regarded the red dragon.

The red dragon snorted derisively and shouted arrogantly, "Don't think that tying with Hall that waste makes you strong. Come, hit me with your full strength; I'll let you have a few moves first!"

Seeing the red dragon trying to provoke him, Lai Ang remained silent, for he had already entered a combat state.

Almost simultaneously, two magic-infused water balls condensed into form, appearing before Lai Ang.

Dual casting—tenth-level trick: Minor Waterball Technique!

After one and a half years of training and honing his mental power, Lai Ang can now dual-cast zeroth-ring tricks.

That is, simultaneously releasing two separate spells.

Red dragon Mandy saw the two sudden magic water balls, his pupils constricted slightly, but after sensing the magic power they contained, he sneered, "Water overcomes fire, but the water must be strong enough."

Lai Ang couldn't be bothered with him; with a thought, the two pale-blue magic water balls howled from left and right toward Red Dragon Mandy.

Two consecutive collision sounds rang out.

One magic water ball was blasted apart by the dragon's thick, powerful tail; the other was bitten apart as the red dragon opened its maw.

The water balls exploded, scattering gorgeous blue water elements in midair, sparkling under the sunlight, quite beautiful to behold.

"Juvenile dragon, is that all you've got? True, Hall is a waste, but he wouldn't fall so easily to such minor water balls. After all, he can't even scratch my scales."

After dealing with the magic water ball attack, Red Dragon Mandy spoke with a tone of considerable contempt.

But how things actually are, perhaps only Mandy himself knows.

The fully leveled tenth-rank Minor Waterball trick now approaches the power of a first-ring offensive spell.

Dragon scales possess strong resistance to spells; that is correct.

Especially adult dragons, they are nearly immune to low-ring spells; only medium-ring or higher spells have any effect.

But that applies to adult dragons.

As a mere juvenile red dragon, its scale resistance to spells at most immunizes it against zeroth-ring tricks; against first-ring spells, especially those that counter its element, it will surely sustain some damage.

Lai Ang's keen mental power let him notice that on Red Dragon Mandy's tail, a few scales bore faint cracks.

Exactly where it had just blasted the magic water ball.

He looked at the red dragon's maw; just now it had used that spot to bite apart another water ball, so it likely wasn't unharmed either.

In that battle several months ago, the black dragon Hall also bore with his body at least twenty magic water ball attacks; even as a water-attributed black dragon, he suffered considerable damage from the continual explosions.

Especially when the explosions occurred at the wounds where his scales had been torn apart.

"Although effective, Minor Waterball is ultimately a zeroth-ring trick; even if forced by a cheat slot to approach first-ring offensive spell power, it will inevitably be eliminated," Lai Ang thought to himself.

"Perhaps I should learn a more powerful offensive spell. But first, I must soundly thrash this arrogant red dragon!" Again two magic water balls condensed, then with two swishing sounds turned into streams of light that slammed into Red Dragon Mandy.

Simultaneously, a minor strength-boosting technique empowered his dragon body, achieving a black-water battle qi flow of rank two, level three throughout his body.

Strength, speed, and agility surged across the board.

Feeling the mighty power coursing through him, Lai Ang's figure vanished from the spot as he launched an active assault on the red dragon.

"Finally took the bait!"

Seeing the black juvenile dragon actively attack it, Red Dragon Mandy was instead delighted; it opened its maw and expelled the dragon fire it had long stored in its chest.

At such close range, Red Dragon Mandy was confident of hitting Lai Ang. —It had in fact watched Lai Ang's battle with Hall, thus knowing where this juvenile dragon's strengths lay and where its weaknesses were.

Lai Ang's strengths undoubtedly lie in speed and agile dexterity.

Its weaknesses are equally obvious—compared to them, its juvenile dragon body and strength are far inferior.

If Hall were struck by its dragon fire breath, he might only suffer minor injury, but if this juvenile dragon were hit, it would surely be grave harm! Yet, in Red Dragon Mandy's delighted and anticipating gaze, Lai Ang barely managed to dodge its dragon fire breath.

The scorching dragon fire slammed into the arena floor, leaving a black scorch mark over ten meters long on the sturdy alchemy-constructed floor.

"What a treacherous and deceitful red dragon."

Lai Ang, even without turning to look at the destructive power of the dragon fire breath, could tell from the sudden temperature rise and the scorching air that seemed ready to sear his lungs just how powerful that strike was.

Given his dragon body and scale strength, he definitely could not withstand that blow.

"If I were the me from four months ago, I probably couldn't have avoided it, but—"

Lai Ang nimbly dodged the red dragon's dragon fire breath, and with a rippling sound left three bloody claw marks on the red dragon's unsuspecting belly.

Scorching red dragon blood poured forth.

"Damn it!" The red dragon furiously halted its breath blast and swung its thick, powerful tail hard at the black juvenile dragon right before it.

Faced with this swift strike, the black juvenile dragon had no time to evade; it could only rise on its hind legs and block with its pair of foreclaws—after all, the tail is the fastest and most agile part of a dragon's attack.

With a boom, the black juvenile dragon was flung several meters back by the swipe, stopping only when all force had dissipated.

"What tremendous strength, surpassing Hall by a third." Feeling the faint sting in his foreclaws, Lai Ang secretly marveled in his heart.

As expected of a red dragon.

After driving Lai Ang back, the wounded and furious Red Dragon Mandi strode forward to pursue.

Lai Ang merely did his best to dodge, then found an opening in his dodging to attack, fiercely leaving several scarlet wounds on the red dragon.

Red Dragon Mandi felt only that this fight was extremely stifling and utterly unpleasant.

Roar! Roar! The violent, furious red dragon attacked even more recklessly.

Only after losing too much blood and exhausting his stamina did the red dragon finally crash down onto the arena.

"Phew, it's really tough."

Only after the red dragon fell did Lai Ang stop.

It felt a pair of foreclaws aching as if broken, and its black water fighting spirit and mental strength were exhausted, leaving it somewhat helpless.

Whether fighting the black dragon Hol or this battle against the red dragon Mandi, Lai Ang found it especially difficult.

It was like an assassin facing a berserker with a long, thick health bar.

Its damage could pierce the berserker's defense, but only that—it could not inflict massive damage.

Meanwhile, a powerful strike from the berserker could perhaps knock off one-fifth, or even more, of the assassin's health bar.

Like walking a tightrope, it moved amidst danger.

Thanks to 'Explosive Update Idol' for the 500-coin reward, and to all readers for their monthly tickets.

(End of chapter)