Chapter 79: I Will Return!

Beneath a sky of wind and rain, after finishing its riddle, the bronze dragon proudly wagged its tail, awaiting Garos's answer.

Garos was speechless and fell silent.

The bronze dragon was a natural 'riddle dragon,' but one thing was certain: when creating riddles, its nature ensured it would never lie.

Its riddle offered multiple hints and was not difficult.

Garos had guessed the answer.

—Luck.

The bronze dragon appearing before him was not due to negligence, nor because of trackers on equipment or treasure, but because of that intangible, elusive thing called luck.

This result made him breathe a sigh of relief, yet he did not forget that he needed to overcome and temper his greed and craving for treasure.

Garos blinked, gazing at the horn ring worn by the bronze dragon and the scales on its neck, which were once again bulging from being stuffed with gold coins and gems.

Ever since he became capable of devouring a single magic gem, he had rarely practiced in this regard.

He felt that because he instinctively wanted to guard treasure, his subconscious had made him ignore this, but now he had noticed this weakness again.

The best way to overcome fear is to face it directly.

Garos decided to rob the bronze dragon of its treasure once more, then, in his leisure time, face these treasures directly, attempt to devour them, temper his will, and overcome his obsession.

At the very least, he must reach the level where he can devour two magic gems at once!

This required immense willpower, even more tormenting than physical pain; only dragons understood what tremendous determination and courage were needed to achieve this.

On the other side.

Because Garos had not answered for so long, the bronze dragon assumed he could not solve its riddle; it spun in mid-air and announced the answer on its own: "Half-breed dragon, the answer is—luck!"

Garos turned his neck.

Unhurriedly, he unfurled his massive dragon wings inch by inch, gently flapping them to churn the surrounding rainwater, rising into the air until he was level with the bronze dragon, the distance between them about a thousand meters.

"Fools triumph by luck; the weak turn their fortunes by luck."

Garos grinned broadly and said: "Bronze dragon, it seems you have self-awareness and know that you are both a fool and the weak."

The bronze dragon's smile froze.

Thinking carefully, it seemed that was indeed the case.

The riddle it had proposed ended up belittling itself, creating a feeling of lifting a stone only to drop it on one's own foot, which was somewhat uncomfortable.

"You relied on luck to come before me; what for?"

Garos asked again.

The bronze dragon's fighting spirit soared, its dragon scales beginning to glow faintly, a sign of magical energy circulating within its body: "Naturally, it is to defeat you, and then change your bad habits! To turn you into a good dragon!"

Garos was somewhat puzzled, unable to understand where the bronze dragon's confidence came from.

His gaze fell upon the bronze dragon's horn ring, and his heart grew wary.

"Last time you defeated me, it relied on fluke and my negligence."

"This time I will treat the battle seriously, and having undergone harsh training, I am stronger than before."

The bronze dragon said with full confidence.

"Come, let us start anew and decide the victor; this time I will let you know the power of a metallic dragon."

It remained composed and beckoned to Garos with its claw.

"The bronze dragon seems very confident; I'll exchange a few moves with it first to test it, then decide whether to fight, to rob, or to retreat directly."

Garos quickly made his decision.

His wings suddenly vibrated; the dense scales on his wing membranes rang like blade edges, raindrops exploding into fine mist between the scale gaps before being evaporated by the high heat generated from the friction of the tiny scales.

His body surged forward instantly, compressing the rainwater into visible cone-shaped white waves, while long trails of steam trailed behind his dragon wings.

Unstoppable, carrying the rolling dragon aura tempered in the dangers of the wilderness, he rushed toward the bronze dragon like a meteor.

The bronze dragon's smile solidified.

Special training under the protection of parents, no matter how harsh or cruel, how could it compare to Garos? If such training intensity were placed upon the bronze dragon, it would probably not last even a day.

The bronze dragon had indeed grown over the past half-year, but Garos had grown even more.

Garos struggled for survival among the fangs of the wilderness, deeply aware that every breath might be his last, never letting up for a moment, whereas the bronze dragon's harsh special training was merely another form of a sheltered game.

Even disregarding his powerful physique, his will, his spirit, and his perseverance far surpassed those of the bronze dragon.

The bronze dragon finally reacted.

It hastily spat out an orange-red, gel-like acidic dragon breath, hoping to slow down and stop Garos's approach.

Garos's figure blurred in the rain into a crimson lightning bolt.

He did not charge in a straight line but darted left and right, advancing at high speed along a winding path, displaying mobility that left the bronze dragon dumbfounded.

The bronze dragon's vision could hardly keep up with him, let alone its dragon breath reach him.

The next second.

Garos rushed before the bronze dragon, raised his right wing high, tore through the wind and rain, and slashed down like a guillotine.

The bronze dragon subconsciously tried to raise its claws to defend, but found its muscles frozen; fear flooded it like a tide, and for a moment, the bronze dragon's mind went completely blank, even forgetting to use its spell-like abilities and forgetting to use its alchemical items.

Flowers from a greenhouse cannot face warriors who have weathered storms and fought in the wilderness.

"Not dodging? So much confidence? Oh, turns out it's scared stiff."

"I overestimated it."

At the last moment, Garos's thoughts raced; he adjusted his angle, and the blunt surface of his wing membrane slammed heavily onto the bronze dragon's neck, emitting a muffled thud that made one's teeth ache.

Those treasures carefully hidden within the layers of its scale armor scattered like flowers tossed by a heavenly maiden.

Gold coins and gems traced brilliant parabolas through the rain.

Garos coiled his dragon wings, catching them all and lodging them between the tiny scales on his wing membranes, while simultaneously quickly extending his dragon claws to directly pluck off the bronze dragon's horn ring.

By the time the bronze dragon came to its senses.

The matter has already happened.

Just like last time, Garos had once again snatched away its equipment and treasures.

The difference was that this time it was even more wretched.

It had thought it could defeat Garos, yet it was so terrified by the opponent's Dragon Might that it dared not move, frozen in place like a wooden puppet, offering not even a resistance.

"You want to turn me into a Good Dragon? Copper Dragon, you are still far too lacking."

Garos toyed with the newly acquired horn ring, speaking to the Copper Dragon.

He did not intend to kill the Copper Dragon.

The risk was too great.

Metallic Dragons are naturally doted upon by their parents and elders, possessing Life-Saving trump cards.

Perhaps he could kill it while the Copper Dragon was caught off guard, but the subsequent rampage of its Life-Saving Art scales would most likely result in his own counter-killing.

Moreover, Garos had seen through it.

This Copper Dragon had undergone no trials in the wilderness, experienced no crises; it had merely just left its parents' protection, innocent and foolish, posing no danger to him whatsoever and failing to stir his killing intent.

As for its parents.

As an elder Metallic Dragon belonging to the Orderly faction, it adhered strictly to its inner principles; unless Garos had cruelly killed its child, it would not strike at such a young dragon.

"Why, why is the gap between us so vast?"

The Copper Dragon asked unwillingly.

Garos fell silent for a few seconds, then grinned.

"It is formless and intangible, yet it sharpens claws and fangs, and tempers scales and armor."

"It is silent and unseen, yet it tears apart cowardice and forges will."

"It has no beginning and no end, yet it makes young dragons prostrate and True Dragons soar."

"It is neither parental love nor the warmth of a greenhouse, yet it causes you to stand here today—defeated beneath my claws!"

"Tell me, Copper Dragon, what is this?"

He posed the counter-question in the manner of a Copper Dragon riddle.

Opposite, the Copper Dragon was stunned.

Garos's riddle was like a sharp claw, dissecting the confusion within its heart.

It looked down upon this world, seeing lightning gnawing at the ridges like silver snakes, and seeing the great wind uproot century-old trees.

It suddenly understood that it had never truly faced this world.

No matter how difficult the riddles given by the Dragon Father and Dragon Mother were, the answers always lay within the scrolls, but Garos's riddles had to be written in blood and fire.

"Thank you, thank you, I understand."

The Copper Dragon looked at Garos, deeply imprinting the figure of this half-breed dragon into its mind, then spoke word by word: "Half-breed dragon, remember my name: Deborah."

"I will return, standing before you once more in a different form, and then I will defeat you."

(End of this chapter)