novelraw Chapter 78: I'll Be Back!
Chapter 78: I'll Be Back!
Under the stormy sky, after finishing its riddle, the Brass Dragon proudly wagged its tail, waiting for Garoth's response.
Garoth fell silent, at a loss for words.
Brass Dragons were natural-born 'riddle masters,' but one thing was certain—when crafting riddles, their nature compelled them never to lie.
Its riddle had provided multiple hints, making it not too difficult.
Garoth had guessed the answer.
—Luck.
The Brass Dragon had appeared before him not due to negligence, nor because of tracking devices on equipment or treasures, but because of elusive, intangible luck.
This realization eased his mind, yet he didn't forget that he needed to overcome his greedy desire for treasures.
Garoth blinked, his gaze falling upon the horn ring adorning the Brass Dragon and the bulging neck scales stuffed with gold coins and gems.
Ever since he could consume a single magic gem, he'd rarely trained in this aspect.He believed this was because his instincts wanted to guard treasures, subconsciously making him overlook this weakness—but now he'd noticed it again.
The best way to conquer fear was to face it head-on.
Garoth decided to rob the Brass Dragon of its treasures once more, then later, in his leisure time, confront those treasures directly—attempt to consume them, temper his will, and overcome his obsession.
At the very least, he needed to reach the point where he could consume two magic gems at once!
This required immense willpower, even more tormenting than physical pain. Only dragons could understand the sheer determination and courage this demanded.
Meanwhile.
As Garoth remained silent, the Brass Dragon assumed he couldn't solve the riddle. It circled in the air and proudly declared the answer: "Hybrid dragon, the answer is—luck!"
Garoth tilted his neck.
Slowly, deliberately, he unfurled his massive wings inch by inch, gently flapping them to disrupt the surrounding rain as he ascended to the Brass Dragon's altitude, maintaining about a kilometer's distance between them.
"Fools rely on luck to win; the weak depend on luck to rise."
Garoth grinned. "Brass Dragon, it seems you're self-aware enough to know you're both fool and weakling."
The Brass Dragon's smile froze.
Upon reflection... that did seem accurate.
Its own riddle had ended up insulting itself......... This feeling of shooting oneself in the foot was rather unpleasant.
"Why have you come before me relying on luck?" Garoth pressed.
The Brass Dragon's fighting spirit surged, its scales beginning to glow faintly—a sign of magical energy circulating within its body: "To defeat you, of course! And then reform your wicked ways! Turn you into a virtuous dragon!"
Garoth was puzzled, unable to comprehend the Brass Dragon's sudden confidence.
His gaze settled on the Brass Dragon's horn ring, putting him on guard.
"Your last victory over me was due to luck and my own carelessness."
"This time, I'll take the fight seriously. Plus, I've undergone rigorous training—I'm stronger than before."
The Brass Dragon spoke with absolute certainty.
"Come, let's start over and settle this once and for all. This time, I'll show you the might of a metallic dragon."
It calmly beckoned Garoth with a claw.
"The Brass Dragon seems confident. I'll exchange a few blows first to test its strength, then decide whether to fight, rob, or retreat immediately."
Garoth quickly formulated his plan.
His wings suddenly snapped open, the dense scales on their membranes ringing like blades as rain shattered into fine mist between them, instantly vaporized by the intense heat generated from scale friction.
His body erupted forward, compressing rain into visible conical shockwaves as his wings left long trails of steam behind.
Unstoppable, carrying the dragon might tempered by wilderness dangers, he charged at the Brass Dragon like a meteor.
The Brass Dragon's smile vanished.
No matter how harsh its parents' protected training had been, how could it compare to Garoth's? The intensity of Garoth's training would likely break the Brass Dragon within a day.
While the Brass Dragon had indeed grown stronger over these months, Garoth's progress far surpassed it.
Garoth had survived in the fangs of the wild, knowing each breath might be his last, never slacking off—whereas the Brass Dragon's 'harsh training' was merely a sheltered game by comparison.
Even disregarding physical strength, his willpower, mental fortitude, and determination all far exceeded the Brass Dragon's.
The Brass Dragon finally reacted.
Panicked, it spewed orange-red gel-like acid breath, attempting to slow Garoth's approach.
Garoth's figure blurred into a crimson lightning bolt amidst the rain.
He didn't charge straight forward but zigzagged at high speed, displaying mobility that left the Brass Dragon dumbfounded.
The Brass Dragon couldn't even track him visually, let alone hit him with its breath.
One second later.
Garoth was upon the Brass Dragon, his right wing raised high before slicing down through wind and rain like a guillotine.
The Brass Dragon instinctively tried to raise a claw in defense but found its muscles frozen. Fear flooded its mind, leaving it completely blank—it even forgot to use its spell-like abilities or alchemical tools.
A greenhouse flower could never face a warrior tempered by storms and wilderness.
"Not dodging? So confident? Oh... you're petrified."
"I overestimated it."
At the last moment, Garoth adjusted his angle, slamming the blunt side of his wing into the Brass Dragon's neck with a sickening thud.
Treasures carefully stored between its scales exploded outward like scattered blossoms.
Gold coins and gems arced through the rain in glittering parabolas.
Garoth's wings curled, catching them all between his fine scales, while his claws swiftly snatched the Brass Dragon's horn ring.
By the time the Brass Dragon regained its senses.
It was over.
Just like last time, Garoth had robbed it of equipment and treasures.
The difference was—this time, it had performed even worse.
Convinced it could defeat Garoth, it had instead frozen in terror before his dragon might, standing stiff as a puppet without even resisting.
"Want to turn me into a virtuous dragon? Brass Dragon, you're far from ready."
Garoth toyed with the newly acquired horn ring as he addressed the Brass Dragon.
He had no intention of killing it.
The risk was too great.
Metallic dragons naturally enjoyed their parents' doting protection and possessed life-saving measures.
Perhaps he could kill the Brass Dragon while it was stunned, but its defensive spell-inscribed scale's subsequent rampage would likely kill him in turn.
Moreover, Garoth could tell.
This Brass Dragon had no wilderness experience, no survival instincts—just a naive fool fresh from its parents' protection, posing no real threat and failing to ignite his killing intent.
As for its parents?
As elder metallic dragons of the orderly alignment, they adhered strictly to their principles. Unless Garoth brutally murdered their child, they wouldn't attack a mere juvenile like him.
"Why... why is the gap between us so vast?"
The Brass Dragon asked bitterly.
Garoth remained silent for several seconds before grinning.
"It has no form nor substance, yet tempers claws and scales."
"It makes no sound nor whisper, yet shreds cowardice and forges will."
"It has no beginning nor end, yet makes wyrmlings cower and true dragons soar."
"It's neither parental love nor sheltered warmth, yet brings you here today—defeated beneath my claws!"
"Tell me, Brass Dragon—what is this?"
He countered with a riddle of his own, mirroring the Brass Dragon's style.
Opposite him, the Brass Dragon froze.
Garoth's riddle was like a sharp claw dissecting its inner confusion.
It looked down upon the world, watching lightning like silver snakes gnawing mountain ridges, seeing gales uproot centuries-old trees.
Suddenly, it understood—it had never truly faced this world.
No matter how difficult its dragon parents' riddles were, the answers were always in books—but Garoth's riddles required blood and fire to solve.
"Th...thank you. I understand now."
The Brass Dragon gazed at Garoth, searing the hybrid dragon's image into its mind before speaking deliberately: "Hybrid dragon, remember my name—Deborah."
"I'll be back. I'll stand before you again in a different form... and defeat you."