Under the rain-swept sky, after the Copper Dragon finished its riddle, it wagged its tail smugly, waiting for Garros's answer.
Garros was speechless and fell silent.
Copper Dragons were natural 'riddle dragons,' but one thing was certain: when creating riddles, their nature dictated they would never lie.
Its riddle provided multiple hints and wasn't very difficult.
Garros guessed the answer.
——Luck.
The Copper Dragon appearing before him wasn't due to negligence, nor because of tracking on his equipment or treasures, but because of the ethereal, elusive thing called luck.
This result made him breathe a sigh of relief, but he didn't forget that he needed to overcome and temper his desire and greed for treasure.
Garros blinked and looked at the Horn Ring worn by the Copper Dragon and its neck scales, which were bulging again from being stuffed with gold coins and gems.
Ever since he had been able to eat a Magic Gem, he had rarely practiced in this regard.
He felt that this was because his instinct to guard treasure made him subconsciously ignore it, but now he noticed this weakness again.
The best way to overcome fear is to face it.
Garros decided to snatch another wave of the Copper Dragon's treasure, then, in his spare time, face these treasures directly and try to eat them to hone his will and overcome his obsession.
At the very least, he had to reach the level where he could eat two Magic Gems at once!
This required immense will, even more agonizing than physical pain; only Dragonkin understood how much determination and courage it took to do this.
On the other side.
Since Garros hadn't answered for a long time, the Copper Dragon thought he couldn't guess its riddle. It spun in the air and said the answer to itself: "Hybrid Dragon, the answer is—luck!"
Garros turned his neck.
Unhurriedly, he unfurled his massive dragon wings inch by inch, flapping them gently to disturb the surrounding rain. He rose into the air until he was level with the Copper Dragon, about a thousand meters apart.
"Fools win by luck; the weak turn their fortunes by luck."
Garros grinned and said, "Copper Dragon, it seems you have some self-awareness, knowing that you are a fool and a weakling."
The Copper Dragon's smile froze.
Thinking about it carefully, it did seem that way.
The riddle it proposed had instead belittled itself; this feeling of shooting itself in the foot was quite unpleasant.
"What did you come before me for, relying on luck?"
Garros asked again.
The Copper Dragon's fighting spirit soared, and its scales began to glow faintly, a sign of Demonic Energy flowing through its body: "Of course, it's to defeat you and then change your bad habits! Turn you into a Good Dragon!"
Garros was somewhat puzzled, not understanding where the Copper Dragon's confidence came from.
His gaze fell on the Copper Dragon's Horn Ring, and he grew wary.
"Your victory over me last time was due to a fluke and my negligence."
"This time, I will take the battle seriously. Moreover, I have undergone rigorous training and am stronger than before."
The Copper Dragon spoke with full confidence.
"Come, let us start anew and settle this. This time, I will let you know the power of a Metallic Dragon."
It beckoned to Garros with its claws composedly.
"The Copper Dragon seems very confident. I'll trade a few blows with it first to test it out, then decide whether to fight, rob it, or just retreat."
Garros quickly made a decision.
His wings suddenly shook, the fine scales on the Wing Membranes humming like blades. The rain exploded into fine mist between the scales, only to be evaporated by the high temperature generated by the friction of the fine scales.
His body suddenly surged forward, the rain being compressed into visible conical white waves, leaving a long trail of steam behind his dragon wings.
He was unstoppable, carrying the rolling Dragon Fear honed through the dangers of the wilderness, rushing toward the Copper Dragon like a meteor.
The Copper Dragon's smile solidified.
No matter how rigorous and cruel the special training under its parents' protection was, how could it compare to Garros? If his training intensity were applied to the Copper Dragon, it probably wouldn't last a single day.
The Copper Dragon had indeed grown over the past six months, but Garros had grown even more.
Garros survived among the fangs of the wilderness, knowing that every breath could be his last and never slacking. The Copper Dragon's rigorous training was merely a different kind of game played under protection.
Even without considering his powerful physique, his will, his spirit, and his fortitude far surpassed those of the Copper Dragon.
The Copper Dragon finally reacted.
It hurriedly spat out an orange-red gelatinous acid Dragon Breath, trying to slow down and stop Garros from approaching.
Garros's figure blurred into a streak of red lightning in the rain.
He didn't charge in a straight line but darted left and right, moving at high speed in a zigzag, showing a maneuverability that left the Copper Dragon dumbfounded.
The Copper Dragon's eyes could hardly keep up with him, and its Dragon Breath was even harder to land.
The next second.
Garros rushed in front of the Copper Dragon, his right wing held high, tearing through the wind and rain as it slashed down like a guillotine.
The Copper Dragon instinctively wanted to raise its claws to defend itself, only to find its muscles frozen. Fear flooded over it like a tide. For a moment, its mind went completely blank, and it even forgot to use its spell-like abilities or Alchemical Items.
A flower in a greenhouse cannot face a warrior who has long weathered the storm and fought the wilderness.
"Not dodging? So much confidence? Oh, it turns out it's just scared silly."
"I overestimated it."
At the last moment, Garros's thoughts shifted rapidly, and he adjusted his angle. The blunt side of the Wing Membrane slammed heavily into the Copper Dragon's neck, making a tooth-aching thud.
The treasures carefully stored in the layers of its scales burst out like scattered flowers.
Gold coins and gems drew brilliant parabolas in the rain.
Garros swept his dragon wings, catching them all and wedging them between the fine scales on his Wing Membranes. At the same time, he quickly reached out his dragon claws and snatched the Copper Dragon's Horn Ring.
By the time the Copper Dragon came to its senses.
It had already happened.
Just like last time, its equipment and treasures had been snatched away by Garros again.
The difference was that it was even more pathetic this time.
It had thought it could defeat Garros, but it was so frightened by the other's Dragon Fear that it couldn't move, frozen in place like a puppet without even resisting.
"Wanting to turn me into a Good Dragon? Copper Dragon, you are still far too inexperienced."
Garros spoke to the Copper Dragon while playing with the Horn Ring he had just acquired.
He didn't intend to kill the Copper Dragon.
The risk was too great.
Metallic Dragons were born enjoying the favor of their parents and elders, and they possessed life-saving trump cards.
Perhaps he could kill the Copper Dragon while it was unable to react, but the subsequent rampage of its life-saving Spell Scale would likely kill him in return.
Moreover, Garros could see.
This Copper Dragon had not undergone the tempering of the wilderness and had not experienced a crisis. It had only just left its parents' protection and was naive and stupid. It posed no danger to him at all and did not provoke his killing intent.
As for its parents.
Older Metallic Dragons belonging to the lawful camp strictly adhered to their inner principles. Unless Garros cruelly murdered their child, they would not strike against a Young Dragon like him.
"Why? Why is the gap between us so large?"
The Copper Dragon asked unwillingly.
Garros was silent for a few seconds, then grinned.
"It is formless and intangible, yet it can hone claws and fangs and temper scales."
"It is silent and soundless, yet it can tear through cowardice and forge the will."
"It has no beginning or end, yet it can make a Young Dragon crawl and a True Dragon soar."
"It is neither the love of parents nor the warmth of a greenhouse, yet it is what brings you here today—to be defeated beneath my claws!"
"Tell me, Copper Dragon, what is it?"
He asked back in the manner of the Copper Dragon's riddles.
Opposite him, the Copper Dragon was stunned.
Garros's riddle was like a sharp claw, slicing through its inner confusion.
It looked down at this world and saw lightning gnawing at the mountain ridges like silver snakes, and saw the gale uprooting century-old trees.
It suddenly understood that it had never truly faced this world.
No matter how difficult the riddles given by its father and mother were, the answers were always in the scrolls, but Garros's riddle had to be written with blood and fire.
"Thank... thank you, I understand."
The Copper Dragon looked at Garros, etching the appearance of this Hybrid Dragon deep into its mind, and then said word by word: "Hybrid Dragon, remember my name, Deborah."
"I will come back again, standing before you once more in a different form, and then I will defeat you."