The cool night air enveloped Felix as he finished digesting the elemental energy of the Red Dragon Fruit. Exhaling deeply, a mist of white breath spread around him.
The fire poison in the Red Dragon Fruit was an excessively concentrated fire elemental force, beyond the absorption capacity of humans, except for those specialized in fire-related professions. Others needed antidotes to neutralize this toxicity.
Absorbing the fruit's elemental energy, Felix's usually pale complexion gained a hint of color, and his body temperature rose slightly, reaching the range of normal humans.
Taking a deep breath, he stood up. The caravan was quiet, save for the soft conversation of the night guards, mostly about when they would return and discussing Felix himself.
Felix wasn't particularly concerned about their opinions. His plan was simply to accompany the caravan to the human world, using them as free guides. Their willingness to include him probably stemmed from his harmless appearance; they seemed like decent humans.
With his slender physique and pallid complexion, Felix didn't look dangerous at this moment. Estimating the time, he guessed it was around 1 or 2 a.m. by the magical clock, as the moon had reached the center of the sky, marking the halfway point of the night.
Just as he was about to enter his carriage for rest, a faint scent of flowers reached his nose, startling him. Lifting his head, he saw the mysterious veiled woman, Silver Fox, standing before him, her eyes filled with interest.
Felix's hand instinctively moved to the hilt of his sword under his cloak, his eyes narrowing as he coldly observed the woman. He was shocked, as his keen senses hadn’t detected her approach. Had it not been for the subtle fragrance, he wouldn't have known she was there. It meant she could have stealthily taken his life if she wanted.
How could this woman evade his senses?
Feeling a mix of surprise and apprehension, Felix realized this was the first time he had encountered an intelligent being who could elude his perception, something even a druid with a wild heart couldn't achieve.
"Don't be nervous, young one, I mean no harm," the veiled woman said with a smile, her light brown eyes examining Felix curiously. She spread her hands to show she was unarmed.
Felix reluctantly relaxed his grip on the sword but remained vigilant. This was the only being so far who had given him an indiscernible feeling, extremely powerful, but he couldn't gauge her true strength.
"What do you want?" Felix asked, looking up at the tall woman standing a head above him, making him feel uneasy.
"I'm just a bit curious about you," the woman said, her eyes slightly narrowed as if smiling. She sized up Felix and continued after a pause, "You seem human, but you have an aura that humans shouldn’t possess."
"Human?" The way she said 'human' struck Felix with a weird note, sparking some speculations in his mind.
"Do you mean to say you're not human?" he asked, staring into her eyes.
The veiled woman chuckled, "You're a clever young man," her eyes shining intriguingly as she intentionally pressed her ample chest closer to Felix, a teasing gesture.
In an instant, Felix drew his sword, not hesitating to strike at her heart, sensing a strong danger. She had cast a charming spell on him!
The sword effortlessly pierced through her heart, but Felix felt uneasy, as if he had struck air. There was no resistance, no sensation of cutting through flesh and bone.
The woman vanished like smoke, and as Felix turned to strike behind him, a dagger pressed against his neck.
"Such impressive illusion skills!" he thought.
The night was cool. After digesting the energy from the Red Dragon Fruit, Felix stood up, releasing a breath that formed a faint mist around him.
The fire poison in the fruit was an overabundance of fire elemental power, beyond what most humans could absorb, except for those specialized in fire magic. For others, antidotes were necessary to neutralize the toxicity.
Once the fruit's energy was absorbed, Felix's usually pale face gained a hint of color, and his body temperature rose slightly, nearing that of a normal human.
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Taking a deep breath, he stood up in the quiet of the night, only the soft voices of the night guards discussing their return and Felix himself breaking the silence.
Felix was unconcerned about their chatter. He planned to follow the caravan to the human world, essentially gaining free guides. They had welcomed him, likely due to his seemingly harmless appearance. Indeed, he looked unthreatening with his delicate, pallid face and slender body.
Judging by the moon's position, it was around 1 or 2 a.m. Just as he was about to enter his carriage, a faint floral scent caught his attention. Lifting his head, he saw the veiled woman, Silver Fox, standing before him, her eyes filled with curiosity.
Felix’s hand instinctively went to his sword. He was shocked, as he hadn't sensed her approach. It meant she could have easily taken his life without him knowing.
Her ability to evade his senses was alarming. This was the first time he had encountered an intelligent being who could do so, something even a druid couldn't achieve.
"Don’t be nervous, young one. I mean no harm," the veiled woman said, her gaze cold as she held a dagger to his throat. She assured him she could decapitate him in an instant if he moved.
Felix felt no fear, an odd sensation as if he was indifferent to life and death. Even knowing she could kill him, he wasn't afraid. He calmly sheathed his sword and asked coldly, "What do you want?"
"Aren't you afraid of death?" she asked curiously, pressing the sharp blade slightly into his skin, drawing a line of blood. She had seen fearless humans, but never someone so indifferent to their own life.
"I am," Felix replied calmly, feeling the blade cut his skin.
"Then why don't you beg for mercy?" she asked, her icy killing intent fading as she studied him with interest.
"Beg for mercy?" Felix scoffed, "My life is in your hands. If you want to kill me, would begging stop you? Strong-willed people like us don't live by begging."
"Maybe if you begged, I wouldn't kill you," she said, her eyes brightening with intrigue. She leaned closer, her breath warm, her ample chest pressing forward in a teasing manner.
In an instant, Felix drew his sword and struck, not softened by her charms. He attacked her heart, but to his alarm, the blade met no resistance, as if he had stabbed air.
The woman vanished, and as Felix turned to strike behind him, her dagger was at his neck.
Impressed by her illusion skills, Felix relaxed only after she had completely left. He exhaled deeply, letting go of the Frost Power in his palm. He had been prepared to fight back, even though he knew he couldn't match her in speed. He believed a desperate strike could at least seriously injure her.
Identifying her as a dragon wasn't difficult. Knowing Dragon Language and possessing such power suggested she was likely from the dragon race. The only uncertainty was whether she was a true dragon using ultimate transformation or a dragonborn with latent bloodlines.
If she was a true dragon, she might be a Shadow Dragon, skilled in illusion magic and typically found in the outer planes, rarely interacting with humans. If not a Shadow Dragon, what kind could she be?
Dragons that enjoyed visiting the human world were rare, with Silver Dragons being the most common. However, the veiled woman's combat style didn't seem typical of Silver Dragons.
"Silver dragons are majestic and elegant creatures, always eager to assist those good beings truly in need. When interacting with humans, silver dragons often take the form of kindly elders or beautiful young girls. With age, their scales become increasingly lustrous, and their pupils fade to a lighter color, eventually resembling orbs of liquid mercury in their oldest phase. Silver dragons prefer to build their lairs in lofty places, such as secluded mountain peaks or amidst swirling clouds, and they always carry a slight scent of rain. They enjoy human food and can rely on it for sustenance. Silver dragons seem particularly fond of human form and often form friendships and even deep bonds with mortals."
This was Felix’s memory of silver dragons. However, silver dragons are generally benevolent, and the veiled woman, Silver Fox, appeared quite aggressive. This suggested she might be a dragonborn with latent dragon bloodlines.
Dragonborns, though powerful, have limitations since their strength comes from the dragon blood in their bodies. Felix estimated that a dragonborn's power couldn't be much higher than his own; some are only equivalent to mid-level professionals. In their power growth, dragonborns face a choice between dragon and human forms. Choosing the dragon means they eventually transform into true dragons as their power increases.
Dragonborns are even rarer than true dragons, given the scarcity of human-dragon offspring. So, what could the identity of the veiled woman be? Felix couldn’t determine her identity due to her ability to shield her presence.
Meanwhile, Felix, deep in thought about her identity, didn’t realize that knowledge about dragons was awakening in his memory.
The caravan set out early the next morning. Despite not sleeping, Felix felt no tiredness. After a simple meal, he continued eastward with the caravan, grateful for the guide through the vast grasslands and hoping to learn more about the human world to regain his memories.
His irritation with the veiled woman's intrusive gaze lingered. He considered leaving to avoid further trouble but dismissed the thought. Running wasn’t his style. He wanted to see what the veiled woman was truly after. Her easy defeat of him was due to her unexpected and peculiar attack style. Prepared, he might stand a better chance.
After digesting the Red Dragon Fruit, his Frost Power was at its weakest, which put him at a disadvantage in their encounter. Now, Felix almost wished for another chance to face her.
Seemingly upset by the previous day’s coldness, Marina, the golden-haired woman, didn’t approach Felix today. However, her glances carried a hidden resentment, noticeable even to the mercenaries, who occasionally passed Felix with teasing smiles.
In the afternoon, a bloodied scout from the patrol team returned, collapsing from his horse and fainting.
"Bandits!" he managed before losing consciousness, revealing a deep wound on his back.