"Is it deliberately seducing me?"

The elf girl painfully wailed as she vomited a mouthful of black blood. The raptor's collision brought a force that shattered her internal organs!

"Ugh!"

She leaned against the tree trunk, having lost all her strength. The green dragon's mightiest kin defeated this novice of the jungle with just one strike, depriving her of the ability to act.

"Is it tricking me? Or has the poison worn off?" The elf girl desperately recalled every detail. Not far away, the raptor had already leapt onto the top of a large tree and locked onto her.

Perhaps the raptor wanted to take advantage of her psychological blind spot. It planned to suddenly attack when the elf girl approached to inspect her prize, but unexpectedly, she was extremely cautious.

"Grr!"

The little bear Susa growled while guarding in front of the elf girl, unwaveringly. Its furious bear eyes fixed firmly on the enemy slithering and gliding above.

The raptor narrowed its eyes, watching its prey. Its belly bulged upward with a small mound, gestating something, but the night and its purple-blue scaly feathers concealed this detail.

The next moment, it suddenly opened its beak, instantly spitting out a blue fireball! The target was aimed directly at the elf and bear on the ground.

Seeing the imminent attack, Susa gritted its teeth, stood upright, and let out an angry roar!

The bear's roar echoed through the silent forest, startling countless birds to scatter and flee.

The suspended moon seemed to respond, sending down a streak of silver aura that formed an invisible sturdy barrier enveloping Susa.

Bang!

The blue fireball collided with the little bear's body. Susa felt its fur being burned by an astonishing heat, and the impact force caused it to slide back a few steps involuntarily.

Soon the smoke dissipated, and the silver radiance remained on the little bear. The raptor's attack had not harmed it.

"Susa! You've actually gained the blessing of the nature gods!" The elf girl exclaimed in astonishment upon witnessing this scene.

The little bear turned its head and smiled confidently, but was quickly blown away by the incoming gale, unable to open its eyes!

It hurriedly rolled to the left, and a sturdy iron head then smashed into the spot where Susa had been standing just a second ago.

The raptor's headbutt drove a deep pit into the soft, muddy forest floor. It shook its head and looked up. The little bear had already rolled over and was baring its teeth, snarling incessantly.

However, the raptor paid no heed to the foolish bear. With a flap of its front wings, it lunged toward the immobilized elf girl ahead! Its iron beak glinted with a terrifying chill under the moonlight!

"Grr!"

Only then did Susa react and realize it had forgotten about its companion. The elf girl, seeing the ferocious monster charging straight at her, had already turned deathly pale, her mind a blank, unsure how to react.

Bang!

In the blink of an eye, before the elf, the bear, or the raptor could react, a golden streak flashed by.

"Phew! Phew! I...I'm alright?"

The elf girl gazed in shock at the raptor that had been blown back and was now painfully getting up some distance away. In front of her now stood an unknown person with golden hair cascading past their waist, their body enveloped by a faint golden membrane.

"Are you okay? My name is Arna. I'm a human mage who has come from afar to study the ecology here," the golden-haired savior introduced himself, turning his face slightly. The elf girl noticed that his eyes were the same blazing golden color as his hair.

"Still...still good...Please be careful! That's a terrifying raptor! A dragon's kin creation, extremely powerful!" she warned, perhaps entranced by the hint of captivating charm revealed on the side of the person's face. Her heart immediately trusted this human.

The raptor, grimacing in pain as it got up, was stunned by the golden radiance emanating from this uninvited guest's body.

"Who are you? Only dragon kin can use 'golden blessing'!" it loudly questioned in Draconic, though the elf girl and little bear present could not understand, thinking it was just an angry hiss.

"Arcane stream!" Arnold mercilessly extended one hand, releasing a beam of magic energy without any external catalyst!

The raptor hurriedly flapped its wings and took flight onto a tree. This sudden enemy seemed to be a dragon or powerful dragon kin. With a divinely blessed bear also present, it could not muster the courage to fight on.

"Wow! So this is the power of humans!" The elf girl, having never experienced the world, was astonished by the minor spell Arnold had casually unleashed.

In Leonardo, magic had not yet polluted the realm. The forest inhabitants could only harness power according to the rules of natural materials - fashioning wood into arrows, forging iron into spears. Magic and uranium gold were not yet widespread.

The raptor suddenly made a special sound. Arnold knew it was a call for reinforcements in Draconic.

Rustling noises immediately came from the jungle. Shadows flitted across the branches of the tall trees, causing them to sway. The elf girl's heart tightened with unease.

Buzz——Bang!!

Bright lights suddenly flashed amid the dark canopy shadows! A volley of emerald jade breaths rained down!

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Arnold calmly extended his left hand in front of his face.

Magical blue light illuminated his handsome, resolute face. His thick, waist-length golden hair swayed without wind as the spell's rays rapidly expanded, enveloping the surroundings.

Enfeeblement.

This Draconic magic was Arnathus' own invention, capable of weakening any attack originating from a living being, such as breaths and snake venom.

As the jade breaths entered the enfeeblement aura, their impact and form were continuously diminished. By the time they reached Arnold, they retained only one percent of their original power and were easily negated by his golden blessing, dissipating entirely.

"The green dragon's breath is merely this?" he inwardly scoffed. Having witnessed Raphael's breath, most other dragons' were unimpressive to him now.

The raptor's heart sank. There was no doubt now that the opponent was a dragon; otherwise, it could not have withstood the breath cannon unscathed.

"Why would a dragon personally come to Leonardo?"

It was bewildered but then made eye contact with Arnold, who had turned his head.

The human's originally smooth eyes had suddenly turned into vertical slits!

The vertical pupils then rapidly dilated! The golden magic force within completely enraptured the raptor's mind and soul.

It only felt those golden eyes devouring all of its senses.

Then a vortex quickly flung it out. A hundred-meter-long golden dragon now stood in its place! Its dazzlingly brilliant scales were even more radiant than the sun!

"Ah!"

The raptor suddenly snapped back to reality, but the scene remained unchanged. The golden-haired human was still silently standing there, observing it, while the jade breath's smoke had yet to dissipate.

"Whimper..."

The raptor let out a pathetic, dog-like whine. Utterly terrified, it began frantically fleeing. The lure drakes hiding in the canopy, seeing their small leader retreat, could only scatter as well.

Just like that, the crisis was averted.

"Phew...this little psychological trick still comes in handy sometimes," Arnold inwardly whistled in delight.

He had not used Draconic magic but rather an innate draconic ability akin to breath and heat vision.

A dragon's brain could actively emit a special brainwave to interfere with other life forms, clouding their minds. The specific reaction was fear, which humans referred to as "draconic might."

"Hello, your name is Arna, right?" The elf girl, having finally driven away those wicked dragon kin and saved her life, was immensely grateful to her rescuer.

"My name is Fel. I'm an apprentice ranger, and my skills and experience are lacking, as you can see," Fel said with an embarrassed face, attempting to stand up by leaning against a tree. However, the raptor's initial ambush had dealt her a fatal blow. After rising just a bit, she felt severe abdominal cramps and vomited another mouthful of black blood.

"Don't move. You've suffered severe internal injuries. Let me help you," Arnold stopped her, extending his left hand as he recalled an arcane secret he had learned from an ancient forbidden tome studied by a Draconic Sage.

An invisible, unknown energy flowed out from Arnold's body and slowly entered Fel's.

"This is...?!" Fel felt her wounds rapidly healing, a numb, itchy sensation spreading from within, like a thousand ants devouring a thick layer of honey smeared on her skin.

"Don't move around," Arnold sternly rebuked her, which did not offend Fel but only made her face redder.

"Sorry, I had no idea humans possessed such divine power. This is actually the first time I've encountered your kind," she said softly with her head bowed. The curious little bear Susa crawled over.

"This is Susa, my good friend and fellow apprentice ranger!" Fel introduced fondly while petting the bear's fur.

Seeing Susa's blissful expression, the corners of Arnold's mouth curved ever so slightly into a smile.

"Companion? You mean an equal companion, not a pet euphemism?"

Fel looked puzzled. "Pet? What's that?"

"Never mind...Alright, your wounds have healed."

Arnold ended the treatment and stood up. The elf girl, with Susa's joyful hops, stood up directly. Amazed, she felt her stomach where the five claw marks on her dragon-scale armor had previously exposed raw flesh, now fully restored to normal.

"Thank you so much!" Fel had never before received help from another race. This further convinced her that good people in this world must outnumber the bad, and justice would ultimately triumph over evil!

"You're welcome. By the way, I haven't introduced you to my companion yet," he turned and called out loudly into the deep jungle, "Nana! Everyone else too! Come on out! The terrible monsters have been driven away!"

Fel and Susa turned their heads in puzzlement.

The low bushes rustled, and a tall woman in a deep gray explorer's outfit slowly emerged.

Her hair was ice-blue, her eyebrows a deeper shade of blue. Her petite, exquisite nose adorned her pure, flawless face perfectly, with demure golden eyes as if a goddess descended from a temple.

"So beautiful..." Fel unintentionally blurted out.

"Alright then," Arnold waved his hand. "I think those dragon kin might come back, and we're all tired from today. Why don't we set up camp together here?"

"No problem!" Fel agreed without hesitation, curiously glancing at the five elf tribesmen cowering behind the blue-haired beauty, reluctant to approach.

Half an hour later.

Using magic, Arnold quickly constructed a proper campsite surrounded by camouflaged pit traps, with tents circling a campfire. Everyone was now eating the food he had brought.

"Thank you for your hospitality!" Fel and Susa happily munched on the large meaty drumsticks, grease dripping from their mouths.

"No problem, just clearing out some travel burdens," Arnold said as he roasted by the fire, glancing sidelong at the elf girl and little bear, who had completely let down their guard. He glared menacingly at the five elves who wished to speak yet remained silent, then casually asked:

"Fel, why were you fighting the dragon kin? And this is Leonardo, isn't it? From what I know, dragons shouldn't carelessly cross borders."

"Who says they don't cross borders recklessly? Those vile dragons frequently send their minions here! Killing my friends and cutting down innocent trees - it's abhorrent!" The elf girl angrily tore off a large bite of the juicy roasted meat, while the little bear Susa raised a small paw in agreement.

"The elders say our forest inhabitants initially tried communicating with those dragons, even offering tributes for peace. But the evil dragons are treacherous and sly. They accepted the gifts, then once we lowered our guard, they intensified their plundering and destroyed many villages!"

"To prevent the forest's destruction, we were forced to organize ranger squads. Outstanding warriors trained to battle those wicked minions in the forest, fighting to the death!" Fel gripped the large drumstick like a weapon as she spoke, while Susa stood upright, biting its food and growling as if ready for combat.

Arnold nearly laughed out loud. "But I saw you were nearly killed. With that skill level against dragon kin...isn't the responsibility too heavy?"

"Alas...that's why I'm just an apprentice. I only joined the rangers less than two years ago, same as Susa," Fel dejectedly returned to normal.

"By the way! Arna sir, Nana miss, why have you come here? And those other five..." The elf girl suddenly reacted, glancing curiously at the silent five tribesmen.

"Oh! Nana and I are from the Natterian Empire. We're graduate mages from the premier royal magic academy. For our specialized degree, we chose 'Study of Mu Continent Xenoraces', so we had to come to these lands for fieldwork," Arnold explained naturally. Nana sweetly smiled in acknowledgment.

"As for these five elves, we rescued them from being held captive as cargo by a certain dragon. We managed to sneak them out while that dragon was asleep," he continued.

Fel realized with understanding, "Ah I see! For Arna sir to dare approach a dragon's lair - you're so incredible!"

The five elves wore pained, conflicted expressions upon hearing this, yet for some reason had to grudgingly nod in silence. "Yes, this human friend rescued us and protected us all the way through the perilous Dragon Domain."

Fel's admiration for Arnold peaked. He was handsomely kind-faced yet immensely powerful, brimming with a sense of justice, and carried an aura of exotic mystery being from abroad. The elf girl couldn't help developing a little infatuation.

But she was quickly disillusioned by the even more beautiful Nana.

"So you and Nana must be a couple, traveling together?" Fel inquired shyly with a gossipy curiosity.

Nana's expression turned bizarrely awkward, while Arnold froze in bewilderment before vehemently waving his hands in denial.

"No, of course not!"

Realizing he overreacted, he calmed himself to explain, "Nana is a very good friend of mine who just happens to be female, but our relationship is strictly limited to that of close friends."

"Oh, I see!" Fel replied with an ambiguous smile.