(So that’s how it is. Without facing this life-or-death crisis, one wouldn't understand this feeling... In other words, in the final battle, both I and the regular team members might lose our judgment, and such a lapse could lead to a meaningless death. In the final battle, any single person could sway the tide, so even if it means dying, one must fulfill their duty before death...) Thinking of this, Xiao Honglü’s agitation gradually settled. Although his limbs were still a bit weak, his conviction had finally solidified. Letting the arrows whistle past him, he simply held tight to the Purgatory Spider and charged forward. Soon, the terrain of the valley appeared before his eyes. Xiao Honglü slapped the spider beneath him; the creature immediately leaped up, soaring directly to the top of a towering tree to advance rapidly—its speed was several times faster than when on the ground. In no time, Xiao Honglü reached the summit of the valley’s steep slope.

“Now, all I need to do is wait quietly.”

Xiao Honglü spoke these words to himself, yet his hands and feet couldn't stop trembling. No matter how eloquently he spoke, the inner tremors and tension were unavoidable; after all, he was still a child, and this was truly his first real battle.

Before long, columns of Beastmen soldiers and Human soldiers indeed came running from the distance.

They cautiously moved into the valley from the outskirts. The sharp-eyed soldiers immediately spotted Xiao Honglü positioned on the hillside. Though the slope was steep, it wasn't impossible to climb. Given the number of Beastmen soldiers present, climbing the slope was not a major physical challenge for them. However, the enormous spider beneath Xiao Honglü gave them a fright. But before they could recover, Xiao Honglü, standing atop the slope, began chanting an incantation.

(First, Fireball…) The amplification of the Magic Net system has significant limitations. Firstly, enhancing attributes does not instantly grant you skills; every level of skill requires reward points and side quests for redemption. The Magic Net system has a vast number of magical skills needing exchange, meaning this enhancement is practically a bottomless pit.

Not only that, but the other major limitation of the Magic Net is the daily spell usage cap. This restriction directly suppresses the strength of those who enhance the Magic Net. Even if you enhance enough skills, the limited uses for spells of the same tier prevent you from remaining perpetually powerful. The existence of these two limitations makes the Magic Net feel like a necessary evil.

However, conversely, the more you invest...

The greater the equivalent power you gain. Because of these two limitations, the intensity of the Magic Net spells is astonishingly high. For instance, a Tier Three Fireball’s destructive power is in no way inferior to a small air-to-ground missile. As Xiao Honglü finished his chant, two Fireballs shot out before him, but their targets were not the soldiers. Instead, they struck the thicket behind them, causing a massive explosion at the valley’s only entrance. Debris scattered everywhere, accompanied by burning trees and logs. That entrance was completely sealed off.

(Next, Blizzard…) Xiao Honglü took a deep breath and then recited the spell for Blizzard. As the harsh, incomprehensible incantation left his lips, a layer of snowy white mist formed about a hundred meters high in the air. A few seconds later, pieces of ice the size of human arms began falling relentlessly from that cloud layer. After dropping over two hundred chunks, the mist slowly dissipated.

“What Blizzard? That’s clearly hail!” Xiao Honglü was startled. He quickly looked at the soldiers below. The attack range of the Blizzard was vast, and the area below was a flat stretch within the valley. At least twenty soldiers were instantly killed. However, because the Beastmen soldiers possessed tougher physical constitutions, the human soldiers suffered heavier casualties. Furthermore, the Beastmen soldiers roared and charged up the slope, while the Beastman archers drew their longbows, aiming at Xiao Honglü standing at the peak of the slope.

Hiss! With a light sound, an arrow strangely found its mark on Xiao Honglü’s cheek, then traveled upward, almost grazing his temple as it shot towards the sky behind him. Only after the arrow had vanished did Xiao Honglü realize what had happened, and blood slowly trickled down his cheek…

“Agh! Die!” Xiao Honglü instantly went berserk. Without thinking, he loudly recited spells, unleashing every offensive magic he currently commanded: Blizzard, Fireball, Ice Ray, launching them downward incessantly. With successive booms of explosions and countless hailstones raining from the sky, it was a long time before Xiao Honglü finally collapsed to the ground as if all his strength had vanished. Only then did he notice that the valley below was a scene of utter devastation. The shockwaves from the Fireball explosions had torn deep craters into the earth, and the hailstones were even more exaggerated; the ground below was now littered with dense ice spikes. It was hard to imagine any ordinary creature surviving such an intense downpour of ice.

“Truly… pathetic.”

“Knowing that extreme fear can cause one to lose judgment, even triggering emotions like rage, despair, or this current rampage, yet I didn't consider it beforehand, even recklessly placing myself in extreme danger... I am too uncalm. Indeed, the gap between me and Chu Xuan is vast. If it were him, a battle like this would likely take mere seconds...” Xiao Honglü’s battle began quickly and ended just as fast, but the change it brought to him was profound. The young boy knelt on the ground for a long time until his legs were numb before he painfully managed to stand up, his eyes still fixed downward toward the slope. He fell into silence. After a long pause, he murmured, “I understand now. My responsibility in the final battle is… It’s truly a massive gamble, isn't it, Chu Xuan? A gamble paid for with life, just like everything you’ve ever done…” (Perhaps leading me to this conclusion was the true aim of your actions this time…)

Compared to Xiao Honglü’s narrow escape, Cheng Xiao on the other side appeared infinitely more relaxed. With his physical prowess, combined with his inherent martial arts skill and the overwhelming offense of the Southern Cross Water Bird Fist, he could easily slay human or Beastmen soldiers he encountered. In fact, the issues he faced seemed far more troublesome than mere combat.

“...In other words, I am the other surviving Dragon Rider...” Cheng Xiao was eloquently spinning tales to the three figures before him—or rather, three people and one dragon. The protagonist Eragon, his uncle, the former Dragon Rider Brom, and the young blue dragon. All three, plus the dragon, watched the grinning young man holding a small black dragon with intense curiosity.

The trio had just encountered another wave of Beastmen skirmishers—a group of eight Beastmen who were fully engaging them. Although Brom’s combat ability was superior to that of the Beastmen, the other two were practically burdens; they could only flee through the jungle until they were gradually encircled by the Beastman soldiers. Cheng Xiao appeared at that moment. The ensuing events needed no further detail; Cheng Xiao simply darted around among the Beastmen a few times, and those ferocious-looking Beastmen soldiers were reduced to chunks of shredded meat the next second.

Such terrifying combat strength made Brom, who had rushed over, widen his eyes. While Dragon Riders are formidable, their strength lies in the might of their mounts and the magic the Rider can borrow from the dragon. Fighting alone without a mount, a Dragon Rider’s martial arts prowess offers limited actual power—certainly not enough to fight a hundred men, nor to achieve what Cheng Xiao was currently doing.

It was precisely because they witnessed Cheng Xiao’s immense power that the three remained so cautious. However, upon seeing the hatchling in Cheng Xiao’s arms and hearing him claim to be another existing Dragon Rider, their attitudes immediately softened considerably. Though lingering doubts remained, the hostility vanished. Brom began inquiring about the origin of Cheng Xiao’s young dragon.

What kind of person was Cheng Xiao? Even in his downtime, he could flirt playfully with the girls in his team, and when necessary, this fellow could absolutely serve as the most excellent diplomat—or at least, a master con artist... Although, in certain respects, there isn't much difference between a diplomat and a swindler.

Cheng Xiao had, after all, lived through the Information Age. Since the others inquired about his and the hatchling's background, he simply summarized the plots of several classic Xuanhuan novels and applied them to himself: stumbling upon a dragon egg, encountering Beastmen, escaping and growing up, meeting a hidden master, the inevitably powerful headmaster at the martial arts academy, the peerless martial arts that must appear under the protagonist's destiny—the list went on. By the time he reached his concluding sentence, Cheng Xiao had been holding them captive with his storytelling for two hours.

“...Your experiences are truly rich.”

Brom said somewhat blankly. Although he suspected Cheng Xiao was deceiving him, Cheng Xiao possessed the young dragon, and secondly, his strength was genuinely formidable, and his combat techniques were unique. Regardless, having one more Dragon Rider was a good thing, so Brom remained quite polite.

“But speaking of which, is it alright if we just sit here quietly chatting?” Cheng Xiao suddenly asked with a grin. “I saw a mage who looked very much like an Evil Shadow-Walker leading dozens of Beastmen soldiers to pursue us earlier. Is it really fine for us to keep chatting here?”

“...Haven’t you been the only one talking this whole time?” The three were instantly alarmed and leaped up from the ground almost simultaneously. At that very moment, a sinister voice suddenly cut through the air.

“Then let’s keep chatting. Dying quietly is much more satisfying than struggling...” From the nearby jungle, a thin man clad in a dark red robe stepped out first. Simultaneously, Beastman soldiers emerged from the surrounding woods. At some unknown point, the four of them were completely surrounded, with only Cheng Xiao still sitting on the ground, grinning.

“That’s right, dying quietly is more satisfying than struggling. I say so too...” Cheng Xiao said with a chuckle as he stood up from the ground.

Leaping towards