After obtaining the Tome of Fire Magic and successfully tricking Ice Rain into helping him copy a version, Dugrabi’s combat training passed quickly, extending over the next six months. The climate shifted from deep autumn to spring of the following year.

By this time, it had been nine years since they first arrived in Kux. During this time, Dugrabi had mastered simplified versions of “Crimson Armor” and “Muscle Limitation,” along with two fire spells from the Tome of Fire Magic. His combat strength had significantly increased.

—The first two had been renamed to more modest titles: “Barrier Magic” and “Enhancement Magic,” to differentiate them from their original forms. The latter spells were called “Flame Burst” and “Ring of Fire,” both of which were ranged attack spells.

These spells had bolstered his strength, prompting Dugrabi to feel quite proud, believing himself to be the foremost among the young generation of dragons. Now, even if he encountered a Mountain Whale again, he could easily defeat it without needing to flee like before.

Gradually, he developed an itch for adventure, contemplating a venture into the forbidden area of the kingdom known as “Kux,” or rather, flirting with danger.

However, such thoughts could not be revealed to the elders, especially Copper Skin and other old mechanical dolls from the doll kingdom, who would undoubtedly strongly disagree and report him to Yvette.

So, he planned to go alone; even if danger arose, with his ability to face a Mountain Whale head-on, fleeing would be a simple matter.

…

In the following days, Dugrabi began sneaking off to Kux every few days.

The results were promising; although he only ventured into the outskirts, he frequently hunted elite-grade aberrations, both improving his combat proficiency and boosting his confidence.

Yet, on one particularly cold morning, as he entered Kux for another round of hunting corrupted magi, he suddenly heard an unexpected voice from above his head: “What’s your relationship with that silver-haired girl?”

Someone?!

Dugrabi was startled and instinctively looked up, where he noticed a woman with long black hair and crimson eyes standing in a concrete and steel five-story building nearby. She had an alluring appearance and wore a revealing outfit that accentuated her figure, with no visible marks of corruption. She was undoubtedly a human beauty.

“Who are you?” Understanding her Black Tide language, Dugrabi was puzzled. Didn’t the human civilization in this end world perish? How could another human appear?

Could she be like Yvette, just another little-known demigod living in the end world?

“I? I am the lord of this place. You can call me ‘Spider Sorceress’ or ‘Abella,’” the crimson-eyed woman responded with a hint of a smile, her red lips curving into a charming arc.

Lord? According to what Yvette had told him, that seemed to correspond to a rank among corrupted magi… this woman was one of them?

Furthermore, she dared to ask a noble dragon to refer to her as “Lady”? How bold!

Dugrabi was both surprised and saddened, but realizing she wasn’t a deity, he felt no fear and scoffed, “Are you looking for my Teacher?”

That silver-haired trait was exclusive in this area; aside from Yvette, there shouldn’t be another.

“Teacher? So you do have some relation,” Abella laughed coldly, “If you don’t want to die, then take me to her.”

“Just because you say ‘take me’ doesn’t mean I’ll comply right away,” Dugrabi retorted disdainfully.

“Looks like you want to eat some suffering, then.” Abella narrowed her eyes, and the next instant, over a dozen slender black limbs erupted from her white back, resembling a horrifying amalgamation of spider legs and metallic spears, exuding a chilling aura.

“Who’s afraid of whom?” Dugrabi felt no panic. Having defeated many corrupted magi in recent days, he was brimmed with confidence. He flapped his wings and lunged at her, eager to seize the initiative.

In the snow-covered ruins streets, the black dragon and the spider woman engaged in fierce combat. In just two to three minutes, Abella quickly gained the upper hand, delivering a powerful push imbued with black magic that slammed Dugrabi into the ground, shattering the frozen earth beneath him and sending shards of ice flying.

Falling so quickly left Dugrabi in disbelief. How was this possible?

Meanwhile, Abella became increasingly convinced that this black monster, a Godkin, must be the disciple of the silver-haired girl because the moves used by Dugrabi were identical to the fire magic the girl had frequently employed over the past two years—she was all too familiar with them!

Moreover, she had been repeatedly disturbed by such spells for two years now!

However, compared to the silver-haired girl, this dragon’s technique was clumsy; both the Flame Burst and Ring of Fire had a concerning accuracy, and it didn’t know how to use any variation. Dugrabi resorted to mere melee attacks, all of which were easily rebuffed by her spear-like spider limbs… it was a pitiful display.

Under different circumstances, she might have even wanted to mentor the young dragon, teaching him how to cast spells like his teacher.

“Don’t be too proud. Even your teacher isn’t my match; what do you think you are?” Seeing Dugrabi’s dejected demeanor, Abella giggled triumphantly.

“Don’t talk nonsense!” Dugrabi would obviously not believe such trash, confident that his teacher was probably approaching the strength of his father, the Flame Dragon King—within the realm of true deities, she stood in the first echelon of power; how could a mere aberrant, like this spider woman, compare?

He soared back into the air, rushing towards Abella while attempting to engage in close combat, igniting fiery runes around him.

A Ring of Fire launched toward her. Although the speed was slightly sluggish, Abella easily dodged it.

However, as the Ring of Fire missed its target, Dugrabi suddenly fired a Flame Burst that arched back like a boomerang. Content originally comes from n0velfire.net

The moment the Flame Burst passed through the fire ring, it seemed to gain a power surge, rapidly expanding, accelerating, and heating up until it rocketed directly at Abella’s face! The brilliant flames erupted, instantly engulfing the spider woman!

This was the synergistic effect of combining the “Flame Burst” and “Ring of Fire”! When these two spells intertwined in a seamless connection, they drained considerable mana from the caster but endowed the Flame Burst with a terrifying damage boost—an ultimate move that Dugrabi had no daring to use lightly!

Moments later, as the smoke dispersed, Abella’s condition was finally revealed; her face bore evident burn marks, already beginning to heal, but the disheveled appearance, with dirt on her face and torn clothing, left her in a fuming state of disarray.

“Looks like you want to die before your teacher does,” she glared menacingly at Dugrabi, her tone deadly serious.

After completing her promotion and becoming a bona fide lord, she believed she now possessed the strength to kill that silver-haired girl herself. She had actively sought out this opportunity and began hunting the black dragon wandering around the periphery of Kux.

What she hadn’t anticipated was that what should have been a simple game of cat and mouse would catch her off guard, leaving her stunned by a hard hit, giving her the feeling that she had flipped over in the ditch.

More crucially, the technique that had repeatedly caught her off guard during her encounters with the silver-haired girl was now being wielded by her disciple, and it managed to hit her effectively, delivering palpable damage. Such humiliation was inexcusable!

Yet there was a small silver lining—this dragon beast’s mana pressure was notably weaker than that of the silver-haired girl. Should the silver-haired girl have been present here, her own fate would likely have been far more painful.

On the other side, Dugrabi was feeling a bit hesitant. While the synergy technique had proven effective, using it repeatedly would undoubtedly drain his mana. The best choice seemed to be escaping quickly.

However, this Spider Sorceress was remarkably powerful; making a hasty retreat back to the valley would only invite her wrath upon him. Even if Yvette could handle it, what would happen to the innocents in the doll kingdom?

While Dugrabi was a species supremacist, he still valued his integrity and would avoid dirty deeds that would burden his conscience.

As he grappled with these thoughts, his escape delay prompted Abella to seize the opportunity. She struck with a palm strike, slamming him into a nearby building, shattering several hardened concrete walls that had frozen solid.

Dugrabi, dazed, came back to his senses only to have the spider woman grab him by his tail and smash him back into the ground, causing dust and ice to erupt into the air.

Abella knew that as long as she could pull information regarding the silver-haired girl from Dugrabi, she could easily dispose of this young dragon prince; it would pose little difficulty.

“Alright, if you don’t speak now, you’ll miss your chance to answer; where’s your teacher?” she threatened menacingly, glaring at the battered and panting black dragon.

“Hmph, you think you can…” Dugrabi’s consciousness had begun to cloud, and he weakly managed a grunt.

As Abella narrowed her eyes and bent down to hear what the dragon had to say, Dugrabi seized the moment to spit a mouthful of saliva directly onto her face, letting out a gleeful, maniacal laugh.

The beautiful face and clothes were now dotted with sticky dragon saliva, and it took Abella a moment to register the insult, finally realizing that as a powerful entity, she had been humiliated?!

“You little scoundrel!!” She unleashed a flurry of furious kicks to Dugrabi’s head, then, in an exasperated frenzy, elongated the spider legs on her back and aimed to end his life. She felt that this dragon beast must be a perfect reflection of that silver-haired girl; one constantly harassed her, while the other insulted her even at death’s door—both equally insufferable!

Just as the spider spear was about to pierce down, a tentacle inexplicably emerged from the ruins, slowly moving toward Abella’s side.

Seizing the opportunity while she was distracted, it curled slightly before suddenly stretching out.

In an instant, it smacked Abella away, sending her flying across the remnants of the ruins.