After going into the sea, I met the witch.

The gray pillar passed over the blood barrier, which was strong enough to withstand three heavy blows from a [high-ranking] unicorn dragon, but it couldn't even last a second before breaking apart and collapsing.

Fortunately, thanks to the "Blood Barrier," Ryan hid behind the [High Rank] Bloodclaw Dragon, allowing the [High Rank] Bloodclaw Dragon to act as a meat cushion.

The gray pillar, its momentum undiminished, swept across the cave wall beside it. In an instant, the rocks roared, and a stone pillar several meters thick collapsed. Its fall triggered a chain reaction, causing a small area of ​​the rock strata above to collapse.

For a time, dust was flying.

"Roar--"

A resounding dragon roar echoed from the depths of the miasma behind them. Just hearing the sound made Ryan's body tremble involuntarily. It was the fear of life's instinct, the response of an individual life when encountering a species far superior to itself.

Not daring to look back, Ryan gritted his teeth and desperately began to run away.

Time seemed to slow down at this moment.

After an unknown amount of time, when Ryan stopped, he was drenched in sweat and his lungs were burning with pain.

He hadn't been this disheveled in a very, very long time.

What caused him to expend so much energy was not sprinting at full speed, but overcoming the heavy mental pressure and fear in his heart.

Fortunately, the owner of that dragon's roar did not seem to give chase. The shooting gray pillar was merely a "small" warning to the one who had offended its territory.

"What exactly is that?!"

Ryan was still in shock.

"Could it be the ancient dragon from the depths of the Rotting Miasma Abyss mentioned in the vice-captain's notes?"

Besides this guess, Ryan really couldn't think of any other possibility.

Even a stronger monster could not possibly cause such panic among a [higher] level special species.

Ryan gave a bitter smile, but quickly regained his composure.

In any case, encountering Gu Long, even though it was only from afar and we didn't even see him, was still a stroke of luck to escape with our lives.

Looking around, he realized that in his panic, he had run into some unknown place. A faint miasma filled the air, and further away, the ground had turned reddish.

Fortunately, there was a small cave not far from Ryan.

He crawled inside.

The cave wasn't large, but it was enough for him to rest briefly.

It took Ryan two full hours to get back into the swing of things.

The reason it took so long was mainly to replenish the "blood energy" of the [Relic: Embrace of Blood], which had dropped to 0.

Ryan glanced in the direction they had fled from and let out a long breath.

For a considerable period of time, he designated that direction as a forbidden area.

The area where the ancient dragon roamed was definitely not a place he could set foot in now.

Of course, he will one day personally avenge himself for being caught in the crossfire.

After all, Ryan couldn't be sure if the "anchor point" he had been searching for was actually near this ancient dragon.

As for now...

All he can do is try to become stronger.

……

Carrying his greatsword, Ryan cautiously explored the area ahead.

He soon discovered that the red ground he had seen from afar was actually large patches of flesh and blood that had not completely decomposed.

The strong, fishy stench was enough to make one want to vomit.

Despite his physical discomfort, Ryan intended to leave, but a figure in the distance, lying on a large piece of rotting flesh and eating it, made him stop in his tracks.

Its skin, devoid of scales and resembling flesh turned outwards, was covered with corrosive scorch marks. Most striking was the horrifying wound that ran diagonally from its left shoulder to its right leg, almost splitting its body in two, and was still oozing red and green blood.

What appeared here was none other than the [High Rank] Bloodclaw Dragon.

Although it suffered extremely serious injuries from the sweeping gray pillar, it did not die, and after two hours of recovery, its condition improved considerably.

Of course, this is also thanks to its constant "feeding".

Ryan's eyes narrowed, and he silently walked toward the [High Rank] Bloodclaw Dragon.

He's not a knight, but I love his "beating a drowning dog" act.

Even though Ryan's footsteps were barely audible, the [Superior] Bloodclaw Dragon immediately became alert when the distance between them was reduced to thirty meters.

It suddenly swung its head, its brutal and bloodthirsty eyes fixed on Ryan, who was sneaking around.

Time seemed to stand still at that moment.

"Paji..."

A small piece of rotten flesh could not withstand the weight and was crushed by the [superior] Bloodclaw Dragon, bursting open and spilling blood everywhere.

And this voice broke the silent stillness.

A fierce glint flashed in Ryan's eyes. Now that he'd been discovered, then...

"boom!"

As the reddened ground sank deeper, Ryan burst forth, his greatsword unsheathed, a black and yellow shadow slashing towards the [High Rank] Bloodclaw Dragon.

Thirty meters is a distance that passes in the blink of an eye for Ryan now.

"Boom!"

The greatsword fell, the ground rumbled, and rotting flesh flew everywhere, but the [High Rank] Bloodclaw Dragon that was the target had already vanished without a trace.

"So fast!"

Ryan's pupils contracted slightly. He really hadn't expected that the heavily injured [High-Rank] Bloodclaw Dragon would still have such speed.

Before he could think any further, the cold wind that swept up from behind made him realize that the enemy had already circled around to his back.

Using his left foot as a pivot, Ryan spun around until he was almost as tall as the greatsword. Then, he kicked the greatsword hard with his right foot, causing the greatsword, which was stuck in the ground, to rise sharply upwards.

"clang--!"

A clear, sharp hum resounded in all directions.

[High Rank] The Bloodclaw Dragon's monstrous claws left a trail of exploding sparks on the greatsword.

Unlike the Greatsword Ferocious Ice, which shattered upon the slightest contact, the Greatsword Crimson Crown Horn, forged from high-rank materials, is several levels of superior quality. It is simply not something that a high-rank Bloodclaw Dragon could break with its claws.

Having failed to strike, the [high-ranking] Bloodclaw Dragon retreated with elegant and coordinated movements.

Ryan narrowed his eyes slightly. This time, he stopped chasing and stayed in place, with his greatsword on his shoulder, and began to charge up his power.

A surge of spiritual energy coursed through my body, and immense power was compressed layer by layer.

Seemingly sensing a threat, the [Superior] Bloodclaw Dragon initiated an attack.

The crimson claw shadow tore through the faint miasma. Facing the approaching, ferocious claws, Ryan advanced instead of retreating.

A faint crimson light appeared on his body. When the claws of the [high-ranking] Bloodclaw Dragon touched his body, the crimson light suddenly exploded, creating a strong recoil force.

Having learned his lesson once, Ryan knew that the [High Rank] Bloodclaw Dragon was exceptionally agile, so he didn't attack immediately but instead opened his mouth.

"kill!"

The sonic waves, imbued with spiritual energy, erupted, and the [high-ranking] Bloodclaw Dragon, bearing the brunt of the attack, revealed a look of pain in its eyes.

Creatures that live in darkness year-round generally have keen hearing and touch, which greatly facilitates their daily hunting and living. However, this very structure also makes them more susceptible to severe damage when exposed to strong sound waves.

That's the case at this moment.

[High Rank] The Bloodclaw Dragon's body suddenly stiffened, and Ryan naturally wouldn't miss such a precious opportunity to attack.

"Thump—thump—thump—!"

The triple charge was quickly completed, and the rapidly flowing white spiritual energy formed a flame-like effect on the greatsword.

"Thorn--!"

The greatsword fell, and the [High Rank] Bloodclaw Dragon, in its "stunned" state, had no way to dodge and was hit squarely.

"Boom!"

Like the resounding clang of a bronze bell being struck violently, the [high-ranking] Bloodclaw Dragon, struck on the head, seemed to have been hit by a giant hammer, its head sinking deep into the ground.

In an instant, a terrifying crack several meters in radius appeared on the ground, and at the deepest part of the crack was the head of the [high-ranking] Bloodclaw Dragon.

The weight of this sword strike tore apart the flesh and blood tissue outside the skull of the [High-Rank] Bloodclaw Dragon. Even the hardest part of the skull developed a deep crack, and it was just a hair's breadth away from being completely broken open.

It should be understood that the power of this sword strike is far more than just the power of the sword technique itself.

Special skills such as [Turning Defense into Offense], [Destroyer], [Sword Drawing Technique - Power], and [Attack], along with the class skill [Blood Hunter], make the destructive power of this sword strike extremely exaggerated.

These fatal blows immediately and forcibly roused the [High Rank] Bloodclaw Dragon from its "stunned state".

It let out a sharp hiss, and before Ryan's eyes, a blood-red whip shadow was already attacking his face.

The explosive sound of the whip proving its power; the consequences of being struck by it would be unimaginable.

Ryan dared not take the attack head-on, and retreated with his greatsword to avoid the tail attack.

After forcing Ryan to retreat, the [Superior] Bloodclaw Dragon struggled to its feet and began to chew on the rotten flesh beside it.

Ryan looked puzzled—[High-ranking] Bloodclaw Dragon wants to have a good meal before it dies?

But soon, his eyes narrowed.

Because the [high-ranking] Bloodclaw Dragon, having consumed a large amount of rotten flesh in a short period of time, had its body surface flushed red and was constantly emitting steam from its mouth, it was entering a state similar to "rage".

We shouldn't let it continue eating!

Ryan's gaze was icy as he charged forward in pursuit, but the [High Rank] Bloodclaw Dragon, sensing the commotion, immediately turned and fled.

It was incredibly fast, devouring the rotting flesh on the ground as it ran, its blood-red eyes, slightly tilted back, fixed on Ryan in pursuit, filled with savagery.

Clearly, its current escape is only temporary. Once it has had enough of the "carrion," it will not hesitate to launch a counterattack.

Knowing he couldn't catch the [High Rank] Bloodclaw Dragon who was determined to escape, Ryan raised his hand, and the dark gold blood-patterned gloves he wore emitted a rich blood-red light.

In the next instant, a blood-red spiral spear, nearly two meters long and crystal clear, appeared in his hand.

Stop and gather your strength.