Westminster Bank

On the second day after entering the Dragon Gate, the dark clouds over the mountain range grew heavier, like slabs of black lead. A downpour was brewing within, just waiting for the right moment to fall.

A southeasterly wind pushed the dark clouds onward, slicing the sunlight into scattered rays.

Somewhere in the inner circle of the Dracul Mountain Range, a group of Trial Takers encountered a scattered pack of Thunder Wolf Dragon Beasts. After nearly half an hour of brutal fighting, the entire pack was annihilated.

The Trial Takers began to harvest their spoils: Dragon Scales.

"Finish stripping the scales and let’s get out of here. This is the territory of a Third Generation Electric Dragon. If we linger too long, the scent of this Dragon Blood will attract it."

Gold Walter, the second son of the Walter Family, finished speaking and carefully used a Scale-Stripping Saber to peel a Reverse Scale from a Fifth Generation Thunder Wolf Dragon Beast.

Seeing this, the Silver Dragon Guide hurried forward, secured the Dragon Scale, and handed Gold five pounds.

Gold accepted the pounds. Just as he was about to marvel at how efficient and considerate the Silver Dragon Guide was, he suddenly realized something was wrong.

’What the hell are these five pounds for?’

’I’m just entrusting the Dragon Scale to this Silver Dragon Guide...’ Gold’s breath caught in his throat. ’A Silver Dragon Guide? What the hell?’

’If I remember correctly, isn’t my Dragon Guide a Bronze Mask?’

He lifted his head and saw the same dumbfounded look on everyone else’s faces.

Following their dumbfounded gazes, Gold turned. His pupils contracted sharply.

Two people.

A man and a woman.

A Dragon Guide and a Trial Taker.

Master Jack and Isabella.

In the wilds of the Dracul Mountain Range, the implication of encountering these two was perfectly clear.

Immediately, some Trial Takers and Dragon Guides prepared to bolt.

But Gold barked, "Don’t move!"

The Trial Takers and Dragon Guides froze.

Gold exchanged a look with the Bronze Demon Hunter they had just teamed up with the previous night—Adam Van Helsing. Then, Gold spoke to the impassive Isabella.

"May I ask what business Miss Isabella has here? I remember we’ve already handed over our Dragon Scales."

Isabella didn’t speak, merely rattling the chain on her wrist.

’I really feel like a dog.’

Baron, who was also Master Jack, stepped forward and said, "Miss Isabella wishes to make a wager with you all."

"A wager?" Gold said. "I have no interest in that sort of thing."

He could smell the danger in this proposal... And for some reason, ever since seeing Master Jack at the feast, Gold had felt a strong sense of déja vu, as if he’d seen the man somewhere before.

But whenever he tried to place it, the memory eluded him.

Baron, of course, had no idea what was going through Gold’s head. He continued with the script, "And what if the stakes were Dragon Scales?"

"Dragon Scales?" Before Gold could even respond, Adam’s interest was piqued. He had been worrying about how he had fewer Dragon Scales than the others.

"What are the terms?"

"It’s simple. Every single Trial Taker here can step forward and fight Miss Isabella one-on-one. Whoever wins gets Miss Isabella’s Dragon Scales... no, this Dragon Summoner Badge, which has already unlocked the guidance of the Dragon Spear, will be theirs."

Baron took out his Dragon Summoner Badge. Meeting the eager gazes of the Trial Takers, he continued, "Conversely, if Miss Isabella wins, all she asks is for a single Dragon Scale of your highest Tier. How does that sound?"

The moment he said this, the Trial Takers were all stunned. Even Gold was tempted.

Adam, still smarting from yesterday’s failure, was eager to agree, but Gold stopped him. Shaking his head at Adam, he turned to Baron and asked, "Are you proposing a gauntlet? If just one of us defeats Miss Isabella, you’ll give us all of her Dragon Scales?"

"Is that for real?"

His voice was heavy with suspicion, clearly not believing in something that sounded too good to be true.

"Of course," Baron nodded, his tone persuasive. "Furthermore, I am willing to swear an oath to the Gods on Miss Isabella’s behalf."

In a place like the Inner Side, an oath to the Gods was far more binding than any so-called written guarantee.

Sure enough, the moment the words left his mouth, Adam blurted out, "Alright—"

"We refuse!" Gold cut him off.

"What...?" Adam was dumbfounded. He stared at Gold, his expression screaming, ’You’re just going to throw away an opportunity like this?’

Gold shook his head at Adam, then turned to Isabella and repeated, "It’s a generous offer, but we refuse."

’It was true that risking one Dragon Scale for a badge that unlocked the Dragon Spear’s guidance was a massive potential gain, but not taking a loss was the best outcome of all.’

’Isabella was a Bronze Peak powerhouse. While he and Adam were also Bronze, there was a world of difference even within the same Tier. In particular, the Dragon Mighty that constantly radiated from Isabella’s Dragon Slayer bloodline would cause them to lose focus involuntarily.’

’In the middle of a fight, such a lapse, even for a single moment, could decide the outcome.’

Gold was no fool. In the end, reason won out over his instinctive greed.

"I’ve changed my mind."

Isabella produced the Crimson Spear from out of nowhere. She leveled the long spear at everyone present. "The stakes are the same. The terms have changed. It’s me, alone, against all of you."

The wind began to howl, and a rivulet of blood from the dead Dragon Descendants on the ground snaked along with the gusts, stopping at Isabella’s feet.

"Come at me together."

She gave a slight flick of her spear, its tip tapping the pool of blood.

Adam and Gold exchanged a look and simultaneously activated their Beastification. Without a shred of hesitation, they charged the woman.

Seeing this, Baron simply shrugged and sat down off to the side to watch the show, gauging the intensity of the fight by the vibrations of the chain on his wrist.