Return of the Legendary Runesmith

Maybe it was his recent encounter with Valor, or his battle against a mana monster like Nytharos, but standing before something so vast and overwhelming didn’t make Adrian retreat.

He stood his ground, watching the silver dragon levitate high above, its golden eyes fixed on him. It was clear the creature had sensed something within him. Yet the wariness in its gaze made one thing obvious, this was not a being that would submit blindly.

{What are you?}

The question descended from above, deep and proud.

Hmm... it can talk?

"I am... just me?" Adrian replied, unsure how to phrase it. "Well, what about you? Why are you here?"

{I am here to gauge your strength and then destroy you.}

The statement carried a cold finality, drawing a wry smile from Adrian. "You speak as if you’ve already decided I’m worthless."

{There is no uncertainty. You are nowhere near strong enough to be regarded as a part of Him. You taint His name.}

Adrian smirked. "Quite quick to judge me. I expected something as ancient as you to be a bit more patient."

The dragon’s eyes narrowed, its temperament visibly shifting.

{It is experience that speaks. And you... are not worth the effort.}

Adrian flinched.

In the next instant, the dragon’s maw opened. An orb began to form within, multiple shades dancing inside it like droplets skittering across a heated pan. It swelled rapidly, mana twisting and warping around it in unnatural currents.

Adrian knew he couldn’t take this lightly. There was no option to retreat, not when it would mean the people below dying and the plantations being reduced to ash.

[Host, you need to act now. That attack will drain the life force from the land you stand on.]

Adrian clicked his tongue and pulled something from his Inventory.

A long weapon emerged, a trident with three jagged prongs, all connected by a glowing blue orb at its core.

He spun the trident in his grip, and at that very moment, the dragon unleashed its attack.

A curtain of shifting colors descended, the air itself growing searing hot under its presence.

Adrian slammed his fifth-grade armament into the ground. A sharp metallic clang rang out, and in the next instant, something began to take form above him.

A massive serpent surged into the sky, its entire body forged from water, twice the size of the descending curtain.

The moment the two forces collided—

HISSSSSSSS

Steam erupted violently. The air grew scorching as torrents of water surged upward, crashing into the curtain again and again, stopping it just before it could reach the ground.

The clash was fierce and unrelenting. Yet Adrian’s supply of water showed no sign of faltering, it flowed endlessly, resisting the dragon’s assault.

The dragon’s body began to glow. Its jaws stretched wider, and the curtain split apart, expanding its range as the attack intensified.

Adrian let out a low snicker and began chanting once more. For someone wielding fifth-grade magic in real combat for the first time, his casting speed was terrifyingly fast.

Magic circles flared into existence, expanding and multiplying. Intricate patterns spread across the ground, layering over one another until they covered the entire area, shielding both him and the plantations below.

Their brilliance was overwhelming, yet even that light was eclipsed by the spell they gave birth to.

A three-headed hydra burst upward, its jaws wide open as it roared with unrestrained fury.

They clashed with the descending curtain mid-air, though this time it came closer than before. Despite Adrian’s masterful chanting, the dragon had released its attack a few seconds earlier. Still, it remained high enough that the plantations below were spared from the worst of the heat.

Hsssssss

Steam surged again, thicker and more violent. This time, however, the spell was far more aggressive, pushing forward instead of merely holding its ground.

Each time a hydra head was torn apart and its body began to disintegrate, the water scattered, only to gather again and form another body just as ferocious, just as charged.

Slowly but steadily, the curtain was forced back.

And as if that wasn’t enough—

"Here I come."

Adrian released the trident, maintaining complete control over it even as he vanished from his position and reappeared high in the sky, his axe raised above his head.

Runes flared to life, glowing intensely as mana surged and condensed at a frightening speed.

The dragon sensed him instantly. Its massive body twisted, tail lashing out to swat him from the sky.

A mistake.

"KHRIEEEEK!!"

The water hydras seized the opening and surged forward.

Adrian grinned, his figure vanishing the moment the dragon halted its attack.

The dragon realized it a moment too late. It tried to rise higher, to evade, but its massive body, vast as it was, could not fully escape the hydras in the open sky.

DOOOOMM

Several water heads slammed into its underside, forcing its colossal frame to jolt and ripple from the impact.

Adrian reappeared on the ground, snatched up his trident, and pressed forward without hesitation. He refused to give the dragon even a sliver of space.

"Wind manipulation... let’s see how much I’ve mastered."

Armament paired with independent magic, a perfect fusion.

A faint glow gathered around his hand, and the sky responded. Clouds twisted and drifted, pulled away from the dragon’s direction as the air itself began to shift.

The wind had changed, and the beast felt it.

Its golden eyes widened as it stared down at the human.

{Someone who relies on pitiful weapons to protect himself...}

And then, it vanished.

Every alarm in Adrian’s mind screamed at once. Without a second thought, he teleported away—

DOOOOOOM

—and in the next instant, his instincts proved right.

"What in the heck..."

The impact that shattered the ground came not from a beast, but from a tall, broad-shouldered man.

Long platinum hair flowed down his back, and a silver fabric clung to his sturdy frame. His entire body glowed faintly with raw mana, not as a technique, but as a natural presence that radiated overwhelming power.

"Are you the same dragon?" Adrian asked, twirling the trident in his hand. The previous spell had already collapsed due to the abrupt teleportation.

The man growled, golden eyes locking onto Adrian as he muttered, "You shouldn’t be carrying his blood. You don’t deserve it."

"Oh? And because you judged me, I should just kill myself? There’s a limit to how stupid you can be."

The dragon roared and lunged forward.

Adrian couldn’t even track him. He teleported away instantly and fired a shot toward the spot he had just occupied.

BOOOOOM

The explosion tore through the ground, but before the flames could even settle, the dragon burst through, completely unharmed.

Figured.

Adrian spun the trident in his grip and hurled it straight at the charging figure.

The dragon reached out, intending to catch it barehanded, and bending the metal with sheer force—

"Hmm?"

Just before the two could fully connect, the trident vanished, replaced by Adrian’s fist.

The dragon tried to grab his shirt, a terrifying display of its speed, but Adrian was already too close for it to stop him.

DHAKK

Clad in the gauntlet, his punch tore through the air, forming a slicing gust as it slammed into the dragon.

The monster staggered back, its footing unsteady.

Even for a being like this, the gauntlet’s fourfold amplification was no small force to endure.

Adrian landed lightly and let out a slow breath.

"I don’t know what your problem is, but if you’re so eager to fight... then let’s take this somewhere else."

The dragon snarled, wiping at its nose.

"Scared you’ll die in front of your people?"

Adrian rolled his eyes. "I just don’t want them starving again because some behemoth decided to wipe out their only food source."

The dragon paused.

It slowly turned, its gaze shifting behind it, and for the first time, it noticed the scattered farm shelters stretching across the land.

"You mean... you’re protecting them?" it asked, uncertainty slipping into its voice.

Adrian didn’t answer. His mind was already moving, calculating his next strike.

And then—

To his shock, the being dropped to one knee and lowered its head.

Now... what was this supposed to mean?