Having spotted his prey, the young dragon crept forward without making the slightest sound, afraid of scaring her away.

He had learned that the difference between a successful hunt and ending up as someone’s meal usually came down to just a few centimeters.

Behind him, Uki walked just as silently.

The white wolf was no longer that impulsive pup who would attack anything that moved. His movements were light. His ears remained erect as his nose followed an invisible trail through the vegetation.

Even though he was still the same person, sometimes he couldn’t even catch a simple butterfly or make a fool of himself.

’He’ll still be the same magnificent hunter.’ Noir chuckled to himself, remembering how Uki had fallen miserably into the river of mana.

Noir’s Draconic Senses continued to spread out into the surrounding area; dozens of small presences constantly appeared and disappeared.

Then... the young dragon raised a claw slightly.

Uki stopped instantly.

The two of them stood motionless.

In front of them... a creature was grazing peacefully among some bushes.

It looked like a huge deer, but its antlers were covered with tiny bluish crystals that glowed faintly in the moonlight. Every time it breathed... a light mist of mana escaped from its nostrils.

Noir felt his stomach growl again.

’Perfect.’

The young black dragon circled to the left.

Uki disappeared into the bushes on the right.

The deer remained completely oblivious, calmly chewing on silvery leaves beside a small stream.

The wind shifted slightly.

Noir held his breath.

Luckily... the scent didn’t reach the prey.

’Just a little more...’

Every muscle in his body began to tense; his wings remained pressed against his body so as not to make a sound, and his claws dug just a few millimeters into the damp earth.

He just needed to get a little closer.

The deer raised its head slightly.

Noir stood completely still.

A long second.

Finally... the creature lowered its neck again.

’Now.’

Uki darted into the bushes.

The deer reacted immediately and spun sharply to escape—right toward Noir.

’You fell.’

The young dragon smiled and pushed off with his legs; his body shot forward like an arrow. And his claws began to glow with a faint, dark light.

He was just one meter away.

Suddenly, his Draconic Senses went off in a violent alarm; Noir barely had time to lift his head.

A shadow streaked through the darkness like a projectile; the creature landed right between him and the deer.

The shockwave sent dirt, leaves, and branches flying in all directions, and the deer fled in terror.

Neither of them tried to chase it.

Noir leaped backward several times.

Uki landed beside him, baring his fangs.

The dust began to clear slowly. First, two enormous, twisted horns appeared. Then, a snout full of bizarre teeth, with black spines running down its entire back. And completely white eyes that seemed incapable of reflecting any emotion.

The creature sniffed the air and slowly turned its head until its gaze settled on Noir.

"Well, well... what do we have here? An unexpected guest." The young black dragon twitched his tail slightly; feeling somewhat irritated, he was just about to get his dinner.

And just the thought of it annoyed him even more. He had taken all the time in the world to hunt him down, perfecting his hunting techniques in the process, and that bastard ruined everything for him.

How could he not be annoyed?

The monster opened its mouth, revealing dozens of misshapen teeth, and let out a wild roar that made the leaves tremble.

"What bad luck! I’m a little annoyed, and I need to let off some steam, or I’ll go bald."

Uki slowly lowered his body; his white fur bristled; his fangs were fully exposed.

Then, the white wolf shot forward like an arrow; the monster barely had time to react before Uki was already beneath it.

A claw strike hit one of its front legs directly, and the monster lost its balance for a moment.

Noir swooped down from above and struck with great force; the monster’s head slammed violently against the ground.

The ground exploded, rocks flew everywhere, and the entire forest seemed to shake.

The monster let out a scream of pain and tried to sit up.

But Noir had already made another move: he rose a few meters into the air and descended in a perfect arc, striking with his tail.

WHAM!!

The impact created a small crater when the monster’s head slammed into the ground, sending dirt and rocks flying.

Then Uki struck it from the side, sending it flying toward the trees, where it plowed through several; the trunks snapped as if they were mere branches.

The monster roared with rage and leaped straight at the young black dragon.

Its enormous claws came down, aiming to pierce his chest; Noir took just half a step to the side.

The claws sliced through the air; the young dragon grabbed one of the monster’s legs with both of his front legs, spun his body around, and used the creature’s own momentum against it.

BOOM!!

The monster crashed to the ground again.

This time... it couldn’t get back up right away.

Uki seized the opportunity and leaped onto its back; his fangs sank deep into its neck.

CRACK!

The sound of the bone snapping echoed throughout the forest.

The monster let out a desperate roar and shook its body, trying to shake it off.

Uki leaped backward before it could grab it.

Meanwhile... Noir walked calmly, without haste, as if the fight were already over.

The monster stood up again; its legs were trembling. Its white eyes had lost much of their initial aggression, and it stepped back.

Then it turned to try to escape.

"You’re not getting away."

Noir’s calm voice echoed behind him.

The monster barely had time to turn its head.

And a black claw was already coming down.

"This is for ruining my dinner."

CRAAAAASH!!

The blow struck the skull directly, and the ground split open once more. The entire body lay motionless. It didn’t even have a chance to let out one last roar.

Silence returned to the forest.

Uki let out a small, proud bark.

Noir stared at the corpse for a few seconds.

"It was definitely weaker than the monsters in the Magic Valley."

The young dragon hadn’t even needed to use an ability; that confirmed something for him: the Magic Valley had completely changed the standard by which he measured the monsters’ power.

Suddenly, his Draconic Senses kicked in.

Noir turned his head.

Among the trees, a silver-haired figure was watching him, staff raised.

Dozens of green runes swirled around the young woman as a magic circle formed beneath her feet.

Her lips barely moved.

"Sleeping Blossom."

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