The sky remained gloomy, casting an ominous atmosphere over the dark red land.
After Yu Deng activated the Interdimensional Box and pulled the player who had been causing trouble into the independent space, the purple poisonous mist spreading through the air finally stopped expanding.
The dragons' symptoms had stopped worsening, but their situation was still far from optimistic. Meanwhile, the leader of the dragon race had reached the peak of his anger and anxiety.
Because his beloved little princess had disappeared.
…
Inside the independent space of the Interdimensional Box.
The player was still continuously releasing poisonous mist from his body. After making his stance clear, Yu Deng fell silent and took out a bottle of resistance-enhancing potion, drinking it down.
There was no helping it. The player's poison had made him feel a little dizzy, too.
The livestream comments in Yu Deng's room were scrolling rapidly, with viewers expressing their concern for his situation.
\[Holy crap, I recognize that poisonous mist item! It can trigger the worsening of existing illnesses in all creatures within its range. It's an S-rank item.\]
\[No wonder it looked so familiar. This guy often uses that item to slaughter NPCs and other players in instances. As long as his target has an injury, they're done for.\]
\[Why did Deng Deng pull him into the Interdimensional Box? That's so dangerous!\]
\[I think I've figured it out. Our baby probably couldn't bear to watch those dragons suffer… Baby, how can you be so kind?!\]
\[I believe my wife can deal with this scumbag! Sending 10,000 livestream coins!\]
Of course, Yu Deng had no time to look at the comments.
After he expressed his disapproval of the player's methods, the other party became even more vicious.
The player glared at Yu Deng with a sinister expression. "Speak! Who the hell are you?!"
Yu Deng didn't want to tell him. He pouted and replied, "You haven't even introduced yourself. Why are you insisting that I tell you who I am…?"
For some reason, Yu Deng's words seemed to hit a nerve. The man immediately began cursing.
"You've made it all the way to a high-level instance, and you still don't know who I am?!"
Yu Deng was bewildered. How strange. Was this man really someone he was supposed to know?
"Fine, I'll tell you. At least you should know the name of the person who's going to torture you to death." The man looked at the pampered, beautiful little princess, Yu Deng. "Remember this well. I'm Poison Bee!"
Poison Bee? Oh! Yu Deng belatedly remembered. This man named Poison Bee was an extreme player from the Slaughter Heaven Guild. He frequently tortured and killed players in the same instance as himself and was regularly condemned on the forums.
It wasn't surprising that someone like him would resort to torturing and slaughtering dragon NPCs, either.
Poison Bee pulled the item out of his chest, but it continued releasing poisonous mist. A weapon shaped like a spiked club appeared in his hand, and he advanced toward Yu Deng.
"I spent an entire day getting beaten up in this damn place! I finally managed to deceive the dragons and figure out their situation… And you ruined my entire plan! I was this close to completing the quest!"
Yu Deng lowered his eyes without saying anything.
He simply felt that the dragons hadn't committed any unforgivable crimes. Although the leader of the dragon race sometimes behaved inappropriately around him, the dragon had otherwise treated him very well. As for the other dragons, they might have been noisy, but they hadn't done anything particularly terrible.
He couldn't bring himself to stand by and watch these dragons descend into desperate madness, collapsing on the ground covered in blood, with even the young dragons forced to endure such suffering.
Perhaps feeling sympathy and compassion for NPCs was laughable in an infinite world. But Yu Deng believed that if he had to torture innocent NPCs without any moral boundaries just to clear an instance, wouldn't that make him a monster, too?
Yu Deng spoke softly. "That's right. I intended to ruin your plan."
"Fine! Very well! Then don't blame me for killing you, too! You must have friends or family in the infinite world, right? If I kill you, I wonder if they'll go mad!"
This extreme player was already furious beyond reason, practically itching to tear Yu Deng limb from limb.
"Oh, those dragons outside seem to have a pretty good relationship with you, too. How did you manage that? Well, it won't matter how close you are. If they see what happens to you, they'll go mad as well!"
Hearing Poison Bee's words, Yu Deng became very unhappy.
This man was the one who had gone too far in the first place, and now he even wanted to kill Yu Deng…
If that was the case, then… then Yu Deng wouldn't hold back, either!
Yu Deng gripped his staff tightly. However, since he didn't know what this staff's abilities were, he suspected it might be unreliable. After thinking for a few seconds, he switched weapons and took out the scalpel Doctor Lin had given him.
With his current inventory of items, defeating this player shouldn't be a problem… That was also why he had dared to pull the man into the Interdimensional Box in the first place.
Poison Bee charged at him.
Yu Deng recalled the combat techniques he had practiced earlier. He leaned backward to dodge the attack, then swung his scalpel downward. As his skirt swirled with the movement, the scalpel clashed against the spiked club with a sharp clang.
The impact left the web between Yu Deng's thumb and index finger tingling with numbness.
Poison Bee was incredibly strong.
Yu Deng pressed his lips together and took out several crowd-control items, throwing them at Poison Bee. He had tens of millions of points saved up, so he didn't feel the slightest bit of reluctance about using his items.
Poison Bee's combat skills were far superior to Yu Deng's. However, under the effects of so many items, he couldn't get close to Yu Deng at all. Meanwhile, Yu Deng's fighting techniques were somewhat inferior, leaving the two of them evenly matched.
Yu Deng continued throwing items while desperately thinking about how to deal with this player.
The Interdimensional Box only lasted five minutes, after all.
Watching Yu Deng use his items so extravagantly made Poison Bee's eyes turn red with rage. Under the suppression of all those items, his earlier confidence disappeared, replaced by growing panic.
Who could have imagined that a player who had never appeared in public before would possess so many items?!
"You forced me into this!"
Poison Bee dodged Yu Deng's scalpel and began chanting something under his breath. To Yu Deng's astonishment, he actually summoned a zombie!
The zombie's face was a ghastly grayish-green, and irregular fangs protruded from its mouth.
Yu Deng's eyes widened.
Why was this guy summoning reinforcements in the middle of a fight?!
He didn't know how to fight zombies, wuwu!
Yu Deng tensed his arms and warily watched the creature in front of him.
[Host, don't panic.] System 01 gently reminded its host. [You can summon a helper, too.]
A helper? But his quest targets couldn't appear in other instances. Oh, he knew! It was the little animals at the end of his Contract Encyclopedia.
Yu Deng hurriedly tapped the page of the encyclopedia. The next second, a flash of pale golden light appeared, and a Hellhound was randomly summoned.
"Arf, arf! Woof!" Having arrived in an unfamiliar environment, the three-headed dog bristled and barked a few times. Then it turned around and saw Yu Deng. Instantly overjoyed, it barked excitedly, all three heads competing to rub against him.
Yu Deng hurriedly rubbed its heads, not knowing which one to pet first. "All right, all right! I'm fighting right now, so I need your help!"
The three-headed dog let out a mighty howl, its eyes gleaming as it turned to look at Poison Bee and the zombie not far away.
Cerberus, the three-headed hound, came from Hell and was surrounded by an aura of death and evil. The zombie silently took a step backward.
Poison Bee was completely dumbfounded. "???"
No, seriously! How could a boss-level monster like a three-headed hound be summoned by a player?!
Yu Deng snorted. "You have a helper, and so do I."
As he spoke, he activated his Black Mist Binding skill. His black mist ability had accompanied him through four instances already, and without him even realizing it, it had advanced to S-rank.
An S-rank causality-binding item couldn't be broken so easily. Poison Bee was trapped in place, unable to move.
The balance of victory instantly tipped in Yu Deng's favor.
Compared to the player's miserable state, the little princess appeared much more composed. Even his dress was barely disheveled. His delicate, exquisitely beautiful face was expressionless, making him look like a pure and merciful deity with a rather bad temper.
A player like this had to be killed completely to avoid future trouble, right?
Yu Deng clenched his fist, then raised his hand to pat the three-headed dog's heads. Of course, to keep the heads from arguing among themselves, he patted each one in turn, ensuring none was left out.
The ferocious Hellhound understood what its little master wanted. It charged forward instantly, its sharp fangs aimed straight at the player's neck.
Under the three-headed dog's sharp claws and teeth, the player known as Poison Bee had absolutely no ability to fight back. The hound tore into his throat, and blood sprayed everywhere in an instant. Poison Bee let out a miserable scream before dying completely.
This instance wasn't a special multiplayer competition instance, so Poison Bee's corpse didn't disappear after his death.
Looking at the dead extreme player, Yu Deng belatedly began to feel afraid. His tense muscles relaxed, and his body started trembling slightly.
"Tongtong, I killed another player…"
And—and he had been the one to deliberately pull this player into the Interdimensional Box, too…
[Host, you did very well,] System 01 coaxed gently. [Keeping a player like that around would have been a hidden danger. You've also helped many innocent players get their revenge.]
Yu Deng was comforted by the system's words. Tongtong was right. He really was amazing!
[Ding. Player Yu Deng has eliminated player Poison Bee.]
As soon as the instance announcement ended, the remaining duration of the Interdimensional Box item reached zero. Yu Deng's vision blurred, and he was forcibly ejected from the item's space.
…
After the Interdimensional Box finished being used, it randomly teleported its user to another location. Fortunately, Yu Deng wasn't sent very far away. By sheer coincidence, he landed right on top of the dragon leader's head.
The giant dragon stiffened for a moment. Amid the air, which was thick with the smell of blood, it quickly caught the sweet fragrance coming from the little princess.
"Your Highness, Princess!"
"Hmm?" Yu Deng carefully wrapped his arms around the dragon's horns and steadied himself on its head. He felt a little proud as he said, "Oriel, I dealt with the person who was causing trouble!"
Looking down from his high vantage point, Yu Deng saw that the purple poisonous mist had already been almost completely burned away by the dragons' flames. He also spotted Poison Bee's corpse lying on a broken rock.
However, the dragons weren't doing well.
Most of their scales were stained with blood. They were still roaring in pain, occasionally biting their companions beside them or spitting flames to burn other dragons.
This was a side of the dragon race that Yu Deng rarely saw beneath their usual noisy and foolish behavior. They were savage, uncontrollable, and terrifying.
The dragon leader was suppressing the rampaging dragons from the air, while the unaffected dragons were rushing to rescue their companions. Unfortunately, healing magic wasn't the dragon race's strong suit. A white dragon was frantically weaving through the open area, trying to heal its companions, but the effects were minimal.
The giant dragon's voice was somewhat low. "Little princess, if you're frightened, you don't have to watch. They're very scary right now."
Yu Deng didn't close his eyes as the dragon suggested. He lowered his gaze and watched for a few seconds before hesitantly taking out his scepter.
But he only had the authority of a princess from the human kingdom right now. Could he really help the dragon race…? What did the instructions for using the scepter say again…?
Yu Deng struggled to think it through. He felt as though he had almost figured out how to use it.
He asked softly, "Oriel, do you want to heal them?"
"Of course. They're my companions."
Yu Deng replied uncertainly, "Then… would you like me to try? I-I might be able to help everyone."
The giant dragon's spirits visibly lifted. "Little princess, you can do anything you want."
Standing on the dragon leader's head, Yu Deng nervously gripped the scepter and looked down at the dragons suffering below. He spoke somewhat haltingly.
"L-let this suffering go away. You shouldn't have to endure this kind of harm."
The gemstone at the top of the scepter began to emit a gentle white light, which slowly spread across the land.
Every dragon held its breath and watched the scene unfold.
Several dozen seconds later, the white light faded. The dragons that had been struggling and roaring in pain actually stopped screaming, and their eyes were no longer clouded.
Yu Deng had only temporarily suppressed whatever was causing the dragon race's suffering. The dragons could still sense the factors making them restless and violent. However, compared to their earlier state, they were now practically lively and full of energy.
"I'm actually better…?"
"It was the little princess who helped us! I saw it with my own eyes. Thank you, Your Highness!"
"Waaah, I want to be the little princess's dog!"
After using the scepter, Yu Deng felt as though all his strength had drained away. He slowly leaned against Oriel's dragon horn.
Just then, a dragon with pale green scales flew over unsteadily. Its eyes were somewhat cloudy, and its scales weren't as smooth and hard as those of the other dragons. It was clearly an elderly dragon.
After Poison Bee died, the green dragon finally regained consciousness from the item's influence. He lowered his head, overwhelmed with guilt.
"I'm very sorry, Leader. If I hadn't insisted that he was harmless and persuaded everyone to let him stay, none of you would have been injured."
Oriel sighed. "What's done is done. From now on, don't trust those cunning outsiders so easily."
The green dragon remained remorseful. He went around apologizing to the other dragons one by one, then helped deal with Poison Bee's corpse. Oriel remained silent for a moment before giving his subordinates instructions on how to handle the aftermath.
After everything was taken care of, the giant dragon leader brought Yu Deng back to his lair under the sparkling gazes of the surrounding dragons. With the other dragons gone, Oriel's dejection was now impossible to hide.
"I'm sorry, little princess. I had only just invited you to stay in dragon territory when something like this happened." The giant dragon's tail drooped. "And I promised to protect you, but I still let you disappear just now. I'm sorry."
Yu Deng shook his head. "I was the one who decided to deal with him, so I disappeared from everyone's sight on my own."
The giant dragon gazed unblinkingly at the little princess. "Deng Deng, you're amazing."
Yu Deng proudly puffed out his chest. "I think I'm amazing, too! But… what exactly is going on with you dragons?"
The dragon took a moment to organize his words before explaining everything to Yu Deng without holding anything back.
"The dragon race has thick skin and tough scales, and our resistance to magic is actually quite strong."
Dragons possessed the highest level of defense and extraordinary magical talent. Aside from the difficulty of reproduction, they were the most powerful race on the continent of Erazia.
"But I don't know when it started, but we've often been unable to control our emotions and power. Our savage instincts take over, making us want to destroy things. We even end up hurting our own companions. In that state, we also become more vulnerable to attacks."
Yu Deng understood only part of it.
So that was why Poison Bee had been able to influence the dragons so easily. Dragons who couldn't control their violent instincts… Was this the predicament of the dragon race mentioned in the side quest?
As Oriel explained, his breathing gradually grew heavier without him realizing it.
Yu Deng snapped out of his thoughts and noticed the giant dragon repeatedly scratching the rocky ground with his claws.
"Oriel, are you feeling unwell…?" Yu Deng reached out and touched the dragon's wing.
The dragon leader didn't seem to care much. "It's probably because my flames burned the poisonous mist, causing me to absorb most of its toxicity. Come to think of it, I haven't properly thanked Your Highness yet."
The giant dragon gently nudged Yu Deng. "Thank you for suppressing their condition just now. They're all very grateful to you. They simply didn't have the chance to tell you."
[Ding. Player Yu Deng's favorability and trust level with the dragon race have increased.]
Huh? His trust level had increased, too?
Yu Deng was a little surprised. After all, he had stopped Poison Bee and relieved the dragons' suffering simply because that was what he genuinely wanted to do. He hadn't expected his actions to inadvertently increase their trust in him.
Just as he was thinking about it, Yu Deng saw Oriel breathe out a wisp of flame, turning the rocks inside the cave red-hot.
Yu Deng hesitantly raised his head and studied the dragon for a few seconds before reaching out to touch his scales.
They were scorching hot.
"Oriel, why don't I try healing you, too? You don't seem to be doing very well."
The giant dragon fell silent for a few seconds. Then, realizing what was happening to him, he could no longer maintain his earlier composure.
The enormous black dragon crouched before Yu Deng, breathing heavily. His scales, which had originally been cold, had become burning hot.
He looked just like the savage, evil dragon from a fairy tale, yet his eyes were filled with infatuation whenever he looked at the princess. His reddish pupils remained fixed on the little princess as he stuck out his tongue and gave him a lick.
Yu Deng was licked by the dragon in his complete form, leaving the scent of the giant dragon's flames all over his body.
Yu Deng froze. "W-what are you doing…?"
An unfamiliar yet intense emotion surged through the giant dragon's chest, making all four of his limbs grow hot. Although the dragon had absolutely no experience with this sort of thing, he wasn't so clueless that he couldn't recognize what was happening to him.
His enormous claws had already torn the ground into a complete mess. The hard stone slabs were no more substantial than foam beneath them.
Within just a few minutes, the dragon grew increasingly restless. His black scales flared outward, their surfaces scorching hot.
The dragon's rough, oversized tongue was surprisingly agile, leaving the petite, beautiful little princess completely wet.
Riiip—
The thin dress split open in a large tear down the back, ripping from his shoulder blades all the way to his thighs.
Yu Deng could feel the air growing hotter. "Eh?"
"Little princess, I really was affected by the poisonous mist just now. This symptom… doesn't seem like something that can be easily treated."
Yu Deng still had some confidence in his abilities. "I managed to heal everyone else just now, so I'm sure I can help you, too!"
His proud expression made him look just like a little cat boasting about how good he was at hunting.
The giant dragon carefully scooped Yu Deng up in his claws, raising him to eye level.
Yu Deng suddenly found himself suspended in the air and was startled. He hurriedly reached out to grab the dragon's claw, his bare feet resting on the tip of the dragon's nose.
Feeling the little princess's soft touch, the giant dragon's tail rose high into the air.
The giant dragon spoke. "Little princess, I think I've entered my mating season."