After listening to the introduction by the young Silver Dragon, Ilyaga, Saga looked at the Golden Dragon in surprise.
He had thought it was an older Hatchling Dragon, or perhaps even a juvenile Golden Dragon, but it turned out that the dragon was only six and a half years old, not much older than either Saga or Yekaterina. Yet, its size already surpassed both of them.
"Indeed, it's no wonder that dragons of the same age here on Metal Dragon Island are so outstanding."
"I'm getting more and more excited about the upcoming Hatchling Dragon competition. There must be other powerful dragons with exceptional talents."
Saga thought to himself.
At that moment, Hekris, known as the Golden Mountain, withdrew his gaze from Saga and turned his head to look at Yekaterina, saying, "Yekaterina, I heard you're entering the Hatchling Dragon competition."
After a pause, he continued in a deep voice:
"I will also participate, and then I plan to defeat you in the competition to avenge my previous loss."
Yekaterina scoffed and said, "You think you can, my former underling? You probably won't even make it into the top ten. Ha, pray, pray that you can make it in front of me, and then I'll give you another chance to experience defeat."
Golden Mountain flapped its wings and said:
"After losing to you, I've been training day and night to defeat you. Don't underestimate me; I won't lose to you again."
Yekaterina was disinterested and too lazy to deal with a rival she had already beaten, casually saying:
"Move aside, don't block the way."
She and Saga shared a similar thought—those who had lost to them could only ever look up to their backs.
Watching the proud Yekaterina, Golden Mountain silently stepped aside.
"Come on, Hekris, let's play together."
"The competition is one thing, but after all, we're still of the same kin and live together. Hehe, and since we've met by chance, why not make friends?"
At this moment, the friendship expert, Ilyaga, extended the invitation.
Golden Mountain looked at Yekaterina, his gaze hesitant and uncertain.
Yekaterina glanced at Golden Mountain without any particular reaction and simply flew forward with a flap of her wings.
"Come on, come on."
The friendship expert invited again.
At the same time, Saga, who was also quite interested in this Golden Dragon that had grown so big on who knows what, spoke up:
"Let's do it together. We're all going to participate in the Hatchling Dragon competition; it's a good opportunity to exchange ideas in advance."
After a few seconds of hesitation, Golden Mountain followed the three departing dragons.
The trio of dragons became a quartet.
Yekaterina was indifferent to the addition of the large Golden Dragon, not paying much attention to him. Ilyaga and Golden Mountain seemed to have known each other before and were quite familiar.
After some time.
The four dragons appeared in a vast forest.
What came into view was a rippling green sea, with countless towering trees, glowing mushrooms, flowers, and shimmering leaves that made the forest bright even at night. Numerous beasts and magical lifeforms lived here.
Apart from dragons like Saga and the others.
Many Hatchling and young dragons were active here.
They hid in the treetops, soared through the air, and prowled the riverbeds. Although the locations of these young dragons varied, what they had in common was the presence of prey they were stalking.
Whoosh!
A Golden Hatchling Dragon, about four meters long, leaped out from the rustling treetops and pounced toward a plump rabbit nibbling on mushrooms below.
The rabbit, with a horn on its head, shivered, its body lit up, and in the next instant, it vanished from its spot.
Plop!
The Golden Hatchling Dragon bit into a mouthful of mud and mushrooms, then turned around irritably to chase its target again.
The horned rabbit ran into a thicket, and the Golden Hatchling Dragon followed suit.
A few seconds later.
The Golden Hatchling Dragon ran out of the bushes in a panic.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
Behind it, led by a giant rabbit as big as an ordinary human with a sharp spiral horn on its forehead, a group of dozens of horned rabbits with bared teeth and red eyes hopped and flashed, chasing the Golden Hatchling Dragon in a frenzy.
This was a group of Blink Rabbits, creatures that could reach the third tier on average.
"Damn rabbits, just you wait!"
The Golden Hatchling Dragon flew into the air, chased by the rabbits, leaving behind a threat before covering its face and fleeing far away amid the mocking laughter of other young dragons.
At the same time.
More young dragons were hunting.
Some successfully captured their prey, while others were chased by their intended game.
Even Saga had a dark history of being chased by a pig, and it was no exception here; even Golden Dragons could be chased by rabbits.
The young Silver Dragon took the initiative to introduce the place to Saga.
After her introduction, Saga realized.
This vast forest was a hunting ground, home to creatures up to the high seventh tier, with no stronger lifeforms present. It was an excellent place for Metal Hatchling and young dragons to practice their hunting skills.
Saga could also sense the presence of high-tier Giant Dragons or even Legendary Dragons.
These adult dragons, at least, were responsible for guarding the hunting ground to prevent young dragons from encountering danger during their hunts.
"Even ordinary hunts are guarded by powerful adult dragons."
Saga smacked his lips.
His gaze swept across the vast forest, and after thinking for a moment, he suggested:
"Since we're here at the hunting ground, why not have a hunting competition? Let's see who can hunt the most within the same amount of time."
"The winner of the competition can ask the loser to do something for them."
It was a warm-up before the Hatchling Dragon competition.
Yekaterina narrowed her eyes with confidence and said, "That will definitely be me."
After a pause, she added in a nasty tone:
"Saga, when I win, I want you to lick my footpads."
Saga chuckled and replied, "No problem, but only if you can win."
Both the young Silver Dragon and Golden Mountain were also interested, so the four young dragons decided to have a hunting contest. Before dawn, based on the number and quality of prey hunted in one night, the winner would be determined.
Whoosh!
Yekaterina, with a fierce momentum like a blaze of fire, charged straight into the hunting ground.
The young Silver Dragon and Golden Mountain followed closely behind, and after entering the boundless forest, they each went in different directions.
"The strongest creature in this forest is a high-tier seventh level."
"Hmm, capturing one should ensure a solid victory in the competition."
These dragons were not ordinary True Dragons; they were individuals with exceptional talents and potential, capable of winning a chance to command others to do their bidding through such a simple contest—a profitable endeavor.
Unlike the other three dragons, Saga didn't immediately set off.
He exhaled and closed his eyes.
His spirit highly concentrated, the light of psychic energy bloomed on the surface of his body.
The next second, an invisible electromagnetic wave radiated out from Saga as the center, sweeping over a large area in an instant, and then, in just a second, it returned to Saga's body.
This pulse-like electromagnetic radiation was a new sensing method that Saga had developed based on his increasing control over electromagnetic forces.
Its range was larger than Saga's commonly used gravitational field sensing and could estimate the number and level of surrounding lifeforms.
The downside was that electromagnetic sensing caused a more intense reaction, easily noticed by lifeforms with sensitive perception.
At the moment when the electromagnetic pulse swept over their bodies, many creatures became alert, raising their heads and looking around defensively. As a result, many young dragons' hunts failed as their prey detected their presence.
Near a chilling lake.
A twenty-meter-long adult Silver Dragon raised its head, its gaze narrowing as it looked directly toward Saga's location.
"An Outsider dragon? A peculiar sensing method. Are you looking for your own prey?"
The adult Silver Dragon became interested and quietly observed Saga.
Not just this Silver Dragon, but many other guardians of the hunting ground took notice of this unique golden young dragon.
"I've found it."
At the same time, Saga opened his eyes.
His powerful psychic abilities brought strong intuition. Although there were no signs of disturbance, Saga still keenly felt as if he was being watched. He understood that his recent electromagnetic sensing must have attracted the attention of some powerful giant dragons.
Unconcerned with these hidden observers.
Under the night sky, Saga flapped his wings, streaking across the forest canopy like a golden ray of light, the powerful wind pressure causing the sea of trees to churn.
Moments later.
In the airspace of a hilly region with hundreds of meters of undulating hills, Saga came to a halt.
This place was a circular area with a radius of about ten kilometers, devoid of any young dragons.
As Saga was about to move forward, a deep Dragon Tongue voice resounded directly in his ears.
"Be careful, ahead lies the territory of a high-tier lifeform."
"If you encounter danger and require a guardian's intervention, your elders will pay the guardian's fee on your behalf."
The young dragons in the hunting ground couldn't do whatever they wished.
If they recklessly provoked prey that they couldn't handle at their current stage, relying on the presence of guardians, they would waste a lot of dragon resources. Therefore, rules were established in the hunting ground: every intervention by a guardian came with a substantial fee, which was often painful for the young dragons' elders to pay.
"Are you sure you want to enter here?"
Saga nodded, calmly saying, "Sure."
Whoosh!
With a flap of his wings, Saga soared, heading straight for a hill nearly a thousand meters high.
"He has a clear goal, not accidentally entering the territory of a high-tier lifeform; he intends to hunt a high-tier lifeform."
"Whose child is this bold young dragon?"
The guardians whispered among themselves, secretly communicating.
"I saw this young dragon today with Nagaes, along with another who is the Hatchling Dragon champion, Nagaes' daughter."
"So, is this also Nagaes and the Red Dragon's child? I do smell both Metal Dragon and Chromatic Dragon on him."
"Not even sixth-tier and already aiming to hunt high-tier lifeforms. It's no wonder he carries the blood of the Golden Dragon King."
"Nagaes isn't the Golden Dragon King yet; he still has strong competitors."
"Hehe, I'm ready to intervene. After saving this young dragon, I'm sure I can get a lot from Nagaes."
"No, no, no, I think this child is not overestimating himself. Take a closer look; there's a confident and proud demeanor about him. This is not an ordinary youngster."
While the guardians quietly conversed.
At the same time, the golden young dragon nearing the hill paused.
Boom!
Accompanied by a deafening roar, a boulder larger than the dragon itself, with a whistling wind, came smashing up from below at an incredibly fast speed, heading straight for Saga.
Proofreader & Editor: Lotas