The sleeping grounds of high-level monsters often attract many weaker, smaller monsters. As if seeking protection, they follow the aura of the strong, find suitable places to slumber nearby, and slowly turn an entire area into a monster settlement.

When Susan’s father was young, the Magic Dragon had only just arrived in Hatz City. Decades had passed since then, and there was no telling how many more monsters it had attracted.

Cynthia and the others hadn’t even reached the deep mountains Susan had mentioned when they ran into a monster that had smelled their scent and come to hunt.

“What is this thing?” Darcy asked curiously, tilting her head back to look at the monster blocking their path, which resembled a withered tree.

This monster was about ten meters tall and four or five meters wide. Most of its branches and leaves were already withered and yellow. If not for the dark aura it emanated and the two eerie green flames that looked like eyes on its trunk, it could have lain on the ground disguised as a dead tree without arousing anyone’s suspicion.

The withered tree bent slightly before them, its two green flames staring at them like eyes, as if sizing them up. The squad of Knights scouting ahead instantly drew their swords, their vigilance raised.

Seeing the monster appear, Polly stepped forward and introduced it to Darcy and the others. “This is a Tree Demon. Its branches can split off to create more of its kind. Its weakness is a great fear of fire.”

As she spoke, the Tree Demon began to thrash wildly. Its branches snapped into several pieces with its movements, and after falling to the ground, they slowly elongated and transformed into new Tree Demons.

In just a minute, the Knight squad was surrounded by a swarm of Tree Demons.

Darcy’s expression slowly grew solemn. She took two steps back, turned to the God Race contingent behind her, and said, “Use Light Fire.”

This time, she had brought not only a squad of Knights but also a squad of the God Race.

Although the Tree Demons were difficult to deal with, their attack power wasn’t very high. So, when Cynthia saw the Knights trapped, she didn’t rush to help, instead standing back to watch with Olivia.

Monsters of the Tree Demon’s strength were perfect for letting the Knights and the God Race hone their coordination and gain some combat experience.

Merely practicing Light Magic and swordsmanship was useless; they needed to experience real battles.

“This place isn’t bad,” Cynthia said thoughtfully, watching the Knights and God Race members who, despite fighting together for the first time, were already showing a decent level of coordination. “After we kill the Magic Dragon, we can cordon this area off for the God Race and Knights to use for training.”

Teamwork needed to be cultivated. This place had plenty of monsters, and their strength was suitable.

After fighting monsters more frequently, they would be calmer and more composed when facing the Vampires.

Every race had its own way of training its young. Although a joint force of the God Race and humans like theirs was a first, training was definitely the fastest way to make their people stronger. Olivia agreed with Cynthia’s proposal. She pondered for a moment and said, “I’ll have Polly draw a map of the monster distribution for you.”

Training should also avoid unnecessary casualties.

A single Tree Demon could split into several hundred of its kind, and those hundreds could continue to split… If not for the overwhelming effectiveness of Light Fire against them, they would have been submerged in a sea of Tree Demons.

After hearing from the God Race that Susan’s warehouse was short on Light Crystals and that a team was being organized to search the Magic Dragon’s cave, Chelsea and Betty had also volunteered to help. They followed beside Cynthia, watching the fighting God Race and Knights with envy.

If only their witchcraft could be that powerful someday.

The Tree Demons had multiplied so much that the surrounding space became cramped. A branch fell silently next to Betty, and a cold, dark aura suddenly enveloped her.

Eunice, who was very sensitive to dark auras, frowned slightly. She reached out, pulled Betty behind her, and chanted a low incantation. A black chain appeared behind the Tree Demon, binding it before crushing it into powder.

Chelsea, who had been about to help, saw Eunice’s dark magic and her face turned cold. She changed direction, turning her back on the two, not wanting to see Eunice.

With the Tree Demon turned to powder, it could no longer multiply. Eunice carefully checked the surroundings. Seeing no more branches flying over, she turned to check on Betty.

Betty’s ankle had just been injured by the Tree Demon. The bone was slightly dislocated, and the pain made her face turn pale.

Cynthia noticed the situation over there and walked over to cast a Healing Spell on Betty. The spell alleviated the pain. Although there was still some discomfort, it thankfully no longer affected her ability to walk.

Betty leaned on Eunice’s shoulder and gave Cynthia a grateful smile.

“I can actually carry you,” a somewhat timid voice came from behind Betty. Betty turned around in confusion. A large white wolf was sitting not far away, looking at them nervously.

Hanni had somehow learned of the cold treatment the witches had received from the Wolf Race. She felt very guilty. Even though many witches spoke to her with cold words and looks of disgust, she still wanted to try and communicate with them.

The large white wolf tried to lie down and said in a small voice, “It’s very steady on my back.”

Eunice now got angry just seeing a member of the Wolf Race, and Hanni’s friendly gesture was no exception. She glared at Hanni and said fiercely, “Get lost.”

“Don’t be like that, Eunice.” Betty tugged on Eunice’s arm, stopping her from saying anything more malicious. She looked up at Hanni and smiled with a gentle and friendly attitude. “I’m fine, thank you, Hanni.”

She thought for a moment and reached out to stroke the big white wolf’s neck. “I believe the Wolf Race had its reasons. You don’t need to feel so guilty.”

Hanni looked at her, moved. “You’re so kind, Betty.”

As she spoke, she tried to move closer to nuzzle Betty, but Eunice blocked her with a dark expression.

When Cynthia returned to Olivia’s side, she saw Olivia gazing at Betty and Hanni and spoke up. “Because the Wolf Race refused the witches’ request for help, the witches are now very hostile towards werewolves.”

Kind witches like Betty were actually quite rare.

“Clan Leader Helen is not the type of person who would disrespect the witches just because they are weak,” Olivia said faintly, withdrawing her gaze.

“Clan Leader Helen wasn’t in the territory at the time.”

“The other members of the Wolf Race wouldn’t do that either.”

Cynthia frowned. “Did something happen to the Wolf Race?”

Olivia lowered her eyes and thought for a moment, feeling it was a possibility. She said in a low voice, “I’ll send a message to Clan Leader Helen soon to ask about the situation.”

After she finished speaking, she waited a long time for a response. Glancing at Cynthia, she saw her staring intently. Olivia asked, “What is it?”

“Is Her Majesty the Queen’s relationship with Clan Leader Helen very good?” Cynthia noticed that Olivia’s tone when mentioning Helen was very intimate, which made her feel inexplicably strange.

Olivia nodded. “Very good.” The relationship between the Wolf Race and the Elf Race had always been excellent, and Helen was an old friend of the previous Elf Queen. One could say she had watched Olivia grow up.

Of course, Cynthia didn’t know that Helen and Olivia had a relationship akin to that of an elder. Seeing her nod, she nodded as well but said nothing more.

The sudden silence from the person beside her made Olivia feel a bit unaccustomed. She glanced over at the silver-haired God Race member from time to time, seeing her focused intently on the battle between the God Race and the Tree Demons, and pursed her lips slightly.

Under the protection of the Knights, the God Race confronted the Tree Demons for nearly an hour before the monsters finally retreated, turning to ash in the Light Fire.

Cynthia cast a major Healing Spell on the injured God Race and Knights, and the group continued their journey north.

On their way to Kalchas’s cave, they encountered over a dozen waves of monsters. With all the stops and starts, it took them nearly half a month to finally reach the vicinity of the cave.

Monsters were very territorial. Although smaller monsters would follow the aura of the strong, they would not step into their territory. The land where the Magic Dragon slept was devoid of even a single insect.

As a monster that had existed since the time of the gods, the Magic Dragon was even more troublesome than a third-generation vampire. It possessed a massive body and impenetrable scales, but what was truly more powerful was its dragon’s breath.

If even a drop of its breath, saturated with the Power of Darkness, touched you, you would almost instantly be corroded into a pool of blood.

A monster of this strength was not something the Knights could handle. The God Race could help with their Light Magic, but they needed to be in a safe position, with a chance to escape when the Magic Dragon charged.

Darcy had the Knights and the God Race retreat to a safe location pointed out by the elves, then nodded at Cynthia, who stood before the cave.

Cynthia looked at the dark cave ahead and began to chant a low incantation. The Light Crystal in her hand started to glow with a golden light as pure Power of Light gathered before her.

Olivia looked up and scanned the surroundings, then turned and leaped onto a withered tree. She took the longbow from her back, placed her fingers on the bowstring, and pulled it lightly. A pale green arrow quickly materialized on the string.

She aimed the arrowhead at the cave and then released it with a deadpan expression.

The pale green arrow tore through space like a bolt of lightning and flew into the cave. After a brief moment of silence, an enraged dragon’s roar echoed through the sky.

The ground beneath their feet began to tremble, and the not-so-clear sky was instantly covered by dark clouds. The cave exploded, and a dark green Magic Dragon flew out from underground. It circled angrily in the air, a pale green arrow still stuck in its back.

Having heard Polly’s description of the Magic Dragon earlier, Darcy and the other God Race members were somewhat mentally prepared for its size, but when they truly saw it, their eyes widened in shock.

Given the Magic Dragon’s size, it was no exaggeration to say it could blot out the sky.

Darcy began to feel uneasy. Even with the Elf Queen present, this Magic Dragon looked far too intimidating.

Just as she was feeling apprehensive, the darkness above was suddenly torn apart by a golden light. Light began to sprinkle onto the ground below. The Magic Dragon circling in the air paused and looked down, searching for the source of the golden light.

Compared to its massive body, both elves and God Race members were tiny. The Magic Dragon had to search carefully for a while before it spotted Cynthia’s figure in the most concentrated area of golden light.

It charged down in a rage, its sharp claws swiping, wanting to tear Cynthia in half.

The Magic Dragon’s shadow enveloped Cynthia. Olivia glanced at the diving dragon, drew her bowstring, and an arrow flew towards its belly.

Although Olivia was small, her aura was incredibly powerful. The Magic Dragon had been wary of her all along. Sensing the approaching danger, it twisted its body nimbly to dodge.

The arrow grazed past the Magic Dragon’s body. A hint of triumph flashed in its dark green eyes. It was about to continue its attack on Cynthia, but when it looked down, it was met with a blinding ball of golden light.

A surge of the Power of Light washed over the Magic Dragon, sending it flying.

This Light Magic spell was somewhat similar to their Elf Race’s Tidal Wave spell. Olivia’s hand, holding the longbow, paused for a moment as she looked down at Cynthia.

After sending the Magic Dragon flying with her Light Magic, Cynthia unhurriedly observed the spell’s power before preparing the next incantation.

Olivia was surprised for a moment, then her expression relaxed, and a faint smile appeared on her face. This God Race member really was here to test the power of her spells.

How bold.