When the meat was finally roasted, the three girls seemed to be full and didn’t come over to snatch any more. They huddled together, their voices growing lower and lower, until eventually there was no sound at all. Even the most energetic one, Alice, was the same—they all seemed to have fallen asleep on the ground.

The beauties had fallen asleep, but the wolf—no, correction, the man—was still wide awake. Wasn’t this the perfect time to do something?

Raymond Brooks shook his head resolutely—this was definitely another one of those pranks by that scheming princess, trying to seduce him or something. Knowing her own figure wasn’t enough, she’d roped in Anna Morgan and Julia Evans to put on a show. If he made any rash moves, even just trying to escape, he’d fall right into their trap. The best strategy was to wait; once the little loli lost patience, her plan would collapse on its own.

Speaking of which, the little loli’s acting wasn’t that great—her breathing was too long and obvious, a typical flaw of the academic type. Anna Morgan wasn’t convincing either; her style was too eccentric, actually hugging that sword so tightly. Poor Allen, how pitiful—man is inferior to sword, or rather, demon is inferior to sword. The most successful was the succubus maid; that arched-back pose was just too alluring. This time, the little golden statuette goes to Julia Evans.

As Raymond Brooks was critiquing with the eye of a professional otaku, he gradually sensed something was off. He put down the roasted meat and stood up. At that moment, the four tamed triceratops began to grow restless, snorting heavily.

A prompt began to sound in Raymond Brooks’s mind—the super system’s activation progress was automatically increasing. At first, it was slow, but then it sped up: 20%, 30%... it shot up rapidly to over 80%!

Even the many poisons in Albert Harris’s laboratory had only pushed it to less than 20%. Why was there such a terrifying level of toxicity here, enough to make the system’s progress skyrocket like this...

Normally, the super system’s accelerated activation would be something to celebrate, but as Raymond Brooks’s gaze swept over the tranquil, mirror-like Blue Wave Lake at the foot of the mountain, a sudden realization struck him, and cold sweat broke out all over his body.

A gentle breeze blew by, and suddenly, a short-haired man appeared beside Raymond Brooks, holding several skewers of roasted meat and eating with relish.

This man had jet-black hair, tanned skin, a strong and agile build, and wore a strange, colorful robe. Strange symbols seemed to swirl around him, emitting a faint glow.

“You’re here.”

The question made the man pause, then he countered, “You know me?”

Raymond Brooks glanced at Blue Wave Lake and tentatively asked, “Poison Dragon?”

“You should address me as ‘the great Poison Dragon’ or ‘Lord Poison Dragon.’” The man grinned, revealing sharp, white fangs.

Chapter 9: The Awakening Poison Dragon

Actually, Raymond Brooks’s ideal lines were:

You’re here.

I’m here.

You shouldn’t have come.

But I still came.

If you come, you must die.

Everyone who lives must die.

...

After a stirring and soulful exchange, the two men would become confidants among enemies, enemies among confidants...

Then the beautiful confidante and the enemy confidant would get entangled again...

Unfortunately, Poison Dragon is Poison Dragon, and Gu Long is Gu Long.

Raymond Brooks’s heart pounded wildly as he tried to make small talk: “Lord Poison Dragon, you’ve been awake for a while now, haven’t you? No wonder Anna Morgan said there’s been a lot less prey around here lately.”

Wasn’t it said that the Poison Dragon had been asleep for thousands of years, sealed by the strongest being of the demon realm with the Lock of Light and Darkness? How could he have woken up so soon? And why did he have to run into him at a time like this!

The Poison Dragon finished the roasted meat in one go, waved the now-empty iron skewer, and asked, “You’re human, right? Strange, to find a human in the demon realm. This roasted meat is much tastier than those demonfolk I’ve had these past few days. Got any more?”

The Poison Dragon’s casual tone revealed the fate of the scouts sent by General Allen. Raymond Brooks felt a chill run down his spine, forced himself to suppress his fear, and replied, “There’s none left. If Lord Poison Dragon wants more, you can catch some prey and I’ll roast it for you.”

“Aren’t there some right here? But triceratops taste terrible,” the man pointed at the now-unconscious triceratops, then glanced at the three demon girls. “Or, these few will do. As for you, as long as you submit to me, Lord Patrick Hill, and devote yourself to roasting meat for me, I might just spare your life.”

A weak voice called out, “No!”

It was actually Anna Morgan who spoke. This violent girl truly deserved her title as the number one female swordsman of Darkmoon City. Sensing the approaching danger, she managed to resist the drowsy poison and wake up. Her appearance had changed as well—her wheat-colored skin turned a pale red, two curved horns appeared on her head, and her pupils glowed crimson. She had fully entered her demon form, the one that could destroy the Kongming Lock, her whole body wreathed in flames. Unfortunately, the flames were dim and weak, and she could only barely support herself with that giant sword.

“Raymond Brooks, take Alice and get out of here! I’ll hold him off!” Anna Morgan gritted her teeth and shouted, her aura flaring up, the flames burning even brighter.

“Foolish woman who overestimates herself! Even if you burn up your life force, you cannot withstand the power of Lord Patrick Hill.” The Poison Dragon snapped his fingers contemptuously. The demon swordswoman’s giant sword began to corrode at a speed visible to the naked eye. In moments, the once-mighty sword was covered in rust, shrinking rapidly until it could no longer support Anna Morgan’s weight. With a “crack,” it shattered.