BOOM!
The behemoth plummeted from the sky, crashing onto the beach with no buffer.
The fine, soft sand obviously couldnât provide much of a cushion, and Carlos let out a pained wail.
The violent impact jostled the wounds on its back, causing blood to gush out even faster.
It wanted to struggle up and flee, but its limbs could barely support it.
WHOOSH!
A figure landed not far awayâit was Ronin.
As Carlos hit the ground, Ronin had forcefully pushed off the Giant Dragonâs back to separate them, simultaneously using Windâs Touch to suspend himself in the air.
When he was only about ten meters from the ground, he adjusted his posture and landed steadily on the sand.
"Whew..."
Ronin let out a long breath. Standing on solid ground again, he felt a surprising sense of peace.
He slowly walked toward the Giant Dragon. The beast sensed his approach and let out a low roar, as if warning Ronin not to get any closer.
But the Giant Dragon was just bluffing; it had no strength left to use its Dragon Breath.
Looking at the behemoth up closeâa six-meter-long body and a three-meter-long tailâRonin still felt an immense pressure, even though it couldnât move.
But now, the advantage was his.
"Youâve failed. I defeated you."
Ronin walked up to the dragon, held his head high, and declared forcefully, "In the World of Warcraft, the strong are revered. Since you lost to me, you should submit to me!"
Perhaps it was angry, or perhaps it had no energy to respond. Carlos snorted a huge gust of air from its nostrils, and Ronin caught a whiff of a foul, fishy stench.
Giant Dragons are proud creatures. It closed its eyes as if it hadnât heard a thing.
"Looks like you still havenât felt enough pain!"
Ronin showed no mercy. Gripping his Flowing Flame Sword, he swung it in a fiery arc that swept toward the dragon.
"ROAR!"
The Fifth-level Combat Skill made it cry out in pain.
Carlos roared, struggling to get back on its feet.
"Still trying to fly?"
Ronin snorted coldly, leaped up, and landed on the dragonâs back once more.
"Stay down!"
He clenched his right hand into a fist, gathering Fighting Qi around it, and smashed it down onto the dragonâs back.
The full-force blow of a Silver Knight carried enormous power.
With a loud crash, the Giant Dragon, which had been struggling to its feet, was slammed back down onto the ground.
"If you wonât submit, then Iâll beat you until you do!"
One punch, two punches, three punches...
Ronin hammered it with punch after punch. Carlos let out low roars, but by the end, only weak, listless whimpers remained.
It felt its eyelids growing heavier and heavier. Obvious exhaustion appeared in its cold, blue pupils, which had lost their previous merciless glint.
Ronin jumped onto the dragonâs head, then leaped down to stand before it again. "Do you submit?"
A look of grievance flickered in Carlosâs eyes. It never thought that just after escaping Nataliaâs control, it would fall into the hands of yet another person.
âWhy is my life as a dragon so miserable?â
Mist filled its enormous eyes, and two massive tears rolled down.
It slowly nodded, then listlessly rested its head on the ground, expressing its submission.
âGiant Dragons can cry?â
Seeing this, Ronin couldnât help but feel a little awkward. âWas I a bit too harsh?â
However, to make a Magical Beast submit, one had to display their own strength.
Recalling the last ten or twenty minutes, Ronin knew that a single moment of carelessness could have cost him his life. Especially when they plunged into the seaâif he hadnât adjusted in time, he probably would have drowned.
âBeing ruthless was necessary. There was no other way to beat it into submission.â
"In that case, letâs sign the Master-Servant Contract."
Ronin took the Contract Scroll out of his Space Ring.
At this moment, he couldnât help but feel a bit wistful. He had once thought about using this scroll to form a contract with a Flying Magical Beastâa Giant Eagle, a Large Eagle, or even a Griffin would have been fine.
He never imagined that in the end, the subject of his contract would be a Giant Dragon.
âEven if itâs a Dragon that hasnât fully matured, its potential is enormous.â
When Carlos saw the scroll, a look of resistance inevitably appeared in its eyes. It was about to be controlled again.
Ronin sensed its resistance. If a Magical Beast resisted during the contract process, it could cause the contract to fail.
He only had this one scroll. If it failed, the loss would be immense.
"Dragons are proud. Iâm sure you wouldnât easily go back on your own choice."
Ronin said, "If this fails because you go back on your word, I wonât give you a second chance."
"Rest assured, as my Magical Beast, you will have a certain degree of freedom. At the very least, you wonât be locked in a cave, never to see the light of day."
He threatened it, forcing it not to defy him, while also offering a sweet deal to sway its will.
Carlos didnât react much to the threat, but in response to the sweet deal, a flicker of light actually appeared in its eyes.
It was almost laughable, but todayâsoaring through the sky and plunging into the seaâwas the first time it had ever done so in its entire life.
"Think about it. The world outside is so vast. If you donât go out and see it, how can you do justice to your life as a dragon?"
Carlos breathed out. For the first time, its gaze was no longer filled with arrogant disdain and hostility toward Ronin; instead, there was more of a submissive look.
"Come on, buddy. Following me wonât disappoint you!"
The Contract Scroll was unrolled. The complex patterns on it would make even a Chief Mage like Ronin feel dizzy and overwhelmed after staring at it for just a few seconds.
This didnât feel like an ordinary Magic Scroll. Ronin had seen the Magic Scrolls for Fire Dragon Devouring Heaven and Strong Healing Skill before, and while they were taxing to look at, it was nothing like this.
Pushing his thoughts aside, Ronin infused his Magic Power into the scroll, which immediately burst forth with a brilliant light.
A huge Magic Array Map appeared on the ground, its light enveloping both him and Carlos.
VMMMMâ
The light from the Magic Array Map suddenly flared, and a ball of light flew from Carlosâs head, landing over Roninâs heart.
If he were to take off his clothes, he would discover a small, intricate tattoo of a Giant Dragon on his chest.
In that instant, Ronin felt a connection form between them.
It was a connection somewhat similar to the one he had with Ridder, Macken, and Elron. For instance, he could now clearly see the dragonâs Level progress:
[Frostfire Wings Carlos]: Fifth-level (7349/7500)+
However, there were also differences.
Perhaps because it was a Master-Servant Contract, the spiritual bond between Ronin and Carlos was much closer; they could even communicate mentally over a certain distance.
On the other side, Carlos now knew that the human before it was its master, and it was bound to obey him on a spiritual level.
The moment the contract succeeded, a dark aura was forced out of its body, making it look as if it were shrouded in black smoke.
Seeing this strange scene, Roninâs brow immediately furrowed. "Whatâs going on?"
"The Anomalous Energy Natalia left in my body has been dispelled... Master."
Carlosâs voice rang out.
In that moment, Ronin understood the draconic tongue. The voice was deep and resonant, indicating that the dragon was male.
"All these years, she used this Anomalous Energy to torture my body and mind. And whenever she blew that damn Horn, the Anomalous Energy in my body would surge, forcing me to obey her commands."
Carlos looked at Ronin, a trace of relief in its eyes.
It had never expected that signing a contract with him would actually expel the Anomalous Energy from its body, freeing it from the torture forever.
âLooking at it this way, maybe this isnât so bad after all?â
"Natalia... just who is she, and who are her subordinates?"
Now that Ronin could communicate with Carlos, he asked the question he had been wanting to figure out all along.
âAs the dragon involved, Carlos should know the answer, right?â