After I died, my personal maid rebelled.

The entire city witnessed the plight of the refugees.

When the twisted, cracked skin, oozing pus and emitting a foul stench, appeared before them, they couldn't even tell whether the thing groaning on the stretcher was a human or some other monster.

The memories of the dragons are too distant; only a few merchants who have traveled far and wide can still tell them about the terrors of dragons.

"Its scales are its armor, its claws are its spears, its wings can summon storms, and its breath can incinerate everything in the world..."

"Humanity's pride and magic cannot shake its body in the slightest. It is the master of the sky and fire, an ancient calamity that has descended upon the world."

"There were originally two dragon slayers, but the wife of the magic swordsman Baird, the great mage Alistair... remained forever in that collapsed emerald forest."

After crossing the mountains and traversing animal trails, Baird, with his graying hair and sagging skin, arrived at the stream and scooped up the clear water to wash away the heat and fatigue from his face.

His old armor was loose and baggy, so he had to tighten his belt again. Several long sections of the belt sticked out, making him look rather comical.

"I am old, Alistair. My body grows smaller each year and can no longer support this armor."

He muttered to himself in the desolate wilderness, but the only response he received was a strange sneer in his mind.

(Ah, Baird, look at you now, your life's candle flickering, your soul broken and chaotic, I have foreseen the end of your destiny...)

At this moment, a huge phantom slowly emerged in Baird's chaotic eyeball.

The phantom leaped into the stream, splashing water several meters high, before submerging its entire body and presenting a massive dragon head to Baird's eyes with its thick, long neck.

The dragon opened its mouth, revealing rows of hand-sized sharp teeth, and Baird seemed to smell that thick, foul stench again.

Its gaze was full of disdain and mockery.

(How old he was, how tragic, the great dragon slayer, what a wonderful fate.)

(Yes, you still remember the smell of dragons, especially the stench of our decay; you'll surely find it. And you haven't forgotten the smell of your wife either, oh Baird, how does the mixture of her blood and entrails taste? Doesn't it make you think of her day and night…)

"Alistair, bless me, grant me the power to wield the sword once more." Baird prayed, clasping his hands together, ignoring the mockery of the dragon phantom.

It had haunted him for countless years, and if this was the torment of not being able to save his wife, he was willing to endure it, only hoping that his wife's soul could find peace.

The dragon's phantom faded, Baird replenished his water bladder, and continued on his way.

The aura of the Bone Dragon is getting closer and closer. Possessing the characteristics of both the undead and the dragon race, the Bone Dragon will be the most troublesome enemy he has ever faced.

When dealing with dragons, dwarves often use heavy crossbows, which they call "air-piercing hammers" because the arrowheads are as heavy as large iron hammers. Even heavily armored ogres would have their bodies explode if hit by such a crossbow bolt.

However, the undead are least afraid of crossbow bolts; their hollow bodies, devoid of flesh and blood, are essentially immune to such attacks.

At the same time, dragons have high magic resistance, so even the most powerful magic attacks will be greatly reduced when they hit a dragon's body, making magic attacks unreliable.

Therefore, the only remaining countermeasure is close combat, with mages sealing off the space and powerful adventurers rushing forward to launch direct attacks.

This is destined to be a battle that only the strong can participate in, because ordinary people will either be engulfed by flames or torn apart by claws before they get close to the bone dragon. Let alone maintaining their fighting ability, they will find it difficult to even save their lives.

Oswald...

The name inevitably came to Baird's mind.

A true powerhouse among the younger generation, he resolved a calamity on par with the Bone Dragon, a figure once synonymous with idleness and dissolute youth.

Baird had no idea how strong the other party was; his only regret was that he had never had any contact with this person.

Continuing through the sparse woods, Baird stepped on a soft, damp branch and stopped.

He raised his head, his chaotic yet sharp gaze fixed on the treetops, where the broken sections of tree trunks proved that some enormous flying creature had once swept past.

He touched the dragon scales embedded in the chest armor with his palm; the steel-like texture felt warm and hot.

But the surroundings were too quiet, so quiet it was unsettling.

Baird tore off the bark with his fingers, leaving a mark, and then stepped back quietly.

He's past the age of adventurous spirit; the more exciting the first half of his life was, the harder the second half became. He's survived to this day by clinging to his memories, but the blood in his veins has lost its warmth, leaving him with a coldness that makes it difficult to fall asleep every night.

Half an hour later, a plume of smoke rose from a distant hillside.

As night fell, the brave squad, acting as the vanguard scouts, arrived.

They dismounted and immediately saw Baird sitting by the campfire, eyes closed in meditation. His hunched figure was far removed from the dragon slayer they had imagined.

"Have you figured out our exact location?"

Baird slowly opened his eyes, his voice low, and turned to look at Thorne.

Thorne quickly took the map box from his waist, opened the map by the firelight, and respectfully replied, "Master, this place is called the Iron Hill Mountains, located northeast of the Western Territory's capital, Twilight Moon City. The straight-line distance between the two places is approximately 120 kilometers."

"Is it that close...?" Baird sighed softly. "At the speed of a dragon's flight, it can arrive within an hour. If we can't stop it, it will be another catastrophe that devastates the land."

"Rest assured, Master, His Majesty the King has already dispatched top adventurers and mages." After greeting Baird, the group of heroes sat down around the campfire.

The night sky was dotted with stars, and the four people had different expressions. Baird added firewood to the fire while slowly observing them with a calm gaze.

As people get older, their eyesight becomes more discerning.

That young man, who is said to be a hero, is indeed a promising talent. As long as he continues to train hard, he will definitely become one of the top fighters in the future.

As for the three young girls, they all come from extraordinary backgrounds, but they are neither down-to-earth nor profound. Their talent may allow them to easily reach the top, but the battlefield ultimately tests their ability to bear the weight of life.

Those who can only reach the summit but dare not fall into the valley cannot become true strongmen.

But since they were still inexperienced, Baird talked more.

"Young man, if I may be so bold, you shouldn't trust those so-called strong people."

Thorne was bewildered. The renowned dragon slayer's words seemed to carry a deeper meaning. "Master... please enlighten me, Master."

"When you learned that you were going to hunt down the Bone Dragon, did you have the following questions: Are you strong enough to defeat the Bone Dragon?"

The four of them looked up at the same time, their faces showing surprise. How could this old man so accurately guess their private conversation before they left?

No one answered, but Baird had already gotten the answer from their faces.

"What is a strong person? A strong person is one who does things without asking whether they are possible, but only whether they should do them. A strong person is one who will do what should be done, even if it means being shattered to pieces."

"And what about those top adventurers and top mages you speak of? Even if they possess immense power, so what? When calamity strikes, they cower in the royal city. If the king hadn't ordered them to move out, why would they have bothered?"

"The Undying Python of the Northern Territory was resolved in less than five days from the onset of the calamity... Not to mention the undying race before, how much time has passed in the Western Territory since the appearance of the Bone Dragon?"

Baird suddenly laughed, even he felt the world was so absurd, but his laughter sounded particularly desolate to everyone else.

Calamities are not difficulties that can be overcome by gritting one's teeth, nor are they badges of honor to show off one's strength. To truly and effectively resolve them, one must fight with one's life!

But it's still that same old joke.

Do you believe that someone in a high position would risk their life for you? Do you believe that someone with immense wealth would sacrifice themselves for you?

If they have to work hard before becoming S-class and still have to work hard after becoming S-class, then what's the point of becoming S-class?

Even if they can't resolve the calamity, they will still be among the kingdom's top experts. Perhaps even the king will have to humble himself and beg them to protect the capital. No matter how many people die outside, to them, it's just a number.

"Does the master mean that our mission is likely to fail?" Thorne was completely stunned. He had been grinding for experience with the Adventurers' Guild when he was suddenly pulled into a high-risk mission.

The dragon slayer then told him that none of them were of any use...

Baird was silent for a moment, then picked up a fire poker and poked at the fire, the flickering flames flashing in his eyes. "I went to the destroyed earthen city; most of the corpses there were concentrated inside the city."

Maria, who was standing nearby, reacted quickly, covering her mouth in surprise and saying, "Master, are you saying that there was no warning or evacuation of the people in the city before the bone dragon arrived?"

"Yes, and it wasn't that there was no warning, it was that there was no time to warn them." Baird nodded, his deep voice weighing heavily on everyone's hearts.

"Huangtu City had just experienced a great battle with the undead. All the soldiers were concentrated on the city wall with good visibility. According to the survivors, the weather suddenly changed that night, with lightning and thunder in the clouds. It was impossible for them not to observe and be vigilant about the sky."

"All of this proves one thing: either this bone dragon is good at hiding, or the bone dragon is incredibly fast, leaving no time to react."

Everyone imagined the scene: in the firelight, their faces were all deathly pale.

Imagine this: a dark shadow flashes across the sky, and before you can even see what it is, the ground explodes into boundless, towering flames...

Seeing that they understood his meaning, Baird said no more and slowly closed his eyes.

"You are still young, so keep your distance. If the battle turns against you, don't worry about anything else, just scatter and run away immediately."