Mr. Dragon Knight, the dragon girls are chasing you!

Luo Ye was slightly taken aback, her hand hovering in mid-air stopped, and she looked completely innocent: "I... I just ruffled your hair?"

"No means no!" A faint, dark blush crept onto the tips of Eluvia's ears and even the scales around them. Her voice was urgent and shy as she explained haltingly, deliberately evasive and ambiguous.

"The horns of a dragon... are an extremely private and sensitive part of its body! Only the closest and most trusted kin... in short, outsiders are not allowed to touch them!"

Her voice grew softer and softer as she spoke, until finally she turned her head away completely, leaving Luo Ye with a puffed-up, stiff, and awkward little black dragon's back, her whole body radiating the shame and embarrassment of being "taken advantage of."

Luo Ye blinked.

Is the black dragon's horn extremely sensitive?

He silently memorized this information in a corner of his heart.

He immediately raised his hands in surrender, coaxing gently, "Okay, okay, I was wrong, Your Majesty, please calm down. I will never touch your dragon horns again, I will never dare to do it again."

"snort!"

Eluvia let out a haughty snort from her nose, still sulking with her face turned away, but the tip of her slender dragon tail twitched slightly uncontrollably, revealing that she wasn't really angry at all.

The next second, system notification sounds rang out one after another.

[The Dragon Knight's combat synergy with their contracted dragon beast has greatly improved! The active skill "Dragon Thrust" has been upgraded to Lv.2!]

[Elvia - Wings of Eternal Night Affection: 45 → 47]

[Change in mindset: I'm starting to enjoy the tacit understanding and sense of belonging I feel fighting alongside you]

After the successful coordinated hunt, Luo Ye didn't delay. Dragging the huge wild boar carcass, he carefully avoided the complex terrain deep in the forest and eventually found a very secluded shallow stream.

The banks of the river are covered with lush greenery, and the vines hanging down block the view. Not only is it well-ventilated and dry, but the smell of blood can also be masked by the scent of water. It is an excellent place to temporarily process prey without worrying about the bloody smell spreading and attracting high-level monsters.

Luo Ye rested on the spot and spent a full hour carefully handling the carcass of the wild boar leader.

He cut the wild boar meat into pieces and roasted it on tree branches as a reserve food.

After processing the meat, he patiently worked on the thick, tough wild boar hide.

After simply removing any remaining flesh and fat, the leather is tanned by evenly rubbing it with wood ash dried in the forest. This softens the leather and removes any fishy smell and moisture. It is then folded and stored away for the time being. The plan is to refine it into a simple and durable leather backpack once a safe base is found, to store magic cores, dry food, and personal belongings.

Finally, he carefully wiped the yellowish-brown magic core he had taken from the boar's skull clean, removing any remaining bloodstains, and gently handed it to the little black dragon on his shoulder.

Eluvia floated lightly down from his shoulder, hovering in mid-air. Her small dragon head lowered slightly, her gaze falling on the gray, rough-textured low-level magic core in his palm.

The disdain in his eyes was almost overflowing.

But when she looked up, she noticed Luo Ye's slightly pale face and remembered how he had fought hard and was injured, yet still managed to carefully process his prey despite his exhaustion.

She slightly furrowed her delicate dragon eyebrows, her gilded vertical pupils filled with reluctance, and with a quick shove of her little head forward, she swallowed the demon core into her stomach in one gulp.

"It tastes awful."

She hovered in mid-air expressionlessly, her voice cool and indifferent, carrying genuine disdain as she made her assessment, each word distinct and her small face etched with displeasure.

Looking at her awkward yet adorable appearance, Luo Ye felt a surge of laughter in his chest, but he was also afraid of provoking this proud emperor, so he could only hold it in and purse his lips, not daring to make a sound.

A gentle breeze rustled through the trees, carrying the lingering aroma of roasted meat. The stream babbled softly, and the surroundings were quiet and peaceful, a picture of tranquility and serenity.

Just as Luo Ye finished packing up the last piece of roasted meat and was about to put away his tools and return to the tree hole to rest, a bone-chilling cold suddenly shot up from his spine without warning and swept over his entire body!

It was the extremely unsettling feeling of some kind of creature spying on you in the dark.

Luo Ye's muscles tensed instantly. He flipped his wrist and gripped the ironwood spear leaning against his side. His aura suddenly subsided, and his sharp gaze swept across the dense forest around him.

The stream babbled softly, birds chirped in the forest, and branches swayed gently in the wind. Everything within sight was peaceful and normal, without any signs of monster agitation or any unusual noises.

But his intuition was screaming alarm bells.

"What's wrong?" Eluvia noticed his unusual behavior, flew up from his shoulder, hovered in mid-air, and looked around warily.

"...Something is watching us." Luo Ye lowered his voice, his palms slightly sweaty as he gripped the gun barrel.

"And, it's very strong!"

Before the words were finished—

A black afterimage, as if appearing out of thin air, suddenly pounced out from the shadows behind Luo Ye!

The speed was so fast that it exceeded the limits of human vision; the air didn't even have time to make a sound, leaving only extreme speed and chilling killing intent!

Luo Ye couldn't see the opponent's outline or movements with his naked eye. He could only rely on his life-and-death combat instincts honed through countless battles to suddenly roll to the side the moment the fatal blow landed!

"Sizzle!"

The claws tore through the air, leaving three deep claw marks where Luo Ye had been standing. The cuts were clean and smooth, enough to show the sharpness and terrifying power of the claws!

Luo Ye used the momentum to roll and land, quickly got up on one knee, his taut back strained slightly, and suddenly looked up, finally seeing the full face of the terrorist who had been lying in ambush.

It was a giant magical beast that resembled a cheetah, with a size comparable to an adult bull. Its body was streamlined and taut, with explosive muscle lines, and its entire body was covered with a layer of pure black short fur.

The entire beast resembled the condensed night, without a single blemish, perfectly blending into the shadows of the dense forest.

A pair of amber vertical pupils, cold and piercing, narrowed to needle-like shapes, locked onto Luo Ye and Eluvia in mid-air.

Its mouth was slightly parted, revealing two sharp fangs that gleamed with a chilling light, and saliva dripped slightly, revealing its ferocious nature.

A faint black mist swirled around its limbs, and its form appeared and disappeared amidst the interplay of light and shadow, as if it might merge into the shadows at any moment.

The next second, the system's warning panel popped up instantly, with words that were glaringly obvious.

Shadow Panther (Elite Monster/Boss)

[Level: LV30]

【Characteristics: Shadow Affinity, Stealth, High-Speed ​​Assault, Weakness Strike】

[Description: The overlord of the middle layer of the ancient forest, wielding the power of shadow, skilled in stealth and assassination. Its sharp claws can tear through most low-level magical shields and physical armor; its burst speed is unmatched among magical beasts of the same level; it excels at stealthy ambushes and one-hit kills.]

[High Risk Warning: This unit's combat power far exceeds that of ordinary magical beasts of the same level, and its attributes completely suppress the current host. It is recommended to avoid it immediately and not engage in direct combat!]