Leaving aside the details, this team of two Earth-level and two Obsidian Steel-level adventurers with a well-equipped party still had plenty of combat power. They overcame numerous obstacles along the way and, although it took some effort, successfully reached the depths of Fallen Dragon Valley.

 

According to the information gathered by previous adventurers, in the heart of Fallen Dragon Valley, there is a formidable creature, akin to a legendary lord of monsters, guarding the “treasure of the Dragon’s legacy.” Furthermore, it commands four great magical beasts, each one guarding one of the four entrances to the central valley.

 

The scaly creature resembling a large stone, known as the guardian of the western entrance, is at the pinnacle of the Fourth Tier, equivalent to the Sky-level peak for humans. It’s not something that can be easily dealt with by two Earth-level and two Obsidian Steel-level adventurers.

 

Francis’s plan was to use a stratagem to distract the creature known as the “Stone Giant,” and then sneak into the valley while it was preoccupied. However, due to some unexpected events and an underestimation of their Sky-level opponent, the four individuals hiding nearby were inevitably discovered by the Stone Giant.

 

The bait plan worked, but the bait ended up being themselves.

 

While Edwina believed that their group of four might still have the strength to fight, Francis had no intention of risking his life for a single mission. The other two also followed his lead, and it resulted in a situation similar to their previous standoff.

 

If it weren’t for their encounter with Violet and her companion, as well as her “coincidental” intervention to stop the Stone Giant, the pursuit and escape would likely have continued for quite some time.

 

“Is that so…”

 

The process was not too far off from what Violet had speculated. It essentially boiled down to humans attempting things beyond their capabilities and ultimately getting themselves into trouble.

 

Given Francis’s exhibited character, it was entirely possible for such a scenario to occur.

 

However…

 

Edwina mentioned that the “Stone Giant” had the strength of the Sky-level peak?

 

Violet had encountered General Leyton, who was also at the Sky-level peak in the Western Frontier, and he clearly had a much more powerful presence after his recovery than this magical beast, which at most had just entered the Sky-level realm.

 

This group of people had likely been frightened by the rumors and the enormous size of the creature. In reality, if they had worked together effectively, dealing with the Stone Giant probably wouldn’t have been too difficult.

 

Was the rumor inaccurate?

 

It didn’t seem likely. Someone as shrewd as Francis would have surely based his actions on accurate information about the opponent, rather than making a mistake about their level.

 

So, there was only one other possibility.

 

The magical beast was injured.

 

To confirm this assessment, Violet approached the massive magical beast that had been stunned by Xiao Guang’s clever use of force.

 

Because it had lost consciousness, the thick, earthy-yellow and blood-red intertwined scales protecting its body had loosened. It was lying on its back, exposing its relatively tender internal body tissues.

 

Overall, this creature looked somewhat like an armadillo from Earth, with thick, short limbs, a flat, elongated tail, a pointed, conical head with two small eyes, dragon-like claws, and blood-red scales resembling dragon scales, although they didn’t cover its entire body.

 

These are some sort of mutated, incompletely evolved, chimeric magical beasts originating from a certain life form.

 

Violet came to the above conclusion.

 

What concerned her even more was that the magical beast was indeed not in perfect condition.

 

There were several wounds on its soft belly, and upon closer inspection, some of its scales were damaged, though it seemed that some healing had already taken place. The wounds had scabbed over, indicating that they were not recent injuries.

 

Considering the timing of the magical beast’s rampage, it was evident that about half a month ago, something had invaded the core of the valley and engaged in a battle with it as the guardian beast.

 

With that, the clues and evidence were mostly sorted out.

 

“Let’s go, Xiao Guang.”

 

After giving a signal to the little dragon following behind her, Violet bypassed the unconscious Stone Giant, and it was time to enter the real Fallen Dragon Valley.

 

“Hey? Please wait, Miss Violet!”

 

Francis, who had been left hanging for quite some time, became anxious when he saw her about to leave in the direction of the valley’s interior.

 

“What is it now?”

 

The priestess frowned, a hint of coldness in her eyes, but she managed to suppress her annoyance and anger.

 

“Um, may I ask, Miss Violet, where are you planning to go?”

 

Francis couldn’t help but shiver under Violet’s icy glare. He instinctively wanted to keep quiet, but the thought of the substantial monetary reward for the mission gave him a sudden surge of courage.

 

“What’s it to you?”

 

With those words, Violet paid no more attention to him and continued walking.

 

“Miss Violet, it seems you’re an adventurer investigating the anomalies as well, right? In that case, how about we cooperate? Please consider it! I haven’t seen you in Flame Dragon City, so you must be adventurers from elsewhere, right? With locals like us to guide you, it would be beneficial for the investigation!”

 

“Please wait! How about a seventy-thirty split?! We’ll take just three thousand gold coins, no, an eighty-twenty split would work, right?!”

 

Annoying and bothersome noise from Francis continued to come from behind. Violet completely ignored him and quickened her pace.

 

This guy is such a clown. Does he really think he’s indispensable? He talks about cooperation, but he just wants a piece of the pie. Why not just say it straight? Everyone’s been to the central valley for the first time. What nonsense about being a local? Does he think everyone is as gullible as a certain knight?

 

“Violet, don’t be too unreasonable!!”

 

Hearing the man’s increasingly frustrated and less elegant voice, the priestess finally smiled, stopped, and turned her back to Francis.

 

With a measured tone, she responded, “I’m being unreasonable, and what can you do about it?”

 

“You ungrateful b*tch, someone should teach you a lesson!”

 

Francis’s outburst didn’t sit well with Violet, but she chose to ignore him and continued her journey into Fallen Dragon Valley.

 

Before the roaring threats could fade away, a gleaming dagger had already appeared directly at the priestess’s neck, mercilessly aimed at her artery.

 

At the same time, a roaring wind and heatwave came from behind Violet, originating from a massive fireball launched from Francis’s staff!

 

The mage and the assassin, both attacked simultaneously, displaying perfect coordination, clearly not their first time working together.

 

“You ungrateful?!”

 

Violet turned her head, a lingering smile still on her lips, but her silvery-blue eyes had turned as cold as ice, emanating a chilling aura.

 

The young girl casually… extended two slender, fair, and delicate jade-like fingers, reaching her target before it reached her, effortlessly catching the assassin Marlen’s assassination attempt.

 

Her smile… seemed to mock the assassin’s audacity.

 

In fact, when she had turned around to take her steps after leaving the Stone Giant, this guy had already stealthily approached in the shadows under Francis’s covert instructions. Perhaps Marlen thought that with her back turned, she wouldn’t notice, but in the perception of a level 110 player, such childish attempts at stealth were entirely futile.

 

Violet intentionally didn’t expose him, just to see if they would dare to act for real.

 

In reality, even if this green-quality dagger pierced her neck, it wouldn’t cause any harm to Violet, it would just shatter into pieces under the backlash of 【Feather Robe Graria】, a priestess’s protective ability. Her intervention was merely to prevent the debris from falling onto her.

 

“What!?”

 

As an assassin, Marlen’s attack missed, and he immediately tried to retreat. To his shock, he found that the dagger, caught between the two fingers of the black-haired girl, was as if it had been embedded in solid obsidian steel. No matter how hard he struggled, it wouldn’t budge!

 

Moreover, a strange force traveled through the weapon into his body, rendering him completely immobile?!

 

At the same time, the fireball summoned by Francis finally reached its destination.

 

Boom!

 

The girl’s figure was engulfed by the flames, and even the assassin held in her grip was affected to some extent. This guy… showed no mercy at all, even if it meant hurting his teammate, he was determined to deliver a fatal blow to the black-haired priestess.

 

The surging flames splashed, and the massive explosion struck Violet’s back. It sent a scorching heatwave soaring into the sky, causing the black hair and robes of the priestess to rustle as if they were coated in a brilliant halo of flames, creating a spectacular sight.

 

However, strangely, the extremely high-temperature flames failed to ignite anything on the target’s body. Even after intense collision and burning, it shattered into pieces, leaving only hot winds and scattered flames in the air.

 

“This… how is this possible…?!”

 

Francis’s face turned pale, and he stared in disbelief at the still-backed black-haired girl, who, with a slightly turned head, looked at the magician with disdain and coldness.

 

It was a Fourth Tier magic spell, Fireburst, the most powerful single-target offensive ability that Francis could use! He firmly believed that even those who had reached the pinnacle of legend could not possibly withstand it with their bodies alone.

 

No matter how strong their abilities, the human body couldn’t become indestructible like real metal. It was mainly an evolution of magical power reserves, skills, and attack power. Unless…

 

“Monster! You’re not human, right? No human could do this! To think a high-level magical creature would dare to cross into the boundaries of the Human United Kingdom… wait until I report to the authorities… you…”

 

“Hah… so you couldn’t assassinate me and now you’re trying to frame and incriminate me? This is the first time I’ve been described as a monster, you know, it’s kind of irritating…”

 

“So, can I ask you to die now?”

 

Tired of Francis’s furious ranting, Violet let out a sigh, moved her fingers, and snatched the dagger from the thief’s hand. She casually snapped it in two and tossed it to the ground, and then…

 

She spun around and delivered a powerful kick, landing on the bewildered and immobilized thief Marlen’s body.

 

Boom!

 

Amidst a terrifying explosion, the thief shot out like a projectile, flying straight toward the terrified magician on the other side!

 

An eye for an eye, and since he had attacked with the intent to kill her, Violet didn’t have any more mercy in her heart.

 

Report to the authorities? Ha… did this guy really think he would walk out of Fallen Dragon Valley alive today?