The Mighty Mage
Chapter 333: Water Dragon

Chapter 333: Chapter 333: Water Dragon

Looking at the unconscious Gu Jin, Long Yifan’s heart itched.

He loved her for 5 years and will have to continue loving her from far in the future. Thinking about the upcoming bitterness, Long Yifan slowly walked up to Gu Jin.

He knew he shouldn’t be greedy, but he couldn’t hold back himself.

"Just this once, alright?" Long Yifan muttered. "I will hold you just once and then...I will not disturb you."

He took off his shoes and in a practiced motion crawled beside Gu Jin and hugged her.

The reality was...he was despicable. In the past few days, he was secretly holding Gu Jin whenever he had the chance to.

The main reason was to provide Gu Jin with enough energy and mana since she was in a comatose state and couldn’t eat food.

However, he can do so by just holding her hand too. Yet he hugged...just because he was selfish.

"I will be despicable just for today." He muttered.

With Gu Jin in his arms, Long Yifan slept peacefully. This time, his mind was conflicted. He wasn’t worried about getting caught.

He had already made his choice. He wants to be with Gu Jin.

The next day when he woke up, Long Yifan stared at sleeping Gu Jin.

The glow from her body had already dissipated but he knew that it wasn’t over. What a joke. If Emperor Rank’s breakthrough could be over within 10 days, others wouldn’t have built a seclusion room in the first place.

A few days passed.

Nothing out of the ordinary happened as Long Yifan lived his days with Gu Jin peacefully.

Long Yifan was sitting beside Gu Jin, his hand hovering just above hers as if any physical touch might disturb the fragile balance between life and death.

His heart raced with anticipation.

The glow from her body had started to fade, a sign that her breakthrough to Emperor Rank was nearing its completion.

It had been days since she slipped into this comatose state, but he felt in his gut that today was the day she’d finally wake up.

Just as he leaned closer, ready to whisper her name, the ground beneath his feet shook violently.

His head snapped up, eyes wide with shock.

Outside, the safety zone’s seal—crafted with intricate layers of protection—began to shimmer ominously.

Cracks spidered across the magical barrier that surrounded the campsite, spreading like lightning across the sky.

Before anyone could react, the air was split by a deafening roar. Long Yifan felt his blood run cold.

"No... this can’t be happening now," he muttered, standing up abruptly and rushing to the door.

His mind raced as the cracking of the barrier intensified.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Gu Jin still unconscious, her breathing steady but too weak to react to the chaos unfolding around them.

Then, with a loud snap, the protective barrier shattered, pieces of magical energy disintegrating into the air like shards of glass.

And through the broken seal came a massive shadow—a colossal beast.

The sky darkened, and a monstrous creature descended upon the campsite.

A supreme-rank beast. Not just any beast—a Water Dragon.

The students who had been scattered across the site, going about their daily routine, were now running in all directions.

Half of them were already dead, their bodies scattered like broken dolls.

The beast hadn’t even attacked them directly—its mere presence had caused destruction.

The Water Dragon floated above the clearing, its scales shimmering like the surface of a deep, endless ocean.

Despite the carnage, the creature did not lash out at anyone just yet.

Instead, it spoke—its voice booming, carrying across the clearing like a roll of thunder.

"Where are they?" it growled, its serpentine body coiling through the sky.

Its breath smelled like the salt of the sea, filling the air with dampness.

Several students who had managed to avoid the initial onslaught stopped in their tracks, frozen in fear.

One of them, a young boy who couldn’t outrun the beast, gathered his courage and stammered out a response, his voice trembling.

"Wh-who are you looking for?"

The dragon’s eyes narrowed, and its massive head lowered to the ground, its nostrils flaring as it sniffed the air.

Then, with a terrifying calm, it spoke again, each word heavy with menace.

"I seek a man with black hair and blue eyes," it said, its voice as cold as the ocean depths. "And a woman with black hair and red eyes. Tell me where they are."

Among the students who couldn’t escape in time was Gu Aihan.

She was crouching behind a fallen log, her eyes wide with fear as she stared at the Water Dragon.

But the moment she heard its words, a glint of something wicked sparkled in her gaze.

Her thoughts moved fast.

The Water Dragon was looking for Long Yifan and Gu Jin—the two people who stood in her way.

If she could point the beast in their direction, perhaps she could rid herself of both her problems in one fell swoop.

A smirk curled at the corner of her lips.

She took a deep breath, then rose to her feet, stepping out from behind her cover.

Her voice rang out, clear and loud, as she pointed toward Long Yifan’s campsite.

"I know where they are!" she shouted, her voice filled with triumph. "10 km from here. They must be camping somewhere along that area."

The moment she finished her words, the water dragon started to walk in the direction Gu Aihan was pointing.

However, before leaving it didn’t forget to flick its tail in Gu Aihan’s direction and send her sprawling to the ground.

The impact was so powerful that Gu Aihan spat out blood before fainting. Even before fainting, she was confused as to why the supreme beast still kicked her, though she had helped him.

Long Yifan felt his eyelids twitching.

As the Water Dragon’s massive form approached the lake area, its eyes lit up upon seeing Long Yifan standing just outside the prefabricated house.

The dragon’s slitted eyes gleamed as it stopped a few paces away, towering over him.

"Still the same," the dragon muttered under its breath, its voice barely above a whisper, but audible enough to reach Long Yifan’s ears.

A frown tugged at the corner of Long Yifan’s lips, but he didn’t show any outward sign of confusion.

Instead, he stood firm, locking his gaze onto the beast.

There was something strange about the way the dragon regarded him—familiar, almost personal—but Long Yifan couldn’t place why.

Suddenly the water dragon challenged,

"Do you want to do a duel?"

Huh? Long Yifan was stunned.

Shouldn’t a supreme-rank beast fight directly without asking? So why was this extremely powerful supreme-rank beast even asking for its approval?

Long Yifan had met some supreme rank beast before and each time the other party was rude beast, wanting nothing more than to kill.

So what was wrong with this supreme rank beast?

Did it take the wrong medicine?

Though such thoughts were swirling in Long Yifan’s mind, his expression betrayed nothing.

He kept his voice steady as he replied.

"There’s a clear difference in our strength. I’m not foolish enough to challenge a supreme beast when the outcome is certain."

The Water Dragon’s eyes narrowed, its serpentine body curling tighter as if restraining itself.

For a moment, it looked like the dragon would insist on a fight, but instead, it gritted its teeth, a guttural growl escaping its throat.

"Despicable," it muttered under its breath, the word dripping with disdain.

Long Yifan’s brow furrowed, his confusion growing.

Why would a supreme-rank beast care about something like this? he thought.

Dragons were known for their pride and power, and typically, they didn’t bother with formalities or consent when it came to battle.

Yet this creature was hesitating, holding back, and even speaking to him as though it harbored some strange grudge.

Before he could dwell on it any further, the Water Dragon’s demeanor shifted once again. It leaned in closer, its massive head lowering to Long Yifan’s eye level.

There was something almost tentative in its voice as it asked,

"Do you know of a woman with black hair and red eyes?"

Long Yifan’s heart skipped a beat. The dragon was talking about Gu Jin.

But Long Yifan kept his expression neutral, his mind racing.

Why does it want her? Does it know she’s here?

He couldn’t afford to let the beast know the truth, not with Gu Jin still in a fragile state.

Feigning confusion, he shook his head slowly. "I don’t know who you’re talking about."

To his surprise, the dragon’s eyes lit up—not with anger or suspicion—but with excitement.

The reaction was so unexpected that it threw Long Yifan off even more.

Why would it be exciting? The situation was becoming more bizarre by the second.

The Water Dragon’s massive body shuddered as if it could barely contain itself, and it muttered something to itself that Long Yifan couldn’t quite catch.

Then it looked back at him, its voice steady, but there was a strange energy behind it now.

"No matter," it said, more to itself than to Long Yifan. "I will find her before you!"