Alreis led Wude through the wilderness. She hadn’t teleported them away directly. Though Wude’s physical strength had improved, he still needed real combat experience. Sparring with Ascendant Sovereigns in simulations held no meaning.

The Ascendant Sovereign level was simply too high—Wude couldn’t learn any techniques from them. Even when Alreis and Tini suppressed their own levels, their mastery of mana manipulation remained far beyond his grasp.

Besides, Wude’s mana level was still tier three; only his physique had grown stronger. Alreis had seen this combat style before. Truth be told, Life Magic had deeply researched this area—after all, it included a physical enhancement branch.

So Alreis chose to accompany Wude into real battles while protecting him. The method wasn’t highly efficient, but it worked.

They had no leads on Lingyue either—a helpless situation. As long as she stayed hidden, no one could find her. Wude and Alreis were waiting for her to make a move. For now, they headed toward Wude’s old village while hunting monsters for his training.

Still, no matter how hard Alreis tried to distract herself, her cheeks stayed flushed. She was wearing the maid outfit Wude had personally designed.

“Go, Master!” she called out, raising a hand with visible embarrassment.

It was Wude’s pre-training order: whenever he fought monsters, she *had* to cheer like this.

“In this pose, power surges forth!” Wude claimed. Alreis didn’t understand the logic—but an order was an order.

Come to think of it… ever since Elisa and Tini left, Wude had grown oddly unrestrained. Baffling commands kept coming. Last night, he even made her feed him…

Shame burned in her chest, yet the Slave Contract compelled her: arm up, leg up, sweet voice ringing out—“Go for it!”

Lovely as the scene seemed, Wude had zero time to enjoy it. The monster before him was absurdly powerful.

This native creature was documented in the Kingdom of Life’s free wilderness guide: the “Earth Dragon.”

Earth Dragons were fantasy staples—usually plot devices for protagonists to show off. Wude had believed that too… before meeting *this* one.

In truth, as a dragon subspecies, it boasted massive size, sharp intellect, and skilled earth magic use. Speaking of which—the Ascendant Sovereign of earth magic had perished long ago. The “Magnet Emperor,” if memory served.

His fall didn’t weaken earth magic. Quite the opposite—it grew terrifyingly potent at higher tiers. Rumor said some Earth Sages commanded swirling constellations around them.

And right now, Wude faced a tier-five Earth Dragon.

Theoretically, Wude’s strength ranked tier six. Normally, he shouldn’t lose—the gap between tiers was meant to be tenfold.

But reality wasn’t kind. Wude wasn’t some heaven-defying protagonist. He lacked cross-tier combat ability. The Earth Dragon? It had it.

Massive frame, iron-hard scales, earth magic mastery—it outclassed most same-tier creatures. Even tier-six adventurers avoided solo fights with it.

“Take this!” Wude leaped, sword slashing downward to cleave it in two.

The Earth Dragon’s keen intelligence showed in its deeply mocking gaze. Yellow light flared on its claws—it swatted the blade.

*Whoosh!* Wude went flying.

Physics was unforgiving. He was airborne; the dragon stood firm on solid ground. Friction anchored it. Air resistance? Useless.

Mid-flight, Wude almost saw Newton smiling. Then—*thud*—he crashed into a tree.

He cursed his weak magic again. With proper magic power, how could he be flung like this? Magic was supposed to defy science!

Thankfully, his reinforced body barely felt the impact. He rose, glancing at Alreis—her face twisted between suppressed laughter and forced cheerfulness.

The Earth Dragon dared not attack Alreis. *She* had captured it. A being of her level was untouchable. But Wude? Strong-looking, yet still beneath it.

Wude glared. The dragon stood motionless, wearing unmistakable mockery on its reptilian face.

“…Blessing of Wind.” He cast the speed spell. Direct clash was unwise. His strength might match, but weight? No contest—and earth magic could amplify that further.

Even a former shut-in knew: mismatched weight classes spelled trouble.

Gripping his sword, Wude charged.

Claws glowed yellow. He twisted sharply—narrowly dodging.

“I can do this!” He spun to strike—then froze. A glint of cunning flashed in the dragon’s eyes.

The ground turned to mud. He sank instantly. Weightlessness. Dread. *Trapped.*

No novel-style stomp-and-leap escape for him. He simply couldn’t.

“No way I can win…” he thought.

Space rippled. In a blink, Wude stood beside Alreis on solid earth.

She flicked her wrist—the Earth Dragon vanished. Killing it served no purpose. Its meat was tough, flavorless. And she could summon it again tomorrow. Wude’s victory? Still far off.

“Master, you’re way too weak!” Alreis huffed, eyeing his awkward grin.

“Hey! I got tricked by that dragon!” Wude scratched his head.

Her gaze sharpened.

“Don’t look at me like that! Okay, maybe I missed the trap, but—” Flustered, he babbled nonsense she didn’t understand: “It’s not me who’s wrong… it’s the world…”

*Sigh.* What was she expecting? During battles with Elisa, he’d only cast support spells or land a finishing blow. Independent combat would take time.

Alreis reached into space. Kilometers away, reality warped—a hand snatched a grazing, rabbit-like creature and pulled it through.

“Here. Eat this today?” She offered it.

Wude recognized it—a common herbivore called the “Jumping Rabbit.” Delicious, yes… but tedious to prepare.

“This is such a hassle, Alreis,” he sighed.

“But… it’s really tasty…” She activated her one mastered skill after months as slave and maid: *acting cute.*

“…Fine.” Helpless against it, he took the squirming rabbit.

Seeing her radiant smile, his fatigue felt worth it.

“Alreis, come help clean it!”

“Yes, Master!”

An hour later, the scent of roasted meat drifted through the camp.