“Ugh, this mana tastes awful. Nowhere near the ancient gods’ mana…” After absorbing the array’s energy, an inexplicable disgust washed over me.

Back in the old days, I loved devouring strong beings’ mana—but this monster’s? Absolutely revolting.

Pure mana really is rare these days.

Heavenly Dragon Fist!

Fed up, I shattered the magic array with one punch. A blazing beam of magic shot straight into the sky.

“Master Ling Xie is amazing!” Luo Lie and the other beastmen stood utterly stunned. They never imagined their human companion could obliterate a Saint-tier magic array with bare hands.

“Tch~ You still know so little. Master Ling Xie is an all-rounder—skilled in every field. And his… *strong* points? Seriously impressive ❤” Elle said with quiet pride, a faint blush dusting her cheeks at the last words.

The beastmen’s imaginations immediately ran wild.

“Enemy… kill!” Juelian’s face turned icy after I destroyed its array. It charged straight at me.

“You want a fight? Fine. Dragon Magic—Refined Dragon Arm.” Facing its murderous intent, I transformed my hand into a massive crimson dragon claw and swiped downward.

(Truth be told, it wasn’t magic at all—I said it for the watching adventurers. Couldn’t risk revealing my identity as the Dreadwyrm yet. Besides, Dragon Magic *is* documented in human records.)

ROAR~~~

Juelian didn’t flinch. It flew straight into the claw, utterly unfazed.

THUD!!!

I gave the claw a light squeeze. The talons enveloped Juelian completely, pressing against its flesh.

Crunch… splat…

A crisp crack echoed in my ears—then a geyser of blood erupted.

*Oops. Crushed it.* I’d meant to feign struggle. Releasing the claw, I inwardly sighed: I hadn’t planned to kill Juelian yet. Just tightened *a little*… and it broke.

*Sigh…*

I retracted the claw. It shrank rapidly back to a normal hand. Below, Juelian’s mangled corpse plummeted.

Silence.

Deafening, total silence. Everyone stood frozen, eyes wide, staring dumbly at me and the remains.

“No way… Juelian—the so-called King of Monsters—is *dead*???”

“This… you… but…”

Adventurers stammered, words crumbling into incoherence.

Understandable. The monster that filled them with despair seconds ago had vanished in a blink. Anyone’s worldview would shatter.

Especially when done by a “mana-less” boy.

“Hey. Still breathing?” I stepped toward the dazed group, tilting my head slightly.

“N-no! Thank you, sir! Thank you so much!”

“Yes! Thank you for saving us, benefactor! Call on me anytime—I’ll repay this debt!”

…

Their voices trembled with awe, but I found their panic oddly endearing.

“My adventurer name is Platinum God of Heresy. Same goal as you—quest completion.” I replied calmly, then teleported beside the corpse.

Luo Lie

“…Here!” Luo Lie snapped to attention, still reeling from the claw strike.

“Just show the magic core to the guild clerk?”

“Correct, Master Ling Xie. Any clear proof from the monster suffices.”

“Mm. Search Magic—Sense.” I scanned Juelian’s body, located the core, and pulled it free.

“Let’s go.”

Holding the core, I called to Elle and the beastmen and strode toward the forest edge.

“Wait! I have a question…” A young boy’s voice stopped me. I turned.

“Ask.” In a decent mood, I had zero urge to bully him—he wasn’t one of *those* jerks.

“How… how can you use such powerful magic with no mana?” He leaned in, curiosity burning. Others edged closer, ears pricked.

“Hmm… My mana has no color. Can’t be sensed. That’s all.” I walked off without looking back.

*(Lie. All mana has color—like how every person has traits. They just can’t perceive mine. It’s too vast for their senses.)*