In the Shadow of the Dragon: Isekai Adventure

Li Ran's life had been anything but calm lately.

Troubled by the existence of hidden "transmigrators," he wore a pensive expression more often than not—much to the concern of the Darkmoon Dragon Princess.

She quietly sought opportunities to lift her master's spirits, hoping to ease his burden.

One day, a jittery merchant approached Li Ran with a most peculiar request: escort a cargo of rare goods through a remote mountain valley.

The reward promised was staggering, enough to make any adventurer's heart skip a beat—but it also raised Li Ran's suspicions."Why me?" he asked icily, a hint of caution in his eyes.

Before he could press further, the Darkmoon Dragon Princess interjected. "This could be an interesting quest for you," she offered, sensing that a new challenge might be just what Li Ran needed.

Seeing her speak up, the merchant forced a humble smile. "I've heard rumors of your formidable power, S-ranked hero," he fawned, glancing furtively at the Princess. Greed flickered behind his gaze. "Such an assignment should be well within your capabilities."

Irritated by the merchant's avaricious stare, the Darkmoon Dragon Princess frowned, her silent disapproval weighing on him like a blade at his throat. Still, Li Ran decided that a demanding quest might help clear his mind. In the end, he agreed to take the job.

A Trap in the Valley

On the appointed day, Li Ran and the Darkmoon Dragon Princess set out for the valley with merchant, its looming shadows and uneasy silence putting them both on high alert.

The forest was unnaturally silent. The scent of damp earth mixed with the faint metallic tang of tension in the air.

"Something's off," the Darkmoon Dragon Princess murmured, her moonlit eyes narrowing as she scanned the treeline. "There are multiple presences lurking. They're waiting for us to step into their trap."

Her words had barely faded before a sudden rustling in the underbrush erupted into chaos.

A horde of figures burst from the shadows—the Nightmark Eye, a notorious bandit syndicate.

They encircled the duo in a well-coordinated formation, their crude weapons gleaming in the dim light. Their leader stood at the center, his armor adorned with the blood-red insignia of their faction.

But it wasn't just sheer numbers that made them dangerous.

Several bandits clutched glowing magic scrolls, crackling with volatile energy.

Others bore enchanted weapons pulsing with anti-magic sigils—specifically designed to counter high-level adventurers.

"They came prepared." Li Ran's smirk was laced with amusement as he wrapped his fingers around the hilt of his Severance Blade. His keen eyes flickered toward the enemy's formation.

"I see they even brought anti-high-attribute devices to the party. How thoughtful."

At their leader's signal, the trap was sprung.

The Assault Begins!

Steel nets dropped from the treetops, threatening to ensnare them.The ground beneath them trembled, a hidden pitfall waiting to swallow them whole.

Magic arrows rained down from concealed vantage points, their tips glowing with enchantments designed to pierce through barriers.

For most, such a coordinated assault would spell immediate disaster.

But for Li Ran and the Darkmoon Dragon Princess… it was nothing more than an inconvenience.

Li Ran: The Unstoppable Blade

With a flicker of movement, Li Ran vanished from sight.

The steel nets crashed onto empty ground.

A single heartbeat later, he reappeared amidst the ranks of the bandits, moving like a storm unleashed.

His Severance Blade ignited with a flickering, azure light, warping space with every strike.

One step. One swing. The battlefield shifted.

His blade carved through the falling steel nets, severing them before they could even touch the ground.

He sidestepped a collapsing pitfall, using the very air as a foothold.

With a single, fluid motion, he deflected the incoming magic arrows, sending them hurtling back toward their senders.

Bandits scrambled backward as their ambush turned against them.

The ground was littered with fallen bodies before they even had time to scream.

Darkmoon Dragon Princess: The Abyss Unleashed

Above them, a shadow loomed.

The Darkmoon Dragon Princess had taken to the air, her midnight cloak billowing like wings of the abyss.

"You vermin think yourselves hunters?" Her voice rang like a cold whisper, dripping with disdain. "Let me show you what it means to be prey."

With a single motion, she extended her hands, and shadows erupted from her fingertips—blades of pure void energy forming in the air around her.

"Moonshadow Barrage!"

The sky darkened as dozens of razor-sharp shadow blades rained down, cutting through the magic-infused arrows, shredding the enemy formation into chaos.

"Abyssal Rend!"

With a twist of her wrist, the very shadows beneath the bandits came alive, grabbing their ankles, dragging them into the suffocating darkness.

Desperate screams filled the air as men vanished into the abyss, their weapons clattering uselessly to the ground.

The bandit leader, now drenched in fear, staggered backward, watching his men fall like autumn leaves in a storm.

His hand trembled as he reached for a last-ditch escape spell.

But before he could utter a single incantation—

SHING!

Li Ran appeared before him in an instant, his blade resting against the man's throat.

"Tell me," Li Ran mused, his voice dangerously soft. "Was this your best?"

The bandit leader dropped his spell, his face pale as death itself.

He knew it.

He was already dead.

Aftermath: Shadows and Silence

The battlefield fell into absolute silence.

What had once been a carefully laid ambush had turned into a massacre.

The remaining survivors fled, leaving their fallen comrades behind. Those unfortunate enough to have been caught in the Princess's Abyssal Rend were never seen again.

Li Ran exhaled, shaking the blood off his blade.

The Darkmoon Dragon Princess landed beside him gracefully, flicking her hair over her shoulder. "That was amusing," she remarked, smirking.

Li Ran chuckled. "I'd say it was a bit disappointing."

He nudged the bandit leader's unconscious form with his boot.

"We'll get some answers from him later."

Just then, the so-called "merchant" tried to slip away in the chaos—but barely made it a few steps before the Princess's shadow whip yanked him back, binding him tight."Who sent you?" Li Ran demanded, his voice as cold as steel.

The air was thick with tension as Li Ran and Darkmoon Dragon Princess stood over the trembling merchant. The man's face was drained of color, his lips pressed tightly together as if sealing a secret that could cost him his life.

Li Ran exhaled sharply, annoyance flickering across his features. "I don't have time for your silence."

With practiced ease, he searched through the merchant's belongings, fingers gliding over hidden compartments.

Within moments, he retrieved a sealed letter, tucked neatly within the lining of the man's coat.

Breaking the seal, he unfolded the parchment, his gaze hardening as he scanned the contents.

The name "Duke Kadar" leaped off the page.

A notorious noble of Alva City.

Infamous for his corruption. Feared for his insatiable lust.

"So it's him," Darkmoon Dragon Princess muttered, her voice laced with contempt.

Her crimson eyes glowed with barely restrained fury, the disgust in her expression mirroring the loathing curling in her voice.

"This ambush was nothing more than a test."

A trial run. A preliminary move to gauge their strength.

Li Ran crushed the letter in his fist, his knuckles whitening. The implications were clear.

They had drawn the attention of one of the city's most powerful—yet most depraved—aristocrats.

And where men like Duke Kadar lurked, ambition and greed festered in the dark.

"We need to move," Li Ran said, his voice low but firm. "If we wait, things will only get worse."

Darkmoon Dragon Princess nodded, her silver hair catching the dim light as she turned toward him.

"Then let's end this before it begins."