Assassin at Range: The Sniper’s Lethal Power

Tristan's face remained calm as he slowly asked, "Where exactly is the Fire Dragon?"

Dakoby, thinking that Tristan hadn't heard him properly, repeated, "We're talking about a Fire Dragon here. A terrifying existence! Even in my prime, I wouldn't dare face one head-on."

Tristan replied with assurance, "Don't worry, Dakoby. I don't intend to face the Fire Dragon directly. All I need is a little trick to get the skill book."

Dakoby paused, then nodded, realizing Tristan had a point. Since the location of Sleight of Hand had already been mentioned, there was no use in continuing to hide it.

With that, Dakoby casually pulled out a map and handed it to Tristan. "This is the location of the Fire Dragon's lair. You can think about going after the skill book once you reach your third job promotion."

Tristan respectfully accepted the map, but in his heart, he had already made up his mind not to wait that long.

Given the speed of his Shadow Dragon, and with the Ace Pilot manual now in hand, he could easily fly to other main cities without losing much time.

This visit to Dakoby had already yielded incredible results. Not only did he gain Dagger Mastery, which would increase his damage, but he also got the unexpected bonus of Sleight of Hand.

After bidding Dakoby farewell, Tristan summoned his Shadow Dragon and set off toward the south. Enjoy exclusive content from My Virtual Library Empire

According to the map, the Fire Dragon's lair was in the Crimson Mountain Range, about a thousand kilometers south of Davi City. The region was known for its active volcanoes and frequent eruptions of molten lava, making it the perfect habitat for the Fire Dragon.

However, this journey was not going to be easy.

Aside from the Fire Dragon itself, there were also many fiery creatures roaming the Crimson Mountain Range.

Tristan recalled that the fire elementals in that area were generally above level 50. The closer one got to the volcano, the higher the monster levels. Some could even reach level 70 or 80.

The danger was certainly too great for most players at his current level to handle. As Dakoby had advised, it would be safer to wait until level 60 and after completing the third job promotion.

But Tristan wasn't willing to wait that long.

Sleight of Hand had a special effect that allowed him to receive additional loot. If he waited until level 60, he would miss out on a lot of potential rewards.

Besides, with his Beast Skull, he could evolve the skill, which would further increase the benefits of Sleight of Hand. During his time grinding monsters and fighting bosses, he had accumulated enough evolution points to upgrade the skill to a much higher level.

"Good thing I got a lot of free attribute points earlier and managed to stack my agility over 500. Otherwise, I would've missed out on this top-tier skill."

Tristan thought to himself.

Dakoby had made it clear that there were two conditions for learning Sleight of Hand:

It had to be before the second job promotion. His base agility needed to exceed 500.

For Tristan, the second condition wasn't a problem. His base agility had long surpassed the 500 mark. The challenge was the first condition—he couldn't level up too much.

If he reached level 30, he would naturally trigger the second job promotion, and that would mean saying goodbye to Sleight of Hand, no matter how high his base attributes were.

Luckily, everything had worked out perfectly in the end.

As he was deep in thought, Shadow Dragon tilted its head and alerted, "My Lord Shadow, there's a group of Thunderbirds ahead. Should we avoid them?"

Tristan snapped back to reality and looked ahead.

A dark swarm of birds appeared in the distance, crackling with occasional flashes of lightning. Thunderbirds were mid-level monsters, around level 30. They had innate lightning abilities that could paralyze their targets. They usually appeared in large groups of dozens or even hundreds. Most players avoided them.

But with Shadow Dragon's strength, there was no fear.

However, Shadow Dragon seemed concerned about disturbing Tristan.

Tristan narrowed his eyes, watching the Thunderbirds quickly approach. He calmly ordered, "Eliminate them all."

Shadow Dragon immediately understood. This was an opportunity to prove its combat abilities to Tristan.

Shadow Dragon had fought alongside him in the dungeon previously, and now it seemed that Tristan wanted to test its strength.

The Thunderbirds, now aware of the approaching danger, let out sharp shrieks and attacked from different directions.

In an instant, the sky was filled with silver lightning. To anyone nearby, it was a terrifying spectacle.

Some players, leveling up in the area, immediately realized what was happening and quickly decided to head home. It's thunderstorming! Time to collect the laundry!

Meanwhile, in the sky, Shadow Dragon roared in excitement and opened its mouth to unleash a Corrosive Breath.

The Thunderbirds hit by the dragon's breath let out horrible shrieks, their lightning-infused feathers rotting and falling off, soon revealing their exposed bones as the corrosive breath ate through their flesh.

A rough estimate suggested that one breath had taken out over thirty Thunderbirds.

Simultaneously, Tristan received multiple notifications, and his experience bar began to climb.

At level 21, defeating these level 30+ monsters gave him a considerable amount of extra experience. Even though the experience was shared with Shadow Dragon, Tristan still made a great profit.

One of the advantages of special mounts was not only their ability to grow but also their help in leveling up.

As Shadow Dragon wiped out a large number of Thunderbirds, it also took some hits from the birds in return.

However, Shadow Dragon didn't bother dodging. Its dragon scales naturally had high magical resistance. These Thunderbirds, being basic monsters, couldn't break through its defenses. Their attacks were more like scratching an itch.

This was a one-sided battle.

Each time Shadow Dragon struck, the space around it cleared of enemies.

As over 70% of the Thunderbirds fell, the remaining ones finally regained their senses. With panicked cries, they scattered in all directions.

Shadow Dragon, not wanting to let any of them escape, spiraled around and rounded up the remaining Thunderbirds, sending them back to the afterlife.

Once the battle was over, Tristan casually complimented, "Not bad."

Shadow Dragon quivered with excitement. It had received praise from My Lord Shadow! What an honor!

…

As they continued their journey, they encountered a few more waves of flying monsters, but each was easily dispatched by Shadow Dragon.

The air began to grow stiflingly hot as they drew closer to their destination.

The ever-present sulfurous smell hung in the air.

In the distance, the red horizon painted the sky crimson.

They had arrived at the Crimson Mountain Range.

Shadow Dragon sniffed the air, its tone growing serious. "My Lord Shadow, I smell the presence of a dragon."

Tristan pondered.

It seemed that the Fire Dragon was home.

Of course, there was also the possibility of other dragons being nearby.

However, before challenging the Fire Dragon, Tristan needed to deal with the enemies blocking his path.

Ahead, the sky was filled with fiery raptors, and massive lava giants were moving across the ground. The path was far from clear.

A quick scan revealed over forty level 40 Firehawks, level 50 Magma Giants, and even some Lava Lords above level 60.

A low, rumbling roar echoed from the distance.

At the edge of their vision, a massive, terrifying head emerged from the volcano.

The Fire Dragon!

Level 75!

Epic Grade!