Ryan used Purification several times, but just like he didn't notice a single difference, nothing changed as well. The reason was simple…

"I am not a negative effect, so that this spell won't work on me. Anyway, I must apologize for before, I thought you were an enemy when you suddenly invaded my territory, but it looks like I was wrong."

Ryan ignored the voice and then rubbed his chin thoughtfully… how could he damage the spirit of a dragon. Although Purification was useless, Ryan knew that certain items and spells could work even against powerful dragons. Orgar was a fine example of that. However, Ryan didn't have any skills that could affect something inside him without affecting himself as well.

"Are you listening to me? I am apologizing for what I did. I am not your enemy, and as a sign of apology, I want to make a deal with you."

"You are hundred percent my enemy because of you fuckers. Earth experienced hell; besides, you almost killed me," Ryan said. "No apology or deal will be enough to make me forgive you for that. Not to mention, you tried to steal my mana while you were hidden inside me. You are the last thing I want to make a deal with."

"I apologize once again. I know that this sounds like a poor excuse, but I was desperate, and I did what I did to survive. You have my word; I won't do anything suspicious while I am inside you."

"You can take your word and stick up your ass," Ryan said. "Maybe I can't do anything with you now, but one day I will be able to, and on that day, I will make you regret this."

"Cool your head and think carefully. You will gain a lot just by hearing me out. I know that this will sound too convenient, but you will gain a lot of power if you help me."

"I don't need your power, as far as I am concerned, I kicked your ass without trying hard," Ryan said.

"... Indeed, you did that, but even with your current strength, there are foes that you can't win against, right?"

".... Fucking dragons and their damn habit of reading other people's minds," Ryan clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"Can you please mind your language? I am trying to be civilized here… I am a superior life form, and yet, I am willing to talk with you."

"Superior my ass, you are just an oversized lizard that tried to kill me," Ryan said.

"As far as I am concerned, we are even. We fought and tried to kill each other, I lost, and you and your warg even ate a few parts of my old body. That definitely makes us even. Anyway, here is the deal, you will give me some of your mana for a while, and I will grant you a part of my powers."

"I refuse. Just show up already so that I can kill you," Ryan said.

"... You really are naive; do you really think I will do that just because you asked me to?"

"Whether you do or not, it doesn't matter," Ryan said. "Just like I said before, I will find a way to kill you. Still, knowing that you don't have the courage to face me after all these insults puts me at ease since it only proves to me that you are pathetic. It will take a while, but eventually, I will kill you."

"All right… let's see you try."

The ice dragon went silent after that. Still, it looked like she still was conscious since Ryan's mana was being sucked every single second. It was only a single point of mana per second, but it was the annoying way.

Hopefully, Ryan will find a method to get of that parasite inside his body. Maybe Alissa and Orgar could help him with that, but he decided to look himself first for a solution instead of running toward them for help. Knowing Alissa, she would bother him a lot afterward if he asks her for help.

"There must be a class or skill that will help me with this," Ryan rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Maybe even a magic item might help me with this… unfortunately, finding any of those options will be hard."

"You should give up on that. While I am an anomaly in your body, I am not causing any harm. Skills and magic items that can purify your body only affect creatures when they pose a threat to you."

"Bullshit, you are sucking my mana. You clearly are a threat to my body," Ryan protested showing an angry expression on his face.

"I am only draining mana when your mana bar is already full. Not only that, your current recovery grants you more mana than I can absorb right now, so you aren't being harmed in any way."

Ryan couldn't even understand why he was trying to dialogue with a dragon. In the end, the beast would always defend its actions, even though they were clearly impossible to defend. Regardless, instead of worrying endlessly about that problem, Ryan decided to move on since that was the only thing he could do to find a solution to that problem as fast as possible.

After focusing his eyes in the distance again, Ryan recognized once more the species of the creature that was blocking his path. For a change, he was going to face something that wasn't a Giant Crab. They were scorpions, and considering that they had some sort of metal in the place of their carapaces, Ryan concluded that they would be hard to deal with.

Iron Scorpion – Lv 120

Health: 1500/1500

Mana: 1500/1500

Stamina: 1500/1500

Strength: 800

Dexterity: 800

Speed: 750

Intelligence: 800

Endurance: 1100

Control: 550

Mentality: 800

Luck: 250

Recovery: 1100

Willpower: 500

Coins: --

Status: --

Skill List

Offensive Physical Skills: Poisonous Sting Lv 110

Passive Physical Skills: Stone Skin Lv 100, Bronze Skin Lv 80

Spells: Poison Bullet Lv 100, Poison Sphere Lv 80

Support Skills: Fire Resistance Lv 80, Cold Resistance Lv 80, Earth Resistance Lv 80, Poison Resistance Lv 200