The large axe in Hiccup's hand reflected the sun's rays, causing all the companions present to instinctively shield their eyes from the glare.
Gobber, running, shouted, "Stop! Don't kill it! You absolutely cannot kill it!"
"Indeed!" Hiccup muttered before jumping down from the Gronckle's head.
After all, he knew very well that it was not easy to capture a Dragon alive, especially one used for training. If he killed it, the new recruits would have no Dragon for their training.
This Dragon also understood that as long as it cooperated with these humans, it would not only avoid being killed but also receive food, which was much better than constantly starving and facing life-threatening dangers outside.
In reality, Hiccup never truly intended to kill the Gronckle in front of him; after all, if he did, then the chubby Fishlegs would be without a mount.
Gobber snatched the large axe from Hiccup's hand and then looked at the Gronckle on the ground in astonishment, asking almost blankly, "Hiccup, how did you do it?! This Dragon actually fell asleep!"
The rest of the companions also gathered around, curiously examining the Gronckle up close, all finding it unbelievable.
"Odin above, please bestow some grace upon Fishlegs Knight as well!"
"How is this possible? The Dragon that was just chasing me actually fell asleep?!"
"Could it be that it exhausted its strength fighting the great Snotlout Knight just now, and that's why it fell asleep?"
"It must have seen Hiccup was scared senseless, so it didn't want to kill him! It didn't even bother to spit fireballs!"
The companions discussed amongst themselves, not believing that Hiccup could have done this, completely forgetting their own disheveled state just moments before.
Moreover, they looked at Hiccup and mockingly said, "What a pity, Hiccup almost became Berk Island's youngest Dragon Slayer!"
"Hahaha! How ridiculous, the youngest Dragon Slayer must be Berk Island's greatest Snotlout Knight!"
"Don't worry, Hiccup, next time we face a Dragon, I definitely won't let you charge to the front! To avoid you getting scared senseless again by the Dragon!"
"Enough!" Hiccup could no longer tolerate it.
He originally thought he had a good temper and just didn't want to bother with this idiot too much, but this idiot was relentlessly pestering him like a mad dog.
The most direct and effective way to deal with a vicious dog is to give it a heavy blow, shatter its confidence, and make it tremble with fear. That way, the next time it sees him, it will only whimper and not dare to bark wildly!
This cold shout startled everyone present, causing them to freeze.
Just as Gobber was about to walk over to comfort Hiccup, Snotlout jumped to Astrid's side, striking what he considered a handsome pose, and then raised his chin, mockingly saying, "Oh! I'm so sorry, it seems I've hurt Hiccup Warrior's pride!"
Hiccup raised his hand, puffed out his chest, and said with a cold expression, "Just now, an idiot wanted to duel me! Now I accept your challenge!"
"Hahaha! How could an idiot duel you... You! Damn Hiccup, you actually called the great Snotlout Knight an idiot! Unforgivable!"
Gobber watched as the two were about to fight, instinctively thinking that Hiccup was no match for Snotlout, and his mind was racing for excuses.
Meanwhile, the Twins had a look of anticipation, standing back-to-back and saying, "Hmm~~ This is great, looks like there's a good show to watch!"
"If you ask me, it's a battle with absolutely no suspense!"
Snotlout got into a fighting stance, jumping around and saying, "Come on! Let me show you how strong my muscles really are!"
Hiccup was utterly speechless, thinking, "This idiot, so much talk for so little skill! It's unbearable!"
Without another word, there were no other companions blocking Hiccup's path. In a straight line, there was only the jumping, chattering Snotlout, still incessantly rambling!
"Bang!"
Upon closer inspection, Snotlout was hit by Hiccup's punch, his facial features squeezed together, and then his entire body was sent flying into the air, finally falling heavily onto the Gronckle.
If it weren't for the Gronckle's cushioning, he would have flown even further.
This punch left everyone stunned.
"What?!"
"Is this person really Hiccup?!"
"Oh! My goodness, brother, pinch me, I'm not dreaming, am I?!"
"Cough, cough, cough! You stupid brother, let go quickly, your most beautiful sister is almost being choked to death by you!"
Astrid's gaze moved back and forth between Hiccup and Snotlout, and she also felt as if she were dreaming.
Hiccup, meanwhile, wiped his hands with an expression of great distaste, saying, "So much nonsense!"
At this moment, Gobber also didn't know what to say. Then, his expression became very excited, wishing he could immediately tell Stoick the news.
This matter was simply a miracle; he even suspected if Hiccup had received Odin's grace!
As if to confirm the scene everyone had just witnessed, Gobber swayed his body, which moved up and down, and used his prosthetic iron hook on his left hand to pull Snotlout up, saying, "Hahaha! Wake up, wake up, hurry and wake up! I agree to your duel with Hiccup!"
Snotlout might have been shaken awake by Gobber, or perhaps roused by Gobber's almost face-to-face breath.
At this moment, half of Snotlout's face was swollen to be almost as big as the Gronckle's. He broke free from Gobber's restraint, feeling greatly insulted.
He quickly said in front of his companions, "It's only because the beautiful Astrid is so captivating that my gaze was entirely on Astrid, and I didn't even notice Hiccup!"
"Otherwise, how could the great Snotlout Knight be defeated! This is impossible, this is absolutely impossible!"
"Hiccup! The great Snotlout Knight wants to have a fair and square duel with you!"
The blonde, blue-eyed Astrid listened to Snotlout's excuse with even more disdain, simply turning her head away, not wanting to speak.
However, Snotlout said smugly, "See! The goddess Astrid, who possesses both beauty and bravery, was afraid of disturbing my duel, so she hid her peerless beauty."
"Come on! This time, the great Snotlout Knight will definitely not be ambushed by you again!"
Gobber quickly brought a shield and said, "Today, let the devil instructor Gobber witness the duel of two young Warriors! Warriors, go wild!"
"Honor Odin with your most intense battle!"
Snotlout held a shield in one hand and a long sword in the other, standing ready like a Viking Warrior, as if he wanted to use this opportunity to wipe away his past disgrace!
However, Hiccup merely weighed the shield in his hand and muttered to himself, "This time, I probably can't kill him directly, right? After all, the crime of killing a villager without cause is quite serious. If I kill him, Chief Dad might not be able to protect me."