Chapter 53: News from the South, (2) |
['Slaughter Mission · Part One' completed.]
[Received mission reward: Attribute Enhancement.]
[Please choose one of the following three rewards.]
[Magic Awakening: Your magic perception rank will increase by one level, and you will randomly obtain a level-3 spell.]
[Burning Dragonblood: Ignite true dragon blood to gain a thirty-minute berserk boon that boosts all your attributes, but afterwards you will suffer a six-month weakness debuff with reduced all attributes.]
[Super Growth: You will prematurely advance into the Juvenile Dragon stage.]
Xia'er: ?
Faced with the panel of rewards, Xia'er immediately dismissed "Super Growth."
In two years she would naturally reach the Juvenile Dragon stage—did she need help speeding it up? Pointless. If the choice had been an instant jump to Ancient Dragon, then Xia'er would have chosen in a heartbeat, no question.
Magic Awakening could raise her magic one tier and grant a powerful level-3 spell.
A level-3 spell already belonged to the mid-tier of magic, extremely potent. Warlocks and mages who mastered level-3 spells were usually veteran spellcasters who had reached the Paragon tier.
Examples like Fireball, Haste, Mass Heal—these were classic level-3 spells.
If Xia'er wanted such spells via the Green Dragon heritage, she would at least need to enter the young adult dragon period.
Burning Dragonblood was unquestionable.
A berserk buff.
This was a lifesaver skill. If she ever fell into a dire situation, she could burn dragonblood to gain a powerful half-hour boost and break through the encirclement.
But the six-month weakness debuff afterwards made Xia'er hesitate.
"I choose Burning Dragonblood!"
After a moment's hesitation, Xia'er made her choice.
They might soon face the Fishman King's Court or the Dwarven Kingdom. If things went badly, she wanted to have a trump card.
[Selection successful.]
[Slaughter Mission updated.]
[Slaughter Mission · Part One: Kill 10,000 intelligent creatures of Challenge Rating 3 or above.]
This time, it became ten thousand.
And the challenge rating had risen to 5.
Rating 5 already equaled the combat capability of an elite soldier from a real faction's legion.
These were not primitive tribal forces like the Bullywugs or lizardmen.
For example, in the Dwarven Kingdom, in a two thousand five hundred soldier legion, perhaps only a thousand would reach this level.
Slaughter Mission Part One measured quantity, while Part Two measured quality.
The rewards were mostly tied to your innate attribute foundations.
Xia'er understood clearly.
The Domination Mission was much simpler; its rewards were often spells and the like. The last Domination Mission had granted her a Green Dragon bloodline spell: Plant Growth.
The Green Dragon bloodline's Plant Growth was not the same level as the Druids' Plant Growth.
Druids' Plant Growth was a level-0 cantrip limited to small-scale plant sprouting or accelerated growth, incapable of large-scale environmental transformation.
The Green Dragon's Plant Growth could select and transform large-scale environments directly.
Druids or warlocks trying to achieve similar results would need higher-tier spells like Terrain Alteration to assist.
As for the Growth Mission...
Xia'er's Challenge Rating was 9.
Only upon reaching level 10, the peak of the mundane, could she complete that mission.
Therefore, Xia'er did not yet know what the Growth Mission's reward would be.
Xia'er's enormous emerald figure cleaved the gloomy sky, diving toward the forward encampment where the dragon hosts were stationed.
The instant she landed, a massive, ostentatious crimson figure on a great rock blackened by dragonfire filled her sight in the camp center.
The Red Dragon Tyrone proudly lifted his savage head, his thick tail slapping the ground with satisfaction, kicking up rubble and dust.
His lava-like vertical pupils swept over the landing Xia'er. Rather than showing restraint, Tyrone cocked his chin and emitted a loud hissing roar tinged with the smell of sulfur.
"You missed the show, Xia'er! I, the great Tyrone, just burned to ash a dwarven supply convoy on the southeast coastline, loaded with food and arms! Thirty large wagons, over a hundred dwarven conscripts and their goblin laborers—all howled and became charred corpses in my flames! The scene—tsk tsk—truly a splendid fireworks display!"
Tyrone proudly exhaled a small gout of searing breath, sparks scattering as if savoring the thrill of burning.
His massive wings suddenly spread, whipping up a hot wind. His crimson eyes locked onto Xia'er, filled with predatory eagerness: "I heard you had some gains after waking up? So, Xia'er, want to spar a little? Let me see how much you've improved in these five years. That 'accident' last time doesn't count!"
He emphasized the word "accident" on purpose, clearly still smarting from his defeat under Xia'er's claws last time, desperate to regain face and prove he was the true combat power in the flight.
Xia'er stopped, her vertical pupils calmly watching the aggressive red dragon.
Tyrone had indeed become stronger; his violent draconic aura was more oppressive than five years ago, but to Xia'er it no longer felt like a real threat.
"Tyrone."
Xia'er's voice was even: "Challenging me without absolute confidence is the biggest mistake you make today."
"Mistake?"
Tyrone let out a thunderous roar: "Then use your claws to tell me whether that's a mistake!"
Before his words finished, Tyrone's hind legs slammed down. The huge crimson body hurtled like a burning meteor, wrapped in raging heat, lunging at Xia'er. Massive claws shredded the air, striking down with rock-shattering force!
Xia'er's eyes narrowed. Rather than retreating, she stepped forward!
At the instant Tyrone's great claw came down, Xia'er's enormous body nimbly slid aside, avoiding the direct edge.
At the same time, her long, powerful tail, like a tempered emerald steel whip, tore through the air with a shrill scream, slamming into the gap between Tyrone's charging waist and abdomen scales!
"Boom!"
A dull, drum-like explosion reverberated!
Xia'er gave Tyrone no breathing room!
After a successful strike, she beat her wings furiously and rose into the air, magic flares glittering around her.
Xia'er's deep emerald vertical pupils locked onto the staggering red dragon below.
Her huge maw snapped open, and the pent-up ink-green poison mist erupted like a breached dam, surging toward the Red Dragon!
Almost at the same time, one of Xia'er's foreclaws pointed in midair at Tyrone, fingertip glowing with gold-red magical light. Several searing high-temperature beams ripped the air, arriving from behind the mist and, combined with the surging poisonous breath, overwhelmed Tyrone from all directions!
"Roar!"
Tyrone bellowed. Having fought before, he was already wary of Xia'er's breath and spells!
The red dragon's massive body detonated with explosive power. His crimson wings thrashed fiercely as he tried to veer aside, escaping the lethal combined attack.
However, just as Tyrone's body began to move and his focus was fully on the airborne poison mist and beams, the emerald behemoth used the recoil from its wing beats and the momentum of the dive to rend through the edge of its own toxic cloud. At a speed and angle far beyond Tyrone's expectation, with a shriek that tore the air, Xia'er plunged down like a meteor!
Tyrone felt darkness overhead, the violent airflow pressing him nearly to suffocation.
Then he looked up in horror to see Xia'er's emerald vertical pupil and the looming, glinting, savage claw only a breath away!
Still, Tyrone was a fierce red dragon; in the crisis he unleashed astonishing survival instincts, jerking his head aside and swinging his other claw to try to block.
But Xia'er's attack angle was devilishly precise and her speed far exceeded Tyrone's prediction.
"Shred!"
Xia'er's talon did not fully close around the neck, but it ripped across Tyrone's thick shoulder blade. Tough dragon scales tore; a few broken crimson scales and thin blood streaks spattered outward!
"Roar!"
Tyrone howled in fury, gaping his maw. Crimson light in his throat gathered violently, a destructive breath about to burst forth.
But halfway through the buildup, Tyrone sighed long and deliberately, letting the breath dissipate. He moved aside without enthusiasm: "You win, Star-Mist Dragon Lord."
No point in blowing breath if it won't win.
[Defeated Red Dragon 'Tyrone Killian Fitzwilliam', reward obtained: 'Fire Resistance' EXP +1, 'Magic Affinity' EXP +1, 'Strength' EXP +1.]
The small text flashed before Xia'er. She smiled faintly and looked at Tyrone's wound.
For dragons, this degree of injury would heal in a few days.
Tyrone did not stop fighting because of the wound; he stopped because he judged he could not win for the moment.
Nearby, Valentina and Otto watched the duel in silence. Valentina felt a deep sense of powerlessness.
Rationally, Valentina thought...
If Xia'er and Tyrone teamed up, she might not be able to win.
Damn it.
I'm supposed to be a young adult dragon.
Valentina felt a bit defeated, and at that moment, a slightly frail but extremely fast white figure came hurtling from the eastern horizon.
All the dragons lifted their heads toward the east, and Xia'er understood immediately.
It was the White Dragon Disos.
Valentina, Tyrone, and the other dragons clearly disdained this "white scale" and snorted, not bothering to look further.
Disos landed in front of Xia'er, lowered his head, and said softly to her, "Dragon Lord."
"Saga asked me to tell you there is news from the south. Those guests from Coral Island have returned. They came much earlier this time. Saga requests you to return and take charge of the situation."