Defeating the World with the Power of One Dragon!

Chapter 61: Contact and Probing

"Serpent Dragons fear neither death nor pain. Wounds and injuries only bring them pleasure and madness, fueling their extreme addiction to battle."

"Facing such an insane dragon brings no benefits."

When Garoth spotted the Cliff Serpent Dragon, his eyes flickered. He held his breath, folding his wings into the most concealed gliding posture as he hid himself behind cloud cover.

Serpent Dragons were notoriously fearless of death.

One might even say these creatures actively pursued death, yearning for it.

For example, if a Serpent Dragon fought a powerful enemy and was brought to the brink of death, yet the enemy hesitated to finish it off due to fear of its curse and prepared to leave—

Even when survival was possible—

The Serpent Dragon would choose the most extreme method.

Suicide. Using its life and soul to curse its enemy.

Even in death, it would ensure its foe suffered terribly.Ancient records stated that Serpent Dragons were once a primary dragon species, as numerous as the Five-colored Dragons, Metallic Dragons, and Gem Dragons. But due to their suicidal temperament—so ready to die at the slightest provocation—their numbers gradually dwindled until they became a secondary dragon species.

Garoth never expected to encounter a Cliff Serpent Dragon in Graymane Werewolf territory.

These creatures were notoriously troublesome.

Their claws, fangs, and blood all carried potent venom.

Even if one could kill it in battle, the price would be steep.

It feared no death, held no reservations.

But Garoth valued longevity. He had no desire to risk serious injury fighting a Serpent Dragon.

In these wild lands, dangers weren't limited to Serpent Dragons.

If severely wounded by one, then encountering other threats before recovering—the consequences would be disastrous.

"Moreover, it carries curses."

"Even if I killed it, the Cliff Serpent Dragon's Fire Curse would continuously weaken my fire resistance."

As a hybrid of Red Dragon and Iron Dragon, his natural fire resistance was exceptionally high, allowing him to outright ignore most fire-based attacks. He had no wish to gain a fire resistance weakness because of some Serpent Dragon's curse.

"Still, looking at it differently..."

"Could my Adaptive Evolution work on resistance reductions caused by curses?"

"If possible, while my fire resistance might initially drop, it would then continuously improve."

Garoth weighed the pros and cons in his mind.

His starting fire resistance was already so high that training it yielded minimal returns with great difficulty. But if he could endlessly improve it? He'd gladly take that opportunity. After all, while his fire resistance was impressive, it wasn't absolute immunity. Higher-tier magical flames could still harm him.

"The risks remain too high."

"I can't predict exactly how the curse would affect me."

After a few seconds, Garoth shook his head, concealing himself more thoroughly without a sound.

When he first spotted the Serpent Dragon, alongside wariness, inherited instincts had stirred disgust and killing intent within him. But with risks outweighing benefits, Garoth suppressed his instinctive urge to attack.

Meanwhile.

The Cliff Serpent Dragon retreated into its mountain cave.

This chance encounter seemed destined to end peacefully.

Yet—

The Serpent Dragon's forked tail suddenly froze mid-air, then began wagging excitedly, scales rasping with ear-grating scrapes as it turned back, nostrils flaring vigorously.

Dragons naturally attracted each other, sensitive to one another's presence.

But Cliff Serpent Dragons possessed extreme sensitivity toward other dragons' scents.

In its olfactory world, scent molecules now formed a vivid crimson trail leading directly upward—into a thick cloud layer.

More than just detecting a dragon's presence—

Through scent alone, it could discern extensive details:

Red Dragon and Iron Dragon hybrid. Eight-year-old juvenile. Male. Recent meat-heavy diet. Strong scent signature.

Over seven meters long. Body covered in unremarkable black-gray scales. Exceptionally large wings. Unusually robust physique...... An ordinary Serpent Dragon's keen nose couldn't extract this much intel.

This one was no different.

Physical dimensions and appearance? Those it saw with its eyes.

Garoth beat his wings, slicing through clouds as he flew away, leaving a clear trajectory.

The moment the Cliff Serpent Dragon paused and began scenting the air, he knew he'd been discovered.

Despite his best efforts to conceal his presence, the Serpent Dragon's olfactory radar proved too acute.

Seeing no benefit in fighting the creature, Garoth chose immediate retreat upon exposure.

As his draconic form burst from the clouds, soaring across the night sky, Graymane Werewolves in Crescent Moon Valley gaped in shock—unaware a dragon had been lurking nearby.

Hssss—!

The Cliff Serpent Dragon's blood-red pupils locked onto Garoth, its throat vibrating with viper-like hisses as its spiked tail shattered mountain rocks.

Like an arrow loosed from its bow, it exploded skyward—a wingless body streaking linearly through air with terrifying acceleration.

Whoosh!

At altitude, it gaped its maw, chest swelling before unleashing a linear stream of molten breath at Garoth's retreating form.

This breath weapon's power extended beyond mere fire damage.

Garoth avoided direct confrontation, banking sharply to evade before resuming his escape.

As his speed increased, his Explosive Scales friction-heated against air—usually invisible dark-red patterns glowing like branding irons while scale edges took on searing crimson hues.

Channeling magical energy into his scales, Garoth twisted his body—

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Dozens of scales shot toward the pursuing Serpent Dragon, near-incandescent from air friction during their high-speed trajectory.

The Cliff Serpent Dragon charged straight at Garoth, disregarding the projectiles—

With a whip-like motion, its spiked, trifurcated tail intercepted them with precision.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Fireballs erupted across the sky, engulfing the Serpent Dragon in violent flames that illuminated the night.

HSSS! Its furious shrieks pierced through the inferno.

Emerging scorched but largely unharmed—thanks to its own formidable fire resistance—the real damage came from razor-sharp scale fragments embedded in its less-armored underbelly, oozing venomous blood as stinging pain radiated outward.

Pain only amplified the Serpent Dragon's frenzy.

Arching its body, molten patterns emerged across its form as subcutaneous scales hissed with steam-like sounds before—

SPROING!

Its speed suddenly skyrocketed, piercing through clouds as it closed the gap with terrifying velocity.

"This thing's explosive acceleration is insane!"

"I seem to lack comparable burst capabilities."

Using the Serpent Dragon as a mirror, Garoth realized his own burst potential was lacking—his strongest attacks required distance and acceleration to achieve full power.

The dragon lineage's burst-type secret techniques remained beyond his current age and level.

Holding back slightly from maximum speed, Garoth tested the Cliff Serpent Dragon's capabilities. In its enhanced state, the creature gradually gained on him.