novelraw Chapter 8 – Dragon Nest Guardian Battle
Chapter 8 – Dragon Nest Guardian Battle
"Hidden Tangerine Branch, for cough relief? Not bad."
"Twin Star Leaf, for lung health? Pretty good."
"Bloodcap Mushroom, for blood replenishment, mildly toxic? Barely acceptable."
***
Braving the torrential rain, Su Nian hurried through the jungle, delving deeper as he went. Using his Insight Spell to explore, he picked up any useful herbs he found and carried them in his mouth.
But after making a round, he still hadn't found any medicine that could treat heart failure.
It was understandable, as heart failure could only be alleviated on Earth, not completely cured.
However, now that Su Nian was on the Fantasy Continent, anything was possible. Maybe he just hadn't encountered the right remedy yet.
He hoped these herbs could temporarily delay Anna's condition.
Thinking this, Su Nian followed the stream back to his Dragon Nest.
"Clang!"
Suddenly, the sound of weapons clashing came from afar, along with faint human shouts.
"Someone?"
Su Nian's dragon face scrunched up. Although he used to be human, he was now an evil dragon and had no desire to get involved with the humans of this world. The wounds from the Archmage's attack hadn't even healed yet.
In such situations, it was best to avoid trouble, especially since he was just a Tier 3 Juvenile Dragon, with his entire body being a treasure.
But just because Su Nian didn't want trouble didn't mean trouble wouldn't find him. The sounds of battle were approaching his Dragon Nest, as if the pursued were trying to hide in the cave.
In rainy weather, caves in the forest were usually inhabited by magical creatures. The pursued group clearly lacked sense, heading straight into danger, not to mention that entering would be a dead end.
Su Nian didn't want to get involved, but he knew that if he let humans in, his initial attachment, an SSS-level treasure, would be at risk. If it got damaged, who knew how long it would take to find another, and it wouldn't be easy to snatch away.
This was something he absolutely couldn't accept.
Su Nian climbed a tree using all four limbs. The sound of dragon wings flapping was obvious, but climbing was more discreet. He used the pattering rain to move stealthily through the jungle, quietly approaching the fighting group.
A male human knight and a female human mage were being chased by a group that looked like mercenaries.
Their similar attire and the black viper emblem on them gave it away.
"Miss, you go in quickly, I'll hold them off!"
The young knight stood at the entrance of the Dragon Nest, urgently urging the female mage beside him.
[Wells: Level 21 - Grand Knight (a piece of cake for you)]
[Serena: Level 18 - Fire Mage (weakling)]
[Black Viper Mercenary Group: Level 16-20 (a bunch of weaklings)]
[But there are quite a few weaklings]
The system's information panel combined with the newly solidified Insight Spell gave Su Nian a rough understanding of the group's strength below.
In short, he could handle them individually, but their numbers were a bit overwhelming, and if they united, he might not gain much.
Most importantly, Su Nian's ultimate move, Dragonbreath, was still accumulating and not yet ready for a full blast.
Seeing the Grand Knight fighting in front, and the female mage shrinking into the cave while casting Fireball Spells, Su Nian knew he couldn't hesitate any longer.
He glanced at the modification function panel. The ideal choices were the High-Efficiency Dragonbreath Gland and Compressed Dragonbreath, but they required two thousand and three thousand system points, respectively.
Su Nian could only covet them slightly and then allocated a thousand system points to Basic Hardened Claws and Fangs and Basic Hardened Scale Armor.
[Ding! Modification begins immediately. This modification is painless and quick, so the host need not worry.]
As the system prompt indicated, compared to the pain of modifying his eyes, this modification was almost sensationless.
Su Nian only felt his body stiffen momentarily, accompanied by a slight itch. When he examined himself, he found his scales now had a faint metallic sheen.
His dragon claws had also grown larger, the once milky white claws now tinged with a silvery-gray material, as if coated with metal.
[You've been strengthened, go for it!]
This was the information conveyed by the Basic Insight Spell.
Su Nian had never killed anyone before, but the half-dragon mindset and survival instincts honed over the years helped him smoothly cross the first psychological hurdle.
He had drunk blood and eaten raw meat; he was an evil dragon!
Su Nian tossed the herbs onto the tree, and with a powerful push of his strong dragon legs against the tree, he shot out like an arrow from a bow, spreading his wings and charging ferociously at the female mage.
In team battles, always target the squishy mage first!
Other dragons might roar to announce their presence before making an entrance, showcasing their grandeur.
But Su Nian was different; he was playing the sneaky role, and he wasn't grand.
His sharp, hardened claws sliced through the falling raindrops, and at that moment, aided by the dim jungle, he became the most lethal assassin.
His dragon tail swung to maintain balance, and his two hind legs stretched forward, sharp dragon claws extended like a diving raptor.
With the momentum, Su Nian's dragon claws not only hooked onto the female mage's shoulder but also toppled her to the ground.
The female mage was petrified. Having lived a pampered life as a young noble, she had never faced such a life-and-death crisis.
Everything happened in a flash. Before the Grand Knight in front could react, Su Nian, in the female mage's terrified gaze, bit off most of her shoulder along with her neck.
"Ugh, spit!"
[Killed Level 18 Human Mage, gained 10 system points]
Su Nian's eyes glowed coldly as the female mage's body grew cold. The black dragon's instincts urged him to avoid danger, despite her beauty far surpassing those female celebrities on Earth.
But there was no choice; this was dragon territory, and it held his treasure.
Life was already hard enough.
Anyone who threatened him, he would kill.
The first time killing someone, looking at the corpse on the ground, a sense of discord rose from his heart, but it was smoothed over in an instant.
Humanity still lingered, but if Earth’s Su Nian was lawful good, then after merging with Woterus, he had become a true chaotic neutral. Killing was acceptable, but eating people was not.
"It's a Black Dragon!"
Someone in the Black Viper Mercenary Group shouted, eyes full of vigilance, while the Grand Knight belatedly turned his head, seeing the female mage lying in a pool of blood and the black dragon with a fierce gaze.
"Serena!"
The Grand Knight's eyes were bloodshot, his hands gripping the sword creaking, and his gaze at Su Nian was filled with hatred and anger.
"I'll kill you! Kill you! Kill!"
He no longer cared about the Black Viper Mercenary Group; he only wanted to slay the black dragon and avenge the girl he liked.
[Enraged Grand Knight on the verge of exploding (21-30)]
Basic Insight Spell marked the Grand Knight's status with an arrow above his head.
There was no need to fight him head-on; deal with the weaklings first.
Almost instantly, Su Nian made the most prudent decision.
Clear the minions before the solo!
He agilely dodged the Grand Knight's sword.
With a swing of his dragon tail, the entire dragon charged towards the Black Viper Mercenary Group, those dozen mercenaries, like a leopard.
Ahead, an Anna fell.
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan