Translator: AnubisTL
"Serpent dragons fear neither death nor pain. On the contrary, injuries and suffering only fuel their madness and delight, driving them into a frenzy of combat."
"Confronting such a mad dragon would bring nothing but ruin."
Upon spotting the cliff serpent dragon, Garos's eyes flickered. He held his breath, folded his dragon wings into their most concealed gliding posture, and hid himself behind the clouds.
Serpent dragons are notoriously fearless of death.
In fact, one could argue that these creatures actively pursue and yearn for death.
For example, if a serpent dragon were battling a formidable foe and suffered grievous wounds, yet the enemy hesitated to deliver the killing blow, fearing the dragon's curse, and prepared to withdraw...
Even though the serpent dragon could survive...
It would choose the most extreme path.
Suicide, sacrificing its life and soul to curse its enemy.
Even in death, it would ensure its tormentor suffered endlessly.
Ancient records in the inheritance texts reveal that serpent dragons were once a main class dragon, their numbers rivaling those of chromatic dragons, metallic dragons, and gem dragons. However, due to their bizarre tendency to die at the slightest provocation, their numbers gradually dwindled, relegating them to a subclass dragon in modern times.
Garos never expected to encounter a cliff serpent dragon within the territory of the graymane werewolves.
This creature was proving to be incredibly troublesome.
Its claws, fangs, and blood were all highly venomous.
Even if he managed to kill it in combat, the cost would be severe.
The serpent dragon feared neither death nor consequences.
But Garos desired a long life and was unwilling to risk injury, let alone serious wounds, in a fight with the serpent dragon.
In this wilderness, the serpent dragon wasn't the only danger.
If he sustained severe injuries from it and encountered other threats before healing, the consequences would be dire.
"And it carries a curse."
"Even if I kill it, the cliff serpent dragon's Fire Curse will continuously reduce my Fire Resistance."
As a hybrid of red dragon and iron dragon, Garos possessed exceptionally high Fire Resistance, rendering him immune to most fire-type attacks. He refused to allow the cliff serpent dragon's Fire Curse to create an unnecessary weakness to fire.
"However, let's consider this from a different angle."
"Could my adaptive evolution work on resistances weakened by curses?"
"If so, my Fire Resistance might initially decrease, but it would then steadily increase."
Garos weighed the pros and cons, calculating his options.
Because his initial Fire Resistance was already so high, Garos rarely trained in this area. The gains were minimal, and the training was extremely difficult. However, if he could continuously enhance his Fire Resistance, he would gladly do so. After all, while his Fire Resistance was high, it wasn't absolute immunity to fire-type damage. Advanced fire spells could still harm him.
"The risk is still too great."
"I'm uncertain about the exact effects the curse would have on me."
After a few seconds, Garos shook his head, concealed himself deeper, and remained motionless.
When he first saw the serpent dragon, beyond his apprehension, a surge of loathing and murderous intent had welled up within him due to his inheritance. However, recognizing that the risks outweighed the potential benefits, Garos suppressed his instinctive urge to attack the serpent dragon.
Meanwhile, the cliff serpent dragon retreated into its mountain cave.
This chance encounter seemed to be ending peacefully.
Suddenly, the forked tail of the cliff serpent dragon paused mid-air, then began to wag excitedly, its scales scraping together with a grating sound. It turned back, its nostrils twitching as it sniffed the air repeatedly.
Dragons are naturally drawn to one another, highly sensitive to each other's scent.
And the cliff serpent dragon was particularly attuned to the scent of other dragons.
In its olfactory world, scent molecules formed a vivid crimson trail, pointing directly upward into a thick layer of clouds.
It wasn't just detecting the dragon's scent.
Through smell alone, it could discern far more:
Hybrid of red dragon and iron dragon Eight-year-old young dragon Male Recent consumption of meat, resulting in a strong, lingering scent Body length exceeding seven meters Covered in unremarkable dark gray dragon scales Exceptionally large wings Remarkably robust physique
While ordinary serpent dragons possessed keen senses of smell, they couldn't extract such detailed information.
This serpent dragon was no exception.
Its observations of the dragon's size and appearance were based on visual cues.
Garos flapped his wings, tearing through the clouds and leaving a clear, empty trail as he soared into the distance.
The moment the cliff serpent dragon abruptly halted and turned to sniff the air, Garos knew he had been exposed.
He had been meticulously suppressing his scent, yet the cliff serpent dragon's hyper-sensitive olfactory radar had detected his presence.
Since engaging in combat with the cliff serpent dragon would yield no benefit, Garos had no intention of getting entangled. Now that his cover was blown, he simply flew away.
As the dragon's silhouette burst through the clouds and soared across the night sky, the werewolves of Crescent Moon Valley stared in stunned silence, never suspecting that a dragon had been lurking nearby.
Hiss—!
The cliff serpent dragon's blood-red pupils locked onto Garos, a venomous hiss vibrating from its throat as its barbed tail shattered the mountain rock.
Like an arrow released from a taut bow, it surged into the air with explosive force, its wingless body streaking through the sky in a straight line.
Whoosh!
Soaring high above, the dragon opened its maw, its chest swelling as it unleashed a linear blast of molten dragon breath at Garos's retreating figure.
This dragon breath was immensely powerful, its destructive force extending beyond mere fire-type damage.
Garos didn't attempt to withstand the attack head-on. Instead, he accelerated, dodging sideways before continuing his retreat.
As his speed increased, the explosive scales on his body rubbed against the air, revealing normally hidden, iron-red patterns that began to glow. The edges of his dragon scales gradually took on a searing crimson hue.
Garos channeled magical energy into his explosive scales and flicked his body.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Several dragon scales shot from his body, hurtling toward the cliff serpent dragon. The extreme friction with the air caused them to glow almost entirely iron-red.
The cliff serpent dragon charged straight toward Garos, dismissing the dragon scales as insignificant.
With a swift turn, it lashed its slender body, its three forked tails, tipped with sharp spines, precisely intercepting the projectiles.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Fireballs erupted in the sky, engulfing the cliff serpent dragon in raging flames that illuminated the surrounding area.
Hiss! The cliff serpent dragon's furious hiss echoed from within the raging flames.
It burst through the inferno, its body scorched and blackened in places. However, as a fire dragon with high Fire Resistance, the burns inflicted by the explosive flames were relatively minor.
But.
Razor-sharp shards of scales had pierced its vulnerable underbelly armor, causing a dense, stinging pain as thin streams of venomous blood trickled out.
The pain only fueled the cliff serpent dragon's frenzy.
Its body arched, molten lava-like patterns surged across its scales, and a hissing sound, like steam rising, emanated from beneath its armor. With another powerful surge, its speed suddenly exploded, tearing through the clouds as it hurtled toward Garos.
"This creature's explosive power is incredible!"
"I seem to lack effective burst techniques."
Using the serpent dragon as a mirror, Garos suddenly realized his own explosive capabilities were lacking. His strongest attacks required distance and acceleration to execute.
Burst-type secret arts from the dragonkind inheritance remained inaccessible to him at his current age and level.
Garos didn't push his speed to its limit, wanting to gauge the cliff serpent dragon's true strength. As the creature gradually closed the distance in its burst state, Garos prepared to meet its charge.
(End of the Chapter)
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