Ember Dragon

"What a pleasant surprise! Such a huge black dragon. Those guys in the empire who are always scrambling for resources must be green with envy."

Ludian smiled sinisterly, waved his staff, and used his magical blade to cut open the enormous dragon corpse. Valuable parts such as scales, dragon bones, flesh, spit sacs, and tendons were picked out one by one.

Alpha nodded in agreement: "With so many items, we can forge at least four sets of dragon scale armor and five dragon bone swords."

Fitz slowly emerged from the thick, inky shadows, examining the sunken dragon head and rubbing his chin: "This dragon is too thin, you can almost see the bones. Something's really not right."

Ludian chuckled: "You don't know this, but the Black Dragon is the thinnest of the five-colored dragons. Because of its sunken eye sockets, it's also known as the 'Skull Dragon.' They like to live in dark and damp places."

"Shh-"

The sound of a blade tearing through flesh interrupted Ludian's incessant chatter, which annoyed him.

Without a word, Fitz used his dagger to cut open the black dragon's head. His slender fingers moved nimbly through the white brain matter, and he actually pulled out a white worm—the Mind Flayer's larva.

This larva was much larger than the Mind Flayer larva extracted from a human brain, as thick as a human hand, and its rows of ring-shaped sharp teeth dripped with sticky fluid, which was chilling.

Looking at the worm, which was larger than a normal snake, the priest Lina next to her shrank back and scrunched up her face: "Ugh, how disgusting."

"My God, can even dragons be infected by those octopus heads?" Alpha asked in astonishment.

Ludian, however, was more excited than ever before. He carefully used magic to seal the larva in the pottery jar, practically pressing his cheek against it, muttering to himself, "This is a mutant! It must be related to the main quest."

"The appearance of this black dragon is definitely not an accident. Such a large dragon must have left traces of its activities. We might be able to find the breeding base of the Mind Flayers!"

Fitz took a drop of the black dragon's blood and dripped it onto his wrist. A dark shadow emerged from it and floated in mid-air.

This is his innate skill: Shadow Tracking.

"follow me."

He lowered his voice and led the group through this filthy, smelly, and labyrinthine underground world.

"This is it."

Looking at the moss-covered, sewage-flowing cave entrance, Lina showed an extremely disgusted expression, her face growing increasingly grim.

"Is this really the place? Are we supposed to swim in from here? What's the difference between that and crawling through a toilet?!"

Fitz nodded: "That black dragon came out from here. I think we should go and take a look."

Lu Dian patted her on the shoulder: "Stop talking nonsense and get ready to swim. I'm afraid you'll say something strange again."

"I will kill you as soon as I get out of here."

Lina sighed, then cast a water-repelling spell on herself before following the others inside.

Just then, gunshots rang out from behind.

"boom--"

The bullet triggered the protective spell on Ludian's bracelet, and under the strong impact, it was squeezed and deformed, falling from mid-air with a clang.

The crowd suddenly turned around and looked behind them, only to see dozens of fully armed soldiers. They were clad in armor, and smoke was rising from the long spears they held. Their chests were engraved with the sailboat pattern symbolizing Victoria Harbour.

Alpha crossed his twin swords, took a few steps forward, and frowned: "Knights of Victoria Harbour? What are you doing here?"

As is well known, Victoria Harbour is controlled by three major families, and the city's military is also divided into different factions.

These are the "Mithril Hand" belonging to the Severn family, the "Iron Guard" belonging to the O'Connor family, and the "Victoria Knight" belonging to the Henderson family.

The Steel Guards and Victoria Knights are primarily responsible for external wars and possess formidable combat capabilities, while the Mithril Hands are responsible for maintaining order within the city.

However, in recent years, with the support of a mysterious force and the reforms of the Duke's daughter, Helvets, the power of the Severn family has grown increasingly stronger, and they have already extended their reach into the territories of the other two major families.

Ludian smiled sinisterly: "Looks like we've really caught a big fish this time. I never expected the Henderson family to be involved with monsters."

"You are the monsters—"

A furious shout came from the crowd, and a tall knight stepped out from among the soldiers. Two ferocious, angry eyes shot out from under his heavy armor, staring straight at the four players.

“You destroyed everything! This city should have belonged to the Henderson family; we are descendants of Victoria!”

“Hellowitz—that bastard from that merchant family, shamelessly stole our property by using you immortal monsters! We are forced to seek powerful enough supporters to fight against them.”

Lu Dian'an's face showed a sneer: "So you chose to become octopus heads?"

The knight drew his longsword and pointed it at the four people not far away: "Kill them! For the sake of the God of Domination—"

Alpha narrowed his eyes, staring intently at the leading knight.

【The Fallen Victorian Knight Commander - Carl Henderson】

Challenge Level: 15
"This is going to be difficult."

"I've never encountered a boss of this caliber before. Lina's jinx is definitely real. Next time we go into a dungeon, I'll definitely put a seal on her."

"Enough! Shut up, you bastard!"

"boom!"

Chaotic gunfire echoed through the sewers as the Victoria Knights fired in unison, bullets raining down like a storm.

Ludian raised his staff, unleashing a semi-transparent magical shield that blocked the bullets aimed at them, and roared, "You scum of the Empire, give me back my sword and magic!"

"Lightning beam!"

A bolt of pale white lightning tore through the air, shooting out from the tip of the staff and electrocuting several soldiers until they were charred black and collapsed to the ground.

Immediately afterwards, Fitz emerged from the dark corner, drew back his bone bow, and fired several arrows that trailed shadows, piercing the chests of the soldiers.

But the knight commander named Karl slowly swung his longsword, and a dark red light pierced through the space, tearing the magic shield to shreds like paper.

"Immobilization Technique for Advanced Humans!"

Ludian cast a spell at the knight commander who was walking towards them, and the knight's movements suddenly stopped, frozen in place. Under a hail of bullets, Alpha, wielding twin swords, leaped high into the air and roared as he slashed at the knight commander's head.

In the distance, Fitz drew his longbow taut, and arrows trailing shadows hurtled through the air, aimed straight at his heart.

Even Lina raised her scepter, unleashing a divine flame that purified everything.

But Karl merely glanced at him contemptuously, a faint, flickering dark red light emanating from his pupils. An invisible force enveloped him, violently blasting Alpha away, breaking the arrow, and extinguishing Lina's holy flames.

"This is."

Ludian's eyes flickered as he muttered to himself, "Psionic energy, extremely powerful mental energy. This guy is also an octopus-headed cultist!"

"It is the supreme god! You vile scum, rats from the sewers!"

A furious roar echoed through the sewers, and wriggling tentacles sprouted from Karl's chin. The whites of his eyes disappeared, and his entire eyeballs turned into a pure, deep black.

At the same time, a dark dot appeared in mid-air. With the appearance of that dot, the surrounding space distorted, and invisible spiritual energy surrounded that dot, generating an extremely powerful attraction.

Mind Flayer Ability - Psionic Black Hole!
Only when the vessel is strong enough and the number of mind flayers is large enough can such a superpower be used, and this Victoria Knight Commander has a total of seven larvae in his brain!

Gravel, blood, dust, and the remains of soldiers—the black dot seemed to absorb everything nearby, while the four players were subjected to the strongest gravitational pull.

Alpha plunged his sword into the ground and gripped the wall beside him tightly, but he felt as if he was about to be torn apart. With a "crack", the brick he was holding shattered, and he was pulled into the air.

Ludian attempted to teleport using the Mysterious Step, but was unable to break through the high-density psionic energy that surged like a tide and occupied the entire space.

Needless to say, Celine was easily lifted into the sky despite being blessed with various divine spells such as Protection and Divine Guard.

Even Fitz, who usually hid in the shadows, had nowhere to hide; his exceptionally thin body was like a reed swaying in the wind.

"When the earth shatters, the ocean splits, and cities rise, before the great sovereign god, both you immortal monsters and the traitors of the Plantagenet family will meet your destined destruction—"

All four players were pulled into the air, where they were unable to move under the powerful psionic energy that surged like a wave.

The black dot at the center of the psychic black hole continues to expand, absorbing all surrounding matter, and the power it contains becomes increasingly terrifying.

"Oh no! If this thing explodes, we're all going to be wiped out! We might even be temporarily unable to revive!"

Ludian's monocle flickered, displaying the expected damage from the psionic black hole eruption—an astronomical figure.

Undoubtedly, it far surpasses their HP, and this thing comes with terrible effects, seemingly capable of destroying their minds and manipulating their bodies.

If it were to explode, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Alpha shouted, "Then you better think of a solution! At a time like this, a melee class like me can't do much. It's all up to you!"

"Use that thing quickly!" Fitz shouted anxiously, watching the black hole that was about to engulf the four of them.

Ludian's face was full of heartache, but he still gritted his teeth, took out a white tower-shaped ornament, and crushed it.

"Crack!"

The surrounding space shattered like broken glass, and even powerful psionic energy could not stop the space from breaking apart.

"How is this possible—you actually managed to break through the power of the God of Domination?" Karl's face was extremely gloomy, and the veins on his forehead bulged, as if his brain was about to burst out of his head.

The psionic energy surged ever stronger, and the black hole expanded wildly, but just as it was about to devour them, the four players vanished from their spot, disappearing into the shattered space.

In the chaotic spatial passage, Lina looked surprised: "What is this thing? It can actually break through the psionic blockade."

Ludian felt tears of blood welling up in his heart, and said bitterly, "This is an epic-level equipment bestowed upon me by the 'Hermit' when I completed the hidden quest. It allowed me to travel to the Coast Tower without any restrictions, and I never expected to use it up in just a few days—"

Alpha laughed, "It's good enough that we've survived. This time we've uncovered the Henderson family's conspiracy and even obtained a mutated Mind Flayer larva. The Hermit will definitely give us a generous reward."

You're right.

Ludian remained sullen.

A blinding white light flashed before their eyes, and when they opened them again, they found themselves inside the Coast Tower, surrounded by luxurious yet elegant interiors, exquisite patterns, and ancient magic books.

Moreover, this is not the first or second floor that ordinary people can enter, but the top floor of the Coast Tower, which can only be entered by those with the highest authority. From the windowsill, one can see the vast ocean reflecting the shimmering moonlight and the ships densely packed in the harbor area, giving a panoramic view of the entire Victoria Harbour.

"No matter how many times I see it, the night view of Victoria Harbour is always this beautiful."

A deep, resonant male voice, tinged with a hint of hoarseness, came through the room.

On the windowsill, a man stood with his back to them, gazing quietly at the distant scenery. He wore a dark robe, held a rusty bronze staff, and exuded a mysterious and powerful aura.

"Hehe. You've arrived."

The man turned around, and what came into view was a face that looked to be about fifty or sixty years old, with many wrinkles on his face. His eyes were like bronze balls, with complex patterns reflected in the pupils, giving him an ancient and wise look.

This is the owner of the Coast Tower, the legendary mysterious wizard, and the biggest behind-the-scenes supporter of the Severn family—"The Hermit" Albert.

Upon seeing this, Lu Dian bowed deeply, shamelessly kneeling on the ground, raising the earthenware jar filled with Mind Flayer larvae high with both hands.

"My Lord Hermit, these are the spoils of our mission! We not only found the mutated Mind Flayer larvae capable of controlling dragons and discovered the entrance to the breeding base, but we also uncovered an astonishing secret!"

"Oh?"

The hermit tapped his bronze scepter with his knuckles, a look of keen interest on his weathered face.

Seeing this, Lu Dian suppressed his excitement and reported in a trembling voice:
"The Henderson family, descendants of Queen Victoria and guardians of the city, have betrayed us! Karl of the Victoria Knights has fallen into the faith of the God of Domination!"

But the hermit merely smiled knowingly, tracing the rust on his scepter with his fingers: "Those poor worms finally couldn't hold back anymore."

"Oh, you know everything?"

Lu Dian knelt on the ground, raised his head blankly, and looked utterly lost in his vacant eyes.

Where's the promised exclusive scoop?! (End of Chapter)