Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 248 Dragon Breath, Heavenly Fire

hold head high--

Sharp, piercing bird cries echoed in the cold, damp air.

The tawny downy feathers scattered and fell, and the sharp, cold eyes of an eagle, which should have been filled with the characteristics of a bird predator, were now filled with panic.

This is a cliff griffin that has just reached adulthood.

As a variant of the "griffin" monster species, it is significantly smaller than its close relatives that are commonly found in the forests and plains above the sky.

But its strange body structure, which resembles a combination of a "giant eagle" and a "lion," still endows it with the advantages of both creatures, making it a terrifying predator that inspires fear in countless ordinary creatures.

Its curved, sharp beak and iron-hook-like talons can easily pierce through steel. Its eagle eyes, like high-powered telescopes, and its huge wingspan of nearly ten meters allow it to see its prey on the ground even when it is thousands of meters in the air.

Beneath its wings and head lies a lion-like, robust body structure, which allows it to maintain attack and movement capabilities far exceeding those of ordinary animals, even when on all fours. Unlike common birds, which, once they fall from the sky, can only flap their wings and hop around on the ground like free-range chickens, this creature possesses exceptional mobility.

This creature has a shoulder height of 1.5 meters, a body length of more than 3 meters, and a wingspan even wider than the main road of some small towns.

Even without detailed description, its appearance, a combination of a lion and an eagle, is enough to identify it as a top predator.

And indeed, with a challenge level as high as "2", it is enough to bring 95 percent of the creatures on the ground into its meal.

Its inherent fondness for cattle, sheep, and horses made them the most detested thing in the eyes of countless herders, second only to the kingdom's harsh taxes.

But right now, this powerful creature should be nestled comfortably in its high-altitude lair, preening its feathers, as the rain falls; or perhaps soaring through the sky as a predator, searching for prey.

But it's like a drowning person who can't swim, a fish on the shore.

Its limbs twitched and struggled, and a pair of huge wings flapped frantically in the air.

It was as if, in an instant, they had lost their instinctive ability to fly.

The reason for this is most likely the chaotic and disordered airflow surrounding its body.

——Change Type·Trick (Zero Ring)·Dance Style
That harmless spell, which should have only made the leaves rustle and the doors and windows rattle, was manipulated by a mage who possessed many spellcasting specializations and had extraordinary spellcasting experience.

However, it directly caused a powerful monster with a challenge level of "2" to lose its proud ability to fly.

"Pfft."

Unsteady on its feet, the griffin made an emergency landing, its feathers fluttering down as it crashed heavily to the ground.

The powerful impact caused its limbs to sink deep into the mud.

It cried out angrily, stomping its hind legs on the ground, before it could even pull its two eagle-claw-like forelimbs off the ground.

A fierce roar erupted in my ears.

Ang hum—

A high-pitched, long wolf howl, mixed with the piercing whistling of blades tearing through the air, swept past behind a surging gale.

A phantom winter wolf with a swaying mane and iron-gray fangs vanished in an instant through the air.

"Shoot."

It was the dull sound of a sharp blade slicing through flesh.

The eagle's cry abruptly ceased.

Instead, there was the glaring blood gushing from the severed neck, and the head of a giant eagle that soared high and spun down.

The illusory wolf head, composed of broken leaves and twigs, vanished silently.

Xia Nan stood still, blood droplets still clinging to the surface of the decapitation sword in his hand.

Behind him, the griffin's robust body slowly collapsed to the ground amidst the sound of gushing blood.

Semi-transparent characters flashed silently before my eyes:

"Proficiency +1"

"【Fang Hunting】lv4: (52/100)"

Even before this escort mission began, in the two months following the killing of the beast-woman and the dark-skinned drow half-elf, [Fang Hunt]'s upgrade progress was already nearly halfway complete.

After leaving River Valley Town with Haian, Wood and the others, the speed at which they gained proficiency decreased significantly due to the presence of teammates and the lack of combat along the way.

Even now, the upgrade progress bar is only a little over fifty points.

In fact, the [Fang Hunt] combat skill, from level 3 to level 4, did not provide him with valuable attribute points like it did from level 2 to level 3.

It only achieved a certain degree of improvement in combat skills proficiency, power, and efficiency of application.

This actually proves his previous conjecture.

For a combat skill of this quality as [Fang Hunt], the key milestones should be "lv1", "lv3" and "lv5", which represent "beginner", "proficient" and "master" respectively.

The "lv2" and "lv4" in the middle represent a relatively weaker transition.

If nothing unexpected happens, when Xia Nan raises his proficiency in [Fang Hunt] to level 5 in the near future, his job level will automatically reach level 2.

He will most likely gain a fairly good amount of attribute points.

Considering that [Whirlwind Slash] directly gave him a total of two points in Strength and Agility, [Fang Hunt] would only give him more, not less.

"Wasn't it said that the surrounding area was all the red dragon's territory? How come there are griffins and other monsters here?"

Beside him, the dragonborn Sava strode closer, the flames that had gathered on the surface of the rapier in his hand gradually dissipating.

Despite his complaints, his lizard-like vertical pupils couldn't help but glance at Xia Nan.

She underestimated the strength of this dark-haired youth.

Despite having been in the same team for several dozen days, her relatively rich experience in recognizing people and her certain perception allowed her to vaguely sense Xia Nan's strength at first glance.

But having never experienced any real battles, she still harbored doubts about this overly young man.

Right now, all doubts and speculations have been swept away.

Sava knew perfectly well how troublesome the "griffin" monster was.

A long time ago, when he had just become a professional, he had encountered one.

It was slightly larger than the one she was currently escorting, and the caravan she was responsible for escorting paid the price of three professionals and two transport horses to drive it away.

Of course, to put it nicely, it's called "driving them away," but in reality, it just means that the other party has finished hunting and left on its own.

Her strength is different now. She is no longer a novice who has just obtained a professional level, and she is not confident that she can escape unscathed in a head-on battle with an adult griffin, or even defeat and kill it.

But now...

His gaze inadvertently swept over the griffin's head, which had rolled to the ground, and the clean cut at the neck.

Even though Violet's magic deprived the griffin of its most annoying ability to fly, leaving it only able to fight a few people on the ground.

However, the speed and explosive power that the black-haired youth displayed in that instant had completely exceeded the scope of a novice professional.

At this moment, Sava even put himself in the position of that griffin in his mind.

If she had been the one standing on the field just now, could she have blocked that sword?

Before I could think any further, Wood's voice came from beside me:

"Well done!" "But we need to clean up the battlefield as soon as possible. There's not much vegetation around here, and the smell of blood will spread very quickly."

"Don't keep the leather and skeleton; I'll make up for the gold coins later. The feathers on the inside of the wings, the claws on the two forelimbs, and the beak can be removed; they should fetch a good price."

The battle ended too quickly; the unfortunate griffin that had targeted the escort team as prey had its head chopped off the moment it landed.

This prevented the dragonborn Sava and Luca, who were originally lying in ambush on both sides, from making a move.

In this way, the benefits from the materials naturally went to the spellcaster Violet and Xia Nan, who was responsible for the execution.

They were all experienced adventurers, and working together, they efficiently collected all the valuable materials, such as talons, from the griffin in just a few minutes.

Without lingering, the group of six left the body behind and quickly departed.

It's worth mentioning that when Xia Nan was collecting materials, he temporarily cut two pieces of meat from the griffin's belly, thinking that he could roast them and try them when they set up camp that night.

I wonder what it tastes like.

"Don't let your guard down." Maintaining formation and protecting the flanks, Wood held two daggers, seemingly responding to Sava's earlier complaint.

"Although the Molten Scale Mountains are the territory of that red dragon and there are no high-level monsters, there are still quite a few like griffins."

Red dragons have an extremely strong sense of territory, regarding everything within their territory as their private property.

Just like lions on the savanna, they will not allow any adult males of their kind to appear in their territory, and they will also drive away weaker hyenas and cheetahs in order to maintain their advantage in the hunt as much as possible.

However, it doesn't waste too much energy on those tiny, annoying mosquitoes and flies in the air, or on the "cleaners" that digest bones and rotten flesh.

While an adult red dragon, with a challenge level of 17, is a lowly being that is not worth wasting time and energy on in their eyes, it is a powerful monster that can wipe out the entire escort team.

We need to be extra careful.

"So, what exactly happened in Molten Scale Town?"

Although the terrain in the Molten Scale Mountains is rugged and undulating, the vegetation is relatively sparse, and the field of vision is much wider than in the forest, so any enemies can be seen from a distance.

Sava thus had the time to ponder the experiences the group had had in town.

"When we were blocking the exit earlier, the figure that passed by, you said was a knight commander from the Duke Morton family."

"Could it be..."

Sava had certainly heard of the Morton family's power in Sticky Tree Territory after years of adventures.

The most famous thing about this duke among adventurers is, of course, the bounty he put on the guild's quest board for the red dragon that stole his family's heirloom treasure.

The group was currently in the Red Dragon's territory and had just encountered the Morton family knights. With these factors combined, it was inevitable that they would have some doubts.

“What a coincidence.” Wood just shook his head. “That thing has been missing for several years. If there really was a way to sneak into the dragon’s nest and steal it, we wouldn’t have had to wait until now.”

“And Terry William’s strength…” the half-elf Haian added hesitantly, “Although it’s not bad, he’s said to be the youngest knight commander in the ducal family, but he’s still far from being extraordinary, let alone the gap between him and an adult dragon.”

Xia Nan trailed at the end of the line, remaining silent and simply listening to the group's discussion.

But for some reason, when the discussion turned to the Duke's family's lost heirloom, he suddenly thought of the strange artifact called "Dream Corridor," which was currently being kept by Luca and which he said he had picked up casually in an alley.

"It can't be such a coincidence..."

He felt a strange, unsettling feeling.

Meanwhile, as the group at the front remained vigilant of their surroundings, their casual conversation gradually drifted towards the rumors surrounding the Morton family.

"Although the mission information says it is a treasure inherited by the Morton family, I feel that it is actually just a kind of collectible that is not very useful."

"It's just that the symbolic meaning is more important because of the history and honor it represents."

Seemingly aware of some inside information, Wood hinted:

"The Morton family's ancestor was one of the pioneers who established the Kingdom of Servia. His background was even worse than yours and mine, yet he still managed to expand the kingdom and the family's territory to nearly one-seventh of what it is today. His strength goes without saying."

"Now, so many years have passed, and the descendants of the Morton family undoubtedly have far superior resources than their ancestors, and there are many outstanding talents among them across countless generations."

"But if that legendary heirloom were truly useful, then there wouldn't be a successor whose strength is comparable to, or even just close to, that of their ancestor."

Upon hearing this, obvious disappointment could be seen on Savana's lizard-like face covered in scales.

"I see. I thought..."

The words were just half spoken.

hum-

Accompanied by a strange buzzing sound, a bright red light dyed her eyes red.

Almost simultaneously, the group of six turned around abruptly and looked towards the southeast.

A bright, dazzling red light shot upwards from behind the distant mountain ridge and disappeared into the clouds.

Boom——

Thunder roared across the heavens and earth, and the long-brewing, heavy, leaden clouds surged, pouring down endless raindrops.

It rained heavily.

The glistening raindrops reflected the dark gray sky, sliding down the surface of the matte black armor, carrying away the remaining bloodstains.

Xia Nan stared intently in the direction from which the red light was rising, his thoughts drifting.

But he hadn't had a chance to communicate with his teammates yet.

A sense of déjà vu, an immense pressure that seemed to freeze even one's thoughts, had silently descended upon one's head.

"It's the Dragon's Might!"

His pupils contracted, and he suddenly turned around.

What came into view was the alarm shield shattering into light fragments once again, leaving everyone frozen in place.

And under the shroud of rain, against the backdrop of thick, dark clouds, were the crimson dragon wings wreathed in flames, seemingly obscuring even the soul.

Our second encounter.

The red beam that had once lured it away from its lair reappeared, fueling the red dragon's unprecedented rage.

Without the obstruction of the forest canopy, the six-member escort team was completely exposed to the sight of this apex predator.

Arrogant by nature, the red dragon "Krogbarry" disdains to waste his energy on these annoying little insects at a time like this.

The rage over the theft of the dragon's nest, and the endless fury brewing in its heart, made it unwilling to wait until it found that damned thief, more cunning than the devil, who deserved to be burned to ashes.

To these few equally insignificant yet audacious ants who trespassed into its territory without permission—poor ants.

To vent some of my anger, and send them to meet their destined fate.

Thus, it can melt steel plates into molten iron, turn bones into ashes, and carry the aura of destruction in the scorching steam of evaporating rainwater.

Dragon's Breath

Crimson fire fell from the clouds.

(End of this chapter)