Red Dragon Monster Hunter Template.

Food that has been roughly chewed by the teeth and swallowed will immediately make a hissing sound as it enters the stomach. The stomach wall, covered with scales, will constantly writhe and grind against each other like two millstones.

This new digestive and absorption system can undoubtedly extract energy from food more efficiently. Subsequently, Brun's teeth also began to change, and his masseter muscles became more and more developed.

His body, which had long since withered, gradually regained some fullness with the ample supply of food, and his joints cracked and stretched little by little.

The sturdy trousers made of cowhide were quickly stretched taut by his expanding body, then ripped and deformed with a "rip". The well-fitting iron-plated combat boots were also stretched to burst open by his ever-growing feet, revealing sharp toenails.

This feeding seemed endless, lasting from midday until sunset, with both hands constantly feeding into the increasingly ferocious maw. It was probably not even when wielding a greatsword that they had ever been so fast.

With ample nutrition and energy, his height increased from just over two meters to three meters.

His bronze skin turned completely crimson, and the blood flowing through his body radiated a scorching heat, causing the surrounding air to ripple with distortion.

Tiny, keratinous scales emerge from the original pores and grow layer upon layer on the chest, abdomen, back, and limbs, as if to form a thick suit of armor.

The ever-growing aura astonished all the creatures watching, and a surge of fervor welled up within them.

The red dragon's gift was real; under their very eyes, the human berserker truly transformed little by little into a powerful dragon-blooded creature.

Judging from the changes in his body and the aura he exudes, his challenge level has increased by at least 5 levels, and this upward momentum has not diminished at all, but continues to strengthen.

It wasn't until the sun rose again that Brun, who had been eating voraciously for almost half a day and a night, finally stopped eating after swallowing the last beef leg bone.

At this point, he was already over 4 meters tall, and even when he was just squatting on the ground, he was as imposing as an iron tower.

Its bare, dark red skin was covered with fine scales and a thick, armor-like carapace. Its fingernails and toenails were curved and sharp, like iron hooks.

His shattered reason returned at this moment, and he looked at his body in disbelief, clenching his fist, feeling a powerful force surging within him that filled him with fear.

It seemed that with just a little effort, it could smash through the earth, and even its breath was mixed with scorching sparks.

"I did it! I did it! I've mastered the power of the Red Dragon! Legend is within reach!"

Overwhelmed with joy, he couldn't help but let out an excited roar, fully releasing his intense emotions.

Those spectators who had been waiting nearby, eager to witness this scene up close, also erupted in cheers.

Just then, the booming sound of flapping wings came from afar, and a huge shadow approached from a distance, crashing down like a shooting star.

The moment Thor's heavy body landed, the ground within a radius of hundreds of meters trembled.

Tiny pebbles flew into the air, and dust surged outwards like waves. Some creatures that couldn't dodge in time were hit by the shockwave and tumbled to the ground.

His golden pupils looked down at the transformed Bren, and a hidden sense of control over his bloodline rose from the bottom of his heart, as if he could cause the little giant's body to disintegrate with a single thought.

This is the Black Dragon's control over the Mad Dragon Virus. After integrating the unique magic and spiritual power of this world, it has become even more domineering.

The so-called dedication of life and loyalty is not just a slogan. The moment one chooses to accept Thor's blessing, a force rooted in the soul and blood, like a covenant, is quietly formed.

Unlike Thor, when Bren saw the red dragon again, he felt only endless awe.

Despite his greatly enhanced strength, he could no longer muster even the slightest thought of resistance, as if the creature before him was the sun in his life, the sole meaning of his existence.

Perhaps the creature named Bren died the moment he was infected by the curse of the Mad Dragon. What is alive now is just a puppet driven by the virus and magic, but which has inherited all his memories.

There may be life forms with a strong enough will to withstand this erosion and transformation and rise up in resistance.

However, his body will also bear a heavier burden: either he will successfully expel the curse of the Mad Dragon but will not be able to obtain the enhancement it brings; or his body will completely disintegrate and he will die in the fierce battle.

Thor is currently unsure whether a third scenario will occur, given that he has only used this ability twice since acquiring it.

As for the kobolds and other subordinates, the evolution that occurred subtly under his influence was nothing compared to directly bestowing the cursed seed. It was like being exposed to radiation after a nuclear explosion versus having radioactive material injected directly into one's bloodstream; the two were simply incomparable.

…………

Looking at this creature, the first in this world to be completely loyal to him, Thor's lips curled into a wide grin.

"You've mastered the power I bestowed upon you? Legend is within reach? You insignificant creature, you're still far from it!"

This is only the first transformation. You are merely a newly hatched cub. There are still greater powers and deeper sufferings slumbering within your bloodline, waiting for you to awaken them.

Go forth! Go forth and experience more battles and carnage, until you crush countless corpses, bathe in flames to forge your sharp edge, and completely control that destructive power.

"At that time, I will crown you with the title of Crown of Ashes, and share in my power and glory."

Chapter 212 Expansion

Bren left, carrying the new weapon given to him by Thor on his shoulder, and stepped out of the red dragon's territory.

He was going to travel to more distant lands to spread the fame of Thor and, through blood and fire, complete the rest of his physical transformation.

Only by fully growing the wings and horned crown that symbolize power can he truly gain Thor's approval and return to this land. If he fails the next trial, he will simply die somewhere unknown.

With Brun's successful example, the remaining participants suddenly burst forth with unparalleled enthusiasm.

The astonishing increase in strength is undeniable. Although his appearance will change drastically and the risk of failure is extremely high, what is this price compared to the power he gains!

Even in Thor's previous life, if a button suddenly appeared that had a one in ten thousand chance of granting him hundreds of millions in assets, while the other chance was instant death, there would probably be countless people wanting to press that button.

Moreover, in this perilous world, the average lifespan of an ordinary adventurer is less than forty years, and monsters in the wilderness are considered lucky if they live to adulthood.

Sometimes, people have to gamble with their lives for a full meal, but if they can gain great power in the process, they would be willing to risk their entire clan.

As a result, the gladiatorial arena, which had already cooled down somewhat, became even more popular once again.

As Bren traveled far and wide, frequently clashing with other creatures, his overwhelming power pushed the craze to its peak.

The number of creatures wanting to participate is endless, and some even have to queue up for days in advance in order to successfully make their appearance.

Seeing this, Thor knew it was time to expand the arena further.

This time, he plans to build two at once, which will form an equilateral triangle with the existing one.

This was undoubtedly a massive undertaking. Even in Thor's previous life, given the level of technology at the time, it would probably have taken several years.

Moreover, his territory is located in the mountains, surrounded by continuous low hills, making construction extremely difficult. Just laying the foundation alone would take an unknown amount of time.

Fortunately, Thor is a dragon, a powerful red dragon, whose surging magical power, like a tidal wave, allows him to easily perform earth-shattering actions.

Uneven ground? Insufficient building materials?

Then we'll just blast the nearby hills apart, fill the ravines with rubble, build high walls with layers of lava, and after they cool, carve out the specific outlines on them.

For these two new arenas, Thor still opted for the classic bowl-shaped structure, since the creatures that entered the arenas were, in a sense, almost like food that provided him with nutrients and energy.

During this construction project, the Red Dragon's immense power once again opened the eyes of creatures from all corners of the world.

With a gentle exhale, it unleashes flames powerful enough to melt mountains; with a flick of its wings, it can send magma billowing into waves hundreds of meters high.

Such widespread destructive power, control over the elements, and seemingly inexhaustible magical energy are rare even among legendary powerhouses, let alone ordinary creatures.

Some creatures who had harbored ulterior motives due to the changes in Bren immediately felt a chill and abandoned their ridiculous schemes.

…………

In less than a week, the prototypes of two new arenas had been raised from the ground by Thor.

They look like two giant bowls made of layers of obsidian and basalt, somewhat resembling the nests built by swallows carrying mud.

Once the basic framework was in place, Thor no longer participated in the detailed work, leaving it all to the grey dwarves and kobolds.

At the same time, in order to improve efficiency, he also issued a large number of construction tasks, allowing creatures in the territory who had neither strength nor money to take them, which can be regarded as a way to promote economic circulation.

Even Thor's young dragons were unwilling to miss this opportunity to accumulate wealth, and they all flapped their wings to participate, hoping to use their innate magical abilities to get a share of the pie.

Thor naturally accepted all comers and even offered them wages far higher than those of ordinary creatures.

When it comes time to settle accounts, this money will be used to directly deduct the interest on the loan to them. I wonder what their expressions will be at that time. Just thinking about it makes me happy.

Time flew by amidst this vigorous development, and the number of creatures coming to the territory increased every day.

Their various needs spurred a booming economy, and even small hills were carved out with countless holes and transformed into shops and residences.

After the two newly built arenas were put into use, the amount of essence in Thor's mind increased at an exaggerated rate.

Shortly after Brunn left, a second player broke the 100-point mark, and Sol gave him two choices as before.

Unsurprisingly, this guy chose power, but in the end, he lacked both strength and luck, and couldn't even survive the initial transformation.

This incident slightly dampened the participants' enthusiasm, but when the third person successfully broke the 100-point mark, everyone's enthusiasm soared again.

Thor gave all those who had accepted his cursed seed a weapon and then exiled them from his territory.

Such a half-finished product, which is not yet fully successful and whose strength is neither high nor low, cannot provide him with any help. Further transformation will require a lot of resources, and keeping it by his side would undoubtedly be a considerable expense.

It's better to drive them out and let them grow wildly, while we just wait to reap the final harvest.

As for whether they will never return...

Thor wouldn't be heartbroken if many of his products died, but if they didn't die outside and didn't want to come back to serve him, then he would have to ask if the true owners of their bodies would agree.

This act of constantly spreading his unfinished retinue further enhanced Thor's fame, to the point that even distant inland regions and another kingdom across the sea began to take notice of his existence.

The large tribes in the wilderness were filled with vigilance towards this rising ominous star.

A hornless blue dragon, curled up underground and covered in twisted magical patterns, was filled with rage.

Thor paid no attention to the attention and opinions of the outside world. During this time, he was busy accumulating various energy crystals and minerals in the slumbering place deep in the magma.

Currently, everything is ready, and the growth of the essence is perfectly in line with expectations.

With patience, he will soon have enough essence to draw the first Ancient Dragon template, at which point his strength will once again experience a dramatic improvement.

However, some of his followers have exceeded the plan. These useless individuals are growing too slowly, and it is estimated that they will not be able to fully transform before he falls into slumber.

Chapter 213 The Third Sleep

Winters in the wilderness aren't particularly harsh or long; thanks to the volcanoes, temperatures in Thor's territory are consistently above freezing.

Before we knew it, the whole winter had quietly slipped away. The moist, warm wind blew in from the south, but was intercepted halfway by the volcanic ash that erupted from the volcano, turning into a light drizzle.

Nutrient-rich rainwater nourishes the soil, and seeds of various crops sprout and grow vigorously, absorbing the energy of the sun.

As the corn and potatoes complete their life cycle, the temperature has already climbed to the hottest time of the year.

The scorching sun baked the earth, and the heat continuously emitted by the volcanic lava turned the entire hilly area into a terrifying high-temperature furnace.

Some tourists, unable to bear the scorching heat, soon chose to leave Sol's territory.

Even some of the participants in the gladiatorial combat felt somewhat uncomfortable as a result, and after their performance declined, they voluntarily reduced the number of times they appeared in the arena.

The popularity of the three arenas also began to cool down. After all, they had been held for more than half a year, and even the most exciting scenes would inevitably become numbing after repeated viewings.

The audience in the territory has changed many times over. Apart from a few die-hard fans who are born with a bloodlust, it is almost impossible to find the original figures anymore.

Despite these seemingly unfavorable influences, Thor was unconcerned, because a month ago he had already accumulated enough essence to extract the Ancient Dragon template.

Even his hidden cave deep within the underground magma was filled with various exchanged minerals and energy crystals. He had not yet entered slumber; he was merely making final preparations.

Starting two weeks ago, Thor has reduced the number of times he appears in public, spending most of his time in the volcano, only going out once every two or three days, and this interval is constantly getting longer.

Herds of cattle and sheep were driven from the wilderness grasslands beyond the low hills and mountains, and after being processed, they were continuously thrown into the volcano, where they were devoured.

While various energy crystals and minerals are excellent supplements, flesh and blood are equally important to the red dragon. Only by taking both into account can it be considered a complete body.

The result of his frenzied eating was that even with Thor's metabolism, he couldn't fully absorb all the energy and nutrients. The subcutaneous fat continued to thicken, supporting the heavy scales and causing his burly body to swell into a spherical shape little by little.

This is also one of the main reasons why Thor doesn't go out often. Otherwise, if other creatures saw that the great red dragon was so fat, they would laugh themselves to death.

But this was something Thor couldn't do. The sleep of a true dragon across age groups was somewhat similar to the hibernation of a bear. Naturally, the more energy stored in its body, the better, and it didn't care about its appearance.

After some time, the popularity of the three arenas dropped significantly again due to Thor's prolonged absence.

Then one morning, everyone received an order from the kobolds: the great red dragon had grown tired of the fighting among the insects and would be focusing on studying magic for some time to come; all arenas were to be closed.

Some participants who were just a little short of reaching 100 points were struck dumb upon hearing the news, and they desperately begged Thor not to stop.

Even more distressed were the demon warlocks who had set up rituals in the arena. They were almost ready to gather enough energy to open the passage to the abyss, but why did it suddenly stop?

Immediately, dissenting voices arose, and complaints were incessant.

Unfortunately, to Thor, these sounds were nothing more than the buzzing of flies; they wouldn't even reach his ears if he didn't want to listen.

Left with no other choice, most creatures had to either endure or retreat temporarily, while only a few, unwilling to give up, continued to search for an opportunity.

What they didn't know was that in the past six months, the thermophilic fungus that Thor brought from the Underdark's Fungal Homeland had spread throughout the underground area within a radius of several kilometers centered on the volcano through fission and spore propagation.