Red Dragon Monster Hunter Template.

The once cramped tunnel is expanding at an extremely rapid pace. Thick pillars are rising from the ground with a roar, and the surrounding soil and rocks are quickly solidifying and hardening under the influence of magic, resisting the risk of collapse.

The passage to the Prime Material Plane has been widened by Thor, and now a large number of his minions are shuttling back and forth like worker bees at both ends of the passage.

Various daily necessities, along with weapons and consumables, were being continuously transported from his territory, piling up like small mountains in the hall expanded from the tunnel.

Having already decided to make a big splash, Thor's goal was naturally not just to plunder some earth elemental beings and earth giants to use as slaves. His plan was to directly establish a base of his own in the earth elemental plane.

It is important to know that this place may be the richest in gems and minerals in the entire multiverse. The entire earth elemental plane can almost be regarded as a huge, endless mineral vein.

These treasures were born ownerless, at least at the moment of their creation.

Since earth elemental beings and earth giants can occupy this place, why can't he, a dignified red dragon, occupy it as well?

Once the expansion of the underground hall was largely completed, Thor tore open another passage leading to the air elemental plane.

Under the overall control of the Rainbow Light Domain, the four-colored halos spun incessantly behind his head, almost completely transforming into blue and white. Even so, it still took a considerable amount of effort.

This is because the heavy earth elemental magic in the Earth Elemental Plane has a natural suppressive effect on the air element—any earth spell will be amplified, extended, and solidified here, while wind spells will require more magic power and are extremely difficult to maintain stability.

But Thor never intended for the passage to last long. A howling eye of the storm appeared in the center of the hall, constantly spewing out almost tangible air.

The previously thin air in the hall instantly rose to normal levels and continued to spread outwards through the interconnected tunnels.

In this way, the only condition that limits the survival of ordinary creatures in the Earth Elemental Plane is its extraordinary gravity.

Fortunately, Thor didn't plan to relocate all his creatures. So far, the only ones selected, besides the Darkin Legion which serves as the core of his fighting force, are the kobolds and dwarves who act as miners and architects.

Dwarves are born with a love for mining and forging, and possess bodies as hard as stone. The earth elemental plane, with its extremely rich mineral resources, is one of the most ideal habitats for them.

As for the kobolds, their gods are renowned for digging labyrinthine tunnels and crafting intricate traps. Aside from their somewhat frail physique, they are also creatures perfectly suited to living in the earth elemental plane.

Overall, dwarves are a better fit for this place, but unfortunately, their numbers are too small, and their long lifespans result in a pitifully low birth rate.

Even though Thor has been trying to recruit more dwarves after unifying the wilderness, his current number is still not large, just enough to meet the various forging needs within his territory.

Kobolds, on the other hand, are completely different. They grow rapidly and reproduce with great prowess, like weeds in the wilderness, their numbers are countless.

As Thor's fame spread, kobolds from beyond the wilderness came to join him, and now even he himself can't say how many kobolds he has under his command.

So they simply sent them all here and infected them with the Mad Dragon Curse. Through natural selection, they were able to select a group of powerful beings who could adapt to the environment of the Earth Elemental Plane.

…………

Just as Thor was expanding his influence in the Earth Elemental Plane, the Thor Stone Golem, driven by a strange thought, was slowly approaching a settlement of Earth Giants.

Along the way, it couldn't resist the temptation several times and tried to swallow the obsidian on its back.

But every time this happens, it suddenly loses consciousness, and when it wakes up again, it finds that it has a new wound on its body.

This bizarre situation terrified it, and torn between fear and greed, it even became somewhat delirious.

It stumbled and staggered along the way, not knowing how long it had been, until it finally arrived at a huge natural cave with a diameter of nearly 30 kilometers.

This is clearly the settlement of the earth giants, and it is quite large—a majestic granite town, as imposing as a mountain, sits in the cave, with marble, various metals and gemstones adorning the walls, exuding an air of luxury.

The cave's towering dome is covered with tiny, luminous crystal fragments, piecing together a sky scene never before seen, casting a soft glow.

At the very top of the city stands a lord's residence carved from a single block of natural crystal, surrounded by individual fortified villas—the mansions of nobles. Interspersed among these mansions are spacious plazas and floating platforms.

Further down, the area consisting of spiral alleyways and stone bungalows is where commoners live; even further down are cages locked tightly by runic iron gates, where countless slaves are imprisoned.

As an extremely greedy and long-lived elemental creature, almost every earth giant is adorned with a large amount of gold and jewels.

When they gather together to form towns, it's as if they're built with wealth; their extravagant splendor is enough to tempt any true dragon with just a glance.

The Thor Stone Golem that rushed out of the tunnel was quickly spotted by the Earth Giants guarding the city walls.

Two spiraling sand pillars rose from the ground, drawing graceful arcs in mid-air before landing in front of the Thor Stone Monster and solidifying into two tall little giants.

They thrust their spears in a cross motion, instantly pinning the short, stout Thor stone monster to the ground. Their amber pupils swept over the stone monster, pausing for a moment on the obsidian behind it, before they spoke, demanding an explanation.

"Halt! What are you? State your name!"

"Who gave you permission to barge in? This is not a place for a lowly creature like you!"

The continuous journey and the mental torment had already exhausted the Thor Stone Monster. A vague idea rose in its mind, and it spoke without thinking.

“I am a slave of Sarge Rock. My great master has discovered a rare and precious gemstone vein in a cave, but it is guarded by other creatures, and my master is trapped there. He has sent me to ask the lord for help.”

The two earth giants exchanged a glance, and almost simultaneously turned their gaze to the obsidian behind the Thor Stone Golem.

They had sensed that this thing was unusual before, and after careful observation, they discovered that there was indeed a faint rainbow of light flowing inside, as if it contained a pure and vast energy.

The more closely they observed, the more shocked the two earth giants became, and then an uncontrollable greed surged into their hearts.

"Shut up! What precious mineral? This is clearly just a piece of ordinary obsidian!"

"I think you're a slave trying to escape! Tell us! Where is that mine? Take us there first!"

Chapter 300 Internal Strife

The long queues stretched out among the hills and mountains, seemingly without end.

Located inside the mountain, the passage leading to the Earth Elemental Plane is like a gaping maw, constantly devouring food, water, and all kinds of supplies.

All the dwarves in Thor's territory have been mobilized, and the furnaces are burning 24 hours a day. Large quantities of metal ores are thrown into them, melted into molten iron, and poured into pre-forged molds.

These cone-shaped objects were thus forged, inscribed with intricate magical runes, with a small groove at the top for inserting an energy crystal that would serve as the driving force.

The Earth Elemental Plane is ultimately the home ground of Earth Elemental creatures, where they have a great advantage. They can not only manipulate the movement of earth and rocks at will, but also travel at high speeds across the land.

Some powerful entities can even artificially trigger earthquakes, causing widespread tunnel collapses.

Thor, who controlled the earth, didn't care about this; the earth elemental plane was practically his home turf.

But his creatures were different. The vast majority of Darkin, dwarves, and kobolds were still ordinary flesh and blood, needing to breathe and eat. They could not walk on the earth and would die if buried in the soil.

Fighting the Earth Giants in such an environment would undoubtedly be extremely disadvantageous for them.

Therefore, Thor's first task is to minimize the impact of the environment on his subordinates, at least ensuring that they are not at a significant disadvantage.

Those cone-shaped objects were created for this purpose. When driven into the earth, they can cause the soil and rocks within a certain range to enter a state of stagnation, the elements to become dormant, and they are less susceptible to interference from external magic.

As the sharp cones, centered on the opened hall, were driven into the surrounding earth and interlocked, a peculiar magical field was generated, creating a relatively safe area.

Only then did the kobolds from the territory of Thor begin to enter.

…………

Vog Pointy Ears mingled among the entourage, cautiously surveying its surroundings. All around it were small creatures, about a meter tall, covered in colorful scales, resembling upright lizards.

These are kobolds who came from the wilderness and surrounding areas to seek refuge with the great red dragon. Because their numbers were so great, the merciful dragon lord decided to give them a test.

As the number of people ahead dwindled, after some time, a massive mountain came into view before Voge, with a huge pool of mud on the ground and a whirlpool constantly spinning in the center.

Two towering giants clad in dark red armor stood beside the pool, directing the kobolds in front of them to jump into the whirlpool.

What is happening? Is it some kind of special baptism, or a test?

The strange sight aroused a sense of doubt in Vog's heart, but as a lowly kobold, it would never question the great dragon lord's command. It simply followed the example of the other kobolds and cautiously jumped into the vortex.

Immediately following was a dizzying sensation and an intense sense of oppression, which made it feel nauseous. It didn't know how much time had passed before it suddenly felt that the surroundings were empty.

An even greater test was about to begin. The gravity, far exceeding that of the prime material plane, made Vog feel as if he were being crushed by a heavy object. He felt short of breath, his head was spinning, and his legs gave way, causing him to collapse to the ground.

Just then, another kobold walked up to them with unhurried steps.

This dog-headed man has fiery red scales, is over 1.5 meters tall, and has strong, agile muscles all over his body. His head is also more majestic and powerful, like a dragon.

It was a dragon-blooded dog-headed man from the Crimson Scale Tribe, and he wore an obvious sense of superiority as he faced his fellow tribesmen with their mottled scales.

Vog looked at its pure-colored scales, then at its own black and red scales, and felt a pang of envy.

It is said that more than a decade ago, the Red Scale Kobold tribe was just an ordinary Kobold tribe. It was only because they followed the great Dragon Lord and were illuminated by his glory that they evolved into such a noble being in a short period of time.

Some dragons and dragonborn have even distinguished the Redscaled Kobolds from ordinary Kobolds, acknowledging them as dragon-blooded creatures.

If I were fortunate enough to be favored by the great Dragon Lord, then...

Thinking of this, Vog felt a surge of excitement, and at the same time, he heard the voices of those dragon-blooded kobolds.

"Those who can stand up within 10 minutes, stay. Those who can't, throw them all back, woof!"

…………

Earth Giants are inherently greedy and selfish. Although they are social creatures with a clear hierarchy, they never think of their companions when they discover benefits.

After hearing Thor's words, Kelmore and Silsson's first thought was not to report it, but how to keep the benefits for themselves.

They exchanged shrewd glances, their amber eyes revealing malicious intent.

Unfortunately, the two sides were evenly matched, and with a city not far behind them, they had no choice but to join forces in order to avoid attracting unnecessary attention.

The two earth giants, disregarding their post, transformed into swirling sandstorms, lifted the Thor stone monster from the ground, and charged into the tunnel it had come from.

They flew for an unknown distance until they were completely out of the city's vicinity, at which point they transformed back into human form and dropped the Thor Stone Monster on the ground.

The two earth giants planned to smash open the obsidian to see what was inside and whether it was worth the effort.

One of the earth giants drew a curved sword from his waist, and a flash of magical light transformed the blade, which had previously appeared to be merely decorative, into an incredibly hard object.

This is also a natural spell-like ability of the Earth Giant, which allows one metal mineral to exhibit the properties of another metal mineral for a short period of time. The duration and degree of similarity depend on the differences between the two minerals.

A flash of light appeared, accompanied by a crisp clang, and the entire obsidian split open, revealing a tiny iridescent hue within.

The power originating from the very source of the world surges and pulsates, radiating a dreamlike light that exudes a powerful allure.

The two earth giants were momentarily captivated by the dazzling light, and simultaneously stretched out their hands. The moment their fingertips collided, they were suddenly jolted awake.

The gleaming scimitars were swung out again, and the sharp spears came from the side. They were determined to kill each other and wanted to put each other to death.

The earth giant's malice and greed were on full display at this moment. After discovering that the so-called mineral deposit was far more valuable than he had imagined, he was no longer willing to share it with any other creature.

Amidst the flashing blades and swirling sand, the two fought fiercely, until soon only one figure remained standing.

With a look of ferocity and ecstasy on his face, Silson's five fingers were sharp as claws as he lifted the Thor Stone Monster off the ground and growled impatiently.

"Quick! Take me there! That mine is mine, it's all mine!"

Chapter 301 Infiltration

The Authority of the Earth grants Thor control over the earth element, enabling him to do far more than many natives of the Earth Elemental Plane.

For example, at the most basic level, he can sense the living things and objects around him by using the vibrations transmitted from the earth.

In this underground labyrinth of crisscrossing, rugged tunnels, relying on vibrations to perceive the environment is undoubtedly much more appropriate than depending on sight and hearing.

In addition, Thor left a trace of mental connection in the Thor Stone Golem's brain, so Thor noticed the stone golem's return journey almost immediately.

The massive red dragon stepped out of the area covered by the Earth-Locking Cone, and the ground beneath its feet instantly churned like mud, quickly engulfing its body.

Even before ascending to legendary status, Thor had already gained the ability to travel underground from the monster template of the horned dragon. Now, with the blessing of the Earth Authority, his speed, while not as fast as flying, wouldn't be much slower than running normally.

All around was pure darkness, yet far from silent; to Thor's perception, it was like countless luminous ripples spreading across a calm surface of water.

He locked his gaze on the ripple belonging to the Thor Stone Monster, and like a submarine diving deep into the sea, he glided past it silently.

What would take Thor a long time to traverse was but a moment's work for Thor. When the enormous red dragon poked half its head out of the ground like a crocodile, its molten gold pupils gazing at the two figures walking ahead, a strange sense of disappointment arose in its heart.

There was only one Earth Giant, and it was just an ordinary Earth Giant with mediocre strength. This number was far too small.

It seems that the news about the ether crystal was intercepted on its way out before it could even spread.

So, should we kill this "little fish" or use it to continue "baiting"?

Forget it, this little bit of "meat" isn't even enough to fill a tooth gap, and besides, Thor is too lazy to bother rearranging the bait again.

Although Thor already knew the location of one of the Earth Giants' cities, it was not the right time for him to take action.

The Earth Elemental Plane is not a pushover. Not to mention the Earth Elemental Gods and the Great Lords of Good and Evil Earth Elements, even the ancient elemental lords are not to be trifled with.

Even the Great Khan of the Earth Giants is a demigod-level being. If the commotion is too great and attracts his attention, Thor, with his current strength, will have no choice but to retreat.

What's needed now is to slowly erode the opponent, like boiling a frog in lukewarm water, until they realize something is wrong, and then deliver a decisive blow.