Red Dragon Monster Hunter Template.

Even if you wanted to exchange it for equivalent items with others, you couldn't find a suitable way, so it would be more practical to choose some common precious metals.

Thor nodded in satisfaction when the glacial dwarves brought out more adamantite and refined cold iron, bringing the total value to more than six times that of the initial items.

He also swore in Tiamat's name that he would leave immediately once he obtained these items.

Just as these frost dwarves were secretly plotting and looking expectantly at the leading red dragon, thinking he would come down to pick it up himself, Thor unexpectedly turned his head to look at Sistana beside him and spoke.

"You! Go down and bring up my treasure!"

Sistana, whose name was called, was stunned for a moment. She wanted to object, but under Thor's piercing gaze, she could only fly down in fear.

As the smaller red dragon drew closer, the Glacier Dwarf Chief tightened his grip on the Icebreaker Warhammer in his right hand. He felt an urge to smash it down with the hammer, but reason told him that doing so would not only be futile but would also enrage the dragons and worsen the situation that had just been calmed down.

And so, Sistana got her hands on the wooden crates that were chained together without any real danger.

The thought of the value of those things on her claws filled her with intense excitement, her blood rushing to her head.

However, the next moment, Thor ruthlessly snatched the greatest treasure she had ever seen from her claws, and Sistana couldn't help but let out a cry of sorrow, overwhelmed by a strong sense of loss.

Thor glanced at the increasing essence notification flashing below his line of sight, and couldn't help but look at his dejected cheap blood relative beside him.

But he didn't pay much attention. He just grinned at the glacier dwarves below, flapped his wings, and quickly rushed toward the faint glimmer of light overhead.

Now that we have the goods, it's time to leave.

It wasn't that he was particularly committed to his promises, but rather that a large explosive barrel cost 5 essence points, and he was already feeling the pinch from the few he had already thrown in; how could he possibly waste them all on these dwarves?

If this volcano were to erupt, it would probably require at least several hundred large explosive barrels to detonate simultaneously. Even if he had that much essence to exchange for it, he wouldn't be willing to part with it.

So if these glacial dwarves had recklessly hidden in the surrounding mines, Thor wouldn't have been able to do much besides destroying their forges and the surrounding workshops.

The surrounding young dragons followed closely behind Thor, flying together toward the volcano's exit above, like a rising rainbow of light.

Just then, faint shouts came from below, seemingly saying things like "Wait" and "Don't leave us behind."

Thor looked back and saw that at the entrance of the mine they had come from, some dragonborn and orcs were waving their hands and shouting into the air.

They have no wings, no ability to fly, and cannot leave the crater above.

But what does this have to do with me? They weren't my family members, so their deaths are no big deal. It's good for those "generous" dwarfs to vent their anger.

So he turned his head away from the commotion below and began to climb higher, facing the sliver of light above.

The hot wind rising from the magma propelled his broad wings, and his vision grew brighter and brighter until he plunged headfirst into the crevice.

A howling wind blew in his face, and the drastic temperature difference made Thor shiver.

He turned his head and looked around, and found that he had arrived in the middle of the glacier. The ground beneath his feet was covered with snow and ice, with only a narrow crack constantly emitting heat.

The sound of flapping wings came from below, and one after another, young dragons flew out from the crack in the ground.

Looking at the snow-covered landscape around them, they were momentarily lost, unsure which direction to fly in.

A young blue dragon looked around and couldn't help but ask a question.

"Does anyone know the way? Which way should we go back?"

"go back?"

Upon hearing this, Thor couldn't help but sneer inwardly. Having finally escaped, how could he possibly go back?

Moreover, perhaps nothing bad will happen to ordinary young dragons after they return to the Blue Dragon Clan. They will fight for the clan and, after growing to near adulthood, they can leave safely.

After all, although blue dragons are evil, they are still lawful creatures. Exterminating them would be too brutal and would not be conducive to their rule.

However, the signs of bloodline purification in Thor's body are becoming increasingly obvious, and his bloodline level will significantly improve as he enters the next age group.

If I go back and that old guy finds out, I might be swallowed whole and instantly refined.

He glanced down at his chest; the dark blue lightning mark had long since disappeared, while on the chest of the white dragon beside him, faint patterns could still be seen.

It seems that the duration of this magical mark is also related to the strength of the person to whom it is applied; the greater the magical power within the body, the shorter the duration of the mark.

With even that concern gone, Thor immediately stopped hesitating, flapped his wings, and flew off in any direction he chose.

He hasn't decided where to go yet, but as long as he gets away from that Gobi Desert, he'll be fine.

The young dragons nearby saw Thor set off and some wanted to follow, but he suddenly turned around and gave them a warning look.

He is about to enter the most important slumber of his dragon life, during which he trusts no one.

These young dragons might have been given some kind of treatment that allows us to track their movements. If we take them along, we might expose ourselves.

Faced with that fierce gaze, the young dragons immediately stopped in their tracks, and could only watch Thor's figure gradually fly away and slowly disappear into the swirling snow.

Sistana and Kalp exchanged a glance, and before the other young dragons could react, they flapped their wings and dashed off as well.

They also have no intention of returning to the Blue Dragon Clan. Even though there is a relatively safe environment and stable food there, being subservient to others is definitely not what the Red Dragons want.

Then, several more green and black dragons scattered and flew away, while the white dragons took off running and plunged into the vast snow-capped mountains and glaciers around them.

Only a few blue dragon hatchlings remained, bewildered in the wind, and for a moment, they became even more lost.

The grand plan of Stormfang's five-colored dragon legion fell apart and failed completely on its very first mission.

Chapter 73 Intermediate Monster Template

With a wingspan more than twice its body length, Thor was able to glide effortlessly over long distances in the air by taking advantage of updrafts.

Flying eastward, towering glaciers were left far behind. The biting wind and icy snow gradually receded, and the surrounding environment returned to the arid and hot desert.

The wilderness was so vast that, by deliberately conserving his energy, Thor was able to maintain a flight speed of over 60 kilometers per hour.

He flew and stopped along the way, but more than ten days passed, and the ground beneath his feet kept changing between deserts, grasslands and hills, but he could never escape the realm of wilderness.

After sensing that he was completely out of the territory of the blue dragon Stormfang, Thor landed on a desolate hill.

The mountain beneath our feet is entirely composed of hard rock, some bluish-black, others yellowish-brown. While not entirely barren, it is sparsely covered with shrubs and moss.

The scarcity of vegetation makes it impossible to support herbivores, and consequently, no carnivores will come to visit.

Thor intends to make this his final resting place.

Just in case, he circled the low hill several times to check the surrounding area, confirming that there were no intelligent beings or ferocious animals within a radius of tens of kilometers.

With basic safety secured, Thor chose a secluded corner on the mountainside, had the earth elemental coat his claws with a hazy yellow light, and then began to dig vigorously into the mountainside.

With each strike of the claws, the hard rock would become as loose as sand under the influence of earth elemental magic energy, and a large chunk would be easily pried off.

A mine shaft with a diameter of about three meters was quickly formed and gradually extended deeper into the mountain.

Time passed by little by little, and in the blink of an eye, another ten days or so had gone by.

With the combined power of his magic and superhuman physique, Thor's digging speed was comparable to that of a small tunnel boring machine. He had now reached the center of the low hill, then turned downwards and continued digging deeper underground.

He continued digging for dozens of meters before finally stopping and began to gradually expand the surrounding space, intending to carve out a cave large enough for him to live in.

This was the place he had prepared for his slumber. When the time came, he would simply seal the entrance with rocks, and even if that old guy Stormfang came looking for him, he might not be able to find his trail.

Having completed these preparations, Thor turned his attention to the giant spinning wheel in his mind.

The unknown undead creature was surprisingly resilient. Just when Thor thought it had been completely drained, a notification would pop up indicating that new essence had been added, making it seem like an inexhaustible spring.

However, it is not ultimately limitless. After this period of continuous exploitation, it has finally reached its limit.

It's been over a week since the last time we received a notification about an increase in essence, and it seems there won't be any further changes.

Thor glanced at the essence balance below the wheel and found it had reached over 1300 points. This generous soul had provided him with a full 1000 points of mental essence.

Now that everything was ready, there was no time to lose. He immediately concentrated his mental energy and pressed hard on the fourth wheel on the outside.

A full thousand points of spiritual essence instantly transformed into a miniature galaxy, crashing headlong into the giant turntable. The neon-like light flickered erratically, finally settling on a small square with a simple line drawing of bluish-gray rocks.

"Congratulations on obtaining the [Rock Dragon Monster Template]. Do you wish to withdraw immediately? Yes/No."

The notification that appeared below his line of sight made Thor's eyes light up, and a huge surge of joy welled up in his heart. He could hardly believe that he could be so lucky.

…………

The Rock Dragon is a flying dragon-type monster that is about 15 meters long and mainly feeds on various ores.

They dissolve the minerals they ingest using digestive juices and special thermophilic bacteria within their bodies, then secrete the solution out through their body fluid glands, layering it around their bodies to make them look like a giant rock.

The high temperatures and toxic gases generated during this process are stored in the body and expelled through breath and numerous heat dissipation pores as a means of defense.

This doesn't seem to be a particularly powerful monster. Compared to the Rock Thief Dragon, a lower-level monster template, it doesn't seem to be much stronger.

However, the Rock Dragon is actually the juvenile form of another monster—the Armored Dragon—and possesses a signature breath attack called the Heat Ray.

Unlike large-scale flame waves or explosive fireballs, they can concentrate all the heat into a single point, shooting out like a laser, easily piercing through travertine.

Since the Rock Dragon is the juvenile form of the Armored Dragon, if I inherit all of its abilities, will I also inherit its growth potential? Can I ultimately obtain the abilities of a high-level monster template at the price of a mid-level monster template?

Thor suppressed the excitement welling up inside him, eager to confirm his guess.

He emerged from the underground hole he had dug himself, hovering in mid-air as he began searching for prey.

In the past few months, his challenge level has increased to level 10, making him a strong figure in this wilderness.

Not long after, Thor discovered a group of woolly elephants strolling leisurely on the grassland far from the low mountains.

These behemoths, nearly 4 meters tall and weighing about 10 tons, were utterly powerless against Thor, who was nearly 7 meters long.

Using the force of his descent, he slammed one of them to the ground with a single dive, unleashing scorching dragon flames at its enormous head. The battle ended almost instantly.

Then, he began to eat voraciously. The unique physical structure of dragons allows them to consume far more food than their own body weight at once, converting it into a high-energy substance stored in their bodies.

Only when he could no longer eat did he return to the underground cave and use the excavated rocks to almost completely block the area within several dozen meters of the cave entrance, leaving only a small crack for ventilation.

Back in the underground cavern, Thor didn't rush to load the Rock Dragon monster template. Instead, he focused his attention on the outermost rotating disc. The essence balance below was rapidly decreasing, and shimmering crystals were appearing in the air.

Dragon Crystal, Earth Crystal, and Shining Dragon Stone represent the life force from the planet and ancient dragons, pure earth energy, and the elements of fire and earth, respectively.

With several hundred crystals of various colors, plus the precious metals extorted from the dwarves, there should be more than enough to satisfy my need for this slumber.

Thor laid these things out in the center of the cave, then lay down on them, feeling the energy surging from below, and swished his tail contentedly.

Everything is ready now, except for the final push.

As he mentally selected "withdraw," a massive spirit instantly materialized in the air, hurtling towards him like a boulder falling from a mountain peak.

Chapter Seventy-Four: The Second Sleep

As a creature possessing both fire and earth attributes, the Rock Dragon has an extremely high compatibility with the Red Dragon, so there is naturally no possibility of fusion failure.

As an exaggerated surge of heat suddenly erupted from within, a flood of notification messages appeared below his line of sight.

The fusion with the Rock Dragon monster template was successful. Abilities such as [High Temperature Tolerance], [Powerful Muscles], and [Thermophilic Active Bacteria] have been transformed into pure life force due to their outdated version compared to the main body.

The [Thermal Energy Focus] capability has been retained.

The [Ore Tempering] ability has been retained.

The capability to detect "high-temperature toxic gases" has been retained.

A series of light blue subtitles flashed by rapidly, and before Thor could even properly feel the changes happening to his body, a strong sense of drowsiness swept over him under the stimulation of that abundant vitality.

He did not fight against this bodily instinct; he closed his eyes and instantly fell into a deep sleep.

As his thoughts fell silent, the cells in his body became increasingly active. Some dormant gene fragments deep within his bloodline were being awakened and replenished, and the fire and earth magic elements in the environment were spontaneously converging on him.

The surging magical elements flowed into his body, transforming into magic power, making Thor's scarlet scales shine and scald like lava, with a layer of dancing firelight swirling around their surface.

As time went by, his joints began to grow little by little, his originally round head gradually became more three-dimensional, and his tail became more slender.

The two short, thick protrusions on its head gradually grew into two horns that extended backward. They were jet black and shone with a metallic luster. At the base of the horns, there were many branches that extended upward and to the left and right sides.

Almost every day, Thor's body grew stronger, his scales thickened, and his skeleton became more robust. As a result, the large amount of nutrients consumed made his once strong muscles appear somewhat thin.

The hunger pangs in his stomach caused him to unconsciously devour the objects around him, including energy-rich crystals and various precious minerals, which then entered his body.

As his body grew, the changes brought about by the Rock Dragon Monster template also began to gradually appear.

The fusion of the abilities of two organisms is not a simple mathematical problem. As long as we can take advantage of each other's strengths and avoid each other's weaknesses, we can often achieve a result greater than the sum of its parts.

The Red Dragon's digestive system is undoubtedly far more capable of digesting and utilizing ores than the Rock Dragon's, and it is also much more adept at controlling flames and high temperatures.