Red Dragon Monster Hunter Template.

After all, without the protection of that cyclops, even if he doesn't eat them now, these mountain sheep will soon be hunted down by other evil creatures, and when he comes back next time, there might not be a single one left.

He began to pursue the fleeing flock of sheep, and driven by instinct, the fat sheep scattered toward places they thought were safe.

After quickly processing each goat, he swallowed it whole. Thanks to the dragon's unique physiological structure, he wouldn't need any extra meat for a considerable period of time after this overeating.

Before long, Thor followed the goats to a cave that was nearly three meters wide and five meters high. A huge rock was placed on one side of the cave entrance, indicating that this was the lair of the Cyclops from before.

Every night, when the Cyclops finished grazing, he would drive the flock back to his cave and block the entrance with the boulder to prevent other creatures from stealing the sheep.

Looking at the dark entrance to the cave, the flat ground around it from long-term trampling, and the scattered bones and food scraps, Thor wondered whether he should go in and take a look.

Just then, a breeze suddenly blew out of the cave, carrying the unique stench of the Cyclops, mixed with a faint smell of decay.

How could there be wind in the cave? Is it connected to other entrances and exits? Presumably, only in this way can the airflow in the cave circulate.

This piqued Thor's curiosity, so he lowered his head and crawled into the cave in front of him.

The darkness did not obstruct the dragon's vision at all. After advancing for about twenty meters, the surrounding space gradually became more open.

In one corner, there was a pile of wood covered with a nearly rotten sheepskin, which must have been the Cyclops's bed.

Scattered around the bed were some leftover bones and broken giant trees, and the ground was covered with a thick layer of trampled sheep dung, covered with numerous shallow footprints.

The disgusting environment made Thor stop in his tracks. Did that filthy cyclops lock himself up with the sheep every night?

No wonder he's a foolish shepherd; he's completely turned into a wild beast.

Thor didn't want his paws to get stained with the mixture of sheep droppings and other trash on the ground, and the cramped space here didn't allow him to spread his wings and fly.

His gaze continued forward, and he discovered that behind the middle section of this cave, which resembled a hall, there was a narrow crack extending inward, from which the decaying breeze blew.

After thinking for a moment, he simply left the cave entrance, stepped into the sunlight, and began to take a deep breath.

A large amount of air was drawn into his chest cavity, and the magic power in his body gathered in his throat, transforming into a long river of orange-red flames that surged out of his mouth and rushed straight towards the cave entrance in front of him.

Since they couldn't stand the filthy environment and stench inside, they decided to set everything on fire and burn it to ashes.

A wave of heat surged into the Cyclops' cave, and with his abundant magic power and powerful lung capacity, Thor gushed out for nearly a minute.

The rotten wood and sheepskin in the cave, as well as the piles of dung on the ground, were all burned into thick smoke under such high temperatures. The smoke was propelled by the flames and flowed into the cracks behind, and even the surrounding rock walls were baked red.

After a long while, Thor stopped breathing. He looked at the still-reddish embers on the ground, then stepped into the cave and gazed at the crack in the depths.

It is over a meter long and twenty centimeters wide, resembling a long, narrow eye.

As Thor's gaze continued to penetrate deeper, he could see that there seemed to be a vast space inside the crack, with no end in sight.

Among the stalactites hanging from the top, some bat-like creatures, startled by the earlier firelight, were flitting about wildly.

The crack leads straight underground, its depths unfathomable, where only vaguely visible black figures can be seen moving about.

Chapter 86 Abandoned Underground City

What is this place? Is it an abandoned underground mine from long ago? Or an underground ruin built by some unknown creatures?

Thor glanced at the crack in front of him; it was only five or six meters deep, and breaking through it would be a piece of cake.

Then the magic power within him surged again, transforming into a scorching ray that shot forward from his mouth, quickly cutting a huge circular gap with a diameter of over three meters into the stone wall in front of him.

He stretched out his claws and pushed forward, and the cut-off stone fell into the hole behind him. It wasn't until more than ten seconds later that a dull thud was heard.

It seems that the underground space behind this is nearly a thousand meters deep. It's hard to imagine how it was formed.

Thor did not rush in, but stood cautiously in place and waited.

If there really is some dangerous creature inside, the fire and the loud noise from the falling rocks should have alerted it. Let's leave it for a while and see if there's any reaction.

However, after waiting for more than ten minutes, there was still no sound below, except for the noisy cries of bats and the constant blowing of a breeze carrying the smell of decay.

He was finally relieved. He ducked into the hole he had cut himself, leaped into the wide open space behind him, and spread his wings.

The massive red dragon's intrusion made the already frightened bats even more terrified. They flew around in a panic, some hiding in the crevices of the rocks overhead, while others flew off to who knows where.

Thor ignored the tiny creatures, hovering in mid-air before slowly descending.

Without the obstruction of the surrounding stone walls, the view below became increasingly clear, with rows of stone houses standing silently in the darkness, interspersed with some towering chimneys and arrow towers.

When they got close enough, the strong wind from Thor's flapping wings blew away the thick dust on the rooftops, revealing patterns of hammers, anvils, weapons, and barrels engraved on the roofs, which were carved from single blocks of rock.

This is actually an abandoned dwarven dungeon. Just how many relics have these dwarf creatures, who love to dig everywhere, left underground?

As Thor continued to scan his surroundings, he soon made another discovery.

In the passageway between the stone houses, one can see the skeletons of fallen bodies from time to time. Judging from the large bones, they were clearly left by the dwarves.

Their postures were surprisingly uniform; they were all lying face down on the ground, facing the same direction.

They appeared to be fleeing some danger, but a terrible attack followed immediately, killing them instantly without even a trace of struggle.

This bizarre scene made Thor's heart tighten, and his expression became serious.

He hesitated, wondering whether to continue deeper into the area, but after a brief moment of thought, he decided to leave.

As a red dragon with a human soul, he was not as arrogant and reckless as his kind.

With the existence of a giant wheel in his mind, he could obtain almost everything he needed from the outside world. There was no treasure worth taking such a risk for.

As he flapped his wings and began to climb, he glanced back and noticed a large area of ​​golden objects scattered on the open ground not far away.

The dragons' innate knowledge of treasures, ingrained in their blood, allowed him to instantly recognize that it was a large pile of gold coins.

But the house was covered in dust, and the wooden doors and chairs were rotten. How could the gold that had fallen to the ground still be so shiny?

This counterintuitive phenomenon not only failed to tempt Thor to stop, but instead made him flap his wings even more desperately.

In the blink of an eye, he arrived at the entrance of the hole he had carved out, plunged inside, rushed out of the cave, and flew away into the distance without looking back.

After the crimson dragon's figure disappeared, the abandoned dungeon returned to silence once more. A gentle breeze began to blow, sounding like a sigh.

……

"What the hell is going on in this damn world? It seems like there are dangerous things buried everywhere underground."

Do I really want to take over this mountain range as my territory? I feel like I have a bomb sitting on my butt, ready to explode at any moment.

However, this place is more than 200 kilometers away from the canyon I'm in, so... maybe... there shouldn't be any major problems, right?

After flying for dozens of kilometers, Thor finally slowed down a little, his mind still reeling from the experience.

There must have been something tempting him in that abandoned underground city. Luckily, he was cautious enough not to be affected and managed to escape in time.

However, when his attention inadvertently fell to the few brightly lit bars of spiritual energy below, his expression froze.

There are four new essence addition tips, with each adding 77, 103, 128, and 156 essences respectively, which is ridiculously high.

Clearly, some unknown entity has launched four consecutive mental attacks against him, each one more ferocious and powerful than the last.

If it weren't for the giant roulette wheel in his mind, an ordinary young red dragon entering that abandoned dungeon would probably have already lost his life.

For a moment, Saul didn't know whether he should feel scared or happy.

Although I was a little frightened, I gained the essence of almost half a medium-sized monster template.

At this point, with his original 100 points, his essence balance had reached 564 points. Perhaps in a month or two, he would be able to draw another medium-level monster template.

This even tempted him to turn back and try to "profit" again, but reason ultimately prevailed over greed, and he did not stop.

Perhaps I could subdue some special followers and have them scout ahead for me? Let's see if I can find a way to obtain a large amount of essence without taking any risks.

Driven by desire, one idea after another popped into Thor's mind, but he quickly rejected them one by one.

Before he knew it, he had flown back to the middle of the mountain range and seen the mountain peak where he had built his nest.

As his gaze swept downwards, a large group of humanoid creatures, about one meter tall, covered in dark red scales, with rat-like tails and long, pointed ears, suddenly came into his view.

These dog-headed lizard-like creatures were gathered in the open space below the cave cliffs, wielding crude weapons and pickaxes, barking incessantly as they confronted the gnolls nearby.

Upon seeing the red shadow streak across the sky, these guys immediately let out excited shouts, and what they were using was actually the Dragon Language.

"Great Dragon Lord! You have finally returned!"

"Mighty Red Dragon! We pledge our loyalty to you, please take in these lowly kobolds!"

Chapter 87 The True Use of the Dragon-Slaying Fruit

If one were to choose the race most loyal to the five dragons, aside from the dragonborn they created, it would undoubtedly be the kobolds.

These agile creatures with bony bodies and small tails firmly believed that the blood of true dragons flowed in their veins, and that their ancestors were born from the blood of Tiamat.

That is why they worship all true dragons from the bottom of their hearts. If they could live and mine peacefully under the protection of a certain true dragon, that would be the most pleasant life in their dreams.

If the dragon happens to be a red dragon, that would be even better—because although the kobolds claim to have dragon blood flowing through their veins, they are actually genuine cold-blooded animals.

They can absorb heat from their surroundings. After living in an environment with a temperature above 40 degrees Celsius for 24 hours, they can reduce their food intake for the next three days; while when the ambient temperature is below 20 degrees Celsius, their food intake will double.

When Thor crashed to the ground with a whooshing sound, the ground seemed to tremble slightly, and the kobolds immediately knelt down.

The dragon's language, interspersed with the barking of dogs, rang out continuously, filled with praise for him and a desire to be taken in.

A series of insightful prompts kept appearing below his line of sight. Although each one only increased the number by 0.1, it was enough to prove the loyalty of these creatures to him.

Thor stared at the kobolds before him, finding it hard to believe that these creatures, less than a meter tall and appearing slender and agile, were actually excellent tunnel diggers comparable to dwarves.

They seem to have an innate ability to sense the location of ores and water sources, and can intuitively distinguish the hardness of rock layers and soil, knowing how to dig quickly without causing collapse.

This is indeed somewhat useful to me; it can be used to expand my nest, and I can also use it as a servant on a regular basis.

Moreover, judging from their loyal and fervent expressions, each one must provide me with 0.1 essence fragments every day. Over time, this adds up to a considerable source of income.

Thor, naturally, accepted this opportunity that offered him all the benefits, and immediately let out a deep growl.

“You insignificant kobolds, you are quite a clever bunch to have come to us of your own accord.”

For this reason, I have taken pity on you and will allow you to live under the protection of the red dragon's wings!

Upon hearing this, the group of kobolds lying at his feet immediately began to bark excitedly.

Meanwhile, the jackals who had previously confronted them now had expressions of disappointment on their faces.

They can still distinguish between being the only familiar race of a red dragon and being one of its familiar races.

The kobolds' defection would undoubtedly diminish their standing in the red dragon's eyes, and they might even face the risk of being abandoned. A strong sense of crisis welled up in his heart.

But Thor paid no heed to their little schemes and immediately gave work orders to the newly subdued kobolds.

“Since you want my protection, you must demonstrate your worth. Do you see that cave in the cliff? Now go and carve it out to be bigger, more magnificent, and more comfortable.”

The dog-headed men, lying prostrate on the ground, responded loudly, each one rubbing their hands together, looking as if they were determined to perfectly carry out the Dragon Lord's command.

The next second, they got up from the ground, carrying the simple tools on their backs, and began to climb the cliff behind them with their nimble claws.

Their short, slender figures and bony bodies made these kobolds lightweight and extremely agile, and they quickly formed a long line on the cliff face, looking like migrating ants.

Thor had no intention of helping the kobolds. With a flap of his wings, he created a gust of wind and returned to his lair first.

The large meal filled his body with energy, and a wave of drowsiness washed over him, so he decided to take a short nap.

Before falling asleep, he took out an irregularly shaped round stone from a corner of the platform inside the cave. He lifted the top half and found that the inside had been hollowed out. Lying quietly inside was a crystalline mineral that exuded cold air, along with a few red and black berries.

Since these Dragon Killing Fruits have already been extracted, it would be a waste to leave them uneaten. Thor decided to eat two more while they were still fresh.

Speaking of which, the slight dizziness and rush of blood felt somewhat like tobacco in my past life, while the faint burning sensation was like chili peppers—a unique experience nonetheless.

This time, he planned to increase the dosage. He took two pills from his homemade mini-fridge, tossed them into his mouth with his paw, and swallowed them whole.

Next, we just wait for them to take effect, which can be used to help us fall asleep.

Dragons are known for their rapid digestion and absorption. Before long, Thor felt his blood flow quicken, a slight dizziness began to creep into his head, and his magic began to slowly dissipate uncontrollably.

Under the magical vision, numerous tiny red and yellow specks of light could be seen emanating from the gaps in his scales like smoke, drifting around like silk. Some disappeared into the surrounding stone walls, while many more lingered in the air.

Strictly speaking, these are actually impurities contained in Thor's magic and bloodline energy.

Because they are not refined enough, they overflow uncontrollably from the body under the influence of the Dragon Killing Fruit.

However, as the saying goes, "what is trash to one is treasure to another," when a wisp of magic ribbon peeked out of the cave entrance, it was spotted by a kobold that had climbed up, and it immediately widened its bright red eyes.