Red Dragon Monster Hunter Template.

Chapter 152 High-Level Monster Template

One point of spiritual essence is one gram, and to collect one kilogram, one would need a full 1000 points. At this moment, Thor's entire possessions combined are only enough to exchange for 11 kilograms.

Such an expensive price must have something extraordinary about it.

Thor eagerly opened his mouth wide, and with a flick of his long, snake-like tongue, he swallowed the aether crystal from his palm into his belly.

But this peculiar energy crystal seemed unusually stable. Even when it fell into his stomach, which was as hot as an elemental furnace, it remained completely still and unaffected.

The muscles inside the stomach, covered with fine bony plates and a special keratin layer, wriggle and grind, but they can't scrape off even a speck of dust.

Is this thing not for eating, but only for making equipment?

But the bird in the game quickly became powerful after picking up the ether crystal. Could it be that it needs some special constitution to resonate with it?

Thor was also a bit confused for a while, until he noticed a unique energy slowly emanating from the aether crystal and silently seeping into his body.

Perhaps because the quantity was too small, he did not feel any changes in his body, so he put it out of his mind and stopped paying attention to it.

Anyway, his stomach is big enough that he won't have indigestion, so let the ether crystal stay in his stomach for now and see if there are any new changes over time.

I remember that the shrew in the game became incredibly ferocious after obtaining the Aether Crystal. All the powerful monsters in Final Fantasy feed on Aether, so there's no reason why this thing wouldn't have any effect on it.

And so, a few more days passed, and everything remained calm.

The drow elves had vanished without a trace, but some curious creatures stealthily crept out from various caves, observing Thor and his kobolds and grey dwarves from the shadows.

Thor naturally paid no attention to these tiny creatures that posed no threat to him, and couldn't be bothered to bother with them.

As long as they don't foolishly wander in front of him or venture into the city ruins to dig up his treasure, he intends to let everything else go unchecked.

Seeing that everything was on track, Thor no longer hesitated. His massive body took off and flew toward the lava lake in a corner of the cave.

When the crimson scales were covered by scalding lava, Thor felt as comfortable as if he were soaking in warm water, surrounded by a large amount of fire and earth magic, much more concentrated than in other places.

By fusing with monster templates in such a place, he can obtain a continuous supply of magic power, reducing the strain on his body.

But just in case, he still exchanged for a large amount of energy crystals and various minerals in the same way as before, until his stomach was full, before focusing his attention on the fifth wheel of the huge roulette wheel in his mind.

The entire ten thousand points of essence transformed into a galaxy that swept across the land, its neon-like points of light flashing and firmly attracting his gaze.

What seemed like an eternity to him in that brief moment finally settled on a small square, where a ferocious beast was depicted in simple, black line drawings. Although the specific details of its body were somewhat blurry, the four legs and two wings still made Thor's heart skip a beat.

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

The next moment, the notification message that flashed before his eyes confirmed his guess, and he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

Anyone who has played the game Monster Hunter will surely be familiar with this monster known as "Calamity Black Eclipse".

It has the classic four-legged, two-winged body structure of an ancient dragon, and its whole body is covered with scales as black as night. The wings on its back are like another pair of even larger claws, with thick wing membranes extending backward from the inside like a cloak.

Whenever this monster appears, it is surrounded by a large black mist, which is actually a unique scale powder called the Mad Dragon Virus. It is also the reproductive cell of the Black Devouring Dragon, which can assimilate all infected creatures into its own race.

After shedding its skin multiple times, this pitch-black monster was able to wash away the filth on its body, transforming into a platinum-like, shimmering form, becoming the renowned Reincarnation Lord—the Heavenly Reincarnation Dragon.

However, isn't it 10 essence points required to extract an Elder Dragon template? Why is this Black Eclipse Dragon appearing among high-level monsters?

A hint of doubt crossed Thor's mind, but it didn't stop him from concentrating and clicking hard on "withdraw".

The space before them began to ripple like water, and a massive mass of spirits burst forth. But this time, it did not appear as a soft white as before; instead, it surged and churned like a thick night.

Two purple tentacles rose from the night, and the darkness dissipated like smoke, revealing the hideous ancient dragon larva inside.

Even though that smooth face lacked eyes, ears, nose, and other organs, Thor still felt that this creature was watching him. He opened his mouth and let out a silent roar, then suddenly charged forward.

Despite being an intangible phantom, it seemed to have gained physical form at this moment, causing Thor's body to involuntarily lean back.

A much larger surge of heat than before erupted from his body, like an erupting volcano or a rushing river, constantly washing over every corner of his body.

The dark red dragon-attribute energy within him seemed to be stimulated, letting out an excited "roar" as it devoured the heat and began to grow rapidly.

He felt as if his skin was itching all over, and the energy in his blood was surging, mixing with the magic power in his body, coating the surface of his crimson scales with a dark color.

The fusion with the Black Eclipse Dragon monster template was successful. However, the abilities such as [Fangs and Claws], [Tough Shell], and [Pterodactyls] were too low compared to the main body and have been converted into pure life force.

[Dragon-attribute ability control] has been retained.

The "Curse of the Mad Dragon" has been retained.

A barrage of notifications flashed before his eyes, but to Thor's surprise, only two traits were retained, and one of them was not named "Dragon Virus" as he had expected.

As for why the Black Eclipse Dragon's unique claw wings were not retained, it's probably because while this posture is more advantageous for close combat, it would severely affect its flight ability, making it somewhat counterproductive.

When all the changes were over, Thor dragged his massive body out of the lava lake, and his originally crimson scales now had a dark, blackish-red tinge.

Wisps of black smoke were seeping out from the gaps in his scales, swirling around his body like ribbons, making him look somewhat similar to the Shadow Dragon from before.

As Thor raised his claws, the magic, dragon energy, and most fundamental bloodline power within him were instantly mobilized, condensing into a tiny, seed-like particle of light in his palm.

This is the Curse of the Mad Dragon, a unique spell-like ability created by mixing the reproductive cells of a Black Devouring Dragon with the magic and bloodline energy of a Red Dragon from another world; it can also be called the Seed of Curse.

Chapter 153 High-Level Monster Template

When the Mad Dragon Virus was mentioned, Thor always felt that it was somewhat similar to the beastman's beastification disease - both could transform the other into their own race and were both highly contagious.

For a time, Thor even considered having his beastmen bite all the other weaker subordinates.

After all, doing so would undoubtedly greatly enhance their combat power, and negative effects such as bloodlust and madness are not worth mentioning to evil creatures.

Just think about it, the existence of bear-men, goblins, werewolves, gnolls, and the like sounds quite interesting.

But in the end, he gave up on the idea.

Firstly, not all bitten creatures will contract the beastification disease; most will simply die instantly. Secondly, beastified creatures all share the common weakness of fearing silver.

Moreover, that slight increase in combat power seemed to make no difference to Thor, so he ultimately failed to put the idea into action.

However, the Dragon Curse between his claws at this moment is quite different from the Beast Transformation Syndrome. It contains his own concepts and abilities, causing those infected to continuously transform into his form.

This is comparable to a dragon bloodline transformation ritual using the essence of a true dragon, and may even surpass it in terms of potential and growth.

It's just unknown how high the requirements are for the host of this Mad Dragon Curse. You know, the vast majority of monsters infected with Mad Dragon Disease never turned into Black Devouring Dragons, but died in madness.

With his mind racing, Thor suddenly turned his head and looked at a stalagmite in the distance.

Perhaps it was because he had been too laid-back lately, and because he had spent too much time in this lava lake today, that he attracted the curiosity of some "rats," one of which even dared to slowly approach.

Thor, of course, wouldn't let such a readily available experimental subject slip by. A sinister grin spread across his lips, and with a sudden flap of his broad wings, he soared into the sky, sending up a spray of lava.

The distance of several hundred meters passed in the blink of an eye. The red dragon's sudden attack clearly panicked the creature, which turned to flee.

But how could two legs outrun the wings of a red dragon? Even if they wanted to hide, Thor's keen sense of smell and echolocation would leave them nowhere to hide.

A moment later, he successfully cornered the "little mouse" in a dead end. Upon closer inspection, he discovered that the other party was actually a human.

The woman was in her thirties. Her form-fitting leather armor accentuated her curvaceous figure, and she wore a black hooded cloak over it. Due to prolonged exposure to darkness, her skin was almost translucent white.

A faint shadow energy flowed within her body, somewhat similar to that of the drow shadow dancers, suggesting she was also a professional who walked the path of shadow.

Thor ignored her terrified cries and pleas for mercy, and with a flick of his finger, shot the previously condensed Mad Dragon Curse directly into her body.

The middle-aged woman, whose eyes had been darting around as she plotted her escape, was suddenly struck dumb, her body trembling violently.

Her body temperature rose at a visible rate, her porcelain-white skin turned red, and large veins bulged beneath.

The veins around his eyes bulged, blood quickly flooded his pupils, saliva spilled from the corners of his mouth, and he made a rough, beast-like hoarse sound.

An intense hunger surged from her stomach, and a strong desire to kill filled her mind.

The middle-aged woman disregarded everything else, even her fear, and hurriedly rummaged through her small bag for food, stuffing it into her mouth.

She devoured the food that was enough for three days in just a few minutes, but the hunger in her stomach did not subside at all. Instead, it felt like a fire was burning inside her, almost scorching her stomach lining.

She began frantically searching for food around her, but there was hardly anything to eat in the barren Underdark, and this cave had just been "plowed" by Thor's dragon breath, leaving hardly any mushrooms behind.

Thor watched as the human's agile steps gradually slowed, the crimson color surging across his body faded, and he finally collapsed helplessly to the ground.

A wisp of dark red smoke rose from the corpse, circled in mid-air, and then flew back into Thor's claw, condensing into a tiny particle of light that appeared to be slightly larger than before.

So, does that mean that after being infected with the Mad Dragon Curse, one needs to eat a lot immediately?

Thor carefully examined the corpse on the ground. Its skin, which was already translucent white, now had a deathly pallor. All the life energy and magic in its body had been completely exhausted. It didn't look like it had simply starved to death; rather, it looked like it had been drained of everything.

This is likely because the energy and nutrients absorbed could not keep up with the growth and development of the cursed seed, resulting in the depletion of the body's magic power and life force.

Furthermore, after the host dies, the cursed seed can detach itself and seek out the next target... In an instant, Thor thought of a way to cultivate it.

A grand battle, an unprecedented memorial.

Summon thousands of creatures, inflict the Mad Dragon Curse on them all, and send them into the soon-to-be-completed colossal arena. The final victor will gain everything.

It seems I can't wait for my reputation to slowly build up; I need to start recruiting now.

Thinking of this, Thor clenched his claws tightly, and the Seed of Curse in his palm instantly exploded into a cloud of black and red smoke, which he inhaled into his nostrils.

With a flap of its enormous wings, it stirred up a strong gust of wind, took to the air, and flew towards the abandoned drow city not far away.

The dazzling firelight pierced the darkness, and sensing the approach of the "sun," the gray dwarves and kobolds who were busy mining immediately stopped what they were doing and knelt down respectfully.

As Thor's massive body landed, the ground trembled, and his booming voice followed, carrying far and wide.

"Stop digging up these damn broken rocks, I need more followers now!"

Those cowardly black rats could build cities with tens of thousands of people, and the great red dragon who defeated them could only do better.

"Now take those tokens to me and help me recruit more subordinates, regardless of strength or race, as long as they are alive!"

After saying that, Thor raised his head again, his molten gold pupils surveying the darkness outside the city, and roared loudly in a majestic voice.

“You rats hiding in the shadows, now there is an opportunity before you. As long as you submit to me, you can equally obtain a chance to gain great power, even enough to glimpse the legends.”

Don't worry that I'm lying. I swear in the name of the great Dragon Queen Tiamat, every word I've said is true!

The enormous sound waves echoed throughout the cave, bringing a tremendous shock to the creatures hiding in the shadows.

Such formidable strength! Enough to even glimpse the legends!

Their first reaction was disbelief, but many dragons, even if they did not believe in Tiamat, would never dare to easily break their oath to her, which undoubtedly increased the credibility of these words.

A slight disturbance soon arose in the silent darkness, which then grew louder and louder until it became a huge uproar.

Chapter 154 Return to the Surface

Thor's statement about "giving other creatures the opportunity to acquire great power" is indeed true.

As long as one is infected with the Mad Dragon Curse and can withstand the drastic transformation and side effects, the other party will almost be equivalent to inheriting his bloodline, and their strength will experience a leap in growth.

With Thor's current bloodline purity, coupled with the support of various monster templates, he could easily break through to the legendary realm even without doing anything and relying solely on natural growth.

Those who inherit his legacy, though they can never compare to him, can still hope to become legends if they are diligent enough and have a few lucky encounters.

That's why Thor didn't hesitate to swear in Tiamat's name, but there was an unspoken detail hidden in it—the "small" price the other party would have to pay.

The creatures lurking in the darkness were struggling to suppress their heavy breathing. They couldn't fully believe Thor's words for the moment and were all waiting for the first person to dare to take the plunge.

But the noisy discussions and eager gazes did not escape Thor's keen perception. He immediately grinned, revealing a calm smile.

The creatures living in the dark regions are mostly shrouded in the shadows of hunger and fear, and their thirst for power is far greater than that of creatures on the surface.

They would seize any opportunity, however slight, without hesitation. As for whether there was danger? In the Underdark, survival itself was a danger, and they didn't care at all.

Let those rats in the gutter think it over a little longer.

Thor withdrew his gaze from scanning his surroundings, his massive body soaring into the air and landing on the only intact building in the city center—the towering Temple of Rose.

When the drow elves left, they took most of the valuable items with them, but they didn't have time to remove all the gold and silver used for decoration, as well as the gems inlaid in the buildings.

Now that even the divine avatar descended by the Spider Queen of the Abyss has been defeated by Tiamat, Thor naturally has no more concerns and no intention of leaving the temple behind.

Therefore, before the kobolds and grey dwarves could travel to various parts of the Underdark to recruit troops for him, they swarmed into the temple and began to make a ruckus everywhere.

Huge pieces of obsidian were smashed to pieces, and the gold and silver threads embedded in them, as well as the gems of all sizes, were all meticulously collected and presented to Thor.

After looting the only place in the city ruins where wealth could be easily found, Thor waved his claws, signaling his men to raise the red dragon banner and disappear into the network of tunnels in the Underdark.