Red Dragon Monster Hunter Template.

The exhilarating shouts throughout the day had depleted their energy, and they desperately needed food and drinks to soothe their hungry stomachs, as well as some special stimulation to ease their tense minds.

Meanwhile, shrewd merchants had already prepared a wide variety of goods, and the taverns were filled with the aroma of roasted meat, stews, and spirits; in certain special places, alluring figures were beckoning with their fingers; and loud shouts echoed from the casinos.

All of this requires gold coins, lots and lots of gold coins. If you don't have any, you can only squat in a corner like those goblins, gnawing on black bread that's as hard as a brick.

In Thor's territory, there are only two ways to obtain gold coins: either fight in the arena or sell your physical strength.

Compared to the arduous and tedious physical labor, climbing into the arena was obviously a much faster way to make money. Just one win was enough to keep them happy for a month or two.

Therefore, it goes without saying what choices the vast majority of creatures would make. At the same time, money comes quickly and goes quickly, and ultimately all the wealth will flow back into Thor's hands.

Or rather, all the creatures attracted to this territory are themselves a form of wealth earned by Thor.

…………

As night fell, the once bustling arena fell silent, with only the yellow sand, soaked in blood, still emitting a strong stench of blood.

Just then, several bright red bloodstains suddenly appeared on the ground, and the sticky sand began to rise, as if bamboo shoots were growing underneath.

When the sand could no longer maintain its tension and slid down, a cluster of long, pointed red caps sprouted from the ground like mushrooms.

The bright moonlight shone down from the open sky, and the magic in the air began to gather under the influence of some kind of rule. One by one, shriveled, short, hunchbacked but muscular creatures, resembling dwarfs, emerged from the ground.

These creatures were about the size of goblins, wearing long, red, pointed leather hats on their heads, trousers of the same material on their lower bodies, heavy iron boots on their feet, and long-handled scythes in their hands.

Just like the bright features on their heads, they are called Red Hats, a kind of spirit creature that lives in accordance with the rules of the world.

When a creature with a strong bloodlust completes a killing, if the victim's blood is exposed to moonlight, this special entity will be born.

From the moment these creatures awaken, their hearts are filled with endless bloodlust and a desire to kill, as if they were born to fight.

Furthermore, in order to maintain their unnatural existence, they must soak the hats on their heads in the blood of their victims, and they must replenish them every once in a while.

It's not hard to understand why such creatures could exist here. During the day, which of these creatures isn't filled with a bloodthirsty desire? The ground is already stained crimson with blood.

Although the emotions and fragments of their souls that they emitted had been absorbed by the wheel in Thor's mind, a certain rule that maintains the operation of the world was still triggered.

…………

The newborn red-hatted boy trudged along with heavy steps, eager to rush toward the open entrances and exits of the arena.

Just then, a group of figures draped in black robes, also bathed in moonlight, walked in through one of the passages.

A surge of heat spread outwards as they entered, and a faint smell of sulfur filled the air.

The sudden appearance of these creatures instantly ignited the bloodlust within Red Hat. They raised their heavy, long-handled scythes and charged forward, howling.

At first, their movements seemed somewhat sluggish, but once they got close enough, their speed suddenly increased dramatically.

This bizarre change, coupled with the heavy weapons, would be enough to overwhelm most low-level adventurers, but these black-robed figures who arrived here in the dead of night were clearly not among them.

One of them raised his head, revealing half of his chiseled, bronze-colored face in the moonlight, his eyes glowing red like burning charcoal.

He pointed forward, and a slender chain immediately shot out from his wide sleeves, wrapping around the red hats in the blink of an eye.

Immediately afterwards, a dark flame ignited and spread rapidly along the chains, instantly annihilating these unfortunate newborn creatures in the flames.

"Wouldn't it be a waste to just kill them like that? These spirit creatures can be very useful servants after being trained."

Another man in black robes beside him looked at the red hats that had vanished into thin air as if they had never existed, and couldn't help but sigh with regret.

The black-robed man who had made the move retrieved the chains, glanced at his partner, and said calmly.

"That red dragon dwells in the volcano not far away. Are you trying to disturb it by carrying these burdens?"

Don't forget our purpose. Setting up the rituals requires a lot of time; we can't waste it on such trivial matters.

Chapter 203 Mushrooms

The thick layer of mud and gravel in the center of the arena was thoroughly swept away by the group of men in black robes. Then, they took blood mixed with ruby ​​dust and carefully carved exquisite yet bloody patterns on the hard rock.

Large chunks of sulfur, glittering black diamonds, fresh organs, and various materials brimming with evil energy were all arranged around them in a specific order.

Once the ritual was completed, a deep-seated malice erupted from the depths of the earth, but quickly subsided under the influence of magic, slowly lying dormant.

Seeing that everything was ready, the men in black robes quickly filled in the sand piled up around them, burying the entire ritual completely underneath.

Next, all that's needed is for the red dragon to continue its brutal, bloody slaughter, letting the blood and souls of the bloodthirsty ones soak into the sand, constantly energizing the ritual, until the gates to the abyss burst open.

After doing all this, the men in black robes carefully observed their surroundings to make sure their whereabouts had not been discovered before they quickly left the spot.

However, right beneath their feet, where they hadn't noticed, specks of "white frost" had appeared in the dark red sand.

A slender, almost transparent mycelium greedily sucks up the rich organic matter in the sand and begins to divide and reproduce rapidly.

Soon, it transformed from a single stalk into a fluffy mass, with thousands upon thousands of mycelia intertwined, making the entire arena appear as if covered in snowflakes.

Although he has transformed into a dragon, Thor still upholds the virtue of thrift from his previous life and naturally does not waste any resources.

Those who can enter this arena to fight are mostly not ordinary people. Even creatures from the wilderness have some magical power flowing through their bodies.

As the saying goes, blood is the currency of the soul, and the blood in their bodies naturally contains abundant energy.

If these blood-soaked pebbles were used as fertilizer, the crops would surely thrive. However, this would require frequent replacement of the arena's bedding, which Thor found troublesome, so he simply had the fungi introduce the fungal spawn.

While Thor was building his ground forces and rebuilding the abandoned underground cities, the mushroom-like beings living in the dark caves were also busy.

With Deep Dragon, this super living fertilizer, they are like wild grass sprouting in spring, showing amazing vitality.

When the unique fungi extracted by Thor and originating from the Monster Hunter world were also handed over to the Fungus People, this race, which had lived underground for countless years, underwent a dramatic transformation.

The mycelium in the arena grew longer and thicker, soon becoming a white, fuzzy patch that looked like a piece of fermented tofu.

As organic matter and blood were continuously extracted from the gravel, its color changed from a deep, dirty red to a dry, yellowish-brown from the edges.

A large amount of nutrients and energy were transported to the center of the arena, where wriggling mycelia surged and began to contract.

First, a small bulge emerged from the snow-white velvet blanket, and soon it expanded like an inflated balloon, turning into a blue umbrella with a diameter of more than one meter.

Under the moonlight, the surface of this giant mushroom shimmered with a moist luster, and gleaming silver edges could be seen in its fine folds.

It began to rise little by little, and below it grew a thick, equally blue, moist and silky stalk. Drops of viscous liquid dripped from the edge of the cap, like silk threads, resembling a beaded curtain.

When this giant mushroom fully matured, it was already over two meters tall. Then, round, plump hands and feet emerged from the sides and bottom of the stem, along with a wrinkled pattern that resembled a face.

Thus, the mushroom completed its transformation from a fungus to a fungus-human, gaining the ability to move and develop self-awareness.

With its heavy head on its back, it glanced at the depths of the sand beneath its feet, then swayed and staggered out of the enormous arena, heading towards Thor's territory.

As it left, the thick "snow blanket" on the ground began to disintegrate rapidly. The mycelium seemed to have all its energy drained away, withering and turning yellow at an extremely fast speed, eventually crumbling into fine powder.

Thus, the sand and gravel of the entire arena returned to their original state, fluffy and dry, without a trace of blood.

…………

Magma gushing from the depths of the earth, carrying a continuous stream of fire and earth elements, was constantly absorbed into Thor's body and transformed into part of his own magic.

The invisible barrier in front of him became clearer, like a ripe fruit hanging on a branch, teetering on the verge of falling, ready to be breached at any moment.

As he focused his attention on the giant roulette wheel in his mind, the essence balance displayed below was approaching 5000 points. It wouldn't be long before he could draw another high-level monster template.

However, at this crucial juncture where a breakthrough is imminent, Thor has even greater ambitions—to collect 10 points and draw his first Elder Dragon.

These legendary creatures, which symbolize certain phenomena in nature, are born with the power to control the rules and almost innately possess their own legendary credentials.

If one can fuse with it during the breakthrough while dormant, it will surely greatly enhance one's strength.

Perhaps he could try extracting multiple monster templates first, and then fusing them all at once?

Theoretically, there is no problem, but the drastic changes may be quite taxing on the body, so it is necessary to make full preparations in advance.

As Thor calculated in his mind, he poured his essence into the outermost part of the roulette wheel, continuously drawing out miscellaneous items to unlock more exchange items.

This time, however, his luck wasn't too good. After hundreds of draws, all he got were things like fossilized bones, metasequoia seeds, and ice crystals, which weren't very useful to him.

But he was not annoyed by this, nor did he show any emotional fluctuation. After all, this bit of essence was something he could earn in the time it takes to drink a sip of water, and he no longer cared about it.

After finishing his daily tasks, Thor lazily rolled over, and his massive 21-meter-long body immediately stirred up huge waves in the scorching lava.

Just then, a tiny figure passed through the billowing smoke at the crater and landed directly on a protruding rock on the side of the mountain wall.

"Great Dragon Lord, I am very sorry to have disturbed your rest. There is a small problem that requires your personal review."

A crisp sound mixed with a dog's bark rang out, and Thor opened his molten gold eyes. Two beams of fire shot out from his pupils and rose straight upwards.

"A minor problem? Which clueless bastard caused this trouble? Let that little mudskipper Alan handle it, and bring that little blue lizard along too."

Tana, who was kneeling on the rock, raised her head and gently shook it.

"The great dragon lord shines upon this land like the sun, and no creature dares to challenge your majesty."

It wasn't some creature causing trouble; rather, the mushroom-like beings in the arena had sprouted, and it said it saw a group of sneaky fellows leaving some dark things in the sand.

Chapter 204 More Wealth Is Beckoning

Tana's words piqued Thor's interest. As a powerful dragon, he could sleep for years at a time, or remain awake for extended periods.

Not feeling sleepy at the moment, Thor simply flapped his wings, leaped out of the lava, and flew towards the nearby arena, creating a shower of golden rain.

Compared to him, she appeared exceptionally small, yet she was already surrounded by a similar aura. She quickly flapped her wings and followed closely behind, never leaving his side.

The distance, which wasn't far to begin with, was covered in a single glide. The enormous red dragon descended from the open ceiling of the arena, its footsteps causing the ground to tremble and thud.

Thor glanced at the sand beneath his feet. Without the obstruction of the filthy blood, he instantly sensed the anomaly thanks to his keen perception of energy.

With a wingspan of over fifty meters, it cast a shadow that blotted out the sky. With just a simple flap of its wings, it stirred up a strong wind of more than ten levels, blowing away all the sand and gravel beneath it.

A faint crimson array pattern suddenly appeared, and the sulfur, gems, and humanoid viscera placed in different locations seemed to melt and completely seep into the rock.

Thor stared at the pattern beneath his feet, his mind racing with the Dragon Legacy, and soon found the relevant information—Demon Summoning.

This thing is all too familiar to evil dragons, especially the five-colored dragons.

After all, Tiamat's divine kingdom is located in the first layer of the Nine Abyss, Aphrodite.

The five-colored dragons living there fought against demons and devils year after year, and naturally, information about these old adversaries was passed down from generation to generation.

Some damned flies were attracted by the smell of blood, hoping to get a share of the spoils from him.

Thor, realizing what was happening, grinned and revealed a silent, sinister smile. Earth-attribute magic surged forth from his body, attracting the blown-away sand and dust, which seemed to flow back in time.

The bloodbath in the abyss! The endless slaughter, the long and continuous death, and the insatiable desire.

As soon as he figured out the function of the wheel in his mind, Thor immediately thought of this most suitable place, where intense emotions were even more concentrated than the air, providing him with an inexhaustible supply of spiritual essence.

This made him yearn for the abyss where the demons resided, and he wished he could throw himself into it immediately.

However, he remained rational and had a clear understanding of himself. In a battlefield where legends were as insignificant as ants and demigods were everywhere, if he rashly participated with his current strength, he would probably not even be considered a main force and would only be used as cannon fodder.

However, Thor would be more than happy to help someone connect a small passage to the abyss.

Since powerful demons can't get through, the weaker ones will become excellent nourishment for him. This might even become one of his main ways to acquire spiritual essence in the next stage.

After all, the arena's initial hype will inevitably cool down until it stabilizes at a certain level. At that point, his demand for essence will certainly increase, so having another source of resources would be ideal.

…………

After calmly restoring the ground to its original state, Thor, along with Tana who had arrived, rose and flew away from the arena.

It seems that we can't completely absorb all those negative emotions and fragments of the soul; we have to leave some residue so that those little mice hiding in the shadows can see hope.

Unable to fall asleep any longer, Thor didn't return to the volcano. Instead, he landed in the plaza at the foot of the mountain and had the kobolds bring the newborn mushroom-man over.

As a life form born from fungi, and having only recently emerged, its movement speed was naturally slow. It took Thor quite a while to finally see the blue umbrella-like canopy.

At first glance, Thor felt that it was extremely similar to the blue mushroom he had extracted. Not only was its color exactly the same as the fluorescent one, but the mucus secreted by its body also contained a kind of vibrant energy.

Because the fungus race exists through a mental network composed of mycelium, there are no offspring in the true sense of the word. From the moment of birth, they inherit a large amount of knowledge and common sense about life.

Therefore, when the blue mushroom-man saw Thor, he showed no surprise at all. Instead, he bowed respectfully and sprayed out a hazy cloud of spore dust.

"Great Dragon Lord, the mushroom-woman Bryce pays homage to you, and thanks you for your gift that makes my existence possible."

Thor unconsciously wagged his tail, the sharp edges of his scales scraping the ground and sending up sparks of light, as he asked curiously.

"You're a mushroom person born from a blue mushroom strain? Did you inherit its self-healing ability?"