Starting with watering the World Tree for otherworldly survival

Page 267

He took out the high-grade staff he had obtained earlier, and the mithril staff, made of molten embers, immediately exuded the allure of a top-grade precious metal in the dim mine.

To possess such a staff, the adventurer before me is definitely not an ordinary person without spellcasting abilities! That's a genuine top-tier staff...

A fire element crystal, a rare find in thousands of years, with exquisite patterns combining top-grade scarlet iris steel and mithril staff, and the staff core exuding the aura of phoenix feathers.

In a life-or-death moment, the Black Dragon, unable to suppress the greed within his bloodline, was drawn to the priceless staff in Zhuang Daihua's hand.

With the true dragon's innate talent for accurately pricing precious items, this staff was immediately equated with an enormous sum of money in the black dragon's eyes.

It knew very well that this was a number it could not plunder in a hundred or even two hundred years.

Greed drove the black dragon's body like a puppet on strings, making it yearn to spread its wings and pounce immediately!

But at the same time, a terrifying thought also surfaced in Black Dragon's mind—

The iron dragon in front of me is the pet of a young lady from a duke's mansion, and she has come specifically to subdue me!

Upon closer inspection, isn't Zhuang Daihua the epitome of an elegant lady from a prominent family?

Although the details of her spellcasting abilities are unclear, in terms of charm alone... she surpasses even some famous bards and dancers.

It was only at moments like these that Zhuang Daihua would marvel at her own superior temperament. Even when her family wasn't so wealthy, she was often praised as a well-behaved and demure young lady.

Now, this dignified and serene demeanor has even fooled the real dragon.

A moment's thought was enough for the black dragon to reveal a weakness, and Qin Lan, who had distanced herself from the corrosive aura, prepared to unleash her maximum firepower.

Thanks to having previously consumed a fire-type magic crystal, Qin Lan can now charge up her breath much faster.

At the same time, a fan-shaped burst of electric sparks, imbued with fire and lightning attributes, clashed head-on with the corrosive aura beneath the black dragon's feet!

Lightning, flames, and poisonous acid intertwined, annihilating each other into billowing smoke. As the smoke cleared, Qin Lan had already taken the opportunity to dig a hole and escape underground.

As for the kobold soldiers, they were also intimidated by Zhuang Daihua, who had taken out a staff.

She also drew the dragon bone dagger, crafted from the wing bones of a fire dragon, from beside her leg. Thanks to the benefit of successfully binding the molten embers to her, the girl could manipulate the staff to some extent even without spellcasting abilities.

The fire element crystal at the top of the staff was drawing fire magic and natural energy from the phoenix feathers within the molten core of the staff.

The portion of natural energy was also incorporated into the Dragon Bone Dagger.

The Dragon Bone Dagger's blessing of absorbing blood and nourishing itself is essentially derived from absorbing the natural energy of the blood within demonic objects to nourish the blade.

The ability to release combustible dust similar to that in a fire dragon's fire sac is also an attack method derived from the conversion of natural energy.

Now, this mithril staff is the best natural energy extractor. Even though Zhuang Daihua doesn't know any magic, she can still use the dragon bone dagger to extract natural energy from the staff.

The molten embers easily filled the Dragonbone Dagger with the natural energy it needed, and the dagger instantly glowed with a branding red-hot light.

Moreover, the superheated natural energy exploded outwards through the blessing attached to the blade, forming dust of a fire dragon. Countless sparks scattered across the sky, cutting through the blade with dazzling flames upon contact.

That's enough to intimidate the kobolds.

"Evil dragon, this staff is worth more than all the riches in your lair. Good luck! If you can defeat my young dragon, you might have a chance to obtain it! As for these kobolds over here..."

"You can let them try; if they kill me, they can get this staff. Until then, I'll put it in my storage ring for safekeeping."

The act of deliberately flaunting wealth repeatedly fueled the young dragon's greed. Unbeknownst to him, the first target in the black dragon's eyes had changed from Qin Lan to Zhuang Daihua.

Qin He's move was very clever, after all, black dragons are not afraid to flee. If they sense something is wrong, they will retreat immediately.

They are also the most vengeful among the chromatic dragons; if a young black dragon really wants to escape, they will find it very difficult to stop it.

The display of wealth blinded the young black dragon with the immense riches before him. He already had a reason to kill Qin Lan, and then the staff before him...

The black dragon had no reason to run away anymore; it had to kill the iron dragon and seize the staff no matter what. This staff, forged from mithril and molten embers, would become the most valuable item in its vault!

For it, although it didn't know what level of mage the other party was, a human of that age was at most just an adult.

An eighteen-year-old mage, even with high talent, should not exceed the peak of the fourth rank. That's why a superior staff, as well as a crossbow and a young dragon for protection, are needed.

Kill her, then take the storage ring and fly away overnight to escape her family's revenge!

For a dragon, a hundred years of hiding and enduring is nothing, but these benefits are very real and tangible.

"Kill her! Don't be afraid, this adventurer doesn't have a trace of demonic energy! She's just a figurehead. Whoever kills her... I'll reward them with that dragon bone dagger!"

Zhuang Daihua secretly grumbled at the black dragon's stinginess, and switched her enchanted crossbow to fire steel balls with burning enchantment at the kobolds.

Those wooden shields, weaker than door panels, were pierced directly by the power boost from the enchanted crossbow. The burning enchantment also set the shields ablaze.

Although the lucky kobold wasn't shattered by the steel ball or impaled, he was still terrified by the trigger and his legs went weak.

Although the other kobolds were afraid, the oppressive aura emanating from the black dragon, coupled with their innate subservience to dragons, forced them to charge towards Zhuang Daihua.

Not knowing how many crossbow bolts the humans had, the black dragon only hoped the kobolds would use them up as much as possible. To embolden his servants, the black dragon made up a few lies, trying to deceive them.

As for rewards... humph.

The moment the black dragon uttered those words, he had already devised a complete plan to have the lucky one who would receive the reward "accidentally die" during the hunt, so that he could legitimately reclaim the dragon bone dagger.

In this world, gentle dragons like mulberry are few and far between. Such cruel and cunning individuals are the norm among colorful dragons.

Want to get a reward from the mouth of the cruelest dragon? You might have the life to take it but not the life to use it.

If it knew that what it casually said was the truth, I wonder if it would be so angry it would vomit blood?

Greed drove the black dragon to act quickly; although its powerful breath attack had burned many of its scales, the corrosive aura prevented it from suffering any decisive damage.

They would kill the iron dragon in front of them at all costs, and then kill the human!

He snatched the mithril staff from her hands, along with the storage ring, the enchanted crossbow, and even the dagger carved from dragon bone—everything was hers.

A fervent greed stirred the black dragon's bloodline, forcibly suppressing the wound in its throat from the crossbow bolt. It channeled the corrosive aura in sync with its breath, circulating the billowing acidic liquid throughout its body.

Then, through near-self-harm, the black dragon's bloodline was squeezed dry, causing it to unleash its full physical potential in a short period, like a demon crawling out of hell.

Qin Lan's expression hardened at the unexpected use of such a technique by the black dragon. She then unleashed the fire magic she currently possessed.

Steam, generated by the high temperature, was seen rising from the glossy scales of the iron dragon.

The young dragon, with its wings spread wide, unleashed its full power to blast away the black dragon's acid.

He mobilized his demonic energy to cover his body as much as possible for defense. Otherwise, the corrosive aura would burn through his scales in just a few moves.

The young dragon crouched down, its four claws suddenly unleashing extraordinary power. It pushed off the ground and vanished, transforming into a cannonball in a powerful pounce.

The black dragon also pounced, like a slender ghost, each movement tearing out a ferocious killing intent.

Pushing the corrosive aura to its limit, maximizing the power of the bloodline. In a flash, sharp claws clashed with heavy claws, followed by a metallic hum.

The bones of the black dragon and the iron dragon cracked simultaneously, as if they were about to break in the extreme battle.

The black dragon was unleashing its full power, and such a fierce battle could not last long. With power almost overwhelming the young iron dragon, it couldn't unleash more than fifty strikes.

It may not know at which strike it will tear the throat of the young dragon before it, but it is certain that it will never be defeated, having mastered the method of pushing the limits!

So what if it can rival a red dragon? A young dragon is still just a young dragon...

The black dragon and Qin Lan passed each other again, the black dragon whipping its tail like a slender, poisonous whip. However, the sharp tip of the tail was caught by the young dragon's closed wing bones and back plates.

After a series of metallic clanging sounds, the cracking of bones on both sides rang out once again.

"Iron Dragon cub! How many moves do you have left? Soon I will tear your skin off and use your head to decorate my lair!"

Qin Lan did not answer. Although she was born with a stronger physique as a young dragon, fighting a black dragon in its teens who had mastered special moves was still a difficult test for her.

If the creature in front of her were a young white dragon with a cold aura, she might be in an even more precarious situation due to the iron dragon's vulnerability to cold.

Qin Lan, focused on the battle, flew through the mine, using her body, which was less than four meters long, to launch an attack around the black dragon.

At a speed and rhythm that ordinary people could not even see, the steel claws and the black claws dripping with acid clashed repeatedly.

The corrosive aura combined with the black dragon's breath attack covering its entire body is indeed disgusting in close combat, both physiologically and in terms of combat effectiveness...

Even though the young dragon had a set of sharp, burning fangs, it couldn't use its greatest weapon to tear apart the skinny black dragon in front of it, and this wasn't entirely because it found the black dragon disgusting.

Because that hateful corrosive aura and acid would travel along the black dragon's scales, all the way to Qin Lan's mouth and throat, and frantically corrode her.

Wing attacks, tail whips, slaps, and headbutts—luckily, the Iron Dragon also has its iron beak capable of delivering heavy blows. Therefore, even with the opponent's corrosive aura, the stronger Qin Lan can temporarily hold her own against it.

It's hard to imagine that a black dragon could awaken such abilities in its youth. Furthermore, this black dragon reached an astonishing length of over ten meters even in its youth! Even a sneak attack through a burrow might not be enough to subdue it.

To win, the two most lethal blows must pierce the black dragon's chest simultaneously.

Each claw carried a deadly sharpness in their final clash. The black dragon tore through Qin Lan's body, the scorching heat and burning scales causing the young dragon to bleed profusely.

However, the cost was also quite obvious; several explosive crossbow bolts were already embedded in the black dragon's back. Even with the corrosive aura protecting its body, it could not ignore the explosions of the arrows.

My back and wing membranes were riddled with holes, but that's alright. Damaging the wing membranes will only affect flight; at worst, I can rely on the magic energy within my body to help me take off.

Only those dragons that are too large or do not have enough magical energy to spare will have their flight affected by damage to their wing membranes.

Looking back above the mine, Zhuang Daihua was engaged in a battle with the kobold soldiers. She skillfully switched between the attack modes of her crossbow, using enchanted steel balls to break through the kobolds' lines while simultaneously attacking the black dragon with crossbow bolts.

Every time Qin Lan heard the whooshing sound of the crossbow string cutting through the air, a chill ran down her spine. This was because Zhuang Daihua was using only arrows with the Spread Explosion enchantment.

Although she successfully hit the black dragon's spine and wing membrane, what if she hit herself?

The demonic black dragon let out a roar that seemed to come from hell. Carona raised his claws and toes, remaining unmoved as the iron dragon before him pounced and dented his sternum.

All it wanted to do was kill, kill the Iron Dragon. Then it would seize all the wealth from that human: the mithril staff... gold coins... magic crystals!

In the instant their bodies clashed, the black dragon suddenly stretched out its long neck, revealing its corrosive fangs, and recklessly bit into the young dragon's throat.

The fangs pierced through Qin Lan's scales, and blood immediately seeped from her neck, but that was the end of it.

The excruciating pain coursing through her body left Carona without the strength to bite any further.

Its ferocious pupils slowly moved downwards, and it discovered that, without anyone noticing, the young dragon's claws had already penetrated its body from the spot where the iron beak had shattered its sternum.

"No...no! Roar—"

The piercing scream of death was abruptly silenced by Zhuang Daihua's enchanted arrow aimed at the head.

Sharp, iron-gray claws pierced through the chest, tearing out the black dragon's heart.

"It's over! Kobolds, this evil dragon has fallen to the claws of the great Iron Dragon!"

"Now, the violent rule you have suffered under the shadow of the dragon is over. Bow your heads and kneel before your new lord!"

There were no superfluous words, nor any need to promise more favorable treatment. Kobolds are a race loyal to dragons, and apart from a few blue dragons, they are treated as the simplest cannon fodder and laborers wherever they go.

For a kobold tribe, there are few better dragon leaders than the Iron Dragon.

Just moments ago, these kobolds were charging forward with spears, braving the burning steel balls from their crossbows, but now they have obediently submitted to the young dragon's majesty.

Unable to comprehend the kobolds' reverence for dragons, Zhuang Daihua instinctively felt that these guys were unreliable.

“Mr. Qin, did you see that? These kobolds surrendered so readily! Could this be a delaying tactic, waiting to scheme against me…”

After all, she had just taken out the Staff of Molten Embers under Qin He's command. That staff alone was priceless.

"It's alright, Qin Lan can handle them. If you're worried, you can ask that big fox to teach you the incantation for the Binding Technique."

By the way, the nine-tailed silver fox Yu Li is still fast asleep in her tent. With such a powerful fox at the mid-stage of the Saint Realm helping them, how could they possibly fail to control the small kobold tribe?

"Furthermore, as I just said, a good bird chooses a good tree to perch on, and a good minister chooses a good master to serve. Being a slave under the Black Dragon and being a servant under the Iron Dragon are two completely different things."

Qin He knew that further explanation was pointless; Zhuang Daihua needed to find out for herself. Meanwhile, Qin Lan ordered the kobolds to gather their tribe.

The maze is some distance away, so the kobolds must bring their families and all of them into the mine.

Only in this way could Zhuang Daihua pack them up and take them away using the demiplane of her storage ring.

【Young Dragon Families】: Together with Iron Dragon Qinlan, find and subdue a family tribe (1/1).

Quest Reward: Bazelgeuse's Claws.

[Slay the Black Dragon]: Defeat the young black dragon "Demon-Eroded Wings" Carlona (1/1).

Quest Reward: Power Amulet.

Two tasks were completed simultaneously, including the previous task of finding and subduing the tribe. Hraheim thoughtfully set the reward as the sharp claws of a Bazelgeuse.

Next, Zhuang Daihua only needed to follow the method Qin He told her to make the sharp claws and amulets into even more powerful claws.

Zhuang Daihua was cheering and praising Qin He and Helaheim when a question suddenly occurred to her.

Since Heraheim can decide the rewards, why doesn't she just reward one Claw of Might directly, or give an extra reward for another quest?

She immediately retracted her previous praise, not daring to openly criticize her side's supreme deity. She could only quietly complain to Qin He.

In addition to the two tasks completed on Qin He's task panel, there are also additional tasks issued by the dungeon master in the current dungeon's battle room.

Now that the Black Dragon is dead, what special reward will the Labyrinth Master give?

A large, azure magical light screen appeared before Zhuang Daihua and Qin Lan, displaying three settlement rewards to choose from.