novelhk Page 278
Page 278
It has not yet fully exerted its power, but when the Son of Earth and Stone unleashes its full strength, the rock-forged exterior will transform into a demon cast in lava.
"Oh? Can the audience feel the temperature gradually rising? Can they feel the fear of the dragon that originates from the bottom of our hearts?!"
"The Githyanki's allies have arrived! The Burning Wings, a powerful adult red dragon returning from the Astral Plane, are about to destroy their rivals—"
"Gilbert, the 'Master of Flames'!!!"
Measuring eighteen meters in length and classified as a lower-level eighth-tier dragon, it was a standard adult red dragon. Its majestic horns and imposing wingspan drew cheers from the crowd.
"Tch, what are they? Just a bunch of shameful guys working for the Gisyanki. What a bunch of country bumpkins who've never seen the world!"
The Githyanki are a strange race that has long fought against the Mind Flayers.
They are raiders from the astral plane, wielding strange silver swords, and cooperating with the red dragon.
Tiamat once made a pact with the first Queen of Geth, allowing some young red dragons to work as mercenaries for the Geth Yankees.
The Gisyanki knights were allowed to ride on their backs, and in addition to the wages paid to the red dragons, the spoils of their plunder were to be split 20/80.
Eighty percent of them belong to the Red Dragons, who can choose to leave or renew their contracts to continue working for the Gisyanki when they reach adulthood.
The Red Dragons called it "experiencing life," but in Qin Lan's eyes, it was just working like slaves.
"If you ask me, these red dragons who are just doing odd jobs are utterly disgraceful to the dragon race! Humph—"
Red Dragon and Iron Dragon disliked each other, so Qin Lan kept slandering the adult Red Dragon below the stage.
"Flame Master? With a nickname like that, you're not afraid of being killed by a dragon. What an arrogant fool."
The chattering young Iron Dragon was fearless, since the Red Dragon couldn't hear her anyway.
"The Red Dragon will win," Qin He concluded.
The power of an adult red dragon is extraordinary, and this one in front of us has trained with the Gith Yankees. In daily raids and battles against mind flayers, Gilbert is stronger than Soth, another lower-ranking eighth-tier red dragon.
Soth was merely a red dragon raised in the Blue Dragonflight tribe, possessing a portion of its territory. She had never experienced any significant battles.
With fire resistance, the red dragon can completely ignore the Earth Child's lava form. However, its breath and fire magic cannot harm the opponent.
The final outcome of the match will depend on whether the Red Dragon crushes the Child of Earth and Stone first, or whether the Child of Earth and Stone kills the Red Dragon first.
Logically speaking, these flightless stone giants aren't even worthy of carrying the red dragon's shoes. However, these children of earth and stone are no pushovers either.
"No problem~ We'll win."
Seresi gave his approval, and then Zhuang Daihua bet the gold coins she won in the previous game on the Red Dragon.
The battle was about to begin when the Son of Earth and Stone shattered the dark, blood-stained ground of the arena with a single stomp. Rolling lava, accompanied by a massive tremor, erupted forth.
High-temperature steam billowed from the red dragon's mouth and nostrils, and its vertical pupils blazed with fire. With a flap of its wings, it soared into the air, dodging the attack of the Earth and Stone Child.
Before the Child of Earth and Stone could transform into its lava form, the red dragon unleashed a breath attack aimed directly at its head. The raging fan-shaped flames not only scorched the Child of Earth and Stone's head but also obscured the red dragon's figure.
"Beautiful! Gilbert slammed a powerful slap into the Son of Earth and Stone on the head! Then came the tail sweep! A powerful slash that brought the dragon's wings together!"
"As expected of a fully grown red dragon, Gilbert is incredibly strong and terrifying!"
As the host, the elderly woman on stage was clearly running out of things to say.
Probingly engaging the Son of Earth and Stone, the red dragon knew that the brute force of this war machine was greater than its own. But given the dragon's limited mobility, what could it possibly do?
Sniping, biting, tail sweeping, wing strikes—a series of exquisite close-quarters combat attacks tore apart the gnarled, rocky body of the Earth Child.
The Son of Earth and Stone was much more passive, only able to lock onto the Red Dragon with his attacks and retaliate with two heavy punches.
The lava form erupted, and the Earth and Stone Children were now temporarily immune to fire damage. Knowing this, the red dragon still spread its wings and flew into the sky.
Once the distance is created, the Red Dragon will use a dive-bombing attack combined with a wing attack to take down the Earth Child directly.
The Child of Earth and Stone was not a low-intelligence beast; its heavy fist slammed into the ground, digging out two spherical boulders formed from fire and earth elements.
These burning, meteor-like objects were then flung and thrown at the red dragon.
Facing the massive boulders hurtling towards it, the red dragon grinned, revealing its sharp, white teeth. It sidestepped one of the boulders, then swung its tail, shattering another one in its path.
Its fluid movements included a high-difficulty maneuver where it used its tail to propel itself into a dive, spread its wings, and then slashed directly at the child of earth and stone.
Even the Son of Earth and Stone would have to kneel down on one knee after being struck head-on by the immense force of the red dragon.
Next, the son of earth and stone gradually weakens and is slowly destroyed by the red dragon.
The host congratulated Red Dragon on his victory; the second in-game buff also appeared upon his win.
(Number of wins - 2/10)
[Death Reversal Charm]: Built-in full resurrection spell, which can avoid death in one dungeon run.
Compared to the Black Death Claw, this item is much less cost-effective. With the anchor point of the demiplane ring as her trump card, Zhuang Daihua is unlikely to encounter any life-threatening dangers from the first to the fifth level.
This is normal, though, since this maze is a random adventure to some extent. It's unrealistic to expect good items every time.
Next up is a young white dragon from the red team, facing off against a green fire dragon from the blue team with potent poison.
As a flying wyvern, the Green Rathalos's breath can inflict powerful fire burns. Its venom glands and thorns running from its back to its tail also pose a significant threat.
However, a young white dragon possesses the strength of a sixth-tier dragon and already has sufficient intelligence. It might not necessarily lose to a similarly sub-adult green fire dragon.
"The white dragon will definitely win. No matter how weak they are, they shouldn't lose to the most ordinary green fire dragon."
Without hesitation, Qin Lan declared that Bai Long was a sure winner. However, Qin He's bet on Bai Long had little to do with racial differences.
Qin He knew that the White Dragon would definitely use its abilities to dodge the Fire Dragon's breath attack originating from its fire sac. Furthermore, the Fire Dragon's breath attack couldn't last long; it couldn't withstand the White Dragon's shape-shifting breath attack in a direct confrontation.
Zhuang Daihua took Bai Long hostage, and Bai Long immediately used his expertise in digging tunnels to soften the arena's ground and disappear into it.
The green fire dragon, having failed to unleash its breath attack, immediately spread its wings and looked around. Its claws and tail spikes were all poised to strike—
However, the white dragon burrowed underground, condensing ice blades at its claws to strike the green fire dragon's tail. The fire dragon's tail, with its poisonous spikes, was indeed a formidable weapon, but it was also its most vulnerable point.
The green fire dragon's spiny tail was severed, and the white dragon once again burrowed underground to avoid the leaking venom. It burst out of the ground and suppressed the green fire dragon from the side.
The green dragon attempted to take flight, relying on its superior flying ability to fight the white dragon. However, the white dragon's freezing breath had already frozen the green dragon's wings, allowing it to fully utilize its savage advantage.
The frozen wing membrane was quickly torn and injured by the white dragon. The green fire dragon was not a real dragon and could not rely on natural energy to assist in flight.
A wing injury is a serious situation for them that can affect their ability to fly.
The green fire dragon roared and tried to overturn the white dragon, but the true dragon with two wings and four limbs was superior to the flying dragon with two wings and two feet in combat.
Even though the white dragon is the weakest among the colored dragons, it still has a way to suppress the green fire dragon's powerful and venomous claws, and a new round of magic is also gathering.
Ice spikes suddenly pierced the ground, further damaging the green fire dragon's body.
The battle ended with the white dragon emerging victorious. It not only defeated the green fire dragon but also devoured the severed tail segment on the spot.
Although the fire dragon's venom is formidable, it is entirely different for it to enter the white dragon's bloodstream and for it to enter its digestive system.
With the exception of a few types of venom, the true dragon can digest virtually any poison that is ingested directly.
After eating the frozen fire dragon's tail, the white dragon immediately turned and left.
(Number of wins - 3/10)
【Guardian Claw】: An amulet that enhances defense. Simply holding it can harden the skin to the point of being as hard as rock. The addition of dragon materials further enhances the amulet's effects.
This Guardian Claw, like the Claw of Power, is an amulet that boosts attributes when worn. Although it's only an in-game limited item, wearing it allows Zhuang Daihua to withstand almost all attacks.
Within the fifth rank, who can hurt her?
Unless a purple dragon suddenly appears and cuts her in two with its blade-like breath that ignores defense, she is definitely invincible.
The battle continued, but Zhuang Daihua turned her attention to the Snow Owl Bear mother and daughter inside the demiplane ring. Xue Hui and Xue Li were indeed well-behaved; after finishing the roasted winter wolf meat, Xue Li obediently lay down in place.
As a young snow owl bear, Sherry curled up like a large plush toy.
As for Yukie, who has regained her original form, she is an even larger and more robust adult snowy owl-bear. Snowy owls and bears, two adorable creatures that are easy on the eyes, have all their advantages combined in Yukie.
Its fluffy white feathers, adorned with brilliant black accents, support the Snow Owl Bear's upright body.
Xiao Xiong's distinctive round face, coupled with the gentle expression as he occasionally squinted to observe his daughter, created a heartwarming scene that made Qin He and Zhuang Daihua sigh in unison.
Zhuang Daihua didn't have much to say to her elderly mother who had passed away at a young age.
However, if I could have a new future with Qin He in this world, perhaps I could also experience such happy and warm moments?
……
The fourth in-game reward appeared soon after, amidst another round of cheers from the crowd. It was a group of orcs wielding battle axes who had routed the bandit dragons.
(Number of wins - 4/10)
【Red Leaf Protection】: A round shield with good defensive capabilities, capable of withstanding attacks up to level six.
The tiny round shield, barely bigger than a pot lid, is somewhat comical. However, there are still six matches to bet on, meaning six in-game buffs.
A group of knights clad in heavy armor and wielding fine two-handed swords entered the arena.
The forty-man team was about to face a single undead knight and his army of skeletons.
After the undead knight's armor was shattered into pieces, the fifth match finally came to an end.
(Number of wins - 5/10)
【Navigation Compass】: It can read environmental information within a 2,000-meter radius of itself and generate a corresponding map.
This thing might be useful if it could be taken out of the game. But what need is there for a map in a maze like this?
Zhuang Daihua gradually felt frustrated, but fortunately the competition itself was exciting enough.
(Number of wins - 6/10)
【Five-Star Palico Chef Construct】: Includes a personal recipe book of a five-star Palico chef, made of high-quality magical metal.
You can purchase various meal sets from the Palico chef by spending the corresponding amount of gold coins.
Looking at the mechanical Palico that was slightly taller than her calves, Zhuang Daihua felt like crying.
Gold coins? Gold coins are what we need most right now. Although a five-star Palico chef can indeed provide a significant boost by cooking Palico meals with various rare ingredients.
The problem is, we can't afford it!
Qin He also complained about the random in-game rewards from the Maze Master. If he could remotely transfer tens of thousands of dragon crystals to Zhuang Daihua, that would be fine.
The problem is, it can't be transferred!
However, they can still advance all the way to the fifth level. It's not necessarily true that they can't afford it. After tossing the mechanical chef into her demiplane ring, Zhuang Daihua continued to focus on the remaining matches.
……
(Number of wins - 7/10)
【猎人工具初级包】：内含投射器*1、导虫笼*1、隐身衣装*1、投射器闪光弹*5、投射器音爆弹*5。
This set of basic hunter tools is a pretty good in-game reward. However, being a hunter is incredibly expensive; the gap between hunters is greater than the gap between a human and a hound.
Spending huge sums of money to forge weapons and equipment, taking risks to hunt dangerous monsters, and even obtaining materials from ancient dragons are things that only the most exceptional individuals can do.
Zhuang Daihua was quite aware of her own capabilities. Until she had a stable source of income, she decided to be as frugal as possible for now…
If she had a staff but didn't use it, and instead became a hunter, then she would be incredibly foolish.
(Number of wins - 8/10)
【Dragon Scale Care Agent Type III】: Enables dragon scales to grow and recover faster, becoming even shinier and neater than before. It also protects the scales, making them less susceptible to scratches or corrosion.
It even had the Chassa logo printed on it, and an advertising slogan written in dragon script:
"Make your dragon scales as smooth and translucent as the great dragon Chassa, and restore the vitality of a fledgling dragon."
I don't know who came up with this, but given Chassawanlong's status, they naturally wouldn't bother endorsing any maintenance products.
Hmm... Looking at the scales on Qin Lan's body that were burned and pitted, perhaps these healing agents have come at just the right time.
As soon as she got the maintenance agent, Qin Lan excitedly applied it to her scales. However, upon seeing the name "Chassa" printed on the bottle, she immediately pushed the entire bottle away like a cat with its fur standing on end.
(Number of wins - 9/10)
【Dragon Steel (Red Dragon) Throwing Knife】*5. Forged by combining red dragon blood with high-grade steel and magical materials, and forged with the breath of a red dragon.
Other non-fire-attribute dragon steel is forged by directly using breath fluid or energy combined with dragon blood to treat the steel.
Now, with her strength amplified multiple times, Zhuang Daihua has enough wrist strength to wield these throwing knives. It's just that the aura of the red dragon greatly displeases Qin Lan.
"Hmph! I told you red dragons are a disgrace, working as blacksmiths and boilermakers for the gray dwarves. Even this dragon steel is mostly smelted by red and white dragons!"
Qin Lan's scales had been completely restored thanks to the conditioning agent. Now that she was back to normal, she continued to slander the red dragon.
(Number of wins - 10/10)