Chapter 146 Galos: I've become the boss?
Galos finished his neck-wrapping training, shook his body, and the sand embedded in the gaps between his scales fell off in a rustling sound.
He walked slowly to the riverbank and drank the river water with his head down.
After drinking almost all of it, he didn't leave, but instead looked at the water.
The river rippled and undulated, reflecting his rugged dragon head, which twisted and swayed. Only his dark eyes remained calm and composed, unlike a bloodthirsty and ferocious monster. Instead, they resembled those of a warrior with a firm will, forged through countless trials.
He raised his head and turned around.
Galus's gaze fell upon his busy retinue.
The Estonian River is wide and has a rapid current. It is also home to many aquatic beasts and monsters, making it extremely dangerous to wade across. Therefore, the War Lizardmen and Kobolds built rafts.
The War Lizardmen select suitable tree trunks, cut them down, and transport them to the riverbank.
The dog-headed man used a sharp knife to scrape the bark from the tree and weave the fibers into ropes.
It mainly uses mortise and tenon structure, is coated with waterproof river mud resin, and is reinforced by magic spells cast by sorcerers, ultimately forming a large wooden raft that looks simple but is actually extremely sturdy and can cross rivers.
If the timing is right, and if there are blueprints and materials available.
The War Lizardmen and Kobolds are masters of crafting complex ferries; they are recognized as masters of wilderness architecture.
Once they reached the borderlands and no longer needed to hide themselves, Garos planned to have them build him a proper fortress, the Dragon Nest, instead of having to live in dark caves like wild beasts.
This is a huge project.
Especially considering the size of dragons, building suitable habitats for them would require a great deal of time, materials, manpower, and resources.
However, a suitable nesting site is not just for enjoyment.
It pleased Galus, and a good mood helps him think calmly and rationally, so it's not without its benefits.
Galus looked up at the sky.
The giant eagle Korra and the iron dragon Sorog are circling and patrolling, while hidden sentries are stationed in various locations to keep watch.
Unless one is extremely skilled at stealth, it is difficult to get close to this place, and given the size of the monster horde here, it is unlikely that anyone would dare to approach rashly.
Moreover, Galus is currently at his peak.
The blood-red rays of the setting sun fell upon him, seeping into the gaps in his scales.
It is clear that his previous injuries have now completely healed, and the used-up Blazing Scales have grown back, layering on his body like thick armor. Moreover, the thorns on his body have become even harder and are continuing to evolve. It is unknown what form they will take at the end.
"This place is far from the Thousand Serpents' Mark."
"Beyond the great river lies the border between wilderness and tundra."
Red Iron Dragon lay down on the spot, closed its eyes, and pretended to sleep.
The afterglow of the setting sun cast a blood-red hue over the riverbank as dusk deepened.
The hunters of the Dragon Hunting Guild silently passed through the monster horde and quietly approached the Red Iron Dragon.
The sorcerer chanted obscure incantations in a low voice, and dark purple magical energy enveloped everyone like a thin mist.
They are like ghosts wandering between light and darkness, unable to be seen or touched, and not even their smell, sound, or body temperature can be detected.
—Shadow Stealth.
This spell allows people to briefly appear in the Shadowlands, a dark plane that borders and parallels the material plane. By sneaking around in the Shadowlands, they can perform long-distance jumps, invisibility, and even teleportation in the material plane.
The dragon hunting team has a specific dragon hunting procedure centered around the gladiator grid.
First, use Shadow Step to approach the target, then drag the target into the arena. Use the superior numbers and space to kill the target, then teleport away to avoid being surrounded and killed by subsequent monsters.
They have only ever hunted one adult dragon.
However, those young men, teenagers, and even younger juvenile dragons all have considerable hunting experience.
Although they had learned of the three young dragons wreaking havoc in the mine and knew they were extraordinary, the Dragon Hunting Team still had their own confidence.
If they were to face the army head-on, they might not be a match.
But when it comes to dealing with dragons, they are the real experts.
Passing through sluggish hordes of ogres and wary packs of jackals, the Dragon Hunting Team strolled through the Shadowlands, slowly approaching their target. They were fortunate enough to avoid any attacks from shadow creatures or being forced to abandon stealth mid-journey.
Only the fairy dragon Vera, with the most acute senses, vaguely sensed that something was amiss.
It is a planar dragon, although not a Shadow Dragon from the Shadow Plane. However, when the crowd approached it using planar characteristics, it still instinctively sensed something was amiss.
The fairy dragon flapped its butterfly-like wings and flew toward the red iron dragon, who was resting with its eyes closed.
He no longer cared that he might 'slay dragons in his dreams'.
Vera mustered her courage and approached, then shouted, "Garos, wake up! I have a strange feeling!"
Galos opened his eyes.
"What's wrong?"
He asked.
The fairy dragon frantically circled in place, but it was difficult to describe the instinctive feeling.
"That's right, something's definitely not right!"
It stated this.
Galos narrowed his pupils and scanned his surroundings warily, but everything in his field of vision appeared normal.
Neither the Red Dragon nor the Iron Dragon has a particularly good perception attribute; they are somewhat dull. Galos's hybridity in this regard is not positive, and he is naturally even weaker than normal Red Dragons and Iron Dragons. Over the years, he has improved his mental attribute a lot by using Fairy Scale Powder, so his perception is no longer a weakness, but it is not particularly outstanding either.
He trusted the Fairy Dragon's judgment.
Out of caution, Galus flapped his wings and took off into the air first, before making any further moves.
However, at this moment, a sudden change occurred.
A total of eight ghostly figures appeared out of the void without warning.
The reeds of the real world eerily pierced through their bodies, as if the two existed in different dimensions.
Their armor and robes only solidified suddenly, making a dull thud as they hit the ground, when the sorcerers lifted the stone slab engraved with the reverse scale pattern and smashed it to the ground.
The surrounding monsters immediately turned their heads in this direction.
Countless eyes fell on the crowd.
Samantha opened her dragon's mouth, about to unleash a fiery dragon breath to engulf the sudden attackers.
at the same time.
The land beneath Garus suddenly collapsed into a vortex.
It's not a physical sinking—it's the space itself collapsing.
Like a piece of parchment crumpled by an invisible giant hand.
A dark red light curtain rose from the edge of the vortex, like a closed beast's mouth. The spatial changes were too fast to react to, and it completely swallowed the red iron dragon's body.
In Galus's perception, the scene on the riverbank first froze, and then began to fade.
The ropes the gnolls were weaving, the boulders the ogres were carrying, and even the flames Samantha was spewing all blurred and disappeared like an oil painting washed away by rain.
Only the red stone slab and several figures became increasingly clear, filling his entire field of vision.
The world is being reshaped amidst distortion.
When Galus's vision cleared, he found himself standing in the center of an ancient Roman-style amphitheater.
The stands were empty, with only the sounds of battle echoing through the air. Galos inexplicably understood how this space operated. Opposite him, eight illusory figures solidified one by one.
"This space feels like a dungeon in a game."
"Oh, I've become the boss, and these people are ganging up on me."
After surveying his surroundings, Galos gazed at the figures before him.
There are eight people in total.
Two of them made the deepest first impression on him.
Leading the group was the leader of the Spellcaster Guild, [Ghostbinder Karios], a thin man dressed in a deep purple robe woven from spider silk. Half of his face was hidden in the hood and could not be seen clearly. Runes constantly appeared and swirled on the surface of the robe, and he held a dragon spine staff made from the spine of a black dragon in his hand.
Then there was the vice-captain of the paladins standing beside him.
【Steel Oath - Leo】
He was tall and imposing, clad in heavy armor with layers of black, scale-like plates that exuded the aura of a dragon. Each plate was engraved with blasphemous prayers. Beneath his steel helmet and visor, his eyes were devoid of warmth. The dragon-slaying greatsword in his hand was over three meters long and as wide as a door.
To be more precise.
He is the Holy Knight of Vengeance.
An oath of revenge is a solemn promise to punish those who commit serious crimes.
When evil forces slaughter helpless residents, when all people turn away from God's will, when a certain thief guild becomes too powerful and domineering, when terrifying dragons roam the countryside—at such times, paladins sworn with the oath of vengeance appear to set things right.
These paladins are willing to sacrifice their purity and honor to uphold justice.
Show no mercy to villains and stop at nothing to achieve victory.
Each vengeful paladin has a different oath.
Leo's oath of revenge was to slay all the evil dragons that plagued the world.
Because of this oath, all his attacks deal extra damage to dragons, and he also receives comprehensive buffs when fighting dragons.
In the Dragon Hunting Guild.
The paladin is the most powerful frontal damage dealer, while the spellcaster leader is a control-type character who oversees the entire situation.
The other characters also have different professions, and they are specialized professions rather than traditional balanced warriors.
For example, there's the Shadow Assassin who specializes in deadly sneak attacks and poisons, the Beast Hunter who specializes in exploiting the weaknesses of large creatures, the War Priest who specializes in team buffs and holy strikes, the Potion Master who specializes in explosives and potions, and the Bloodrage Berserker who specializes in regeneration and combat.
With sorcerers and paladins at the core, these professionals who can cooperate with each other certainly have the confidence and ability to hunt dragons.
Galos sensed an unprecedented danger from these people, a situation even more perilous than when he fought the diamond giant.
The Dragon Hunting Group made meticulous preparations, bringing him into such a confined space. Without resorting to methods like anti-aircraft restrictions, they severely limited his flight and maneuverability.
As the party passively facing the enemy, Galus was at a geographical disadvantage.
But he remained increasingly calm and did not become angry because of the attack.
Especially in times like these, it's crucial to suppress negative emotions and focus on overcoming difficulties and crises.
(End of this chapter)
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