[User: Green Dragon XT40392.]
[Level: 6.]
[Mastered Ability: Winged Breath (Venom).]
[Mastered Spell: Mage Hand.]
[Basic Attributes: Magic Affinity (LV2), Fire Resistance (LV2), Frost Resistance (LV1), Storm Resistance (LV1), Toxic Resistance (LV1), Strength (LV1), Defense (LV2), Vitality (LV1).]
The Evolution Game's status panel displayed before Xia'er.
Xia'er was now quite clear about the boundaries of levels.
Levels 1 to 10 were considered Heroic.
Levels 11 to 20 were Paragon.
Levels 21 to 30 were Legendary.
Levels 31 to 40 were Demigod.
And levels 41 to 60 were True God!
Under normal circumstances, a Chromatic Dragon reaching level 6 would require at least reaching the Juvenile Dragon stage, with only a small portion of exceptionally gifted Red Dragons or Blue Dragons achieving it earlier. Yet Xia'er, still in the Young Dragon stage, had already accomplished a feat typically reserved for Juvenile Dragons, enough to be called exceptionally gifted.
If good-aligned dragons or humans were to learn that Xia'er had also mastered a spell and a breath weapon ability ahead of time, she would undoubtedly be regarded as the most dangerous evil dragon this continent would face in the future!
Though, who could have imagined that Xia'er's current breath weapon didn't originate from her lungs, but from her wings...
This would certainly catch many enemies off guard.
However, after taking stock of her current situation, Xia'er had only one thought in her mind.
Hah!
Who would have thought I was this powerful!
Previously, Xia'er had always been cautious and prudent, deeply absorbing the lessons from her blood relatives' demise, guarding against arrogance and impatience.
But she never expected that facing a level 8 Hydra, her victory would come so easily.
It seems the words from the Dragon Inheritance, stating that true dragons were a race standing at the pinnacle of the world, were no joke!
It's just that sometimes they fall due to various reasons.
Thinking this, Xia'er felt brimming with confidence. Her wings flapped audibly as she surveyed her surroundings, her gaze falling upon the trembling White Dragon Disos not far away. Filled with heroic fervor, she declared, "Come here."
The White Dragon Disos's eyes lit up. He hurriedly flew over, landing before Xia'er. He stood with his hind legs together, his foreclaws placed neatly on his hind claws, wings folded as he crouched obediently before Xia'er.
"Enjoy this bloody feast."
With those words, Xia'er spread her wings and soared into the air.
Next, Xia'er planned to continue scouting the surrounding area.
If there were no powerful neighbors near this island either.
Then this island would become the starting point of her dominion!
When the time came, she would cover this island with trees!
Trees resistant to cold and wind!
A Green Dragon, from birth, never having seen a forest—was that even fucking reasonable?!
After killing the Hydra, Xia'er flew swiftly along the bay, this time with more caution and greater attention to detail.
Soon, in the shallow waters around the island, Xia'er spotted numerous net-like structures and underwater caves.
These caves connected to the island. It seemed that through these passages, barely one meter high but extending in all directions, one could access the entire island.
"Hmm?"
Xia'er's pupils narrowed, clearly realizing something.
That Hydra seemed to have just been passing through and stopping over, or perhaps, similar to herself, had only recently arrived. The true master of this island... was someone else.
And just at that moment, Saga's black dragon form broke through the water's surface, sending up a spray of icy droplets. His powerful dragon claws dragged a salmon nearly three meters in length as he flew to Xia'er's front.
The salmon's tail was still flapping vigorously, which somewhat surprised Xia'er.
It seemed that in the skill of diving to catch fish, a Black Dragon's innate talent surpassed that of a Green Dragon.
"As per your command, I have captured tonight's prey."
Saga dragged the prey before Xia'er, lowering his head respectfully as he spoke, his heart filled with joy.
This hunting thing, it didn't seem that hard after all.
Xia'er's gaze shifted from those suspicious cave entrances in the distance to the plump salmon before her.
Xia'er nodded her massive emerald-green head in satisfaction. "Well done, Saga. It seems the fishing grounds in these waters are sufficiently abundant."
With that, Xia'er's tail swayed, pointing toward the deep, dark openings hidden among the inland rocks and tundra vegetation. "However, before we enjoy our dinner, there's another matter I must trouble you with."
"Please speak."
Saga immediately straightened his posture, listening intently.
"During my earlier reconnaissance, I discovered this island is riddled with many cave passages showing signs of excavation, extending in all directions. These caves are low and narrow, resembling the dens of some small, communal creatures. Their presence poses a significant hidden danger to our occupation of this island."
Xia'er's tail kept swaying. "Black Dragons are born experts at navigating dark swamps, digging, and constructing lairs. Saga, I want you to use your instincts to investigate for me. Find out exactly what is hiding within these caves."
Hearing this, a glimmer of understanding, even a hint of excitement, flashed in Saga's dark dragon pupils.
Digging and exploring—this truly was an instinct flowing through the Black Dragon bloodline.
In Valentina's dragon lair, he had almost no opportunity to exercise this talent.
"Leave it to me!"
Saga glanced at the White Dragon Disos, who was still nibbling on the Hydra carcass nearby, paused for a moment, then added, "Disos, keep watch over the prey."
The White Dragon Disos looked up blankly, a bit of snake meat still clinging to the corner of his mouth, letting out a vague "gurgle" sound.
Saga hesitated no longer. He selected a relatively larger opening not far from the Hydra corpse, located at the edge of a slippery, muddy area.
The edges of the opening were smooth, clearly indicating frequent traffic by creatures.
Saga lowered his robust dragon frame and began expertly digging with his forelimbs, covered in hard scales, and his sharp claws.
This skill could be said to be innate, learned without a teacher.
Soil and rubble were easily scraped away under the Black Dragon's formidable strength. His powerful tail provided strong support for his body, while his hind legs pushed steadily for propulsion.
As he dug, Saga used his keen sense of smell to capture the faint scents emanating from within the cave.
Damp, muddy, and a faint, fishy, musky odor.
The scent was very familiar. Saga seemed to recall such creatures recorded in the Dragon Inheritance.
Some amphibious creatures living in swamps.
Xia'er stood to the side, her emerald-green wings slightly folded, vigilantly watching Saga's digging progress and the surrounding movements. The fine spray pores along the edges of her wings seemed to open slightly, ready to unleash her 'Winged Breath' at any moment.
In just a short while, Saga had already widened and deepened the originally narrow opening by nearly ten meters. The excavated soil piled into a small mound at the entrance.
The passage inside seemed to slope downward, becoming even deeper and more obscure.
Suddenly, Saga's digging movements came to an abrupt halt!
His massive dragon claw seemed to have reached into a larger cavity. Immediately after, a rapid, rustling sound came from within the cave!
"Got it!"
Saga's dragon claw thrust inward fiercely, then yanked outward with tremendous force!
"Gwaaak!"
A wet, slimy figure was forcibly dragged out from the muddy depths of the cave by Saga!
The small creature was flung harshly onto the cold beach sand. It struggled to get up but was clearly terrified out of its wits by the Black Dragon's immense power. It could only lie on the ground, trembling violently.
Xia'er also looked at this unknown creature.
It was a humanoid creature about a meter tall.
Its skin was a sickly gray-green, covered in a layer of slippery mucus and dark green mossy spots. Its limbs were slender, with webbed feet and fingers.
Its head resembled an enlarged frog's skull, with a pair of bulging, turbid yellow eyes.
At this moment, the creature's eyes were filled with sheer terror. Its mouth gaped open, emitting meaningless 'gwaak' shrieks. Facing the Black Dragon Saga, it could only lie prostrate on the ground, trembling uncontrollably.
Seeing this appearance, a name for a race from the Dragon Inheritance surfaced in Xia'er's mind.
"Bullywugs?"