The sound of flapping echoed through the hall. The dragon flew above his head, circling the ceiling with its spread wings.
"Hahaha, you're very interesting, human. You know it was my illusion. But you fought it anyway."
Klaus smirked. "I know an old dragon like you needs entertainment. So I provided it. But now, I'm going to get real serious."
"Huh, is that so? Let's see if your talk is not just a talk."
Suddenly, a light mist filled the hall. Not long after, the interior that originally looked like an ancient relic building turned into a grand hall with a luxurious feel. Crystal balls hung above the ceiling, emitting a golden light that created an atmosphere. Dragon statues lined each wall alongside charming Renaissance paintings.
Klaus knew he was under an illusion, but he could still grin.
"Huh, he turned this hall into a bright place, so I can't hide in the shadows. Smart."
He then asked Laplace how much battle power the dragon had.
[Lesser Dragon - Battle power - 988,000]
After seeing its status, Klaus sighed in disappointment.
"Thought I'd be fighting an Ancient Dragon or a Monarch Dragon. But it's just a lowly dragon. No wonder it's so stupid."
The aura of darkness that enveloped him became even more pronounced as Klaus concentrated his energy to launch an attack. On the other hand, the dragon flew in majestic elegance, its blue scales glittering and crescent moon eyes radiating sly intentions.
"Humor me, human!"
Swoosh! A breath of smoldering fire escaped from its mouth. Klaus quickly cloaked himself with dark energy and dodged it. At the same time, he threw four metal spheres elegantly. They shot, through the burning flame breath, towards the flying dragon.
However, not only was Klaus able to transform into an object. The dragon quickly used its illusion power, turning its body into a thin mist, and those metal spheres were easily missed.
"If you just rely on those stupid iron balls, you have no chance against me, stupid human."
The dragon's voice echoed, but his form was nowhere to be seen.
Suddenly, ancient artworks came to life before him. The statues awoke from their slumber, the pictures on the walls moved, and the floor felt alive under his feet. At the same time, flames burst out of the mist.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtSwoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
The dragon used its illusions to confuse his mind while launching attacks.
"Keep running like a rat, human!"
Klaus immediately cloaked his body with [Dark Force] and dodged them. Multiple bursts of fire came at him. The temperature became hot, and smoke filled the room, suffocating his lungs.
However, Klaus was not just any awakener. He saw beyond the illusion, through the fog that enveloped the dragon. He found traces of the dragon's actual existence in the dazzling light of the crystal balls.
Klaus manipulated the dark energy within his body, unleashing dense darkness and engulfing all the light within this magnificent hall.
A shocking black explosion filled the hall, blinding the dragon hiding in the mist. Its illusions shattered, fading away rapidly. The dragon's form finally became visible to the naked eye.
"What!?"
As the dragon was in shock, Klaus quickly saw this opportunity and launched his next attack. With a pitch-black aura, he gathered dark energy in his spheres.
A grin bloomed on his face. "It's my turn now."
Phew! Phew! Phew!
Dark spheres shot toward the dragon in a series of fast and deadly attacks. The dragon tried to dodge, but several attacks managed to hit it. Its blue scales shattered, and blood began to flow. However, the dragon would not give up so easily.
With a burning rage, the dragon gathered its remaining strength. In one decisive move, it created a powerful illusion, splitting itself into ten and making the hall seem to collapse, and a rumbling sound and deep pain engulfed Klaus.
"You will die!" The echoes of voices in wrath gnashed the air.
Swoosh!
Ten dragons simultaneously spit out flames.
Instead of dodging, Klaus kept his ground. He let the flames burn him. For a moment, the dragon laughed as the hall turned into a sea of fire. But the euphoria vanished as darkness consumed all the flames.
Naturally, the dragon was dumbfounded.
"Well, this is all you've got, huh?" Klaus mocked as his lips curled up.
"Impossible! How is it possible!?"
"Of course, it's because I'm powerful, idiot!"
Klaus took a deep breath.
With his unparalleled inner calm, he saw through the illusions. He was unaffected by the dragon's trickery and knew which was the real one from ten of them. His sphere flashed with deadly dark energy as he flicked it at the dragon with full force. The attack pierced the dragon's scales, shattering it with devastating force.
BOOM!
A powerful explosion filled the entire hall. The dragon fell and hit the floor hard.
"Argh!"
The dragon whimpered in unbearable pain. It tried to get up, but its legs could not support its massive body. The dragon's powerful life began to fade with every last breath.
"How is it possible? How is it possible!? I'm a great dragon. How can I lose to a lowly human like this? It's impossible! Cough—!"
Klaus didn't say a word, just looked at it with a cold gaze.
Fresh red blood spurted from its mouth. Klaus walked over to the dragon. There was no hint of mercy on his face. Instead, he stomped on its head.
"Argh!" The dragon groaned, not because of pain but because its pride was hurt. A human stepped on a dragon like a piece of trash. His small foot could silence the dragon's big mouth.
"You lowly human. How dare you do this to me!" The dragon groaned through its gagged mouth.
Klaus let out a deep sigh of disbelief. "You can still talk like that? Do you know your situation now? Well, it looks like I have to take back my words earlier. You are not the wisest creature being. You're just a piece of shit."
The dragon glared in anger. It was about to spit fire, and Klaus stepped on it harder.
"You.... lowly human! You're nothing compared to a dragon like me! Aarrrgg."
Insults and degrading words escaped its mouth. But Klaus was not triggered in the slightest. Instead, he looked at the dragon with pitiful eyes.
Klaus shook his head. "What do I expect from a Lesser Dragon? You're far more pathetic than a worm that slithers through the ground. Letting you live any longer will only show how useless your existence is."
"You-!"
Klaus took out a sword from his spatial ring. The dragon was wide-eyed as Klaus raised his hand high.
"Human! If you kill-!"
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmSlash!
Splat!
Before the dragon could finish its words, his sword cut its neck, and fresh blood flooded the floor. Then, the interior of the hall returned to normal.
"Pathetic," Klaus muttered.
Not long after, the SmartLink vibrated, and a holographic notification appeared.
[Anomaly source vanished]
[Alpha has lost!]
[Exit the dungeon immediately!]
[95:59:57 before the dungeon closes.]
Looking at the remaining time, Klaus sighed.
"It looks like I don't have much time. I must be quick."
In the calmness surrounding him, he carefully began scavenging the precious organs from the dragon's body.
Dragons had many organs inside their bodies. But there was one most precious thing.
[Lesser Dragon's Heart - Unit]
Even though the dragon was dead, the heart was still beating with the remaining energy source. He felt the life of the last one in it.
The dragon's heart is a most precious item. The awakener wants it. Apart from its high price, It could be used to make an item or as a potion. However, there were other reasons.
Dragons didn't have monster cores. Its heart contained its entire life mana. If an awakener could absorb it, that person could become ten times stronger.
An F-Class awakener could have risen to D-class. And a C-Class could ascend to A-Class. And an A-Class could rise to S-Class or higher. It was only the Lesser Dragon's heart, not Monarch Dragon or Ancient Dragon.
Of course, it was useless to Klaus. He had already reached the peak of his strength. Absorbing it would only make the mana inside his body spill out, like a full glass filled with water.
"I will give this heart to one of my men. Who deserves it? Well, I'll think about it later."
In addition, Klaus also took the beautiful blue scales from the dragon's body. These scales had high value, both physically and as valuable magical materials. He could use them as material for making items.
After taking the important organs he needed, Klaus picked up the still-lying Noah and left the ancient hall with silent steps, leaving the dragon's body lying alone, cloaked in darkness.