Chapter 23: Thunder and Fire

The monster wriggled slowly.

The barbarian wrapped in its coils had blood-filled limbs, bulging veins, and an extremely grimace of pain, but had already lost his vitality.

"So boring,"

a hoarse voice sounded again.

It coiled its body and opened its giant mouth, ready to swallow this "delicacy" in one bite.

Seeing a living person swallowed, the crowd gasped in shock once again. However, at this moment, they had no way to retreat, and their minds were nearly numb.

"Scar, rest in peace,"

"But this painful death suits what you have done."

Hart watched his follower of more than ten years die in humiliation, but he was helpless. He could only silently grit his teeth and pray that he could escape from here.

Water droplets formed on his head. He couldn't help but wipe them with his hands. Strangely, it seemed this was not cold sweat, nor tears, but sweat from heat.

"But... why is it so hot in the cave?"

He had a slight doubt in his heart. Previously, because he had been busy fleeing for his life, he hadn't realized this.

But now, coming back to his senses, he felt the cave was like a large steamer, with waves of hot air coming from above.

Hart instinctively looked up—

Then he couldn't help but open his mouth wide.

In the rocky top of the cave, a giant creature of more than eight meters suddenly appeared.

It was a dragon!

What shocked him even more was that the red dragon's mouth was brewing terrifying white-hot flames, like a miniature sun, lighting up the entire mine like daylight.

Both humans and the monster looked up astonished—

Then they were dumbfounded.

"Got you,"

a strange voice sounded above the mine.

Cassius unleashed the fiery breath he had been preparing for a long time. Instantly, most of his energy was drained.

"Extremely Effective Flame Breath!"

A pillar of scorching flame descended from the sky, with the inner flame blindingly white and the outer flame bright orange.

"Boom!"

With a loud explosion, the coiled monster let out a cry of pain.

The blazing flames distorted the air. The creature wriggled in the flames, trying to escape.

The scales it prided itself on were immediately incinerated by the scorching flames, turning into charred blackness.

"Despicable dragon!"

"You are a shameful sneak attacker!"

It struggled in the flames, shouting hoarsely.

The terrifying breath lasted several breaths, until the monster slithered away into the darkness before it gradually stopped.

"To withstand it head-on, truly terrifying," Cassius said as he gazed into the dark part of the mine.

"Twin Dancing Light Technique!"

Several rays of light shot from the red dragon's claws, illuminating the dark corners of the mine.

In an instant, the entire inside of the mine lit up, leaving the monster nowhere to hide.

Its body was fully exposed for the first time.

The enormous body was seventeen or eighteen meters long, a mix of centipede and crocodile.

Its sides had twelve pairs of crowded double legs, making it menacing at first sight.

But at this moment, the monster was in a dire state. Large patches of its scales had been burned away, and large chunks of flesh were charred black.

The red dragon stared fixedly at the monster, a trace of excitement at encountering a strong enemy appearing on its face.

[Based on your own strength, you can observe the following information]

[Bluefoot Dragon-snake - Mana]

Category: Giant Monster, Neutral Evil

AC: 18 (natural armor)

Speed: 50 feet, climbing 40 feet

Strength — 23

Agility — 16

Constitution — 18

Intelligence — 7

Perception — 14

Charisma — 12

Proficient Skills: Perception +6, Stealth +7, Hunting +4

Senses: Dark Vision 90 feet, Passive Perception 16

Damage Immunities: Lightning

Languages: Common, Draconic

Actions: Lightning Breath, Multi-Attack, Strangle, Biting, Swallow

Traits: Cave Predator, Enemy of Dragons

Challenge Level: 11 (7,200 XP)

Assessment: "The Bluefoot Dragon-snake slithers along the ground and walls hunting prey. Its lightning breath can incinerate most creatures. Even stronger beings can be strangled tightly and swallowed whole by the Bluefoot Dragon-snake."

"Terrifying opponent,"

was Cassius's assessment.

The monster, or rather the Bluefoot Dragon-snake, seeing its position fully exposed, simply stopped hiding.

"A young dragon sorcerer?"

"How... strange,"

The snake-like eyes fixated on the red dragon, showing not only anger from being ambushed but also a deep-seated hatred from its bloodline.

In the long-forgotten ancient times, giants and dragonkin were engaged in nearly unending wars.

It is said that the storm giants created the first Bluefoot Dragon-snake to use as a weapon against the dragonkin.

Therefore, Bluefoot Dragon-snakes still harbor a natural hatred towards dragonkin, and their lineage retains methods to deal with giant dragons.

The red dragon, seeing the enemy's severe injuries, decided to press the attack.

"Searing Ray!"

Rays of fire shot from the red dragon's mouth.

Though injured, the Bluefoot Dragon-snake used its twelve legs to climb quickly. Its enormous body appeared exceptionally agile on the rocky wall.

It managed to dodge two consecutive searing rays with its speed, shifting left and right.

But it was hit by the third ray. The scorching flame ray seared its skin, causing it to scream in pain.

The Bluefoot Dragon-snake was furious, raising its head with its mouth glowing with lightning.

"Lightning Breath!"

In an instant, the Bluefoot Dragon-snake spewed streams of lightning.

Each lightning bolt was as thick as a bowl, capable of incinerating most creatures in an instant, far more powerful than the red dragon's first-tier Witchcraft Arrow.

Cassius, facing the imminent lightning breath, knew he couldn't fully evade it. He leaped to the side to dodge while casting a spell instantly with his metamagic expertise.

"Instant Shield Spell!"

An invisible magical shield appeared in front of the red dragon, blocking part of the lightning.

But soon, the invisible shield couldn't suppress the fierce lightning and shattered. Several bolts struck the red dragon directly.

Cassius felt a strong electric current conducted through his scales, penetrating his skin and flowing through his body.

His body was in immense pain, muscles twitching, and several scales were charred black.

Fortunately, the red dragon's innate constitution was strong, enduring the attack. If it had been an ordinary human, they might have suffered internal injuries or even been burned to charcoal.

"What a terrifying breath. If I took it all, I might have been gravely injured."

Feeling the mild twitching and pain, Cassius couldn't help licking his lips.

His tone carried a hint of excitement.

"It's been a long time since I felt the taste of being hurt."

Since arriving in this world, apart from his initial panicked fleeing, he had rarely encountered an evenly matched enemy. After all, a red dragon's starting point surpassed the endpoint of most creatures.

Now, for the first time, he had an opponent who could excite him. This was a rare occurrence.