Chapter 177: “Predation”
“…”
The Dragon People are an older race than humans, their knowledge having long since filled the worldview of scholars to perfection. Even creatures as hard to understand as Ancient Dragons can reveal patterns to them.
The Slaying Dragon was not seen with his own eyes, but the confusion born of侥幸now erupted before him.
The Compiler gently patted his body; he reacted first, receiving a vial of dragon blood.
“Ah? I’m fine.”
Dragon People are Dragon People after all; their unique worldview doesn’t drive them mad enough to obsess over trivialities. Existence is reasonable.
He picked up the spilled blood of the Flying Dragon and smashed it forcefully against a rock, scattering ominous fragments.
“Truly wondrous!”
All that remained was admiration, and even more curiosity.
Why does the powerful monster of the New Continent possess dragon blood within its body?
Could it be a new Ancient Dragon?
His insatiable thirst for knowledge made him clutch his head.
To give an example from the future, who would have thought that the Rampage Disease was merely the reproductive method of the Ceaseless ones before it was explained?
As long as one maintains curiosity, everything will eventually shift from the unknown to the known.
There’s still plenty of time; let’s return to the present.
After completing a series of samplings, the investigators gradually withdrew, observing the subsequent movements of the Spiny Dragon from the base while some continued close-up observations below.
The Compiler, the Grand Team Leader, and his Ailu Cat companion stayed below. The scholar wanted to join them, but the little old man was persuaded to go back.
Jié Jié slowly came to his senses. Though he couldn’t see the scars on his back or feel the pain, he realized he might have been messed around by hunters.
Throwing a sleep-inducing item right off the bat? That’s outrageous!
Looking around, he spotted the Grand Team Leader and the Compiler hiding in the shadows.
He raised his head, imagining the Compiler as a delicious Gas Frog, initiating a slow but powerful ambush.
A frontal ambush.
“Uh oh!”
Unexpected aggression from the Spiny Dragon made the Grand Team Leader grab the Compiler and leap out of the way.
Flipping on the ground, they just caught sight of the Spiny Dragon smacking its lips, seemingly confused.
Alright, this isn’t aggression—it’s predation! It thinks we’re food!
This guy’s hungry!
Without attempting to counterattack, the Grand Team Leader pushed the Compiler down low and let him go first, using the opportunity to lure the Spiny Dragon away.
As for his Ailu Cat companion, he gestured for it to stay hidden in the shadows and prepare.
“I have quite the confidence in my meat quality!”
Raising his muscular arms, the blond man struck a bodybuilding pose in front of Jié Jié.
“What a show-off.”
Jié Jié growled, moving to bite at him, but the man rolled out of the way.
The Grand Team Leader walked further away, heading toward the Coastal Plain, the sacred land of Herbivore Dragons.
Jié Jié flapped his wings and lazily followed, allowing himself to be led away from the area.
The slow-moving Herbivore Dragons far away should be much easier prey.
The Grand Team Leader thought as he ran toward the herd, diving into nearby bushes.
Tsk, if you want to eat Herbivore Dragons, do you really need me to guide you?
With a slight raise of his eyebrows, Jié Jié slowly approached the bushes, continuing his Gas Frog-style hunting technique.
“Truly relentless! Who would’ve thought I’d have such charm!”
The Grand Team Leader exclaimed, jumping out of the bushes and dodging the Spiny Dragon’s attack.
Repeated hunting failures seemed to increase the Spiny Dragon’s aggression?
Staggering from the ground vibrations but managing to stabilize, he began to maneuver around the creature face-to-face.
For monsters capable of breath weapons, running away with your back turned is far more dangerous than facing them.
“Are you really not interested in the Herbivore Dragons around you?”
The Grand Team Leader muttered as the surrounding Herbivore Dragons scattered, yet the Spiny Dragon’s gaze remained fixed on him.
Fortunately, it hasn’t yet regarded him as an opponent, unleashing its formidable aggression.
Here comes the Dragon Charge.
The blond man dodged to the side but was blown back by the wind pressure under the Spiny Dragon’s wings.
When he looked up, he saw the Spiny Dragon opening its dark mouth, flames erupting from within.
He barely had time to lie flat and roll away with the impact force, ending up looking rather disheveled.
Lifting his head, he saw the Spiny Dragon charging again.
Looks like I need to make predation a bit harder.
The Grand Team Leader scanned his surroundings, looking toward the nearby coast.
If I jump straight into the sea, it’ll likely shift its target to the Herbivore Dragons, right?
Still a distance from the shore, after dodging the Dragon Charge, he leaned against the coast, retreating step by step while facing the Spiny Dragon.
Meanwhile, he noticed the Shān Máo in the forest behind the Spiny Dragon. Exchanging glances, they understood each other’s strategy.
With a backup plan, let’s see what we can accomplish before retreating.
“Hooh!”
The muscular blond man bulged his muscles, trying to appear larger, roaring at the Spiny Dragon.
“Grunt Roar!!”
Jié Jié naturally responded with an even louder roar, watching the man cover his ears and wince.
Feels good.
Flames danced on the final note of sound, shooting toward the hunter.
Just waking up without vigorous activity, lacking sufficient heat buildup, he needed some warm-up.
Seeing the hunter easily dodge the “little flame” and charge toward him, Jié Jié raised his body, expending a great deal of energy to dance and warm up.
Energy converted into heat during intense muscle movement. Instead of unleashing all at once, he released it as a series of fireballs aimed at the approaching Grand Team Leader.
“?!”
Eyeing the fireball perfectly timed to his trajectory, the Grand Team Leader instantly abandoned his approach, doing a backflip followed by a roll. Despite reacting quickly, he was still blasted away.
In battles with monsters, when faced with attacks covering vast areas, the key is to reduce damage to an acceptable range.
“Cough… cough…”
Extinguishing the burns on his body didn’t stop the spread of toxins.
The Grand Team Leader coughed lightly; the Spiny Dragon’s toxin wasn’t like the Poison Demon Bird’s, which left him unaffected before. His stamina was being drained by the pain.
Stopping his coughs, he took a deep breath. Stimulated momentarily, his strong body retaliated against the toxin. Despite the pain, his body remained robust.
Fortunately, the Spiny Dragon didn’t shoot fireballs but charged with a Dragon Charge instead.
This time, he dodged through the wind pressure of the Dragon Charge, landing his legs and kicking off to jump. His Skinning Knife slashed toward the Spiny Dragon’s wings.
The hook on the knife snagged the wing membrane, allowing him to jump onto the Spiny Dragon’s back through the membrane.
Crouching between the spines, he first drank a detoxifying potion, taking a big gulp and keeping another sip in his mouth to mitigate previous toxins while preparing for potential injuries from the spines.
The surroundings began to rise, followed by violent shaking as the Spiny Dragon took flight, shaking its body in the air.
The Grand Team Leader remained crouched, not moving recklessly. With his left hand’s Hook Claw rope tied to the thickest spine on the Spiny Dragon’s back, his right hand’s Skinning Knife continuously hacked at another spine.
Glancing at the environment, he estimated his height. He wasn’t too worried; the Spiny Dragon hadn’t flown too high. This height wouldn’t kill anyone from a fall.
“Hoooaah!”
A dizzying spin made the Grand Team Leader yell in surprise, choking on the detoxifying potion in his mouth.
Perfectly, constrained by the hook rope, he spun in the air and landed back on the Spiny Dragon’s back. A spine pierced through his clothing and stabbed into his thigh.
