1novels Chapter 118 The Agile Cat in the Forest
Chapter 118 The Agile Cat in the Forest
The arrival of the grey dwarves filled many of the gaps that had previously existed in Thor's territory.
These short creatures, who live underground year-round, include many skilled blacksmiths and architects who can immediately engage in production and labor simply by removing their armor and putting down their weapons.
For now, Thor's first priority is naturally to build the large arena that he has been longing for for a long time.
He dispatched almost all the gray dwarves, along with the vast majority of the kobolds, to conduct meticulous surveys around the low mountain shaped like a stone bun.
The survey process alone took about a week, and then the discussion of the design drawings took another week, during which a conflict broke out and a fight broke out due to disagreements.
During this period, Thor would send three birds to the abandoned dungeon every day to "plunder" the sealed creatures.
This action will bring him nearly 100 points of essence, while the strong emotions emanating from his many evil creatures will be converted into about 60 to 70 points of essence.
A massive brawl with nearly a hundred people like the one on the first day has only been held once.
It turns out that even evil creatures, no matter how bloodthirsty and belligerent they may be, are still afraid of death.
The daily income of 160-170 points of essence made Solton feel rich. He no longer bothered to look at things like swallow sparrow stone or burning coal. He only wanted to eat high-end goods like spirit crane stone and dragon vein charcoal.
This resulted in him spending most of the essence he gained each day on food.
The changes brought about by this behavior of piling up values entirely with scarce resources are also obvious.
His bones and scales became increasingly tough, the purification of his bloodline accelerated, and the magic flowing in his veins became even more vast and powerful.
Now, let alone ordinary weapons, most magical weapons would probably be unable to break through Thor's defenses.
Although the challenge level on the profile panel hasn't changed much, remaining at 15+, the bonus after that plus sign is probably going to increase by a lot.
At the very least, to challenge him, a full level 15 squad would need every member to possess a high-level bloodline or talent, be fully prepared beforehand, and wield an indispensable legendary weapon, perhaps only then would they have a tiny chance of winning.
To put it more bluntly, it has to be all hero units.
After all, if Thor could be thrown into a high-temperature furnace and melted down, without adding anything, he could be forged into a legendary weapon simply by hammering and forging it, relying on his bloodline and the materials that made it strong.
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As Thor continued to consume increasingly rare minerals, pieces of debris would occasionally flake off his crimson scales, much like impurities being hammered from a red-hot iron ingot.
These fragments are actually the lower-grade mineral components he had previously ingested, which are now being gradually replaced and excreted from his body.
However, although these are components of low-grade ores, their physical properties far exceed those of ordinary steel. Furthermore, after being imbued with his magic power over a long period, they can be considered a rare magical material.
Thor's inherent greed, inherent in the blood of a true dragon, meant he would not waste these scraps.
He collected them all and added them to ordinary iron ingots, intending to use them to forge weapons as rewards for his men who had won in gladiatorial combat.
When the craving for various metal minerals and energy crystals within his body gradually disappeared, turning into a faint feeling of fullness, Thor knew it was time for him to draw the third intermediate monster template.
He lay prone in his now expanded nest, where the surrounding stone walls had a texture similar to obsidian, yet also a faint fiery red hue, creating a unique color.
Where true dragons dwell for a long time, the environment often changes accordingly, because the magic they emit daily permeates the surrounding objects.
Given how long Saul had lived here, such a significant change in the environment shouldn't have occurred.
But his bloodline level was high enough that he gathered a large amount of fire and earth magic elements. His usual diet was also very luxurious, and he would occasionally eat dragon-slaying fruits. The magic power emanating from his body was more than 10 times that of an ordinary red dragon.
If he were like his adoptive mother, who could only eat ordinary flesh and blood on a daily basis and had difficulty even satisfying his physical growth, how could he have any excess magic power to dissipate, and naturally would it be difficult for him to make any changes to the surrounding environment.
This is why most dragons only significantly improve their ability to modify the environment after they reach adulthood, when their physical development slows down.
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The intense heat of the burning flames scorched the ground, quickly burying Thor's limbs and belly in a layer of viscous lava.
He felt that after a while, the mountain where his lair was located might connect with the fire and earth elemental planes and become a volcano.
After filling his stomach first, Thor focused his attention on the wheel in his mind and put all the remaining 1000 points of essence into the fourth wheel.
Neon-like lights flashed by quickly, finally settling on a small square, where a large cat, entirely black with razor-sharp claws, a long tail with thorns, and scarlet eyes, was drawn in simple line art.
This is a Nargacuga. Don't be fooled by its appearance as a black tiger with a bat-like face; it is actually a true flying dragon monster.
Its forepaws are actually vestigial wings, and the long, folded blades on them are specialized wing bones. Relying on its unique body structure, it can move at high speed in complex terrain. Those killed by it often only see a fleeting glimpse of its bloody eyes, hence it is called the Crimson Meteor.
It is said that when a velociraptor lives to a certain age, its pure black fur will gradually turn white, and it will gradually gain the ability to control air currents.
By then, its movement speed will be as fast as teleportation, and its tail whips and slashes will be accompanied by sharp wind blades, which will be known to the world as the White Gale.
Thor was slightly surprised to draw this monster template, but he was not disappointed at all; on the contrary, he was genuinely delighted.
If one had to find a weakness in a true dragon, it would undoubtedly be its agility.
While all attributes increase with age, Agility remains almost unchanged at 10 points from hatchling to ancient dragon.
Of course, this does not mean that the speed of a true dragon remains unchanged. Rather, as its size increases exponentially, it must sacrifice some agility to achieve a balance.
You can't expect a dragon that's tens of meters long to be as agile as a cat.
However, the appearance of the Nargacuga monster template made this seemingly terrifying fantasy a possibility to be realized in Thor.
As soon as he focused his mind on "instant withdrawal," a bright ball of light appeared. Inside the ball of light, the spirit of a large, black cat stared with scarlet eyes. In a flash, it rushed into his body like a phantom.
The familiar warm current surged forth once more, beginning to permeate every nerve and joint in Thor's body, increasing the intensity of nerve signals and enhancing the resilience of his soft tissues.