After a moment of silence.
“When hunting from now on, pay more attention to the forest outside. If there are intruders, don't rush to make a move if you haven't been spotted. Come back to the dragon nest to inform everyone, and we'll leave those peeping bastards behind completely!” A fierce, harsh voice came from Kael's mouth.
“Alright, no need to worry this time. These guys were just here looking for treasure. Their disappearance will only become a mystery.” He began comforting the two little ones.
“Let's go. Once we clean up here, we'll head back to the dragon nest.” Saying this, Kael began filling the burnt-out fire pit with sand and stones.
Everything was over. The three wyrmlings returned to the dragon nest and began to rest.
But tonight, Kael couldn't sleep all night, a sense of crisis constantly enveloping his heart.
The next day, when the first ray of morning light appeared on the horizon, Kael still had his eyes open.
From beside him came Carlos's heavy snoring, while Nora was curled up in a corner, her soft breathing rising and falling.
All night, Kael lay on the boulder at the entrance of the cave where he could look out at the starry sky, hoping the cool night wind would soothe his restless mind.
He had gone through those few pieces of paper searched from the adventurers who knows how many times. He could practically recite the words on the bounty poster.
He hadn't expected the destruction of Greystone City to cause such a huge stir.
The high-reward notice from the Kingdom of Halen Dragon Hunting Office had actually made its way across borders.
Any lead involving red dragon activity, once verified, had a starting reward of at least one hundred gold coins, with no upper limit.
“One hundred gold coins.” With the purchasing power of gold coins in this world, even if he had worked overtime for ten years without eating or drinking in his past life, he might not have saved up that much.
But now, he—or rather, the three of them—were worth that price just for traces of their movement, and there was no freaking upper limit.
After thinking for an entire night, Kael understood that he had to make some changes.
Just "lying low" might no longer be enough.
In his past life, working like a beast of burden, he had grown accustomed to enduring; even after reincarnating into a dragon, he still wanted to cower in a corner and develop, putting off everything until he became stronger.
But this world didn't seem willing to wait for him: the bounty posters in the cities, the adventurers actively seeking treasure.
Humans were searching for traces of red dragons inch by inch through methods that were either official or baffling.
If this continued, by the time human blades were pressed against their necks, it would be too late for anything.
He had to take the initiative. At least, he needed to figure out what was right at their doorstep first.
Kael stood up, shook his scales, and woke up the two little ones sleeping in the cave.
“I'm going out for a bit to check out the forest over there,” he said to Carlos and Nora, who were rubbing their eyes. “You two guard the house and don't wander around.”
“Going to the forest?” Carlos instantly snapped awake. “Didn't you say it's dangerous in the forest?”
“Just going to take a look, I won't go in too deep.” Kael's tone turned serious. “While I'm gone, you're not allowed to leave the bushland.”
Having given his instructions, he walked to the cave entrance and snapped his dragon wings open.
A gust of hot air whipped up, and his dark red silhouette flew over the bushland toward the edge of the Whispering Forest.
“Damn it, why can't I fly?! Kael can, though—that's so unfair!” Having already been shocked once last night when returning to the dragon nest, Carlos still said this unwillingly as he watched Kael soar into the air.
“Stop complaining, Carlos. I saw Kael's condition in the draconic heritage; it seems to be called an 'aberrant dragon' or something.”
Nora also walked to the cave entrance and explained to Carlos.
“They are born stronger and stranger than others of their kind.”
“Whatever, whatever. Luckily Kael said he won't be a Red Dragon Emperor in the future.” After speaking, Carlos walked back toward his nest, wanting to go back to sleep.
...
Arriving at the edge of the bushland and looking at the forest ahead that resembled a green ocean, Kael had a new thought.
Previously, when he looked at this forest, only one thought filled his mind: danger, avoid it.
So he stayed by the extinct volcano and the bushland, at most wandering near the river, never daring to step out of line.
But today was different. He flew close to the treetops, keeping both "Turn a Blind Eye" and "Eyes of Starshine" active, suppressing his red dragon aura to its lowest, his golden slit pupils slightly narrowing in the morning light as he cautiously scanned the surroundings.
The terrain at the forest edge was not complex. Right next to the bushland was a continuous stretch of broadleaf forest, with several small streams scattered within, one of which flowed toward the dragon nest.
Further out were a few low hills, with a perennially waterlogged marsh between them.
Kael circled around for most of the morning, thoroughly inspecting the entire border between the bushland and the forest edge.
Where the animal trails were, where water sources were located, where traces of prey could be found, and where magical beast nests lay that could not yet be provoked...
At noon, under the full heat of the sun, Kael found his lunch by the river.
Grey Wind Wolf: Second-Tier, magical beast. Skills: Wind Blade, Gale Assault.
A wolf that could use magic.
The fellow was lying on the upper reaches of the stream, drinking water with its head down, its long tail trailing behind it, looking completely off guard.
A Second-Tier Grey Wind Wolf was a size larger than an ordinary wolf, its fur grey tinged with cyan, and a faint streak of cyan airflow wrapped around its four paws.
Kael felt a stir in his heart.
Over the past year, he had hunted many magical beasts: wild boars, wild deer, giant turtles—all creatures that relied purely on brute strength to bite. Aside from flesh, blood, and bones, he had never seen any magic core in their bodies.
But in this wolf's skill column, "Wind Blade" was clearly written—it could use magic.
The draconic heritage described it like this: only magical beasts that could use magic would form a magic core.
Kael wanted to verify this statement and get a taste while at it.
Using the cover of the treetops, he landed far upstream, then quietly stalked closer behind the Grey Wind Wolf step by step, his movements disturbing no birds, beasts, or insects.
The wolf was still drinking water.
It seemed to sense something; its ears twitched slightly, and it raised its head to look around alertly, but found nothing.
The "Turn a Blind Eye" talent reduced Kael's presence to the absolute minimum.
The moment it lowered its head again, Kael moved.
A dark red figure burst out from the shadows of the trees, accompanied by the sharp sound of cutting air.
Kael's dragon claws accurately locked onto the Grey Wind Wolf's neck, and with a crisp crack, the wolf's spine was broken instantly.
Having had no time to react at all, the Grey Wind Wolf's massive body tumbled into the stream, motionless.
Kael retracted his dragon claws, shook off the wolf fur clinging to them, hauled up the wolf carcass, and following the records of the draconic heritage, sliced open the wolf's chest to rummage between its heart and lungs.
Sure enough, a thumb-sized crystal glowing with purple light lay quietly amidst the flesh and blood.
A magic core.
Kael picked it up and held it before his eyes to look at it. The magic core looked like a purple crystal sharpened at both ends, cool to the touch, with a faint flow of gas visible inside.
The draconic heritage recorded such things as: magic organs formed by magical beasts in dense mana, containing a large amount of magic elements. It could serve as an energy source for magic formations or help other magical beasts advance in tier.
Kael recalled the numerous magical beasts he had hunted over nearly a year; he had never seen such a thing in their bodies.
“It seems the information in the draconic heritage is indeed trustworthy.” Saying this, he tossed this first magic core into his mouth and swallowed it down.
Digested by his dragon stomach, the wind elements within the magic core began merging into Kael's flesh and blood.
After sensing carefully, he discovered that his affinity for wind elements had actually increased slightly.
Rate on N.U.
