Caesar squatted in the corner of the cave, staring at the striking line of blue text on the System panel.
[Target: Cecilia (Juvenile Silver Dragon)]
[Status: Poisoned (Weak), all attributes decreased by 20%, loses 1 HP per turn. Duration: 27 minutes]
He scratched his chin with his little claw.
Step one of the captivity plan: a success.
But this was only the beginning.
Ever since he first underwent Transmigration and discovered that this world was teeming with magic beasts and Sub-dragons, he had been pondering the status conditions from pokémon.
Burn, Freeze, Paralysis, Poisoned, Sleep.
These were the core tactical elements of classic pokémon battles.
Especially [Toxic]; in the games, the Toxic status caused percentage-based health loss that, when stacked, even a Mythical Beast couldn't withstand.
He wanted to replicate that in this world.
But reality gave him a slap in the face.
Caesar had once spent half a day applying the sap of a highly Toxic plant to a trap, successfully ambushing an Earth-burrowing Rock Worm whose Rank was much higher than his own.
And the result?
That rock worm just rolled on the ground, wailed a couple of times, and then acted as if nothing had happened, continuing to jump around.
The damage shown on the System panel was a pathetic -1 per second.
-1!
That rock worm had hundreds of HP; this level of damage didn't even count as polishing—it was the kind of level where a mosquito would offer you a cigarette out of pity.
From that day on, Caesar understood that the rules of this world were different from the games.
The [Poisoned] effect wasn't percentage-based health reduction; instead, it caused fixed, usually very low damage or came with various messy debuffs.
Wanting to rely on Poisoned to kill a True Dragon?
Keep dreaming.
So, from the very beginning, Caesar's purpose in poisoning Cecilia wasn't to cause damage.
It was for "control."
This Little Silver Dragon's recovery power was terrifying.
Previously, she had been blasted half-dead by the Red Dragon's sparks, yet after just a few bites of centipede meat he fed her, she actually had the strength to Curse him with a full voice.
If he let her eat and drink her fill to recover her stamina, whether he could even keep her locked up would be a question.
Caesar didn't want the "walking Mythical Beast" he had worked so hard to catch to break free of her bonds upon Awakening and tear him, this "despicable Earth Dragon," apart.
Therefore, he had to keep her in a weakened state.
"Despicable inferior species... just you wait... once I recover my strength, I will definitely tear you into pieces...!"
Cecilia's weak but still stubborn Curses came from the stone wall.
She felt her head spinning and her body lacked strength, but her Dragon Clan pride wouldn't allow her to show weakness before an Earth Dragon.
[System Translation: Despicable inferior species! Just you wait! When I recover...]
Caesar turned off the annoying System translation.
It was just the same few lines over and over anyway; he could already recite them by heart.
A little cat's hissing needs to be dealt with.
Caesar split his dragons Maw, revealing a pure and innocent smile as he slowly sauntered over to the pot.
The meat soup in the pot was still bubbling with strange purple bubbles.
He skillfully used a vine to hook a piece of thoroughly stewed centipede meat soaked in purple broth.
"Come on, open wide, time to eat."
Caesar held the meat to Cecilia's mouth, his tone like he was coaxing his disobedient dear.
"I'd rather starve to death or jump down from here than eat another bite of your food!"
Cecilia turned her head away, her attitude resolute.
"Oh, is that so?"
Caesar wasn't annoyed; he pulled the meat back and swallowed it himself right in front of her.
[You have taken a trace amount of toxin damage, HP -1.]
[Ground-type triggered, poison-type damage halved.]
[Poison resistance experience +1.]
*Burp*... tastes really good. What a pity, a certain Dragon doesn't have the luck to enjoy it."
Caesar smacked his lips with a lingering look of enjoyment.
The rich aroma of meat wafted into Cecilia's nose once again.
Her stomach betrayed her with another "growl."
It smelled so good... she had never eaten anything this delicious since she was born.
Moreover... her body was starving... the Little Silver Dragon's injuries were severe, and she desperately needed to eat to recover. The weakness caused by hunger was even more unbearable to her than the lethargy brought by the Poisoned status.
She stole a glance at Caesar, then quickly turned her head back.
No!
I am a noble Silver Dragon... how can I yield to an Earth Dragon!
Seeing her stubborn "dead duck" act, Caesar was laughing his Soul off inside.
"Fine then, since you're not eating, I won't wait for you."
He turned around, preparing to scoop out all the meat in the pot for himself.
"Wait... wait!"
Cecilia finally couldn't hold back and shouted urgently.
Caesar paused and turned his round body.
"Hmm?"
The scales on Cecilia's cheeks felt a bit hot. She avoided Caesar's gaze and said in a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz, "I... I just don't want to waste food."
"Oh—"
The Gible intentionally elongated his tone, his dragons Maw splitting as he hooked another piece of meat and held it to her mouth again.
"You should have said so. Come on, open wide, ah—"
Cecilia closed her eyes in humiliation and opened her mouth.
When that succulent, melt-in-your-mouth piece of meat exploded on her taste buds again, she felt all her dignity and pride being swallowed into her stomach along with that bite.
Delicious... truly delicious... the ultimate flavor made her temporarily forget that she was still in a state of imprisonment.
Piece after piece.
Although Cecilia's body was still bound by vines, her spirit seemed to break free of its shackles and float away.
Everything before her began to turn multicolored, twisting and spinning.
She seemed to see an ocean made of pure light.
At the end of the ocean, an incredibly massive Platinum Dragon God, radiating a holy aura, was looking down at her.
Is that... Lord Dragon God?
She felt her body becoming light as air, as if she were about to merge into that sea of light.
An indescribable, ultimate sense of pleasure surged from the depths of her Soul.
It was pure bliss.
Is this the legendary feeling of receiving the Dragon God's blessing?
Cecilia was completely lost in it.
Caesar stood by, calmly observing all her reactions.
Seeing her face go from resistance to humiliation, then to enjoyment, and finally into a silly, infatuated expression, Caesar knew that it had worked.
The hallucinogenic effect of the poisonous mushrooms, combined with the powerful life force of a True Dragon, had actually produced this wonderful chemical reaction.
This wasn't just poisoning; he was clearly feeding her drugs.
Caesar shook his head.
This silly Dragon, she's being sold and helping to count the money.
However, he also quickly discovered a new problem.
He watched as the countdown for Cecilia's Poisoned status on the System panel began to decrease bit by bit.
When the time hit zero, the red [Poisoned] icon disappeared.
Although Cecilia still looked like she was floating on air, Caesar could clearly feel that the majestic life force belonging to a True Dragon within her was rapidly repairing the damage caused by the toxin.
The vines binding her limbs even made a slight "creak" sound.
"Damn, the kick from these mushrooms is too weak."
Caesar couldn't help but Curse in his heart.
The duration of the effect was too short, totaling less than half an hour.
What if one day he went out hunting and came back a bit late, the effect wore off, and she just broke free and ran away? Who would he cry to then?
Of course, given the vengeful nature of the Dragon Clan, she might not run, but instead hide in the cave, wait for him to return, and then give him a nasty surprise.
No, this won't do.
The risk is too high.
He had to find a more powerful, long-lasting, and discreet "control method."
Something that could keep her in a weakened state without the strength to move, but wouldn't actually endanger her life or affect the production of "experience points" and "moves."
Caesar's gaze began to sweep all around his simple cave.
He had spent several days digging this cave; it was large and deep, and besides his daily living area, there were some corners where he piled miscellaneous items.
Soon, his gaze locked onto a dark, damp corner at the very back of the cave.
There grew several mushrooms he had discovered while scouting the terrain earlier, but hadn't touched because they looked "too scary."
Caesar stood up and slowly walked over.
Those mushrooms looked very bizarre.
They were pitch black as if soaked in ink, but their surfaces were dotted with pale spots that looked like eyeballs.
Just looking at them made one's hair stand on end.
Caesar reached out a claw and carefully snapped one off.
He brought it to his nose and sniffed.
No smell at all.
This was very strange.
In this underground world, the more vibrant or pungent-smelling a plant was, the more Toxic it tended to be.
This kind of mushroom that looked plain and didn't even have a scent instead exuded an unusual eeriness.
Caesar was reluctant to experiment on himself.
He broke off a tiny piece about the size of a fingernail and walked over to the Little Silver Dragon, who was still "daydreaming."
"Hey, wake up, try a new dish."
He patted Cecilia's face.
Cecilia opened her eyes dizzily, and seeing the black thing in Caesar's claw, she instinctively frowned.
"...No, it's ugly."
She was still immersed in the hallucination of seeing the "Dragon God," and her speech carried a pampered nasal tone.
"It might be a bit ugly, but who knows, it might be delicious?"
Caesar coaxed her.
"Come on, take a bite, just one bite."
As he spoke, without waiting for Cecilia to react, he shoved the small piece of mushroom directly into her mouth.
Cecilia instinctively chewed.
"Pah! Pah-pah!"
Her eyes suddenly widened, and she desperately tried to spit out the stuff in her dragons Maw.
"So bitter! So astringent!"
It was an indescribable taste, like a hundred kinds of bitter herbs mixed together and concentrated countless times.
However, it was already too late.
The mushroom melted instantly and slid down her throat.
Caesar stared at her intently, while simultaneously paying close attention to his System panel.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
The painful expression on Cecilia's Dragon head suddenly froze.
Then, her body began to tremble violently.
A string of new System notifications began to spam Caesar's mind.
[Ding! Target has entered the "Poisoned" state!]
[Ding! Target has entered the "Confusion" state!]
[Ding! Target has entered the "Paralysis" state!]
[Ding! Target has entered the "Curse" state!]
Caesar, the whole Dragon, was stunned.
Holy crap?!
Buy one get three free?!
What kind of god-tier mushroom is this?
One bite and she gets four debuffs directly?!
He looked closer at Cecilia's status.
The Little Silver Dragon's body was still twitching constantly, white drool even began to flow from the corner of her mouth, and her silver vertical pupils lost focus, rolling around randomly.
She was still muttering something incoherently.
"Lord Dragon God... so big... so bright..."
"Don't... don't come over..."
"Help... Dragon eating... Dragon eating..."
Caesar: "..."
Wow.
Looks like she's tripping hard.
The hallucination went from going to heaven to falling into Hell.
He quickly checked the System's explanation for those new statuses.
[Poisoned]: During the duration, all attributes decrease by 50%, 5 HP is lost per turn, and life recovery effects are halved.
[Confusion]: 33% chance to attack oneself or friendly units each turn.
[Paralysis]: Speed is significantly reduced, 33% chance of being unable to move each turn.
[Curse]: Loses an additional 1/4 of current HP each turn.
Caesar sucked in a breath of cold air.
Well.
Now he knew the effects of [Confusion] and [Curse].
"...?"
Wait, no! Saving the Dragon is more important!