The scorching Dragon Breath burned through the dragon's head, the terrifying heat even turning the surrounding rock walls into glass.
"Thud—"
With a heavy, muffled crash, the Sub-dragon's massive body, over fourteen meters long, slammed into the mine tunnel's wall, falling completely silent.
Caesar panted heavily, his internal Mana nearly depleted.
He then deactivated the high-consumption Domain skill, [Sandstorm].
The raging Sandstorm gradually subsided, and countless grains of sand and gravel clattered down from the rock walls, revealing the thoroughly transformed mine tunnel.
The area was riddled with tears from ice shards and Shadow Claw strikes. Three massive Sub-dragon corpses lay sprawled across the ground, a bloody scene of ice crystals, sand, and congealed dragon blood.
The battle was over.
Three Gold Rank Frost Wyverns, completely annihilated.
Caesar opened his System panel and glanced at his status.
Killing these three Sub-dragons had provided nearly 3,000 EXP each.
[True Name: Capulius Caesar (LV.32)]
[EXP: 9110/27600]
He was still quite a way from leveling up.
Caesar's gaze fell upon the three corpses, which were still warm.
These were Gold Rank dragons; every part of them was a treasure, and their flesh was filled with pure energy.
If he devoured all this flesh, not only could he recover from the massive drain of using [Sandstorm], he might even push through to LV.33 in one go.
An extremely risky thought surfaced in his mind.
Eat them—
Convert them all into his own EXP!
Cannibalism is not permitted among sapient dragons; it is a taboo etched deep within their bloodline. It is said that any Dragon who does so will suffer the Curse of the Dragon God.
In the past, Caesar wouldn't have dared to risk it.
When he first kept Cecilia around, besides using her as a mascot and translator, he had considered her emergency rations. But that was just a thought; he wasn't sure what the consequences of devouring a pure-blooded True Dragon would be.
But now... things were different.
He had already slaughtered the followers of some unknown True Dragon, and his feud with the True Dragon Imperial Court was set in stone. Since they had already reached a breaking point, what was left to worry about?
In for a penny, in for a pound!
He needed power; he needed to level up as quickly as possible.
If he devoured all three Frost Wyvern corpses, the EXP provided would be enough for him to reach a Breakthrough to LV.33.
In this hellish place where a True Dragon could show up at any moment, every bit of strength gained meant a better chance of survival.
As for the Curse of the Dragon God... I'd like to see for myself exactly what that is!
Just as Caesar made up his mind and prepared to act... he heard a rustling movement behind him.
A round silver figure poked its head out from a corner deep within the tunnel—
Seeing the hellish scene before her, which looked like a slaughterhouse, Cecilia's silver eyes were filled with shock.
She had originally thought Caesar would take these pursuers captive, but now... three Gold Rank Sub-dragons were all dead.
Seeing the blue figure approach the corpses and open his dragons maw, she finally realized—
Something taboo was about to happen.
"Earth Dragon, you... what are you doing?"
Cecilia's voice trembled slightly.
"Eating."
Without looking back, Caesar walked to a Sub-dragon corpse and roughly tore at its hard ice-armor scales with his claws, making a piercing scraping sound.
"You'll be cursed by the Dragon God!" Cecilia panicked, her voice cracking. "Devouring your own kind is the greatest taboo! You'll become the enemy of all True Dragons!"
Caesar didn't speak, continuing to process his "ingredients."
"Crack—"
A scale was torn away, bringing a piece of flesh with it.
Seeing this, the worry in Cecilia's eyes deepened, and she felt lost for a moment—
Finally, as if making a resolution, she lowered her silver head and cautiously approached the blue figure from behind, step by step.
Caesar felt her approach and let out an impatient low growl.
"Stay back, don't come over here."
"The following scenes will be too bloody and might affect a Young Dragon's mental health, awoo—"
He thought this naive little Silver Dragon was coming to advise him.
What, was she going to play the saint? If she dared, Caesar wouldn't mind teaching her the "self-awareness of emergency rations."
However, that round silver head didn't stop; instead, it leaned in even more resolutely.
"...!"
Cecilia didn't say anything else.
She just remained silent, and with an almost pious posture, she carefully brought her silver-scaled dragons maw toward the blood-stained Frost Wyvern corpse.
Then, she opened her mouth and bit down hard on a piece of dragon skin.
"Mmph, mmph!" (Come off already!)
The little one put all her strength into it, her four claws gripping the ground firmly as she yanked her neck back.
"Rip!"
A large piece of dragon skin, covered in ice shards, was forcibly torn off by her.
She didn't even chew, swallowing it whole. She choked until her eyes rolled back, then coughed loudly: "Cough, cough... it tastes so bad... it's all muddy and fishy..."
Caesar was stunned.
With a half-chewed bone in his mouth, he stared blankly at this little Silver Dragon who was gagging while still trying to force food down.
Has this stupid kid lost her mind?
"Are you crazy?" Caesar asked indistinctly. "Weren't you just talking about the Dragon God's Curse?"
Cecilia wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and looked up, her small, dust-covered face filled with stubbornness.
"Whether it's a Curse or whatever... we are allies."
She puffed out her non-existent little chest and said loudly, "Since we're allies, we face things together! If you get cursed and turn into a monster, I'll turn with you! Anyway... anyway, I can't go back anymore!"
Looking at her ready-to-die expression, Caesar suddenly found it a bit funny.
It felt as if something had poked a spot in his heart.
—Allies... Dragons have long lives and do not give promises lightly. Once they decide, they use the word "ally" to address each other, a word heavier than any mountain of oaths.
This little thing actually has some loyalty at a critical moment.
However... "Ally my foot."
Caesar suddenly smacked Cecilia on the forehead, sending her rolling across the ground.
"Ouch! Why did you hit me!" Cecilia shouted indignantly, clutching her head.
"Beat it."
Caesar bared his teeth, putting on a menacing expression as he guarded the corpse like his life depended on it. "There's barely enough meat here for me; why are you joining in? Trying to steal my food? Not a chance! These are... my spoils of war!"
Give me a break.
Why get sentimental at a time like this?
These three dragons only totaled 20,000 EXP. If two dragons split it, how much would each get?
If I let you take half, what if I can't level up?
Besides.
This so-called Curse, this kind of negative status—Caesar was thick-skinned and could tank it. But a fool like Cecilia... if she ate it and something went wrong, how would she serve as a tool dragon later?
"Don't come over here, awoo!"
Caesar instantly activated his dorsal-fin dragon form, startling Cecilia into taking several steps back.
"You... you greedy, bad dragon!"
Cecilia was so angry she had a stress reaction. "I wanted to help you share the Curse, and you think I'm stealing your food?! Fine, see if I care... I hope you choke!"
She ran off to a corner in a huff and sat down with her back to Caesar, her tail slapping the gravel on the ground.
Caesar ignored her.
That's more like it.
This kind of solo EXP-grinding is best left to a "wicked dragon."
He turned back and, without further hesitation, began to feast.
This was a predator's banquet.
Sharp dragon teeth tore through hard scales, powerful jaws crushed bone, and Mana-rich dragon blood flowed down his throat, transforming into pure energy.
[Ding! Trace amounts of high-purity ice attribute factors detected, absorbing...]
[EXP +300]
[EXP +220]
[EXP +260]
As he continued to eat, the System notifications flashed like crazy.
Especially when he dug out a dragon heart that was still faintly beating and swallowed it in one gulp—
Icy energy instantly exploded in his stomach...!
[Warning! High concentration of homologous bloodline factors detected...]
[Warning! You have violated the Dragon Clan taboo and are undergoing the judgment of the Covenant of the Dragon God...]
[You have obtained a Curse: Title [dragon devourer I]!]
[dragon devourer I: You are stained with the resentment and blood of your own kind. Initial intimacy and intimacy growth efficiency with all dragon-type creatures is forcibly reduced by 50%. When intimacy is below 50, you will be viewed as a hostile creature.]
Here it comes!
Caesar's heart sank.
Is this the Curse of the Dragon God?
A massive negative status that marks him to the entire Dragon Clan. This meant that, except for the special case of Cecilia, any dragon he encountered would be hostile from the start.
It really is quite a hassle.
However, just as Caesar thought it was over, a golden notification popped up on the System panel!
[Warning! A powerful will defying the Covenant of the God has been detected...]
[Ding! You have received the blessing of the Dragon God, unlocking a new trait: [Dragon Might: Rebel I]!]
Caesar's pupils shrank.
A blessing?
What's this? A blessing right after a Curse? Buy one get one free?
He immediately clicked on the detailed description of the new trait.
[Trait: Dragon Might: Rebel I]
[Effect: Even a god cannot make you kneel. Immune to all 'Intimidate' type effects. When facing dragon-type opponents, your Dragon Might is no longer suppressed by bloodline. The higher the opponent's Rank, the stronger your Battle Intent. Upon entering battle, there is a 10% chance each turn to cause the opponent to enter a 'Flinch' state. If the opponent is a non-dragon creature, the intimidation effect is doubled. (Note: Your dragon-type factors are in an extremely active state and are automatically deriving new skills...)]
"...?"
Caesar was completely dumbfounded.
What does this mean?
Not only was he not struck by lightning, but he also got a Divine Rank buff?
And... he's actually immune to Intimidate?
This means that even if he meets a Legendary True Dragon in the future, he won't have to tremble on the ground like other Earth Dragons; he might even be able to scare it back!
Before he could recover from this unexpected joy, the System interface flickered with garbled code before popping up two more random notifications—
[Ding! Based on the active dragon-type factors, you have learned a new skill: Dragon Claw!]
[Based on the active dragon-type factors, you have learned a new skill: Dragon Tail!]
Holy crap?
This wave... this wave is a massive profit, awoo!!