"Please kill me, I beg you, kill me and end my suffering!" A middle-aged man, who once appeared quite heroic, was kneeling on the ground, crying uncontrollably. He looked utterly disheveled, with his limbs bent at strange angles and covered in all sorts of bizarre items. His body even had fine white dragon scales on it.
"That's enough. Give him a swift death," said Muria, frowning as he looked at the white-haired, white-eyed young man standing in front of the dragon hunter. The young man wore a sickly smile on his face.
Muria had anticipated that this white dragon might undergo a severe change in mentality after being subjected to such torment, so he had brought it along, hoping it could vent its emotions. However, the dragon had become increasingly perverse, going so far as to use its own blood to actively infect humans to better torture and take revenge on the dragon hunters.
Humans who came into contact with dragon blood of their level without any preparation might gain some benefits, but they would also suffer from the blood's toxic effects, akin to being corroded by strong acid. This would cause rapid draconic transformation, endowing them with more vigorous life force.
"Yes, sir." Upon hearing Muria's order, the white dragon showed a look of fear, then conjured an ice dagger and thrust it into the middle-aged man's forehead.
"Thank you." The man, who had long been unable to endure the torture, looked at Muria, his lips moved slightly, and he mouthed the words before collapsing to the ground, dead. For him, death had become a form of release.
"Your Highness, you're too merciful. This guy has hunted and killed more than ten dragons. You shouldn't have let him off so easily," an elderly man with long, transparent hair murmured discontentedly as he watched the human die. He wasn't satisfied; the screams and cries of humans were the most delightful music to his ears.
"I don't have time to waste on a mere soul-level being." Muria frowned and turned to leave. Since he had saved these two dragons, they had become increasingly perverse. Their hatred for humans was irreconcilable.
"What is this feeling?" Muria paused, pressing a hand to his chest. He could feel his personal divine weapon becoming increasingly restless, like a beast sensing an impending disaster. "Someone's targeting me."
"Who would dare to make a move against me? But apart from deities, who else could pose a threat?" Muria wondered, puzzled. He suddenly thought of the sleeping Wind King Eagle in Synapse. In the main world, besides the avatars of gods, only beings of the World-Beast level and high-level legends could pose a lethal threat to him.
"High-level legends are a threat, but they can't kill me." This was the first time Muria had encountered his divine weapon reacting this way, and he was puzzled. He knew there might be danger but still didn't give up on pursuing the dragon hunters.
Because the weapon's tremors were not intense, only at the lowest level. He had consulted his spirit, Casio, about this, and Casio's advice was to face it bravely and confront it head-on. This was a crisis, but also a rare opportunity.
"Who could it be? I'm quite looking forward to it." Muria smiled and, along with the two increasingly deranged ancient dragons, tore through space, leaving the already looted city and heading to the next scouted location.
...
In the bustling Dragon Skull Tavern in the capital of the Kingdom of Kosem, rugged dragon hunters drank heartily from their glasses filled with diluted dragon blood, exchanging various pieces of information or gathering their comrades, discussing where to hunt dragons next.
"Bang!" Suddenly, the thick wooden door of the tavern, which only served those who had genuinely hunted dragons, exploded inward, shooting towards the dragon hunters inside.
"What a lively place!" A young man with black hair and golden eyes, accompanied by an old and a young man with sickly smiles, walked into the tavern. He glanced around, noting the tavern's decor, the drinks, and especially the equipment worn by the patrons, all made from dragon body parts.
"Who are you?" Seeing Muria's brazen entrance, several dragon hunters near the door stood up, weapons in hand, exuding a murderous aura.
"What do you think?" Muria released his faint golden dragon aura without hesitation. Instantly, some weaker dragon hunters exploded into blood mist, while the slightly stronger ones trembled on the ground, unable to resist.
"Ancient Dragon!" A burly man sitting alone at the bar turned around, his expression serious as he looked at Muria. Red dragon scales appeared one after another on his body, and the phantom of a ferocious red dragon emerged, resisting Muria's dragon aura.
"Dragonblood Sorcerer," Muria remarked with a playful expression as he looked at the burly man, who even had dragon horns appearing on his forehead. "Since you have dragon blood, why be a dragon hunter?"
"Don't misunderstand, this bloodline came from bathing in a red dragon's blood after I killed it," the man laughed, "If I could kill you and acquire your bloodline, I would become even stronger!"
"Did you become stupid after getting a red dragon's bloodline? Kill me?" Muria's voice suddenly appeared in front of the man, and he slapped him, crushing half of his head. "Where did you get the confidence?"
"Roar!" The burly man, whose half head had been smashed, suddenly roared, his flesh rapidly regenerating. His head deformed, transforming into a dragon's shape. Dragon scales layered over each other on his body, forming a red dragon armor. A thick dragon tail even grew from his back, making him look almost like a half-dragon.
"This is my confidence."
"Did you swallow the dragon you killed whole? With such a high concentration of dragon blood, I could believe you're a dragon's child." Looking at the inhuman creature before him, Muria reached out, grabbing its head and slamming it into the ground.
Boom—
A huge crack rapidly spread from the impact point, and the entire tavern collapsed, shaking the capital of the duchy as if an earthquake had struck. The inhabitants ran out in a panic.
"Your strength is too weak." Looking at the dragonman, who was getting more and more furious, Muria couldn't help but think of a strange kobold who had evolved into a true dragon. "You're not even as good as a kobold."
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