Becoming an adventurer by copying monster abilities

Chapter 104 Dragon Hunter Squad

"Dragons are a sign of disaster!"

Throughout the vast territory and long history of the continent of Rildran.

For the vast majority of ordinary people struggling to make ends meet, and even for low-level adventurers, dragons are a different story.

They could only hear of this legendary overlord in the exaggerated lute music of bards, even after a lifetime of searching.

In the material plane, there are two common types of dragons.

One type is the colorful dragon.

It includes white dragons, black dragons, green dragons, blue dragons, and red dragons.

One type is the metal dragon.

Including brass dragons, copper dragons, bronze dragons, silver dragons, and gold dragons.

These two types of dragons are completely different in appearance and attributes.

They are also completely opposite in their conduct and camp inclinations.

Colored dragons are basically evil creatures born with inherent wickedness.

Greedy and cruel.

Although as they age, they will possess far greater intelligence and spellcasting abilities than ordinary humans.

But they still prefer to use violence or intrigue to crush any creature that dares to challenge their dragon-like might.

They viewed everything as wealth and sustenance that could be plundered at will.

In contrast, metal dragons typically exhibit a lawful or neutral benevolent alignment.

They also show a certain degree of tolerance and goodwill towards weaker races.

Some high-level metal dragons even enjoy using their shapeshifting abilities to hide in human society and travel among humans.

If you encounter a metal dragon, as long as you remain humble enough, you generally won't face any life-threatening danger.

You might even gain some unexpected benefits.

But for ordinary people who may never reach the pinnacle of the extraordinary in their entire lives.

The very appearance of these colossal creatures has already disrupted the conventional order of society.

It represents absolute unknown and uncontrollable danger.

Therefore, whether it is good or evil.

For the weak, the only rule of survival when facing a dragon is:

Stay as far away as possible.

When Luke heard that a "dragon" had appeared, his heart tightened.

After all, the extreme sense of oppression and the shadow of death that the "Ash Lord" brought him was still too great.

The red dragons are among the most powerful of the colorful dragons.

Even though they had already experienced many life-or-death battles.

Luke couldn't think of any way to survive the raging flames that consumed everything.

However, a different emotion was also subtly present in his heart.

After all, the first time he used Miracle Fantasy, he materialized a projection of the Ash Lord.

Moreover, that ancient dragon is the only being that can materialize without being killed by him.

Luke was eager to see if other dragons could also experience their might by simply glancing at them.

You can then directly activate [Miracle Fantasy] to replicate your abilities.

Now, a clue about "dragon-like creatures" seems to be right in front of us.

To say I wasn't tempted would be a lie.

Luke took a sip of the slightly bitter rye wine and listened quietly as the other person continued.

"At the time, I was going to try my luck at the abandoned mines in Black Rock Mountain. You know, although most of the minerals there have been mined out, occasionally some scattered mineral stones will fall out due to landslides or other reasons."

Old mercenary Pete swallowed hard, then gulped down a large mouthful of liquor, seemingly trying to calm his nerves with the alcohol: "And guess what? My friends and I, who came along to try our luck, had just stepped into the heart of that rocky mountain range when we ran into a giant dragon! It was... well, that big!"

The old mercenary's face was flushed from drinking, and when he got excited, he stood up straight from his chair.

He gestured wildly with both arms to both sides, as if he wanted to encompass the entire space of the tavern.

However, as the old mercenary described the detailed features of the "dragon" in detail...

Luke found something was wrong the more he listened.

Especially after hearing that the so-called "dragon" only had thick legs and its forelimbs were directly connected to its huge wings.

He was already somewhat losing interest.

Not only Luke, but even his companions at the table who had been listening intently to the old mercenary's boasting also noticed something.

"Dude, that thing you're talking about, I think it's called a flying dragon?"

Feilong, although his name contains the character for dragon.

However, they can at most be classified as dinosaurs, or more commonly as sub-dragons.

Unlike the two forms of true dragons.

Wyverns are more like a wild beast that has not fully evolved.

They only have two legs.

Not only does it lack the powerful physical protection of a true dragon, but it also lacks extraordinary wisdom and spellcasting abilities.

Of course, judging the strength of a dragon by intelligence is not always entirely accurate.

After all, among the chromatic dragons, the white dragons are known for their extremely low intelligence.

They act entirely on the instincts of wild beasts, yet they still possess the pure majesty of true dragons.

"What's with that expression? Isn't a flying dragon a dragon too?"

Seeing his legendary exploits ruthlessly exposed by his companion, the old mercenary blushed and shouted defiantly, "Do you think you can handle that guy? I survived being chased by it!"

Although the flying dragon is not considered a true dragon, its strength is not weak.

The challenge level was rated as Level 6.

For these low-level adventurers in the tavern who haven't even acquired a job level yet.

There's not much difference between encountering a flying dragon head-on and encountering a real dragon; both basically lead to certain death.

Meanwhile, Luke was having an idea.

The old mercenary is right, isn't a dragon a dragon?

What if my miraculous imagination has a special effect on all dragons?

Moreover, a level 6 challenge isn't particularly dangerous for Luca, whose strength has greatly increased.

After all, not long ago, he had personally killed the Banshee, a level 6 monster from the Invincible Abyss.

And more than once.

Even though wyverns may be more terrifying in terms of physical strength because they lack the ability to cast spells.

But Luke felt that as long as he didn't actively engage in aerial combat, he could simply observe from a distance using his senses.

There shouldn't be any major problems in getting out unscathed.

"Let's go to Blackrock Mountain and see if we have another chance to draw a card!"

With that thought in mind, Luke downed the ale in his glass in one gulp, and a clear goal had formed in his mind.

The next day, after preparing the supplies as usual, the convoy set off for its final destination, Ryan City.

After a day of smooth driving by the convoy.

As evening approached, Luca found Fernando and got off the bus early at a desolate three-way intersection halfway through the journey.

Having bid farewell to the caravan, Luke walked onto a side road strewn with gravel.

Follow the directions Fernando indicated for him on the map.

Finally, before it got completely dark, we arrived at a village built against the mountain.

The village is built at the foot of a massive mountain range.

The mountain had a somber, dark gray color throughout.

The mountain is sparsely vegetated, with exposed rock layers and huge pits left by human mining everywhere.

This is Blackstone Mountain.

The village doesn't actually look small.

At a glance, there are roughly a few dozen sturdy houses built of dark gray stone blocks, scattered in a staggered pattern.

This place used to be backed by a large mine.

In its most glorious era, countless miners gathered here.

Even though most of the large-scale official mining teams have now left.

However, many former miners and their families still chose to settle here.

Over time, it developed into a village with a fixed population.

In a village of this size, there are shops that provide all kinds of basic services.

After all, besides the local villagers, adventurers from other places often come to this abandoned mine to try their luck.

Therefore, the village has all kinds of facilities such as restaurants, blacksmith shops, and inns.

As dusk approached, Lu tightened his grip on the long sword on his back and entered the village, intending to find a place to stay.

However, he sensed something was off about the atmosphere as soon as he stepped into the village.

Several men dressed as militiamen had already lit torches and were patrolling the perimeter of the village.

The shops that should have been open to the public were all closed with their doors and windows shut.

It seems that something major has happened.

Upon seeing strangers enter the village, the patrolling militiamen waved their torches and quickly approached.

The leader was a man who looked shrewd and capable.

He was in his thirties and wore a set of hard leather armor that looked a bit old, but was very clean.

His right hand rested on the hilt of his sword at his waist, his gaze wary yet revealing a hint of barely concealed anticipation.

"Are you here to handle a commissioned adventurer?"

Luke asked curiously, "What request? I just happened to be passing by."

Upon hearing this, the light in the leader's eyes dimmed instantly, and he sighed deeply: "I knew it was unlikely. Although it's an expedited commission, it was only just posted, so it probably won't be this quick."

The man looked Luca over again, somewhat disappointed, but his tone remained sincere and polite: "May I ask what urgent matter brings you to our Blackstone Village at this time? If it's to pan for gold in the mountains, I suggest you abandon that idea, because... it's not very safe up there lately."

"Is it because of the flying dragon?"

The man was taken aback: "You know about this?"

Luke nodded: "I mentioned it when I passed by. Would you mind telling me the details?"

The man looked Luke up and down again, very carefully.

The other party was equipped with flawless, high-quality gear, and spoke of dragons with an indifferent tone.

He appears to be a powerful adventurer.

Thinking this, the leading man felt a glimmer of hope rise in his heart and politely invited Luca into the village.

Furthermore, he thoughtfully arranged for militia members to clean up a clean, empty house.

He instructed someone to bring out the cleanest well water available in the village and a simple hot meal.

Sitting by the fireplace, the man took off his helmet and introduced himself.

His name was Dylan, and he was the captain of the Blackrock Village militia.

At the same time, since the old village chief has passed away, he is also the current de facto manager of this village.

Through Dylan's words, Luke also learned more about the village.

Unlike those villages that mainly rely on farming for a living.

The main source of income for Blackstone Village is the performances held at various venues on Blackstone Mountain.

Looking for some scattered, hard-to-mine stones.

These stones were transported down the mountain and then resold to merchants who would come to buy them back every few days.

If one could gather a small, rare, magically imbued fragment the size of a fingernail, that would be enough to support a family for several years.

A few years ago, such overnight riches were still common.

However, with more and more people scavenging on Ling Mountain, finding the rare Ling Stone again is now nothing short of a pipe dream.

The vast majority of villagers are just earning a living through manual labor.

Fortunately, this place is located in a remote area, and there are very few areas inhabited by monsters due to the man-made mining.

Therefore, the villagers' lives are relatively safe and prosperous.

Because of the previous monster invasion near Lion City, Blackrock Village was not targeted by the monsters.

But lately, more and more strange things have been happening.

First, goblin traces were discovered on the outskirts of the mountain path.

At first, no one took it seriously.

After all, small groups of goblins are weak and do not pose a fatal threat to groups of able-bodied men who go into the mountains to gather goblins.

Furthermore, adventurers who occasionally venture into the mountains in search of magic stones will also take care of any goblins they encounter.

Therefore, the villagers' lives were not affected too much.

Until a few days ago, the villagers went into Black Stone Mountain to quarry Ling Stone as usual.

A colossal monster appeared in the sky.

"That thing was like a giant lizard, with wingspans reaching over ten meters, and it snatched Old Man Han away in an instant! Later, an adventurer told me that the thing was called a wyvern."

Militia captain Dylan sighed, "Since then, that dragon seems to have made Blackrock Mountain its own territory. Occasionally, we can see it circling in the sky at the foot of the mountain, which has made everyone afraid to go into the mountains now."

But if we don't collect [the fruit], our whole village will starve.

"7

Luke rode silently, quickly extracting key words from his mind.

Blackrock Mountain, Magic Stone, a sudden surge of goblins...

And, a flying dragon.

Just as he leaned back in his chair, stroking his sword hilt, pondering whether or not to risk going into the mountains to take a look.

The wooden door of the stone house was pushed open, and a young militiaman walked in, his face beaming with joy: "Captain, the adventurers who were supposed to take on the mission have arrived!"

Behind the young militiamen, several figures appeared at the doorway.

Three men and one woman.

The four people were dressed in different clothes.

The leader was the only woman in the squad.

He had short, neat brown hair, was half a head taller than Luke, had a robust physique, and carried a heavy two-handed sword on his back.

Although her figure isn't as exaggerated as Hannah, the melee priest in Murphy's squad, she still looks incredibly powerful.

Behind her, on her left, was a man wearing black leather armor.

Under the cover of night, one's entire being almost blends into the shadows.

On the right is an orc wearing heavy armor.

With a massive body over two meters tall and thick steel armor, he looked like a moving mountain.

At the very back of the line was a rather ordinary-looking long-haired man.

The man was wearing a loose gray robe, and there was no sign of him carrying any weapons.

He was looking at Luca inside the house with an innocent expression.

Although he didn't see any staff or similar implements, Luke's intuition told him otherwise.

This is a spellcaster.