Silver Dragons are spawning in this dungeon!

The next morning.

Hilo stretched out its front paws, stretched, and yawned.

This is the daily life of a Metal Dragon: sleep when it's tired, eat when it's hungry.

Unlike many five-colored dragons, they don't have to struggle to make a living.

The magical items I got from the Silver Dragon Vault yesterday are still unavailable for me to consume.

To accelerate the absorption of the regeneration technique, Hilo decided to resume his daily training.

Unlike previous spells, which could be accelerated through practice, the Regeneration spell is more effective when used on oneself.

So you cause harm to yourself, and then use regeneration techniques to heal yourself.

But they couldn't just hurt themselves, so Hilo decided to take Novi with her to the arena to practice their fighting skills.

He yanked Novi, who was still dazed, out of the pile of gold coins.

Last night she tried everything she could, but Shiloh remained unmoved, as if she had developed an immunity to it, and fell asleep early.

She tried to touch Shiloh inappropriately, but Shiloh didn't react at all. She just ended up covered in Shiloh's saliva. In contrast, she herself didn't get any sleep for most of the night because of all the messing around.

Fortunately, given the dragon's physical condition, sleeping less won't have much of an impact.

As soon as I stepped out of the room, I saw a golden glint at the doorway. The laurel branches delivered by the Silver Moon Elves had arrived, piled up like firewood at the entrance.

Although Hilo and Novi didn't ask about the price of these items, they estimated they weren't cheap.

It seems the training schedule will have to be postponed again. Building a nest is the priority. Gold coins are nice, but they don't look very appealing.

The cave also needs a complete renovation, and there are currently no lighting facilities.

……

Blackrock Fortress.

The black city walls have lost their former imposing presence; every so often there is a damaged section awaiting repair, amidst the lingering smoke of battle.

This marks the eighteenth year of war between the Blackheart Empire and the Casa Empire.

Through continuous efforts, Pluto constantly improved his forging skills.

Ultimately, he couldn't escape being conscripted, but he was relatively lucky. When he first entered the ground battlefield, Pluto's health level was only 8.

In the first battle, they were ambushed by the forces of the Casa Empire. Alchemy shells whistled through the air, explosions roared continuously, and the smell of blood lingered in the air.

His life level might be considered top-tier in a regular army, but on such a large battlefield, he's still cannon fodder, just a higher-level one.

He was struck on the head by a flying iron hammer, which seemed to come from nowhere, and immediately lost consciousness on the battlefield, thus escaping certain death.

He later learned that only a handful of dwarves survived the battle he had participated in.

The mechanized units were short of manpower, so they selected apprentices.

Because of his knowledge of mechanics, he was assigned to the logistics mobile support unit, specifically to serve a Titan-class steam mech.

They specifically replace small parts to keep it operational as much as possible on the battlefield.

The Titan-class steam-powered mech is already considered a high-end mech, with a challenge level of 20.

Due to its enormous size, with a height of about forty meters, it poses a greater threat than a typical level 20 challenge creature. If left unchecked on the battlefield, it could change the course of a small battle.

And so, Pluto followed this Titan-class mech, fighting his way through countless battles.

At the most dangerous moment, the mech's cockpit was cleaved in two by a legendary human swordsman, and the dwarf pilot inside was vaporized by the intense sword light.

Fortunately, Pluto was far from where the legend made his move, so he wasn't taken out as a casualty. He witnessed the scene firsthand: the sword light was emitted from more than ten kilometers away, but it seemed to have a navigation system, accurately hitting the mech's vitals.

Although the legendary dwarven warriors arrived at the battlefield, the mech had already crashed to the ground.

The cockpit was equipped not only with four pilots, but also with two senior engineers responsible for handling emergencies. With a single strike, everything turned into a burnt-smelling gas.

And so, in a daze, he became the... pilot of this Titan-class mech.

Yes, you heard right, not a senior engineer, but a driver. The world is truly a giant makeshift operation.

Although he was only in charge of the power module, he was still one of the drivers, and because he was a junior engineer before, he also held the position of senior engineer.

At first, it was difficult to even get the mecha moving. I held the instruction manual in one hand and controlled the mecha with the other.

The number of drivers in the mechanized units was also quite high, and there weren't many drivers left to replace them.

The supply lines to the capital were intermittent, as the Casa Empire had been sending troops to harass their logistics.

A person receiving two military salaries saw their life rank rise two levels in two years due to the trials of life and death.

He stepped directly into the threshold of becoming a high-level professional.

Moreover, it was a technical position, so it was more than enough for him. That's why Pluto was recently promoted to captain.

They are fully responsible for this Titan-class mech. Their mechanical unit only has a dozen or so Titan-class mechs.

Responsibility and power are linked; he has over a hundred dwarves under his command who obey his orders completely.

The mechanized forces are not just these giant mechs, but also include many auxiliary units.

Similar to combined arms warfare, some small mechs and infantry are responsible for clearing out the smaller enemies, while the main assault missions are handled by the giant mechs.

Pluto rose rapidly through the ranks, but the Blackhearth Empire showed signs of decline.

Perhaps in a few more years, this blood-stained wall will be occupied by the Casa Empire.

Today, Pluto received a mission: based on intelligence and instructions from his superiors, he needed to ambush a Casa Empire unit deep in their territory along the supply line.

They have already attacked their supply lines several times.

……

The supply troops stopped at the supply line to refuel and inspect the vehicles.

One of the dwarf drivers, who was near the back of the convoy, spoke to the escort in the passenger seat who was holding a steam-powered gun.

"Grubber, how long do you think Blackrock Fortress can hold out? At this rate, we'll probably be sent to the battlefield in a few years too."

The young dwarf named Gruber tightened his grip on the thick, fire-stick-like steam gun in his hand, as if only this could bring him a sense of security.

He comes from the dwarven capital, Blackheart Fortress.

Young and impetuous, he belonged to a collateral branch of the family and suffered constant scorn.

So, driven by passion, he answered the call and joined the army, hoping to make a name for himself.

But even before entering the war zone, the faint smell of gunpowder in the air made his hands sweat with nervousness.

Although this battle is not yet over, it is already worthy of being recorded in history and is known as the Black Stone Meat Grinder.

Gruber wiped the sweat from his hands on the car window, and also wiped away the grime that had settled on it, before speaking.

"Old Thorin, are you afraid?"