Evil Red Dragon

Alekto stood atop the red peak, overlooking the gradually awakening territory below.

Sunlight pierced through the thin clouds, casting extremely long shadows.

The three years of slumber brought him not only a leap in strength, but also a period of reflection.

He can find many good things in the heritage...

"Brother, are you really going to start converting the dragon bloodline right now?"

Oliveira flapped her wings and landed beside him:

"Gru and the others are loyal, but trolls are too weak; what if they can't withstand your dragon blood..."

"It is precisely because of the poor foundation that improvement is even more necessary."

Alector did not turn around; his gaze remained fixed on the distance.

"Red Peak Territory needs stronger guards, and the Dragonborn are the best choice. As for those who can't withstand the pressure... then they'll be eliminated."

"The Red Dragon doesn't need trash, and neither do I."

Oliveira shrank back, not daring to try to persuade her any further.

She knew that once Alecto made a decision, he would never change it because of other people's opinions.

At the same time, the entire troll tribe was in an uproar.

Gru roared and commanded his people to move.

Squads of troll warriors rushed into the mountains and began a large-scale hunt for all kinds of magical beasts, especially those rich in magic, to ensure a sufficient food supply during the ritual.

They knew that this was not only an opportunity to demonstrate loyalty to their master, but also a matter of honor for the future of their tribe.

If they successfully transform into dragonborn, they will gain the power they've always dreamed of.

As Alekto watched the trolls march off in droves, he spread his wings and growled at Oliveira, who was still standing there in a daze:

"Keep up."

Oliveira dared not delay and quickly flapped her wings to catch up.

The two dragons soared into the sky from the summit of Chifeng and began a comprehensive inspection of their territory, which they had not visited for three years.

To avoid startling any humans that might be lurking in the territory, Alekto silently chanted in dragon language, causing ripples to spread around him.

The invisibility spell took effect silently, and his figure blended into the surrounding environment, even concealing the air currents of his flight.

Only Oliveira remained exposed in the air as bait.

I believe no one can resist the allure of the Red Hatchling.

Alecto flew low, his senses sweeping across every patch of land below.

Gru kept everything in the territory in perfect order, and the roads and patrol paths carved out by the trolls spread out like a spider web.

From swamps to stone forests, and then to dark forests.

Three years have passed, and the areas that were once cleared have returned to calm, but Alecto can sense some subtle changes.

New swamp crocodiles have emerged in the swamp, and the roars of low-level magical beasts can be heard occasionally in the stone forest. The spider webs in the dark forest have disappeared, and there are more traces of other creatures' activities.

"It seems that Gru and his men's patrols are quite thorough."

Oliveira followed closely behind, nodding as if she understood, her attention focused more on the places below where glittering stones might be hidden.

Alecto paid particular attention to the southeastern boundary, which was close to the area of ​​human activity.

As Gru stated, he discovered human footprints and traces of a campfire in a secluded spot.

He slowly descended and softly chanted a tracking spell over the traces of the campfire.

The magic spread, attempting to trace the whereabouts of the person whose footprints they left behind... but found nothing.

"Tsk, what a hassle..."

He snorted coldly and canceled the spell.

Human traces have been there for a long time, making them difficult to trace. In addition, there may be magicians present. It is normal for the tracking spell to yield no results. This is just a small test.

"Let's go, Oliveira."

He transmitted his voice to his sister, who was circling in the air:

"Go back and prepare for the dragonborn conversion ceremony... As for humans, they'll come to us on their own sooner or later."

Smoke curled from the troll camp as hunting parties returned carrying their prey, the distant mountains shrouded in mist.

The camp was piled high with carcasses of prey, and the air was thick with the stench of blood, a testament to the efficiency of the troll tribe.

Alekto flew over the Dragon Flame Meadow.

The crimson grass blades undulated in the wind like waves, constantly releasing large amounts of fire element.

The meadow has expanded considerably compared to three years ago, extending to the edge of the troll camp.

Newborn troll children are playing by the meadow, their bodies more robust than those of ordinary trolls.

"It seems that the influence of the Dragon Domain is deeper than we imagined."

Alecto thought to himself:

"This meadow may become a resource point for raising families in the future."

When everything was ready, Gru was already kneeling on the open ground in front of the cave with ten of the strongest troll warriors.

These trolls were carefully selected by Gru, each one having proven their bravery in past battles, bearing numerous scars, their eyes filled with a mixture of longing and loyalty.

Mog, Ug, and Rag are all among them.

Alecto slowly emerged from the cave, his dragon might radiating naturally.

All the trolls instinctively held their breath.

"Gru, are you sure they're all ready?"

"Yes, Master!"

Gru raised his head, his eyes filled with determination:

"They would give anything for you, including their lives!"

Alecto scanned the ten faces and could see the awe and fervor churning in their eyes.

Excellent, this is exactly what the transformation ritual needs most: absolute obedience and faith.

"Alright, let's begin."

He stretched out his right claw and pierced the scales on his chest, from which a drop of crimson dragon blood slowly seeped out.

Unlike the small drop given to Gru before, this time it was Alekto's true heart's blood.

"With my blood, I will forge your bodies."

Alecto whispered the dragon language incantation from his inherited memories:

"With my soul, I summon your spirits. Those who can bear it will gain the body of a dragon..."

The dragon blood floated in mid-air, gradually dividing into eleven tiny blood beads as the incantation progressed, each emitting a heart-palpitating fluctuation.

"Drink it."

Alecto commanded.

Without the slightest hesitation, the eleven trolls simultaneously opened their mouths, letting the droplets of blood fall into their throats.

The next moment, a piercing scream echoed throughout Chifeng.

The moment the dragon blood entered their bodies, violent energy surged through their veins.

Besides Gru, large patches of crimson lines suddenly appeared on the skin of the other ten trolls, their muscles swelled and twisted uncontrollably, and their bones made a teeth-grinding cracking sound.

The two trolls collapsed on the spot, their bodies swelling up like balloons before exploding into a cloud of blood mist with a loud bang.

Oliveira shrank back in disgust, but Alector's eyes remained unmoved.

Transformation is a form of selection; if you can't even endure this little bit of pain, then you don't deserve to be a dragonborn.

The remaining eight trolls are still struggling.

Their bodies grew at a visible rate, their height soon exceeding three meters, the texture on their skin began to turn into fine scales, their foreheads bulged, and their forefingers became unusually sharp.

Compared to them, Gru was much calmer.

The original patterns on his skin gradually turned into red scales, and a pair of small horns broke through the skin from the bump on his forehead. His limbs also transformed into dragon claws.

Time passed second by second.

When the last scream subsided, only seven trolls, including Gru, remained on the open ground.

The most powerful Mog, Ug, and Rag all survived.

They knelt on the ground, panting heavily, but their eyes were sharp, and their aura was stable at the peak of level three, just one step away from level four.

Gru even leaped to the high-level of the fourth rank, and vaguely touched the threshold of the peak of the fourth rank.

The other three trolls remained at the high-level tier 3, neither advancing nor retreating.

"It's a success! It's a success..."

Gru murmured, then knelt down in ecstasy:

"Thank you for your grace, Master!"

Alecto nodded slightly.

Six dragonborn trolls, though few in number, are enough to form an elite squad.

With the addition of Gru, the dragonborn leader, the defensive capabilities of Crimson Peak Territory have finally seen a qualitative improvement.

"From today onwards, you are the first batch of Dragonborn Guards of Chifeng Territory."

Alector's voice reached the ears of every troll:

"You have only one mission! That is to defend your territory and eliminate all invading enemies!"

"yes!"

The six dragonborn trolls responded in unison.

"Brother, they seem pretty decent."

Oliveira leaned closer and said enviously.

Although she was already at level four, she didn't have much of an advantage in terms of aura compared to these trolls who had just received dragon blood enhancement.

"This is how dragon descendants should be. Although their bloodline is far inferior to that of true dragons, they have been transformed and have acquired some dragon-like qualities. In time, they will become our fighting force."

"Alright, Gru, continue your patrols, especially strengthen surveillance in the southeast direction. And from now on, my sister will be in charge of you. Go."

After giving his orders, Alector decided to return to the cave and hide, never venturing out unless absolutely necessary, and to have Oliveira deceive the enemy in his place.

He ventured deeper into the cave and lay down once more on the solidified lava pool.

Although the slumber has ended, much information emerging from the inheritance needs to be carefully sorted out, as it concerns the profound application of dragon magic.

More importantly, he must develop a strategy to deal with threats to humanity as soon as possible.

The current calm will probably not last long.

As night deepened, firelight still flickered at the foot of Chifeng Mountain.

The six dragonborn trolls who have just completed their transformation are getting familiar with their new powers under Gru's guidance.

The trolls gathered around the campfire, roasting their prey and excitedly discussing the day's transformation.

The dragonborn warriors were surrounded in the center, receiving the awe and envy of their people.

Oliveira lay alone on the rocky platform at the cave entrance, gazing blankly at the starry sky.

One, two, three...

"What are you doing?"

"Counting stars..."

Oliveira subconsciously answered halfway, then suddenly realized what she was doing and instantly changed her mind:

"I'm thinking about how to become stronger!"

Without saying a word, Alector picked up Oliveira and dragged her all the way to the second basement level.

He meant what he said; Oliveira had to train.

……

"The breath attack lasts too short! And the temperature isn't high enough! Are you trying to give the enemy a chance to warm themselves by the fire?!"

Alevert's roar echoed underground.

Oliveira, who had just finished unleashing a burst of dragon breath and was lying on the ground panting heavily, looked up at him with a wronged expression:

"Brother, I'm only at level four... and I'm hungry..."

"Hungry?"

Alector sneered, and with a flick of her dragon claw, tossed a half-charred, level-three stone-armored boar in front of her:

"Eat! Eat and keep going! You're not getting any rest until you've burned through that rock face up there!"

Oliveira looked at the wild boar, then at the ten-meter-thick natural rock wall in the distance, and then everything went black again.

This is not training, this is murder!

But she dared not resist.

Alecto was watching her closely, preventing her from even having the thought of slacking off.

"I'll eat it... I'll eat it, okay...?"

With a mournful face, she pounced on the wild boar and began to tear at it, cursing Alecto a thousand times in her mind as she ate.

Pervert! Tyrant! Devil!

When she becomes stronger, she must... she must...

Well, she didn't know what could be done either.

They couldn't win in a fight, and they couldn't run away, yet they were still bound by their oath.

Olivera channeled her grief and anger into her appetite, viciously devouring the wild boar meat.

As Alector looked around, he suddenly asked:

"By the way, where is that Karl rhinoceros now? I didn't see it in the pit. Did you eat it?"

Oliveira froze, then broke out in a cold sweat.

What, a rhinoceros? She ate it? She doesn't remember!

"Hmm? Say something."

Oliveira's tail involuntarily curled up. She swallowed the wild boar meat in her mouth with difficulty, her eyes darting away, unable to look directly at Alecto.

"Ka, Karl the rhinoceros? Brother, you mean... the one we caught when we first arrived? Isn't it... in the pit?"

Alecto did not answer, but simply looked at her quietly.

Oliveira felt the muscles beneath the scales trembling.

Her brain was racing, frantically searching for memories.

It seems... there was one time when she returned from patrol and felt that the food Gru and the others had brought as tribute wasn't plump enough, so... she wandered over to the edge of the stone pit... and that rhinoceros looked so... fresh and juicy...

"I...I remember now!"

Oliveira abruptly raised her head, a smile spreading across her face:

"Probably...last year? No, the year before? Oh dear, it's been too long for me to remember. Anyway, one time, I noticed a corner of the pit had collapsed, and the rhinoceros ran away by itself!"

"Yes, it ran away! It must have dug a hole and escaped while I wasn't looking. It's all Gru's fault for not securing the pit properly!"

The more she talked, the more she felt she had found the perfect excuse:

"Brother, you don't know, that guy is incredibly strong. He smashed through rocks and escaped into the forest. I've been searching for him for ages but haven't found him. He's probably already been eaten by some other monster."

"They ran away?"

Alecto stepped forward, his breath hitting Oliveira's face.

"Olivera, you are the red dragon I have never met who is the least likely to lie."

Alecto's voice was devoid of emotion, yet it sent a chill down Oliveira's spine: "As your punishment, for the next three months, you will only be able to eat the food you hunt yourself. You will not receive any of the tributes from Gru and the others."

"Three months?! Hunting it all yourself?!"

Oliveira screamed, "Brother! I'll starve to death!"

"Starve to death?" Alecto turned and walked toward the passage leading to the upper cave.

"Then starve to death."

Oliveira slumped onto the cold, rocky underground riverbed, staring in the direction where Alector had disappeared, tears welling up in her eyes.

She certainly wouldn't starve to death, but imagining the miserable life she would lead for the next three months—living in the open and chasing after magical beasts—made her feel that her future was bleak.

"Karl the Rhino...it's all your fault..."

She muttered complaints, but finally resigned herself to crawling toward the still-unfinished roasted wild boar.

I need to eat something substantial tonight, at least.

In the upper part of the cave, Alecto lay down again.

He wasn't really angry; it was just a level four magical beast, so eating it was no big deal.

What he cared more about was Oliveira's deceitful and lazy nature.

"I have to turn her around..." Alecto thought to himself, closing his eyes to rest.