Poison Extreme Dragon

We walked for about two more hours through the cold-glowing mine tunnels.

Apart from the rock walls and the scattered Anti-Magic Ores underfoot, and the occasional dripping of cold water from an unknown source from above, we encountered nothing else.

The passageway was winding, but had no forks; it simply extended silently downwards.

Frieren's pace gradually slowed. Her emerald eyes swept over yet another empty corner of the rock wall, and she pursed her lips, letting out a clear, dissatisfied click of her tongue.

"Cut..."

She crossed her arms, and the ends of her silvery-white hair flicked gently as she turned.

"We've been walking for so long, and there's still no treasure chest..."

Upon hearing this, Fern, who was walking slightly behind her, blinked her pale purple eyes calmly, her voice as steady as ever.

"It would be more reasonable if there weren't any."

As she spoke, she habitually kept an eye on the seemingly flat ground beneath her feet, which might actually have hidden cracks.

Who would leave a treasure chest in a place like this?

"Hmm... just in case," Frieren muttered to herself, but turned back and continued walking, though her steps seemed listless.

Then we turned another corner.

The mine tunnel ahead suddenly opened up, forming a natural, nearly circular cave. In the center of the cave, there was a small pool of water, its color dark and its depth unknown.

The instant they stepped into the cave—

From the shadows opposite the shallow pool came a heavy, sticky rubbing sound.

A massive outline slowly emerged from the boundary between darkness and the cold glow of the mineral.

Its head is round and convex, covered with dozens of eyes of varying sizes, gleaming with a dull yellow luster. Its mouth is stretched to the sides, revealing sharp, interlocking teeth dripping with sticky saliva. Several pale tentacles with suckers at the tips grow from the top of its head, constantly wriggling.

Its body was covered in thick skin with black and green stripes and ring-shaped raised patterns, like a lizard that had been maliciously magnified and distorted countless times. The ends of its thick limbs were sharp claws that dug deep into the ore in the ground. A long tail trailed behind it, the tip of which was slightly raised and shimmered with an ominous eerie green light.

It blocked the exit on the other side of the cave, dozens of eyes locked onto the intruder, and a low gurgling sound came from its throat, like countless mucus bubbles bursting.

Lowell stopped and looked at the monster that almost filled most of the cave entrance, stroking his chin.

"Suddenly, a colossal creature appeared," he drawled, swaying his head as if telling a story, "Coming down mountains and trees, it was a toad..."

He paused, examined the monster's bumpy skin and gaping mouth more closely, and corrected himself.

"Oh, it's a Poison Extreme Dragon too..."

Fern: "..."

She looked at the monster that exuded a dangerous aura, then glanced at Lowell beside her, who was still leisurely quoting scriptures, and remained silent for a moment.

Frieren nodded, confirming in a flat tone.

"It's Poison Extreme Dragon."

Fern's gaze fell on the monster, her pale purple eyes showing no fear, but rather observation.

"So this is the Poison Extreme Dragon," she said softly, as if recalling something. "I remember when you explained dragons to me before, you said this was a relatively weak type."

"Hmm." Frieren responded, her gaze sweeping over the unsettling eyes and tentacles of the Poison Extreme Dragon. "Poison Extreme Dragon, Red Mirror Dragon, these are the weaker ones among the dragons. The truly powerful dragons, like the Imperial Prison Dragon and the Dark Dragon, are far more terrifying."

Lowell spoke, his tone tinged with a wistful nostalgia for the past.

"Yes, once, that dragon first used its breath to temporarily cripple Ruby's arm. Eisen then blocked the breath, clearly entering a fighting stance. But the dragon then struck again with its claw, knocking Eisen unconscious and making him roll his eyes back. Strongest of Humanity warrior..." He shook his head, "Still seemed somewhat weak when facing that kind of dragon."

Fern thought for a moment.

"To be able to withstand a dragon's breath is already quite impressive," she said calmly and objectively. "It would be strange if a human's body could surpass a dragon's."

The three of them stood at the cave entrance, casually discussing the classification of dragons and their past battle records with the Poison Extreme Dragon, which was clearly the top predator in the area, completely ignoring its increasingly rapid growls and its slightly crouched posture, ready to attack.

The murky yellow light in the dozens of eyes of the Poison Extreme Dragon seemed to intensify. It had long entrenched itself here, and ordinary monsters, and even stray adventurers, had all been terrified at its sight. How could it have ever been so thoroughly disregarded?

"Roar--!"

It suddenly raised its ferocious head and let out a roar that was a mixture of anger and intimidation! A foul-smelling gas, carrying fine poisonous droplets, spewed from its gaping maw, forming a faint green mist under the cold light of the mineral.

The sound echoed through the cave, causing a fine dust to fall from above.

Lowell raised his hand and fanned himself in front of him, dispelling the slight odor that had drifted nearby.

"Wow," he commented flatly, "He roared like a dragon, and his voice was quite loud."

Frieren glanced at the Swirl poisonous fog, then looked at herself and Fern.

"Alright, alright," she waved her hand, her tone slightly urging, "Hurry up and take care of it. We're just ordinary, cute girls here, so you're the only one who can do it."

Lowell nodded.

"Alright."

He raised his right hand and casually made a grabbing motion in the air towards the Poison Extreme Dragon, which was brewing a second roar or an even more deadly poisonous attack, a dozen meters away.

There are no lighting or shadow effects.

But the Poison Extreme Dragon's massive body suddenly stiffened.

Countless fine, almost transparent indentations suddenly appeared on its body, which was covered with ring-shaped patterns. The indentations were deeply embedded in its thick skin, precisely wrapping around its limb joints, neck, and long tail, and even its wriggling tentacles were forcibly straightened and bound one by one.

For the first time, a clear look of astonishment and panic appeared in the turbid eyes of the Poison Extreme Dragon. It tried to struggle, but the invisible restraints remained unmoved, instead tightening with its efforts, causing the muscles beneath its thick skin to spasm. It tried to exhale its venomous breath, but its throat was tightly gripped by a force, and only painful "hoarse" sounds could escape from between its teeth.

It was like a giant insect suddenly caught in countless tough spider webs, writhing in vain, unable even to fall down, fixed in place, maintaining a somewhat comical attack posture.

Lowell subdued the Poison Extreme Dragon, turned to look at Fern, and a hint of eagerness appeared on his face.

"Fern, how about we try that move...?"

Before he could finish speaking, Fern shook his head decisively, his pale purple eyes showing a clear refusal.

"Don't want."

Her voice was steady, but her pace was slightly fast, revealing her determination.

"Absolutely not. The previous wolves were one thing..." She glanced at the Poison Extreme Dragon in the distance, its head covered in eyes, drool dripping from its mouth, and its tentacles writhing wildly, and her lips visibly turned downwards. "This one is just too ugly. And it looks so dirty."

Lowell tried to persuade him, pointing to the bound Poison Extreme Dragon.

"Look, it can't move now, it's safe. And look at Andrius before, after you 'purified' him, wasn't he much more docile and better-looking? He was a cute little life too, maybe..."

"No, absolutely not."

Fern interrupted again, with a valid reason.

"What's so cute about him? Besides, there's nothing like a 'Hero's Sword' here that needs protecting. I have no reason to use that magic on it."

Lowell was taken aback, then turned his gaze to Frieren, his eyes carrying a hint of encouragement.

Frieren's eyes lit up slightly, and she became interested, taking a half-step forward.

"Let me try! Let me give it a shot..."

Her words came to an abrupt end.

Because Fern turned his face, his pale purple eyes calmly looking at her. There was no harshness in his gaze, just a quiet, clear, and unusually "kind" look.

Frieren blinked and met Fern's gaze for two seconds.

Then, the spark of excitement on her face quickly faded, and she puffed out one cheek slightly, revealing an expression that was a mixture of guilt and "okay, okay," like a cat being grabbed by the scruff of its neck.

"I just won't try it."

She muttered something under her breath, retracted the half-step she had taken, crossed her arms, turned her head to the side, and pretended to study the mineral texture on the rock wall.

Lowell looked at the master and apprentice who had quickly reached an agreement and scratched his head.

"Okay, okay."

He sighed, his tone tinged with regret, but he didn't insist.

"Let's go then. I'll deal with this guy once we're a bit further away, so that no poison or blood splatters and stains our clothes."

Frieren and Fern had no objections and nodded.

The three of them stopped looking at the Poison Extreme Dragon that was tightly bound by invisible threads and staring in vain. They walked past it a few meters away and headed towards the exit passage on the other side of the cave.

The Poison Extreme Dragon stared intently at the three "little bugs" that had easily subdued it and then left as if it were nothing, its throat emitting even more rapid and painful "hoarse" sounds, yet it couldn't even turn its head.

After walking a few dozen meters, the passage turned a corner, completely blocking the view of the cave behind.

They walked a little further ahead, probably getting far enough away.

Lowell was at the back, did not stop walking; he simply made a very slight downward stroke with the index finger of his left hand, which was hanging at his side.

"Laugh--"

A soft, clean, and crisp sound, like a sharp blade cutting through thick leather, faintly came from the direction of the distant cave behind us.

Then, all fell silent again. Only the rhythmic footsteps of the three men echoed softly in the empty mine tunnel.