Xingyan Awakens and Avenge the Kulu-Ya-Ku Brothers!

"Dangerous creatures? There are many," the Technical Class Captain recalled, saying, "Female Fire Dragons, Seregios, Zinogre... and by the water source, there are monsters like Mudfish Dragons and Earth Sand Dragons... Don't let this place fool you with its desolation; there are actually quite a few monsters living here, and they're very aggressive. Especially one terrifying guy that's like a thug, tall and big, that will chase and bite you."

"Great Jagras, we've tentatively named that kind of monster," the Scholar added. "It's because its jaws are well-developed, long, and powerful, and its teeth can't be retracted into its mouth. Its attack patterns also mostly involve biting."

"But if there's one that's worth investigating, it's probably that guy?" the Sword Master suddenly said from the side.

"Ah, yes, that's right!" the Technical Class Captain exclaimed, clapping his hands. "The strangest guy is definitely that Dragon Slayer—I've never seen such a strange Dragon Slayer!"

"A strange Dragon Slayer?"

The members of the vanguard exchanged glances. In their minds, the Dragon Slayer cub they had seen more than half a year ago inexplicably surfaced—a creature that, despite its young age, had defeated a fully grown large monster and could even set traps and use tactics.

If they hadn't just set out from their temporary base not long before and were in a hurry to track the Lava Dragon and Steel Dragon, Yano would have even wanted to stay and observe that Dragon Slayer on the spot.

But even after they left, on their subsequent journey, the Leader kept mentioning that little guy from time to time, having a very good impression of it.

"Ah, is it a very smart little guy?" As expected, upon hearing the Scholar and the Technical Class Captain mention the Dragon Slayer, the Leader burst into laughter. "It's not big, but it's clearly different from other monsters. It can set traps, and its fighting style isn't the straightforward kind that typical Dragon Slayers have... hmm... it's like a Hunter!"

He became more and more certain as he spoke, finally concluding by smashing his right fist into his left palm.

"Exactly! It's a Hunter! A Hunter challenges powerful monsters with a slender body and slightly sharp weapons—isn't that what a Hunter is!"

"Little guy?"

The Scholar tilted his head in confusion.

"Slender body?"

The Technical Class Captain's eyes widened abruptly.

"Slightly sharp weapons? A Hunter?"

The Sword Master tapped his helmet, producing a crisp sound, also in confusion.

"Huh? Aren't we talking about the same Dragon Slayer?" Yano said, confused, acutely realizing that the two groups seemed to be talking about different things. "There are many Dragon Slayers near the base? That doesn't make sense."

"There's only one Dragon Slayer, but to be honest, it's not small at all," the Technical Class Captain said with a grin.

"Hmm... the Leader isn't wrong, actually. From a growth stage perspective, that Dragon Slayer is indeed still in its juvenile period," the Scholar mused. "But its growth rate is indeed abnormal, as if it skipped the adolescent stage and went straight to adulthood."

"What?!"

Exchanging stunned glances, it was now the vanguard's turn to be surprised.

Unaware that the Hunters' main combat force had returned from afar and was discussing the punishment and clearing of dangerous monsters that threatened the base's safety, and coincidentally discussing himself.

Xingyan slept soundly.

The Life Energy accumulated through predation would take effect when its master was injured, repairing wounds and restoring health... Of course, it couldn't heal overly severe injuries. When a dragon died, its Life Energy would return to the New World's life cycle.

This was also why dragons in the New World were more prone to becoming elder-class individuals; their vitality was simply too tenacious, and they would do anything to avoid death.

When Xingyan opened his eyes again, he could clearly feel his bones stiff from maintaining the same posture for too long, as if they would creak loudly with any sudden movement.

But compared to his uncomfortable bones, what made Xingyan's dragon face even more bewildered was the mouthful of... well, grass taste.

The taste of plant sap filled his mouth, and the plants deeper inside felt somewhat mushy, as if they had rotted...

He subconsciously chewed and swallowed the contents of his mouth—not bad?

It wasn't bad.

Shaking his massive head, Xingyan got up from the ground. He gradually began to recall what had happened before he fell asleep. He hadn't managed to kill the elder-class Female Fire Dragon, he had been poisoned and injured, and he had gone straight to sleep upon returning home. He didn't know how long had passed... In any case, the spot where he stood now was no different from where he had lain down.

But what was with the stuff in his mouth?

He didn't remember ever becoming a grass-eating dragon.

A familiar set of footsteps gradually became clearer from outside the cave. Before Xingyan could fully process things, he saw the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers carrying a large bundle of green things walking in.

"Jee? Gwa! Goo-gwa!!!"

First came an incredulous cry, followed by joyous chirping. The Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers directly tossed the bundle they were holding, then rushed forward and hopped around in front of Xingyan.

It was clear that Xingyan's awakening had relieved them, and the entire bird was overjoyed.

Warmth. At this moment, Xingyan felt an overwhelming sense of warmth in his heart.

Even in the cold and heartless natural world, there was still genuine affection. It felt wonderful to have someone, oh, to have a dragon, worried about him after waking up injured.

Caw caw caw!

"ROAR ROAR!!" (Go away! What are you pecking at! Is this something you can peck at!)

Xingyan, who was still being moved by the gesture, suddenly heard a crisp sound. He looked down and saw the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers pecking at his scales—you unlucky thing! Is this something you can peck at!!

The fate of the elder-class Female Fire Dragon was still fresh in his mind. He didn't want his Kulu-Ya-Ku brother to lose its head, so he sternly pushed the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother aside and solemnly warned it not to peck his scales randomly.

"Gaa..."

Uh, understanding Xingyan's meaning, after being pushed aside by Xingyan's short claws, the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother's mood visibly drooped—it thought it was being rejected and driven away.

"Gaa! Gaa..."

Its once-straightened bird back suddenly hunched over. The Kulu-Ya-Ku brother's cries were mournful. If its body allowed it, it would have looked like it was in tears.

"Roar! Roar roar roar!!" (Don't overthink it! I was afraid you'd get hurt! Hey! Come back!!)

It took a great deal of effort for Xingyan to finally make the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers understand that he wasn't driving them away, but rather telling them to stop pecking at his armor—think about that Female Fire Dragon; if he didn't want to be blown up like that, they shouldn't peck randomly.

And after understanding that their young weren't trying to drive them away but were looking out for their safety, the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers immediately returned to their cheerful demeanor.

Xingyan finally understood why his mouth tasted like plant juice. The Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers couldn't speak or count, so they couldn't clearly explain how long Xingyan had slept.

However, during the time Xingyan was unconscious, they hadn't been idle at all. Besides the egg-stealing activities needed for their daily meals, they had also braved mortal danger, exploring the Great Sand Sea everywhere to find medicinal herbs that could heal injuries from their memories, and then brought them back to feed Xingyan.

Seeing the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers imitating a dragon with its head on the ground, chasing it in a furious manner, and hearing them constantly chirping about how many big guys had bullied them these past few days… Xingyan felt both heartache and anger.

This is my brother!!

Even with just a glance, Xingyan could see the fresh medicinal herbs the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers had just brought back. Not only healing herbs, but also antidotes and various mushrooms.

During the days he was unconscious, the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers had undoubtedly done their best to take care of him, even feeding him medicine.

These were all fresh. On the other side, there were also some dried herbs. Xingyan wondered how much hardship the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers had endured to collect all these things.

"Roar! Roar roar roar!!" (Don't worry! I've recovered. Let's go get revenge! Kill them all!)

"Gua!"

The Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers, raising all four limbs, agreed.

Do it?

Do it!

Let's do it!

A fierce dragon's life doesn't have much room for laughter and jokes. Xingyan felt incredibly healthy right now, full of energy—and his stomach was empty, so he was starving.

If he was hungry, he'd go eat, and get revenge for the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers while he was at it!

Putting aside everything else, the guy who stuck its head in the ground and chased the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers with its mouth wide open was undoubtedly a Great Jagras!

You little brat, it was one thing to not bother with you before because it wasn't worth the trouble, but now you're bullying my brother?

No need to say more! First, we'll head straight to the Flower Field Marshland Area and get a Carapace Dragon drinking water to whet our appetite and barely fill our stomachs. At least, we'll get rid of the hunger, otherwise Xingyan wouldn't fight with full spirit.

Times have changed. A year ago, the Carapace Dragon that required Xingyan to be extremely cautious and even resort to sneak attacks would now flee at the mere sight of him. And with Xingyan's current size, he could no longer bury himself in the swamp.

He didn't need to bury himself anymore.

No more laughter and jokes, huh, trying to escape?!

With a few strides, he caught up to the slow-moving Carapace Dragon. With a casual swing of his claws, he easily sliced the largest one in half. Time to eat!!

The remaining Carapace Dragons fled in a hurry, crying out in sorrow. Given the time crunch and his eagerness for a feast, Xingyan ate raw meat for the first time in a long time. As usual, he shared some strips of meat with the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers.

The Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers were already accustomed to this way of eating. They directly tilted their heads back and swallowed—it was indeed fragrant and nutritious.

After a hasty meal of Carapace Dragon, not even finishing it, leaving about a third of it behind, Xingyan, with the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers, furiously charged towards the Great Jagras's territory… The remaining meat wouldn't go to waste; there were plenty of scavengers in the swamp.

He moved like lightning, and this wasn't just a metaphor. Xingyan, filled with rage, his sword-tail occasionally scraped against the ground and walls, making a swish sound, sparks flying fizz.

Killing intent emanated from him!

Along the way, he even passed by two Hunters. Xingyan glanced at them and felt they looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn't quite place them if he tried—and since it wasn't their business right now, he strode past them, two Hunters who had hastily hidden behind a rock.

As the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers passed, they glanced at the two Hunters peeking out from behind the rock, but they quickly caught up to Xingyan, still chirping.

Bird nature cannot be defied; the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers were truly chatterboxes.

Timid chatterboxes.

"...Hey, Yano, it must have noticed us, right?"

After the two dragons had gradually moved further away, the two Hunters emerged from behind the rock. It was none other than the Leader and Yano, who, after hearing the Scholar and the Technical Class Captain talk a lot about this peculiar Dragon Slayer at the base, had their curiosity piqued and came to investigate.

"Probably," Yano's expression was a bit strange. "It didn't harm us, nor did it try to drive us away. Captain is right, this Dragon Slayer does seem to ignore Hunters to a certain extent... as if it's already very familiar with Hunters."

"Could it be that it became familiar with Hunters during the activities of the past six months? Realized Hunters pose no threat to it?"

"That shouldn't be the case... Monsters living near villages or kingdoms would never get used to the presence of humans, especially when humans enter their territory..."

"And that Kulu-Ya-Ku... Strange... Why would a cold-blooded monster like a Dragon Slayer have a Kulu-Ya-Ku following it..."

Their eyes began to sparkle a little. As a woman with immense curiosity and courage, Yano was inherently driven by a desire to explore the unknown. Otherwise, she wouldn't have agreed to join this team to investigate the secrets of the Elder Dragons crossing the sea.

If the other members of the first expedition team still had the idea of finishing the investigation quickly and returning, then after witnessing so many new monsters, peculiar terrains, and the possible secrets between the Elder Dragons on the New World, Yano had no intention of returning at all.

At this moment, her mind was filled with the strangeness displayed by Xingyan. She tried to use her limited knowledge to answer these questions, but after much thought, she could only negate the hypotheses she kept proposing.

Slap!

"Hey, Yano!" The Leader suddenly reached out and patted his companion's shoulder, laughing heartily. "Instead of overthinking here, why not follow and take a look?"

"Take a look?" Yano looked a bit lost. Her thoughts, or rather her mindset, were still confined within the framework developed when she was on the Old World.

"Yes, take a look," the Leader encouraged. "I think that Dragon Slayer didn't pay attention to us because it had important things to do. Look how rushed it looks, reminding me of how I rushed back to collect my clothes that were drying in the yard when it suddenly started raining before I left."