Dragon Hunt

Chapter 15: Dragon Hunt

At the thought, Yuan Chen's expression turned a little strange.

Elemental Drakes, known in the game as "dragons," were the counterpart on the map to the "big dragon," Nash Baron.

In the early versions, dragons offered mediocre rewards. After a kill, each member of the team received a little over a hundred gold.

Later, the designers realized that dragons had far less strategic value than the big dragon, so they changed them to grant special global buffs. These mostly increased damage, sustain, movement speed, or cooldown reduction.

After killing four, a team could gain an incredibly powerful Dragon Soul, and the fifth, the Elder Dragon, could grant several potent effects, including an execute and True Damage.

In the game, any jungler could easily take a dragon after buying a single item. Even a solo laner could kill one alone with their teammates' protection. But that was only in the game!

In the game, even Garen could solo the Cosmic Dragon King!

As dragons, Elemental Drakes weren't creatures that ordinary people could bully just because their name included the word "lesser." Demacia was powerful, right? It was one of the strongest nations on the Valoran Continent. Even when it fought Noxus, the two sides were evenly matched, each winning as often as the other.

In terms of military strength alone, Demacia's Dragon-Bird Legion was said to be invincible, with some of the strongest air superiority in all of Runeterra.

But so what? When Shyvana's mother, the Infernal Dragon K'z'o'z, launched an attack, all of Demacia was plunged into terror and unease by the dragon's wrath.

Never mind the Dragon-Birds or the Inhibitor Golems. The former were so cowed by the dragon's bloodline that they were too terrified to spread their wings or cry out. As for the latter, a single charge would shatter them outright. There was no need for magic or anything like that...

In the end, Demacia was spared only because Shyvana fought her mother with her life on the line.

The strongest fighters in the League of Legends universe were undeniably formidable. The Cosmic Dragon King, for instance, could create and destroy stars with a single thought. But beneath these upper echelons, most heroes were fairly ordinary in strength.

At least until they acquired a legendary class, they were no more than mortals at the peak of their abilities. And no matter how exceptional a mortal was, they were still mortal. At most, they could turn the tide in a limited area of the battlefield, not affect the entire battle.

Faced with a military's overwhelming barrage, the most they could do was kill as many enemies as possible before they died.

Just like the martial arts masters in wuxia novels. Surrounded by an army, a hero like Garen or Darius might kill plenty of people and escape, but they couldn't win.

Even escaping would come down to luck. After all...

Fun fact: the Noxian Grand Hook was once captured by Sejuani.

Darius was lucky he didn't end up as Star Guardian.

Though K'z'o'z was known as the Infernal Dragon and was far stronger than an ordinary drake, the problem was that this was fucking Ixialia, the place where Elemental Magic flourished more than anywhere else.

Aside from the Elemental Sacred Beasts, which were only briefly mentioned in the lore, Elemental Drakes were the undisputed strongest creatures in this Primeval Jungle!

Without a fully staffed army, facing an Elemental Drake on its home turf was no different from throwing your life away.

Throughout Runeterra, aside from demigods, Aspects, the Watchers, and top- or high-tier fighters like Vastaya Shuray, even the Ascended of Shurima would get a nasty surprise if they faced an Elemental Dragon.

Well, to most people, dragons and Elemental Drakes were the same thing... powerful and invincible.

And the Carnivore Beast Tribe...

It was true that the Carnivore Beasts had some of the best hunting instincts and physical gifts in Runeterra. They should have been several times stronger than ordinary humans. Even someone as large as Rengar the lion-man would count as stunted among the Carnivore Beast Tribe.

But when it came to natural gifts, unless their ancestor, Vastaya Shuray, came in person, any number of them would be doomed.

No, it probably wasn't an Elemental Drake... Yuan Chen thought with a headache. It was likely some large beast, like a Sharpmane Beast.

After all, Elemental Dragons were usually driven away by entire nations or city-states... and that was only driving them off. If they were actually hunted, a rampaging Elemental Drake could destroy more than half a city before it died.

Didn't Ixialia itself choose to coexist peacefully with the drakes?

"Their target is an Elemental Dragon."

"Fuck."

Hearing Nedeli's words, Yuan Chen nearly choked. He rolled his eyes. "So it really is?"

Rubbing his brow, Yuan Chen couldn't help asking:

"Are those Carnivore Beasts brainless? Or have they never seen an Elemental Drake? Even if the whole tribe showed up—five hundred people at most—they'd only give the drake a couple more bites to eat."

"I couldn't understand it at first either."

Hearing Yuan Chen's complaint, Nedeli surprisingly nodded in agreement.

As a Vastaya shapeshifter who had grown up in the wilderness, Nedeli understood better than anyone how terrifying an Elemental Drake's power was. They might not be as strong as the pureblood dragons hidden away from the world, but as close relatives of those dragons, their magic and physical strength were both formidable. Biologically speaking, they were the ultimate all-rounders.

She'd wanted to complain about it for a long time, but her family wasn't particularly bright... You couldn't expect a group of wild cougars to have human-level intelligence. Now that someone had finally said it out loud, Nedeli could only look exasperated.

"And there are only a little over thirty of them. They must be some small group within the tribe. Still, they do seem fairly confident. From what I learned, they have some special means of weakening the dragon's power."

She paused, then added:

"But I don't think they stand a chance... They have no idea what Ixialia's Elemental Drakes represent. Even weakened, an Elemental Drake could kill them with ease."

After she finished, Nedeli struggled to sit up and leaned toward the bone bowl beside her. It was full of water.

The nutrients her body had used up had left Nedeli mildly dehydrated, and her arms were so badly broken—at least nine fractures in all—that she couldn't grasp anything.

Yuan Chen fell into thought. As he considered the matter, he flicked his finger. The Flowing Water in the bone bowl rose into the air, formed a crystal-clear sphere, and floated toward Nedeli.

Nedeli glanced at Yuan Chen. After a moment's silence, she closed her eyes and opened her mouth, letting the water flow in.

He'd only done it on a whim, so Yuan Chen didn't think much of it. But when he heard Nedeli say:

"The Carnivore Beasts have a way to weaken a dragon," he fell into thought... If thirty Carnivore Beast hunters dared to hunt a dragon, they must have confidence in their method.

His test probably only required him to drive the Carnivore Beasts away... But they clearly wouldn't be easy to drive off. Whatever the outcome, the Carnivore Beasts were natural hunters. Even if they weren't used to Ixialia's rainforest, hiding their tracks would still be easy for them.

If they really couldn't agree, his test might drag on indefinitely, turning into a game of hide-and-seek with no end in sight.

But hunting an Elemental Drake...

"Where's their camp?"

Nedeli was a little startled by Yuan Chen's question. After taking another moment to think, she answered hesitantly, "You...?"

"Looks like driving them away won't be possible." Yuan Chen grimaced. "So I'm going to make contact with them first... If I can, maybe I'll join the dragon hunt."

As he spoke, Yuan Chen narrowed his eyes... Elemental Drakes had plenty of valuable parts. If their method was powerful enough to severely restrict and weaken the dragon, he could get a share of the spoils. After all, he had access to some special local resources...

Yuan Chen glanced discreetly at Milio, who was outside trying to get along with the cougars.

"I think you're crazy." Nedeli shook her head. After a moment's silence, she continued, "Head north from the cave and you'll find them. They set up camp in the grass, so they're probably planning for a long campaign."

"Fine, I'll get going. Keep an eye on Milio for me."

At Yuan Chen's decisive words, Nedeli couldn't help raising her eyebrows.

She hadn't expected Yuan Chen to be so quick to set out.

After a brief silence, she couldn't help saying, "Are you sure you want to join them in something this insane? You know what they're doing is practically suicide. They don't have even a one-in-ten chance of success!"

"I'm all we need."

Yuan Chen shook his head, a determined look in his eyes.

The odds of hunting an Elemental Drake were indeed low... but they weren't zero.

And throughout Runeterra, no matter the region, a "Dragon Slayer" would be treated with the utmost respect.

Even if the dragon they killed was an Elemental Drake rather than a pureblood dragon, it still meant the Dragon Slayer possessed peerless skill, intelligence, wealth, ability, and fighting spirit.

Whether in Valoran or Shurima... even in Ionia, where harmony with all living things was prized, they might not encourage fighting other creatures, but they would still show Dragon Slayers great respect.

His journey wouldn't end here in Ixialia, nor would it end when he returned to Ionia. If that was the case, having a "calling card" that let him travel freely throughout Runeterra would be extremely useful...

Besides, even if they failed, it wouldn't matter. He could use the Elemental Drake to drive off those foolish Carnivore Beasts...

Risks and rewards always went hand in hand. As long as he survived, it would be worth it!

Damn, the bigger the waves, the bigger the fish!!

With that thought, Yuan Chen gathered his belongings again. He fashioned a pack with a branch frame and a beast-hide covering, loaded it with the fifteen Dancer Blades he had left and another set of Axiom Wheels, then set off.

Watching Yuan Chen walk away, Nedeli wore a strange expression.

She didn't know what to call his reckless behavior. She didn't even know his name. They'd met only once, and he'd ended up like this after their fight.

It had taken all night just for him to regain consciousness. Now he'd only just woken up, and he was already setting off again—with an Elemental Drake as his target...

"Unbelievable."

Muttering to herself, Nedeli shook her head. After a brief silence, she stretched her neck toward the water again.

With Nedeli's directions, Yuan Chen no longer wandered aimlessly through the jungle. Instead, he headed straight north.

Through the dense forest, Yuan Chen could make out a mountain in the distance. He couldn't be sure, but the dragon was probably living somewhere on its slopes. Before setting out, Yuan Chen had learned about his location.

More precisely, he'd learned the location of Lupe's village. It lay in southern Ixialia, near the coast and beside the Miasma Jungle.

The mountain and forest were probably part of the Miasma Jungle's interior highlands. Following the coast north would eventually bring him to the Kumungu Mountains, then the town of Kumulag, and then the Sunstone Bridge connecting the Valoran and Shurima continents. Beyond that were the famous Piltover and Zaun.

But the Elemental Drake's presence meant the Kumungu Mountains were still a long way off. Along the way, he was very likely to encounter outposts established by Noxus during its expansion, as well as Piltover's exploration teams.

The toast he'd eaten in the village had spread there with the Noxian explorers. The soft, sweet food was popular among the Yixialians, but because contact was limited, it was only available in coastal cities.

After traveling through the woods for almost three hours, Yuan Chen stopped beneath a tree and took out some water and fruit to replenish his energy.

During the earlier fight, Nedeli's attack had damaged his Ixialian Refined Leather Armor to some extent. His torso was fine, and had suffered no serious effects, but the armor on his right arm had been torn apart by her claws during the head-on pounce.

The enchantment on this leather armor had been done through a shortcut. Normally, enchanting a weapon required inscribing a uniform pattern of runes within the allotted space, one that complied with the restrictions and constraints of the Elemental Axiom. That made smaller weapons harder to enchant. This armor, on the other hand, used a simple, large-scale pattern.

A larger pattern didn't mean a more powerful effect. It just meant that the enchanter had designed different patterns for each piece of armor.

This made the armor easier to enchant, but with a trade-off: if any one piece was damaged, the missing part would cause the set effect to fail entirely.

Still, considering he'd gotten it with Lupe's money without paying a thing, Yuan Chen didn't care. He wrapped a piece of tough beast hide around his right arm instead, using it as protection.

As he rested, the corner of Yuan Chen's eye twitched. He sprang to his feet and shouted to either side:

"Since you're here, come out! Carnivore Beast hunters, there's no need to hide!"

The Carnivore Beast hunters didn't answer. They only concealed themselves more thoroughly.

Yuan Chen could only shake his head helplessly. Nedeli wasn't easy to handle, but you lot should be easy enough?!