Dragon Crisis

"Judging by the pattern and size, it was definitely a Dragon Scale. But not one from a Dragon—it was a Dragon Scale in human form. I just don't know whether it belonged to a Dragon Speaker or a Dragonblood!" Lotner's eyes were filled with doubt and caution.

Whether Dragon Speakers or Dragonbloods, both possessed Dragonkind bloodlines and were not opponents to be trifled with.

William reached out and took the not-so-large Dragon Scale.

The material information appeared immediately.

Dragon Scale: A scale dropped by a Dragon Speaker.

Grade: Silver.

Seeing this, William frowned slightly. Dragon Speakers and Dragonbloods both possessed Dragonkind bloodlines, and the potential of their bloodlines was generally no worse than that of the Elves—perhaps even stronger.

They basically all possessed bloodline potential at Grandmaster-Class or above.

Especially since they all had Transformation Skills. After transforming, their bodies would be covered in scales, greatly increasing not only their defense and recovery, but also their attack power, movement speed, and more. In short, it was an all-around boost to their attributes.

The difference between Dragon Speakers and Dragonbloods was that Dragon Speakers were NPCs upon whom Dragons cast Dragon Tongue Magic, granting them a portion of the Dragon's bloodline abilities. They were servants of Dragonkind.

Dragonbloods, on the other hand, bathed in Dragon Blood themselves, though doing so carried a high chance of death.

But regardless of which kind they were, anyone with Dragonkind blood could not be underestimated.

However, there was one point.

Dragon Speakers were few in number. Whether Elemental Dragons, Metallic Dragons, Gem Dragons, or others, they were all extremely stingy creatures. They rarely offered their blood for servants or followers, much less used Dragon Tongue Magic to transform them into Dragon Speakers.

This made Dragon Speakers even rarer. Yet comparatively speaking, they were certainly stronger than Dragonbloods, because besides Transformation, they could also wield powerful Dragon Tongue Magic.

As for Dragonbloods?

Basically, they could only rely on Dragon Slaying!

Getting cozy with Dragons was damn difficult. There was only one option: getting fucked to death one-sidedly.

Dragonbloods also came in several different levels.

But the most common were Dragonbloods who bathed in Common Dragon Blood, and Dragonbloods who bathed in Dragon Heart Blood.

"They're all things that can improve attributes. Should I try it someday?" William rubbed his chin. After players entered the game, there were only so many races they could choose from. But by the middle and late stages of the game, there were countless methods of changing one's race.

But changing races came with both advantages and disadvantages.

Choosing to become a Dragon Speaker basically meant betraying the human faction.

Because unless you subdued a Dragon and had it cast Dragon Tongue Magic on you, thereby becoming a Dragon Speaker—

—you could only choose to become its servant.

But choosing to become a Dragon Speaker meant changing factions. After changing factions, the reputation and favorability you had accumulated with your original faction would definitely be wiped clean, and there would be far fewer things available to you.

From then on, quests, storylines, Main Quests, and more would likely have nothing to do with the main body of players.

But the benefits were equally obvious.

It was equivalent to entering a long-term hidden quest. If you did well enough, you might even become a top-tier player.

Of course, if you did not want to change factions, then you would have to subdue a Dragon and become a Dragon Knight. But such a lofty title was clearly a top-tier quest that could only be completed in the late game...

The requirements for Dragonbloods were not as high. After all, Dragon Slayers loved bathing in Dragon Blood and drinking Dragon Blood to strengthen themselves. But during the early and middle stages of the game, how many players would have the chance to bathe in Dragon Blood? And who could say that bathing in Dragon Blood would definitely turn someone into a Dragonblood? It was all chance!

Even a newly born Young Dragon was not something early-game players could contend with.

Those Young Dragons that looked so adorably cute only needed to unleash one Dragon Breath to create a group AOE attack.

No matter how happily and excitedly the players screamed, corpses would fall in sheets. The scent of roasted meat would fill the air, making even the neighboring Orcs cry from envy.

As for the players' damage?

It could not even break defense!

Of course, there would also be players with extremely high Luck Value who might strike it lucky—for example, encountering a dying Dragon, or happening to have an NPC give them some Dragon Blood.

"It is said that Dragons have always existed on East Sea Snow Mountain. This Dragon Scale should have spread from there!" Lotner gradually turned his gaze eastward.

East Sea Snow Mountain was also located within Blackleaf Forest, near the sea by the southeastern corner.

Its highest peak stood at a full thirteen thousand meters above sea level. Above six thousand meters, not a blade of grass grew. Snow covered the land, strange rocks stood everywhere, and it was even an active volcano.

But Lotner did not know what kind of Dragon lived atop East Sea Snow Mountain.

William narrowed his eyes and shook his head. "Never mind that. East Sea Snow Mountain is more than three hundred li from the territory. No matter where this Dragon Scale came from, there's no need to care."

However, when he turned to leave, he could not help feeling a headache coming on. Version 1.0 of the game was a story of two Duchies fighting for supremacy, and this was also the Main Quest players could participate in.

But that did not mean nothing happened in Blackleaf Forest, nor did it mean the other nations and territories of the Legendary Continent were free from war.

He remembered now. After the Steel Duchy occupied the Border Territory, it frequently clashed with the races of Blackleaf Forest.

Many races would appear in every major battle, including but not limited to Orcs, Gnolls, Trolls, and more.

If the Steel Duchy had not eventually defeated the Blackrock Duchy and deployed a large number of troops to guard Border Town, this place might very well have been completely occupied by the foreign races.

The reason these fellows repeatedly invaded Blackrock Duchy territory was because powerful forces supported them from behind.

Dragon Speakers appeared many times among them, causing the Steel Duchy terrible casualties and forcing it to send several Epic-Class experts to guard Border Town.

But the two sides seemed to bear a blood feud against one another. Neither was willing to take even a single step back, repeatedly launching major battles. Tens of thousands of players took part over long periods, and the rewards were quite generous.

Only after some players dug deeply into the quests did they understand.

It turned out that the Dragon of East Sea Snow Mountain had once been ambushed by the Steel Duchy. That battle could be described as mutually ruinous. Even after the Dragon spent half a year recovering from its wounds, it had still not fully recovered.

But with its mind clear, it could already command its clans and servants to wage war.

"So does that mean I'm basically dead?" William could not help cursing inwardly when he thought of this. His Border Town happened to lie directly on the boundary between the two sides. It was a strategic location that both sides had to fight over. Whoever occupied it first would gain a major advantage.

Even if William in his previous life could avoid the Steel Duchy's attack, he probably would not have been able to hold Border Town.

Because if the Dragon of East Sea Snow Mountain wanted to attack the Steel Duchy, it would first have to occupy Border Town. The other locations were not particularly valuable.

And the Steel Duchy likely knew the Dragon would retaliate, so it had used the Mithril Vein as an excuse to destroy William in his previous life...

"Then from now on, I still have a year and a half to develop. Only if I become strong, and my troops become strong, can I firmly establish myself in Border Town. Otherwise, no matter who attacks, if I want to survive, I'll have to abandon this territory!" William clenched his fist. He did not want to start the game by packing his bags and running away.

His legendary old man had left him a territory with an excellent geographical advantage. He could not give it up so easily.

"But if the Steel Duchy wants to ambush the Dragon, I might be able to reap the benefits. I didn't know about it back then, but now that I understand, I definitely have to make some plans.

"If the Steel Duchy is still so shameless and keeps passing over my head to sneak up and stab the big Dragon in the chrysanthemum, then it really doesn't take me, the king of the wild zone, seriously!" William narrowed his eyes, looked at the Warriors who had already gathered the supplies and equipment, and waved his hand.

"Throw all three hundred Orcs into the Iron Ore Vein. Everyone else, come home with me!"

"Yes, my Lord!" Powerful voices echoed through the night sky. The remaining Elven Warriors followed this brave and resourceful Lord back to the territory.

Along the way.

William raised Dawn Sacred Battle Aura to Level 5.

He raised the other three Skills to Level 3.

Only then did he use the remaining experience on himself.

William was now Level 14.

He distributed the twenty-four free attribute points he gained between Agility and Strength.

His HP had also increased considerably.

Dawn Sacred Battle Aura

Grade: Legendary

Level: Lv5 (0/1600 Experience)

Battle Aura Value: 550/550

Recovery Speed: 15 points per second.

Activated effects and Skills were as follows

Effect: The power of all Battle Aura Skills increased by 5%.

Effect: Strength +8, Stamina +8, Agility +8, Intelligence +5

Effect: HP +450

Effect: Endurance +200

Battle Aura Guard: A Battle Aura Shield equal to the user's Battle Aura Value could be generated around the body. Consumed 40 Battle Aura Value per second. Base Defense was 150. Attacks exceeding the Defense limit could consume Battle Aura Value or even shatter the shield.

After the shield disappeared, it could be activated again after 5 seconds.

Light of Dawn: Infused 50% of Battle Aura Value into a Battle Aura Skill, increasing its Attack Power by 210%. Cooldown: 26 minutes.

(Every 5 levels, attributes, effects, Skills, and more would be enhanced once.)

(The attributes granted by Battle Aura received bloodline bonus effects!)

Elf God's Blessing (Passive)

Level: Lv3

Skill Effect: Increased the power of ranged physical attacks by 15%.

Cost: None

Cooldown: None

Lv3 Effect: Additionally increased true damage by 3%.

Deadly Volley

Level: Lv3

Skill Effect: Consumed 130 Battle Aura Value to fire 3 arrows in succession. If all struck the enemy, the first arrow dealt 140% damage, the second arrow dealt 160% damage, and the third arrow dealt 180% damage.

Had a certain chance to inflict Bleed.

Lv3 Effect: If all three arrows struck the head, the third arrow would definitely deal 150% critical damage to the enemy. (Effect cooldown: 30 seconds.)

Cooldown: 7 seconds.

Battle Aura Slash

Level: Lv3

Skill Effect: Consumed 50 Battle Aura Value to swing a Sword Qi forward. Hitting an enemy dealt 160% damage and had a certain chance to inflict Bleed.

Lv3 Effect: The Sword Qi possessed knockback and tearing effects, depending on the situation.

Cooldown: 3 seconds.

"Here lay the advantage of a legendary Battle Aura Secret Manual. As long as a Skill reached Level 3, its special effect could appear early!" William chuckled. He had to admit that he was becoming increasingly confident about surviving in the future.

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