Sandworm

Redd stood to one side, feeling somewhat disappointed.

He had not formed the same deep bond with the dragon before him that he had with Ehm, and could not sense its emotional changes.

It seemed this dragon had not fully accepted him.

Unwilling to give up, Redd checked the system panel, only to find that nothing had changed.

Could one person really only gain the acceptance of a single dragon?

Redd finally stopped dwelling on this and began carefully examining the dragon's condition instead.

The sight made his heart tighten. The dragon's condition was truly worrying, for it was far too old and in terrible physical shape.

Its wings were riddled with holes of all sizes, as though countless blades had pierced them, and Redd could not help wondering whether it could still fly.

Even more horrifying were the many lumps of rotting flesh covering its body. These lumps seemed alive, writhing slightly with the old dragon's breathing.

A familiar memory flashed through Redd's mind, and he recalled that encounter in the forest.

The various creatures that had attacked then had similar lumps on their bodies, though they differed in size.

Later, creatures like these had also appeared beneath the ground where the dragon skeleton lay.

It seemed these lumps of flesh were no coincidence, but a kind of parasitic organism.

Redd's brow furrowed deeply, and unease welled up within him.

Where exactly did these parasites come from? Why did they appear on creatures as powerful as dragons?

Could they be some kind of curse, or some unknown threat?

Redd knew well that deeper secrets might lie behind these questions, and he might be the very key to uncovering them.

The old dragon finished eating and raised its head to look at Redd again. There seemed to be a hint of expectation in its cloudy eyes.

Redd took a deep breath and silently resolved that he had to find out what these things were.

If I remember correctly, the system can gain magical energy from killing these parasitic lumps of flesh.

An idea struck Redd, and he swiftly drew the longsword at his waist, its blade gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

He waved the longsword in front of the old dragon, carefully watching its reaction.

Reassuringly, the old dragon showed neither wariness nor hostility toward Redd at the sight of the longsword. Instead, it appeared quite calm and peaceful.

Redd took a deep breath and decided to try cutting the fleshy creatures off the old dragon with his longsword, watching its reaction as he prepared to cut.

The longsword approached cautiously. Seeing that the old dragon merely glanced at it without reacting further, he aimed the tip at a protruding lump and swung hard. The blade swept through, and the lump fell away.

However, when Redd examined the severed lump closely, he could not help feeling startled.

As it turned out, more than half of these lumps were embedded inside the dragon, tightly fused with its flesh and blood.

What made matters even trickier for Redd was that tiny fleshy buds rapidly sprouted from the cut lump, soon restoring it to its original state.

Redd frowned, thinking to himself, Do I have to dig them out along with the dragon's flesh?

He looked up at the old dragon's body and saw that it was densely covered with these parasitic fleshy creatures.

If he really dug them out along with the flesh, the old dragon would probably be reduced to nothing but a skeleton.

For the moment, Redd found himself in a predicament, torn over what to do.

Unless I wait until the old dragon dies. Only then, once these fleshy creatures lose their source of energy, will I be able to kill them completely.

After all, he had easily killed the fleshy creatures that had emerged from beneath the dragon skeleton with his longsword before.

But Redd did not want to kill the dragon along with them now.

He held a glimmer of hope for this old dragon, and besides, its current condition had not yet reached the point where it was dying.

Redd sheathed his longsword, stepped back a few paces, and sank into thought.

He had to find a way to relieve the old dragon's suffering while preserving its life.

Perhaps this world held other, unknown means of dealing with these parasitic creatures.

Redd decided to set the problem aside for now and hatch King Ghidorah first, then search for possible solutions afterward.

He turned and nodded to Ehm and the old dragon, indicating that he would do his best to help it find a solution.

The old dragon seemed to understand what Redd meant. It gave a low growl, and a trace of gratitude flashed in its eyes.

Warmth filled Redd's heart, strengthening his resolve to help this old dragon.

If he could help the old dragon resolve its parasite problem, then with its clearly human-level intelligence, perhaps he could gain its acceptance and achieve the feat of one man with two dragons.

After all, when it came to powerful, mysterious creatures like dragons, the more, the better.

Redd silently weighed this up, a hint of anticipation flashing in his eyes.

He climbed onto Ehm's broad back, then turned and waved goodbye to the old dragon.

A trace of reluctance to part seemed to flash in the old dragon's cloudy eyes, but it also understood Redd's resolve.

Redd took a deep breath and ordered the black dragon Ehm to take flight.

Ehm let out a deafening roar, bidding farewell to the old dragon in the way dragons communicated, then rushed forward a few steps. His enormous wings beat fiercely, carrying Redd into the sky.

The old dragon also let out an earthshaking roar, as though answering Ehm's farewell.

Redd looked back and saw the old dragon's figure gradually shrinking, and a surge of complicated feelings rose within him.

He knew that this parting might be for the sake of a better reunion.

This time, Redd ordered Ehm to sweep farther afield.

After all, over the previous two days, they had burned practically every creature they could see in the surrounding area, and now needed to find new targets.

Redd surveyed the land from high above, his gaze as keen as an eagle's, and soon spotted black mist filling several hollows in the ground.

The black mist reminded him of the Sandworm that had been shrouded in it before, and he kept feeling that such creatures should not be here.

Still, recalling the generous rewards the system had given him for killing the Sandworm, Redd decided to go for another haul.

He patted Ehm's scales, signaling him to dive and ready his dragonfire.

Ehm understood at once. His massive body traced an elegant arc through the air as he swiftly dived toward the hollows filled with black mist.

Redd gripped his longsword tightly, determination shining in his eyes.

As Ehm unleashed his dragonfire, the black mist dispersed instantly, revealing the mysterious creatures hidden within.

Redd's heartbeat quickened. He knew a new challenge was about to begin.

The Sandworm, which had originally had only a little of its head showing aboveground, took a direct hit from the dragonfire that dispersed the black mist.

The smell of scorched meat shot straight into Redd's nostrils, making him sneeze as he rode on the black dragon Ehm's back.

The smell was unbearably pungent, as though it would burn his lungs open.