Lifted

The black dragon Ehm seemed to understand his master's intention and slowly opened his gaping maw, wide enough to swallow an elephant.

The first thing Redd noticed was a powerful smell washing over him. It was Ehm's distinctive breath, rather strong, but he paid it no mind.

Without hesitation, he thrust his bleeding palm into Ehm's mouth,

even pushing his entire arm inside, letting his blood drip directly onto Ehm's broad tongue.

At that moment, Redd felt as though his hand had been enveloped in a warm, sticky liquid,

not the cool sensation he had expected, but a warm, wet feeling.

Yet before even two minutes had passed, Redd suddenly felt that the unbearable pain in his palm seemed to have eased.

Curious, he hurriedly withdrew his hand from Ehm's mouth and took a close look. To his astonishment, the wound on his palm had already miraculously healed!

It seemed this must have been his accelerated regeneration at work.

Still, Redd could not help wondering, Was that little bit of blood enough?

Redd gathered his scattered thoughts and deftly brought up the system interface floating before his eyes, fixing his gaze on the black dragon Ehm's status field.

The word "Cursed," which had worried him so much, remained stubbornly pinned there, like a gloomy cloud hanging over their strongest fighting force at present.

He could not help scratching his head, wondering to himself. Was that little bit of my blood simply too little, like a cup of water against a blazing fire, unable to budge that deeply rooted curse?

Or did the blood itself have no effect, and was this purely wishful thinking on my part?

Or was this simply a slow process that needed time to develop before its effects would show?

He looked down at the palm he had cut with a sharp blade earlier. Those crimson wounds had quietly healed, leaving only faint pink marks.

An impulse rose within him: Should I try again?

Cut through a little more flesh, let out more blood, and give Ehm a stronger dose?

He even wanted to try cutting an artery in his arm directly. With this kind of regenerative ability, he probably would not die.

But on second thought, Ehm had breathed a great deal of Dragonfire again today. Perhaps his body was at its weakest right now and still needed time to recover. Even medicine probably needed time to take effect.

Or if his blood really was useless, he would only be wasting it for nothing.

He gritted his teeth, but ultimately restrained himself and decided to wait a little longer, to give it some time.

The air seemed to freeze, and time grew painfully long amid the tense wait.

Redd could clearly hear his heart thudding in his chest, along with Ehm's heavy breathing, which echoed through the empty Dragonpit like low thunder.

From time to time, he glanced at Ehm. The dark scales covering that enormous body had been somewhat dull before, and even now, they did not seem to have gained any new vitality.

Half an hour felt like a century.

Redd brought up the system interface again and opened Ehm's status field with a slightly trembling finger.

This time, his breathing almost stopped!

"Cursed" had disappeared! In its place was a simple yet powerful word-"Healthy."

An indescribable surge of wild joy instantly overwhelmed Redd, and he almost cheered aloud.

So my blood really did work!

Like a key, it had finally unlocked the shackles binding Ehm.

It was just that the effect had come far more slowly than he had expected, so slowly that it had left him anxious.

He eagerly stepped forward to examine Ehm's condition carefully.

The grotesquely shaped, nauseating growths that had once spread like malignant tumors between the scales on Ehm's skin had now vanished without a trace!

Smooth, dark purple scales once again covered his entire body, reflecting a healthy, majestic sheen in the sunlight.

An immense sense of relief and pride welled up in Redd's heart.

Ehm, his strongest companion and support at present, his most trusted battle fortress, had finally escaped the curse's grip!

He even felt his fighting spirit rise higher because of this confirmation.

Yet that joy did not last long.

Before he had fully recovered from his excitement, a strange tugging sensation suddenly came from the roots of his hair, as though something were greedily gnawing at it.

Although it did not hurt, the sensation was clear and real.

Redd's heart tightened. He did not need to guess to know that King Ghidorah was acting up again.

The little fellow's appetite was simply a bottomless pit, and he ate incredibly well. His feeding sessions were growing longer and longer, and the intervals between them shorter and shorter.

With a helpless sigh, Redd patted the cloth bag hanging at his waist.

The specially made jerky stored in the Dragonpit was a supply of "snacks" prepared specifically for King Ghidorah.

He carefully took out a small portion and offered it to him.

King Ghidorah immediately quieted down, sticking out his little tongue and greedily licking at the food. His satisfied little expression was adorable.

Watching him, Redd shook his head with a wry smile.

It seemed that keeping this little fellow quiet and well-behaved still required "bribing" him with this delicious jerky.

A restored dragon companion on one side and a perpetually hungry "little tyrant" on the other-this would be his everyday life from now on.

Redd slowly breathed out the tension pent up in his chest. His gaze involuntarily swept over the food stored in the Dragonpit, and he moved most of it into the system space, leaving only a small portion behind.

He deftly brought up the storage space interface and ran his finger over the illusory inventory that had just appeared, his brows gradually knotting.

The figures on the inventory were clear: with King Ghidorah's downright terrifying feeding frequency and astonishing appetite, these supplies would last two days at most.

Two days? That number was like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing the little excitement Ehm's recovery had just kindled in him.

The Dragonpit was their base and their last fortress, but their supplies were being consumed far faster than he had expected.

King Ghidorah in particular seemed perpetually hungry, as though a miniature black hole lay hidden inside that tiny body.

He turned around, his gaze falling on King Ghidorah, who was lazily basking in the sun in a corner of the Dragonpit.

He was taking turns rubbing his three little dragon heads against the ground, as though searching for some overlooked crumbs.

Redd sighed and walked over.

Although this little creature could be troublesome at times, there was no denying that he was part of the team and would be Redd's greatest source of help in the future,

and, in a sense, another member of his "family" on this dangerous continent besides Ehm.

He crouched down, extended a finger, and gently poked King Ghidorah's round little belly.

That belly was soft and slightly warm, as though it held boundless vitality.