New Rewards

After sharing dinner with his companions, Jose cleaned away the tracks and other traces left by the three dragons. Then he found a stone to block the cave entrance and lay down on the ground before the exit, taking off the spoils on his back.

They had divided the loot in a hurry earlier. Now that he had time, he naturally needed to inspect it carefully.

Dragon Claw picked up the most conspicuous item among the spoils: a staff. Conspicuous here did not refer to its length or outward appearance, but to the density of magical energy within it.

Dragons were magical creatures and could sense the magical energy radiating from objects. The magic emitted by this staff stood out like a firefly in the night.

He ran his claws over the smooth, fine staff shaft, comparing it against the appraisal knowledge in Dragon Heritage. "Hmm, the main body is made of Fire-vein Wood. The patterns were carved with micro-engraving techniques, then filled with Mithril to reduce magical conduction loss. This is elven craftsmanship."

Following the smooth shaft to the ruby at the top, he found it was as large as a goose egg. Even without considering the Magic Arrays carved within or the craftsmanship involved, the material alone was exceedingly valuable.

In the darkness, the Red Dragon's eyes snapped open, delight flashing in his pupils. He discovered that there were not one or two Magic Arrays inside the staff, but five—two large and three small. The three smaller ones formed an equilateral triangle as the foundation, with the two larger ones overlapping above them.

The three relatively simple arrays were all Intermediate Magic—Fireball—with a cooldown of one day. The two more intricate arrays were high-tier magic: Explosive Fireball and Meteor Fire Rain, both with a cooldown of three days.

"Good stuff! This staff is definitely worthy of an auction house!"

"Eh?" He noticed a line of tiny writing where the staff joined the gem. Written in Elvish were the words: This staff is presented to my dearest friend, Vanker Lulunce—Alinas.

Jose did not know who Vanker Lulunce was, but the name Alinas was renowned. He was a famous half-elf alchemy master of Tydanore's past three centuries, with so many outstanding works that even Dragon Heritage recorded his deeds.

Of course, having one's creations coveted by the Five-Colored Evil Dragons was hardly a good thing.

"I wonder where that mage got this staff from... Whatever. It's mine now."

"Let's give it a name. Since its first owner was named Lulunce, I'll call it the Staff of Lulunce. What a dumb name. Hehehe."

After maliciously naming the staff, he put it away and continued examining the remaining loot.

The rest of the spoils were much less impressive: a beast-hide inner armor enchanted to ward off arrows, a gold earring inscribed with Cleanse, a cross necklace with Minor Heal, and several dozen gold coins.

Four magical items, one mysterious diamond, and a small handful of gold coins—this was all of Jose's property.

He rested his head on all his possessions and considered his future plans.

No matter what, he never wanted to experience that helplessness he had felt when facing the Mage again. He had to grow stronger and take control of his own fate.

As for after he no longer had to worry about safety...

A good life was the eternal aspiration of intelligent beings, and Jose was no exception. But now that he had transmigrated into a giant dragon, there was no way he could live an ordinary person's life. He might as well build his own power like the Red Nest Matriarch, recruit underlings, seize a mountain, and become its ruler. When that time came, whether he brought calamity upon the land or saved all living beings would be his own choice.

He shook his head, driving the impractical fantasies from his mind.

Before reaching adulthood, ruling supreme could only be a fantasy. Even adulthood merely earned him a ticket to participate in the continent's struggles.

On the Tydanore Continent, adult dragons stood at the top of the food chain, but they were far from invincible. Leaving aside the human coalition that could defeat even an Ancient Dragon like the Red Nest Matriarch, there were many powerful races among Extraordinary Beasts that could contend with adult dragons.

In the depths of the mysterious Underdark and the deep sea unknown to the world, there were even monstrous races that surpassed dragons.

"Get rich quietly, eat chicken safely, develop steadily, and don't throw."

With a single sentence, Jose set the overall tone for his future actions and began planning his immediate moves.

The woodland was truly unsuitable for him. Red Dragons were much larger than other dragons of the same age, and the dense canopy would hinder takeoff. Besides, he worried that someone might block his cave entrance, just as people did to tigers.

Therefore, finding a new habitat was essential.

According to the Dragon Hatchling survival strategies provided by Dragon Heritage, an underage Red Dragon's habitat was best located in an abandoned mine with passages in all directions or on steep cliffs. The former was rarely visited and easy to hide in, while the latter could maximize a Red Dragon's flying advantage and block the vast majority of enemies that could not fly.

Of course, the Karakoram Mountains were currently full of adventurers searching for loot, so relocating would have to wait until the commotion died down.

At night, the only sounds in the dark burrow were the breathing of the two dragons.

In a daze, Jose returned to Starry River Square once again. It was not much different from when he had left; the phoenix statue still stood tall.

He quickly walked toward the phoenix statue. Ever since obtaining the Phoenix Heart, he had hoped to return to this mysterious space and study the phoenix sculpture more closely. Now, his wish had finally come true.

He circled the phoenix sculpture once. It was no different from before, except that it had lost the dazzling starlight it possessed when they first met.

After studying it for a while, he found nothing. It seemed this phoenix statue, reborn in flames, was merely a milestone and witness to his transmigration.

He looked up at the starry sky and, sure enough, spotted another star unlike the rest. He understood that he could only come to Starry River Square when a new reward appeared.

"I wonder if all these stars falling down could beat a god of great divine power."

Staring up at the stars filling the sky, Jose let his imagination run wild and softly said, "Come here."

A dazzling meteor fell. A moment later, another new statue stood beside the phoenix statue.

It had the same square pedestal, while the sculpture atop it possessed an abstract artistic beauty. From the front, it looked like a rectangular block; from the side, it was narrow at the top and bottom but bulged in the middle. It was pale gold, glittering with golden light like the special effects of a treasure from Journey to the West.

Jose stared directly at the abstract sculpture and felt an aura of wealth rush toward him.

High-class and impressive!

"But what exactly is this?"

With that question in mind, he glanced at the description on the pedestal and could not help covering his face.

"Fucking Jin Ke La!"

Jin Ke La: F

Surviving the Aftermath:

What does not kill me will only make me stronger.

—Little sister, look, God is crushing a dog.

Jose was too powerless to complain.

But thanks to that simple, easy-to-understand name, he understood the reward's function after a little thought. It should increase potential or accelerate growth, something along those lines. However, it probably would not take effect immediately, instead gradually showing its effects over time.

By comparing the descriptions of the two statues, he confirmed his earlier guess: Phoenix Heart and Jin Ke La were both reward names.

The treasure grades went in the order of F, E, D, C, B, A, and S. He just did not know whether SS and SSS existed above them.

He touched the statue, and specks of golden light poured out from it, entering every part of his body.

In the real world, inside the dark burrow, the resting Red Dragon felt a numb itch spread across his body, as though tens of thousands of ants were crawling over him.

Before long, the discomfort vanished, leaving his entire body pleasantly warm.

The Red Dragon let out a long breath and buried his head in sleep once more.