Victory

After dealing with his opponent, Jose immediately went to support Ergou, who was locked in fierce combat, taking over Ergou's opponent while Ergou turned around to support his struggling older brother with ranged magic.

The outcome had been decided!

Even the strong male Petrification Lizard was no match for Jose, much less the weaker female. He unleashed the Dragon Combat Style in succession—pounce, bite, and claw strike—and a single combo knocked the female lizard flat.

After killing his enemy, Jose did not rejoin the battle. Instead, he stood to one side and watched the Kobolds deal with the Petrification Lizard.

On one hand, he wanted to assess his new servants' combat strength. On the other, he was a BOSS, not a babysitter. If his subordinates could handle something themselves, they should settle it themselves.

Turning his attention back to the battlefield, Jose saw the Kobolds surrounding the Petrification Lizard. They raised their spears as if to strike but did not attack, their mouths producing irritating barks.

This was the Kobolds' strategy for hunting large creatures: surround without attacking, use noise to disrupt the enemy's judgment, then thrust their spears the moment an opening appeared. They would gradually wear down their prey, ultimately claiming victory at the smallest possible cost.

Their opponent, the Extraordinary Beast—the Petrification Lizard—had a huge body and thick, powerful limbs. Its only weakness was its lack of agility.

But Stone Skin made up for that flaw nicely. Covering lizard hide with Stone Skin was like wearing a suit of plate armor over leather armor. Even its relatively soft belly could not be pierced by Kobold spears.

The only one with any hope of hurting the Petrification Lizard was the Kobold leader, Sorda. Yet Sorda had not acted. He was waiting for an opportunity, waiting for the chance to land a killing blow.

Clearly, the Petrification Lizard had noticed this unusually strong Kobold and remained constantly wary of him. But the one who drew most of its attention was still Ergou in the distance.

There was no other reason: Ergou was a spellcaster.

Over countless years, wild animals had learned one truth through one painful lesson after another: beware of spellcasters, or they would repeat the tragedies of their ancestors.

The barking echoed through the cave. No one made a move, yet the killing intent was thick in the air. This was a contest of patience!

The Kobolds were the first to lose patience. One Kobold could no longer hold back and launched a surprise attack from behind. His target was one of the few places on the Petrification Lizard's body not covered by Stone Skin—its rear.

Sensing the vicious wind striking toward its sensitive spot, the Petrification Lizard clenched up and swept its tail, sending the audacious attacker flying while coughing blood. He crashed into a nearby tent and did not move again.

His sacrifice was not without value. Sorda silently circled around to the Petrification Lizard's side and thrust out the spear his younger brother had enchanted with Sharpness Spell.

Hiss!

The Petrification Lizard failed to dodge in time and was wounded. A bloody hole appeared on the side of its snow-white belly, bright red blood streaming down its abdomen.

Pain enraged the Petrification Lizard. Just as it was about to counterattack, it saw another blur flying toward it—a Small Fireball aimed at its eye—and hurriedly turned its head aside.

The Small Fireball exploded against the Petrification Lizard's neck, leaving behind a black mark the size of a basketball.

Under the harassment and cover of their tribesmen, the Kobold brothers took turns attacking, competing to add more wounds to the Petrification Lizard's body. Both had noticed Jose watching and deliberately wanted to show off before their master.

A faint smile curled Jose's lips. Given the enormous gap in strength, the brothers' performance was indeed impressive.

The injuries accumulated bit by bit, and the loss of blood drained its stamina. Covered in wounds, the Petrification Lizard panted heavily as bloodshot veins spread through its gray eyes. Its attacks became increasingly irrational, and everyone could foresee the coming victory.

Hiss!

Suddenly, the Petrification Lizard within the encirclement ignored the incoming spears and spun around violently. It knocked aside the Kobolds in its path and ran toward its nest.

Jose was startled. He saw nothing but madness in the Petrification Lizard's scarlet eyes, and its target was the snow-white lizard eggs lying in the nest.

It wanted to destroy the eggs it had laid!

The desperate mother was trying to kill her own children to keep them from falling into the hands of her enemies.

It was worthy of admiration, but Jose needed those lizard eggs. Once the young lizards hatched and grew up, they would make decent fighting forces, perfectly compensating for the Bloodtooth Kobold Tribe's shortage of elite combatants.

His hind legs suddenly exerted force, and he leaped into the air. His body traced an arc as he slammed into the running Petrification Lizard.

Bang!

The Petrification Lizard was knocked onto its back, belly facing the sky. Sharp dragon claws plunged through the wound in its abdomen, forcing apart its ribs and gripping its still-beating heart before closing tight.

Bang!

Like a balloon suddenly bursting, the beating heart was crushed. The Petrification Lizard went limp at once, and the light gradually faded from its eyes, as though they had been covered in dust and lost their luster.

The Kobold brothers lowered their heads, not daring to look at Jose.

"Forget it. This is not your fault. The Petrification Lizard was indeed beyond your abilities." Jose shook the blood from his claws. Through this battle, he had also seen the brothers' true strength.

By human standards of strength, the Kobold brothers were at the beginner rank, while both the Petrification Lizard and Jose belonged to the intermediate rank.

Of course, even those of the same rank could differ vastly in strength, because ranks covered broad ranges. For example, both sixty and one hundred points counted as passing, but one hundred was undoubtedly much stronger.

"Sorda, come here."

Sorda walked before Jose with his head lowered.

"I have seen your bravery. I grant you the honor of becoming a Servant of the Dragon."

Sorda raised his head in disbelief. He was so overjoyed that he could hardly believe his ears, but moments later, he understood. Bravery was merely an excuse; his master's true purpose was to gain complete control over the Bloodtooth Kobold Tribe.

But he had never intended to betray him in the first place. Becoming Dragonkin brought many benefits, so he was more than willing to accept.

Sorda dropped to one knee. "Thank you for your mercy, Master. The Bloodtooth Tribe is willing to become the blade in your hand!"

"Good. Very good."

Not long afterward, Sorda received the same treatment as his younger brother.

Once the Dragon Vein transformation was complete, he looked as though he had been pulled from water, yet the joy on his face could not be concealed. The power of the Dragon Vein surged within him. The benefits brought by such a superior bloodline were not limited to the present; he would gain even more as he grew. At the very least, and most practically, a Dragonkin's lifespan was far longer than a Kobold's.

While Jose was contracting his older brother, Ergou had already begun handling the aftermath: arranging for people to treat the wounded; sending people to notify the tribesmen at the temporary camp to return home; and dispatching people to inspect the tribe's food stores.

Only the Petrification Lizard corpses and lizard eggs remained, which he did not dare handle without permission. Seeing that the contract was complete, he walked over. "Master, how should we handle these Petrification Lizard corpses?"

Jose glanced at his spoils. Every part of an Extraordinary Beast was valuable, and Petrification Lizard eyeballs were the primary material for making the magical item known as the Petrification Eye. Unfortunately, he had no proper storage containers and no relevant channels through which to sell them.

Of course, even if he had such channels, he would not sell them. There was no need to risk dealing with intelligent creatures for such a small amount of money. That would only increase the risk of exposure.

"Stew one to reward the warriors. Cut the meat from the other two, dry it, and make it into stored food. Turn the lizard hides into leather armor. Also, send some people to widen the entrance so my companion can come in."

"Yes, Master!"

Jose then walked over to the lizard nest and counted the snow-white eggs within. There were thirteen in total.

"Have two people guard the lizard eggs. No one is to approach them. Ergou, show me around my new home."

"It would be my honor."

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Thanks to Dragon Slayer Swordsaint for the 100 coins, and to reader 20171214105952860 for the 100-coin reward.