Thick white smoke permeated the surroundings, and the monsters couldn't see what was above, only a huge black silhouette vaguely appearing.
"Roar—"
Langpu let out a dragon-like roar.
As the smoke dissipated, he pushed aside his discarded skin, supporting his body with his arms and slowly straightening up.
The first Dragon Vein Ogre of Erezergai was thus born—if the dragons' aesthetic taste wasn't so outrageous.
The monster before them could no longer be called an Ogre.
He was over five meters tall and nearly as wide; even his former tribesmen would look like small gnomes standing before him.
His still corpulent and sturdy body was covered in bright scarlet scales.
His originally short and thick fingers became long and sharp, transforming from humanoid hands into claws with draconic features.
Langpu slowly opened his eyes.
His pupils were golden.
Several rows of small red horns protruded from his forehead, making his already ugly and terrifying head even more ferocious.
If one could cut open his flesh, they would find that the Ogre Mage's blood flowed hot within him, filled with violent elements, and a vascular system similar to that of a dragon gradually formed in his body.
Compared to an Ogre, Langpu was now more aptly called a "Dragon Ogre."
After all, he could no longer be considered a pure giant sub-species, but rather a Dragon Vein creature flowing with true dragon blood, and his original lifespan of only a few decades would extend to several centuries.
Langpu could even now breathe fire.
On Ke Xiu Si's familiar panel, Langpu's data had undergone earth-shattering changes.
【Dragon Vein Ogre Mage - Langpu】
Name: Langpu
Giant Dragon Vein Giant (Fire), Neutral Evil
Race: Dragon Vein Ogre
AC: 16 (Natural Armor)
Attributes:
Strength—20
Dexterity—10
Constitution—18
Intelligence—17
Perception—8
Charisma—13
Proficiencies: Reading +6, Arcana +4, Hunting +4, Dominance +4, Herbalism +2, Persuasion +2, Military +2
Senses: Passive Perception 14 ft.
Languages: general language, dragon language, Giant
Actions: Slam, Bite, Pound, Claw Attack
Special Ability: Breath Weapon (Fire)
Combat Equipment: Ring of Wisdom Research, Arcane Ring, Albert's Mithril Bracelet
Class Level: 6 Mage
Spellcaster Level: 6
Spells:
Cantrip: Fire Bolt
1st Level: Burning Hands
2nd Level: Scorching Ray
3rd Level: Fireball
Challenge Rating: 10 (7000xp)
Evaluation: "This Dragon Vein Ogre will turn you into barbecue and then swallow you whole."
His Challenge Rating immediately jumped to 10, key stats like Strength, Constitution, and Dexterity underwent drastic changes, and the special ability of breath attack appeared.
And at the same time, Ke Xiu Si could clearly feel that due to the suppression from deep within the bloodline, his bond with his familiars became even tighter; they could no longer disobey orders.
Even thoughts of rebellion would be detected.
"The effect is quite significant."
Ke Xiu Si said delightedly.
However, this was Langpu's reward for risking his life and delving deep into the study of the magic net.
Ke Xiu Si knew this was not universally applicable.
"Master, I succeeded."
His tone contained an irrepressible excitement and joy, as well as the satisfaction of a successful experiment as a mage.
The monster on the boulder, more aptly called a "Dragon Ogre," knelt to thank the Red Dragon, then leaped down, causing a rumble on the ground.
"Boss, you're really big!"
"How much more can you eat now!"
The Ogres, adhering to the principle of "bigger is better," cheered incessantly for their boss's new form; the only thing their simple, crude minds could think of was that being bigger meant being able to eat more.
Meanwhile, Dolo's face was clouded with gloom.
"Chimera."
Ke Xiu Si called out the second name.
The Chimera was the Red Dragon's first familiar, the top combat power of the Burning Nest.
Moreover, it was already a distant relative of dragons, and Ke Xiu Si happened to want to conduct an experiment to test the effect of this "Bloodline Blessing" on a Dragon Vein creature.
Even if it failed, the Red Dragon would not feel the slightest bit of heartache, as such chaotic evil beasts had no loyalty to speak of.
The three-headed monster landed on the boulder, folding its wings and respectfully lowering its heads.
Blood entered the mouth of the dragon head.
The Chimera let out a suppressed growl as the blood boiled within its body.
But it did not suffer like the Ogre; for a creature that was already a dragon-kin, dragon blood was not so difficult to absorb.
The monsters watched quietly around, the Chimera's reaction was far less intense than the Ogre's.
As the blood spread throughout its body, its three heads all rose up.
The dragon head even involuntarily breathed fire.
Although the Chimera had three heads of different forms, its will was still one; the different heads merely represented three facets of its personality.
The dragon head drove it to attack, plunder, and hoard treasure; the lion's nature incited its desire to hunt powerful creatures threatening its territory; and the goat head made it malicious and stubborn, fighting to the death.
The original Chimera had the lion head as its primary form.
But when the blessed blood permeated its entire body, the Chimera's dragon head expanded continuously, and the keratinous spikes at the back of its neck extended from its head to its spinal column, replacing its luxuriant mane, and scales gradually grew where the lion's fur had been.
"Roar—"
The Chimera's dragon head raised itself and let out a long howl.
Its body rapidly swelled, growing at a visible rate.
It did not have the Ogre's exaggerated energy absorption methods and nearly stopped growing after reaching a length of over eight meters.
And its dragon head grew much faster than the lion and goat heads, with its "dragon" nature completely dominating.
Compared to the previous contradictory, unclassifiable monster, the current Chimera looked more like a misshapen Red Dragon, with the goat and lion heads reduced to burdens and appendages.
"Roar."
After the Chimera finished digesting in place, it once again respectfully lowered its three heads, letting out a soft growl in unison.
Ke Xiu Si could feel that, whether due to its strength or the bloodline suppression, the current Chimera had completely abandoned any thought of rebellion, only wanting to wholeheartedly cling to his patronage.
As for the future, that was hard to say, as the dragon's nature did not include "follow to the death."
Ke Xiu Si's familiar panel also changed.
【Dragon-like Chimera】
Challenge Rating: 9 (5000xp)
This Chimera's Challenge Rating reached 9, second only to Langpu.
The power of the Chimera's fire breath became even more terrifying, and the scales all over its body gave its natural armor value a leap in improvement; the swords of the former Gryphon Riders would now find it very difficult to harm it.
"How can such a beast receive blessings before me..."
Seeing the Chimera receive the blessing first, the Earth Goblin Dolo's face grew even gloomier.
However, constrained by the Red Dragon's presence, he could only suppress his impulse of anger and continue to wait in place, though his breathing became more rapid.