“Yuying, next time you want to convince me not to get into something dangerous and difficult, be sure to use all your weapons,” Fruity said, hiding behind a thin tree with Yuying.
When Yuying told him about the tasks he needed to perform in order to qualify to join a witch temple, Fruity never bothered to ask what he needed to do in the domain of the Dark Flame Chaos Dragons.
It was only after they entered the Northern Region that she mentioned he would have to steal a dragon horn from their ancestral burial site. Essentially, in the domain of the Dark Flame Chaos Dragons, when a dragon dies, it sheds its horns.
After they are buried, the horns are placed—more like planted—on the grave as a sign of respect. This, of course, means the site is heavily protected.
“Master, if it’s too hard, we can go back and look for other ways to awaken your bloodline,” Yuying said. She didn’t want to admit it, but she was hoping her master would take up her offer. However, Fruity was unwilling to do that.
Just like when he had forced her to say the word that resulted in heavenly punishment, he could sense that he needed to take this trial. Because of that, no matter the danger, he was determined to navigate it somehow.
“Don’t worry, Yuying. Go inside my Soul Space. I will handle this easily,” Fruity said, sending Yuying into his soul sea.
“First, I need to blend in. Thankfully, the Forbidden Diagram can handle that. I just need to do a soul search to copy their memories.” Since the Diagram can’t copy the memories of those Fruity transforms, he has to do that manually.
He doesn’t know much about the Diagram, but so far, he has learned that he can either use the blood of monsters to change his appearance or fully transform into them. Because of this, he planned to hunt for blood first before moving forward with his other plans.
With swift movements and zero presence, thanks to his Devouring Ice ability, Fruity entered deep into the territory of the demon dragons.
A few hours later, he came to a stop when he sensed the presence of four Tier 6 Dark Flame Chaos Dragons. He got close, making sure his presence went unnoticed.
“This hunt was a burst. We should head back. Maybe Kaldros and his team will get lucky this time,” one of the dragons, in their demi-human form, said with a sigh. Continue reading stories on empire
“He would love to rub it in our faces,” another said.
Fruity scanned him with his senses and decided that transforming into this one wouldn’t be a bad idea at all. Among the group, he was by far the most handsome.
“Alright, let’s go. Whatever happens, happens,” the one who seemed to be their leader said, prompting the four hunters to begin heading back.
‘Although the Forbidden Diagram can change my realm to match the realm of any monster I turn into, having the same realm naturally offers some advantages. It will be easier to simulate their traits,’ Fruity thought as he began circling around them.
The four dragons, who were moving, suddenly felt their surroundings grow cold. This immediately put them on high alert, ready for battle. But before they could search for the source, a wave of dizziness hit them, causing them to collapse and fall unconscious.
“Sleep tight, teammates. Even Tier 7 or 8 would struggle to withstand my mental attacks,” Fruity muttered as he stood beside the unconscious dragons. After refining the Chaos Ice, his mental strength had risen considerably.
He quickly formed a hand seal, and a miniature pagoda appeared, entering the forehead of the handsome dragon. As soon as it did, the dragon’s memories began flowing into Fruity’s mind.
He did the same for the other three, and with a gesture, the handsome fellow was devoured, leaving behind only a drop of his blood.
Fruity gestured for the blood to flow to his forehead, where it was immediately devoured by a star-shaped tattoo that appeared on his forehead. A red mist surrounded him briefly. When it cleared, he had fully transformed into the handsome dragon.
He quickly sheathed the weapons he had picked up earlier and made sure everything on him was intact. The Diagram was able to recreate his attire, so he didn’t need to remove them before killing his target.
“This will do,” Fruity muttered before lying down beside the three unconscious dragons. A while later, someone tapped his hand, waking him up with a tired expression.
“What happened?” he asked, noticing the other three were now standing, weapons in hand but looking exhausted.
“It seems we were attacked, but by what?” the leader said with a frown.
“We’re alive, so we should vacate this place quickly,” one of them suggested.
“Drakthar is right, we should leave,” Fruity, now in his demi-dragon form, said. The others nodded, and without overthinking it, they left and headed back to their sanctuary.
From what Fruity had gathered from their memories, they were hunters from a part of the Dark Flame Chaos Dragon domain.
In the Dark Flame Chaos Dragon Domain, there are various sections, each ruled by a Tyrant. From what Fruity gathered from their memories, there are five sections. The group he encountered was from the Chaos Section, ruled by a Tyrant-rank dragon called Morthrak, who is the third strongest Tyrant in the Chaos Section.
There are two other Tyrants, one of whom is a Divine General currently in seclusion, attempting to break through to become a Deimos (Tier 9).
Fruity, of course, wanted to infiltrate the Ancestral Burial site. He quickly found out that, to gain entry, he would have to become an Ancestral Guardian—guards responsible for protecting the burial site.
Fruity managed to identify three of these guards currently residing in the Chaos Section. All he needed to do was kill one, transform into him, and wait for his rotation to guard the site. When it was his turn, he could steal the horn and escape before the Demon Dragon King caught wind of it.
After all, the strongest dragon in the Dark Flame Chaos Dragon Domain was a Tier 11 dragon, a realm higher than Yuying. If Fruity didn’t play his cards right, and the only Dreadnaught in the domain intervened, his bones wouldn’t even be left to bury.
“Same time tomorrow, right?” Fruity asked his teammates as they arrived at the large wall protecting the Chaos Section, commonly referred to as Chaos City. They nodded before retiring to their homes
Fruity, who lived with his father, a blacksmith, quickly went home and, like a good son, informed his father about their hunt. As expected, his father scolded him for being weak, something normal for demons who crave strength.
Fruity, unfazed by his fake father’s scolding, went to bed. The next day, he followed the same routine for an entire week until the rotation for the Ancestral Guards came around.
He found an excuse to skip the hunt that day, and under the cover of night, he followed the three Tier 7 dragons as they headed toward the Ancestral Burial Site. His plan was simple: use the same tactics he employed against the Tier 6 dragons, but with a slight alteration.
Fruity diligently followed them, transforming back into his Blue Horn Hawk form, which was faster than the dragon form he had taken before.
“Guys, something’s not right,” one of the three Tier 7 dragons suddenly said, stopping and drawing his weapon.
“Velgorn, what seems to be the problem this time?” one of the others asked, addressing the dragon who had drawn his weapon. There was a frown on his face which meant they had been through this situation and a similar one before
“The air feels strange like we’re walking through something,” Velgorn said, glancing around cautiously.
“You haven’t slept well this time either, huh? I feel fine, and Ghanorth seems fine too, so what’s wrong with you? Are you not feeling alright?” asked the second dragon, Vuithan.
“Maybe you’re right. I haven’t had a good night’s sleep these days,” Velgorn admitted, though he remained on high alert, his senses heightened.
“Let’s go,” Vuithan said. After a slight hesitation, they began moving again.
A kilometer away, Fruity sighed. ‘I guess I need to get closer for a quicker and maximum effect,’ he thought to himself.