The red dragon opened his massive jaws without hesitation and bit down hard on the neck of the chimera's dragon head.
His razor-sharp fangs pierced its scales, tore through its tough hide, and sank deep into its flesh.
Blood splattered as the head reared back with a shrill wail, and the torrent of flames ceased abruptly.
"ROAR—"
The chimera flapped its wings wildly, straining to rise higher, while its lion claws lashed at the red dragon in a desperate counterattack.
Cassius released his bite, swiftly dodged the strike, and angled his wings to soar above the chimera.
Now the battle had shifted. The red dragon let out a triumphant roar and dove straight down at its back.
Compared to the malformed beast below, the dragon's streamlined body was clearly superior in flight.
The chimera could not evade, only flap in vain, staring helplessly at the dragon closing in.
"Got you."
Cassius extended his claws and clamped tightly onto the chimera's wings.
The monster panicked, thrashing and snapping all three of its heads backward in a futile attempt to shake him off.
"Bull's Strength!"
The dragon roared, magic flooding his heart and surging through every muscle. His limbs swelled with exaggerated power, steaming with raw force.
His grip tightened, nearly crushing bone and flesh alike.
"Who gave you the courage—"
"To fly before a true dragon?"
"Get down!"
Cassius snarled.
He folded his wings, channeling all his weight and strength downward—seeking a crushing victory.
The chimera, once thrashing, was now helpless under absolute might.
It plummeted straight from the sky.
BOOM!
The ground shook as it crashed, raising dust and shattering stone, leaving behind a massive crater.
The chimera lay broken, wings nearly shattered.
"Let me show you what true flame is!"
The red dragon pinned it down, heat gathering in his throat. The air around his jaws shimmered with terrifying fire.
"Submit… or die."
He stared into the terrified lion eyes, speaking each word with weight.
Though savage by nature, the chimera valued its life. Its draconic blood compelled it to yield to a stronger dragon.
Under death's shadow, it bowed all three heads, baring its necks in surrender.
"...Master…"
In the face of power, all are equal. Such is the law of the wild.
Cassius released his grip and unleashed his fire beside it, scorching the earth and bursting stone.
Fear and awe filled the beast.
It rose unsteadily, wings folded, heads lowered.
The red dragon leapt onto a towering cliff and roared:
"From this day forth, this is the lair of Kaesius!"
The cry echoed for miles, striking fear into every creature nearby.
Turning back to the chimera, he ordered:
"Remember my name. Never defy me. Now—lead the way."
"Yes… master."
It guided him deeper into the cavern, where bones and treasures lay.
Among them, Cassius discovered a hidden trove of thousands of gold coins.
"By draconic law, I claim half. But if you hide from me again… there will be no next time."
"Yes… master."
The three heads bowed low.
Cassius entered the chamber, and with a single gulp devoured hundreds of coins—most of the wealth the chimera had plundered over years of slaughter.
Gold coins trickled down from the red dragon's mouth, while the chimera stared intently from outside the cave. In its greedy eyes, there wasn't just the pain of losing treasure, but also a flicker of hatred — though the emotion vanished in an instant, never daring to surface before the red dragon.
Cassius noticed everything but didn't care. Instead, he felt a sense of accomplishment, as if he had become a minotaur himself.
For such chaotic and evil creatures, kindness was useless. A chimera could never be unconditionally loyal. Given the slightest chance, it would try to overthrow its master.
As an old saying from his past life went: "They fear authority, not virtue." For creatures like this, that was the truth.
The only thing the red dragon could do was to exploit its strength while maintaining overwhelming might, ensuring the chimera would forever remain a subordinate, never able to rise.
---
[Metallic Scales reached max level (5230/5000)]
[New Trait Acquired: Gilded Scales]
Gilded Scales: AC+3, Constitution +1
[You have consumed an excess of golden essence. Flowing gold adheres to your body and heart. You may activate Gilded Shell, coating your body in gold to greatly increase armor value while changing your scales' appearance to gold.]
---
"My scales can turn golden?"
A peculiar thought crossed Cassius' mind.
In his memory, there were no gold dragons in Anzeta.
Could it be…?
In any case, he had gained another survival tool, and the red dragon was delighted.
Ignoring the chimera's bitter gaze, he let it continue leading him deeper into the "Giant's Mouth Cave."
"Not at the end yet?"
Cassius wondered.
The place was far more complex than expected. Some passages were so deep they seemed the work of dwarven craftsmen rather than natural formation.
Nearby, scorching white steam burst from a narrow cavern, with bits of magma spattering out, giving the red dragon a sense of warmth and familiarity.
"Keep going."
Cassius ordered.
But the life-loving beast only whimpered and begged, refusing to go further.
"Master… hot… danger… death."
After all, it had submitted to the red dragon to preserve its life, not to lose it in lava. Unlike a dragon, it had no fire resistance.
"Strange place…"
"But with such intense elemental reactions, it's better to wait until I'm fully prepared."
"As for the name… let's call it the Bottomless Cavern."
After a brief thought, Cassius decided to set it aside. After all, he was only a young red dragon.
Even ruling over the wilderness was a challenge, let alone facing unknown underground monsters — perhaps even high-level creatures like Beholders.
"You may leave."
Cassius said.
"Thank you, Master."
The chimera answered with relief, rushing back to its lair to secure the few hundred coins left. Ignoring its injuries and nearly broken wings, it stubbornly carried its gold, wobbling across the cliff to bury the treasure.
"No surprise… dragon-blooded indeed. Miserly to the core."
Cassius muttered in disdain.
Thus, Cassius claimed the outer caverns of the Giant's Mouth Cave as his first lair, sealing off the inner passages with rocks.
The chimera was driven to a small cave across the cliff, serving as his subordinate and guardian.
To Cassius, this was generous treatment — after all, he left it with some "savings." Many modern companies didn't offer such benefits…
---
"Prestidigitation!"
With Cassius' spell, a section of the cave became spotless, the foul blood vanishing instantly.
Like a janitor, the red dragon used magic to clean the cavern inch by inch.
"This brainless beast really ruined the place… in a xianxia novel, this cave would be a blessed paradise, but it turned it into a slaughterhouse."
Cassius scoffed.
While cleaning, he once again found a goat-horned skull among the bones. It wasn't too old, maybe a few weeks, with bits of flesh still clinging and flies buzzing around.
From its humanoid size and broken tailbone, he identified it as a Tiefling skull.
Tieflings are humans tainted with infernal blood. Their size is similar to humans, but their features bear marks of their heritage: horns on their heads, strong tails about four to five feet long, solid-colored eyes, and skin of varying hues.
They often live in human towns, not inherently evil, but always distrusted and discriminated against.
Cassius recalled a questline from his previous life:
"They are Tieflings indeed… could they be from the quest Tragedy of Northwind Keep?"
---
Tragedy of Northwind Keep
[Northwind Keep, also called Kovanaz Keep, is a frontier city of the United Northern Kingdoms. It houses over 30,000 people, including more than 1,000 Tieflings, under the rule of Count Lachman.]
[A century ago, Duke Brad Lachman, weary of mortality, struck a deal with an evil necromancer and transformed into an immortal vampire. Now awakened, he vowed to sacrifice a thousand lives within ten years to achieve ascension.]
[In the following months, many mysteriously disappeared, bodies never found. Seizing the chance, the Duke gave his infamous "Bloody Speech," blaming Tieflings — the so-called "children of devils" — accusing them of offering humans as sacrifices.]
[Thus began a "righteous" slaughter. Enraged mobs stormed the city, burning Tieflings at the stake — men, women, and children alike — all condemned as devil-worshipers.]
[But Tiefling paladin Medjorash resisted, escaping the Duke's soldiers, leading three hundred survivors north to Storm Slope, founding the refugee camp "Broken Home."]
In early stages, players' main quest was to cooperate with Tieflings, expose Duke Lachman's true nature, and slay the tyrannical vampire.
Northwind Keep was also a key main city.
"Could the Tiefling camp be near this territory? If I follow this questline… I might seize Northwind Keep itself."
Cassius thought, aware of the vast benefits — for controlling such a city meant holding sway over the players.
He then summoned the chimera, pointing to the remains:
"Where did you encounter these creatures?"
The chimera sniffed with its lion's head and replied:
"Humans with horns… taste bad."
Cassius glanced at its tattered wings, realizing they could no longer carry it far.
"Well, no rush. My power isn't strong enough yet. Better to start by gathering nearby creatures under me."
"Go heal first."
Cassius said.
"Yes, Master."
The chimera obeyed.