As a "good dragon of the new era," Asterion was the first to let out a friendly greeting.
It was clear that seeing an outsider dragon in her own territory had left this Kulve Taroth somewhat stunned.
An unexpected guest... this was a first.
Unlike the world on the surface, the areas where a Kulve Taroth roamed were, theoretically, never trespassed upon by other Elder Dragons or large monsters. She was the Queen of the entire Golden Realm, sitting at the very peak of the ecosystem—the strongest and the largest.
But now, this Kulve Taroth found a monster in her home whose size was only slightly smaller than her own—granted, that "smaller" was in comparison to her true body once her golden outer shell was shed.
"Roar? Roar-roar?" (Have you eaten? If not, do you want a bite?)
Countless years into the future, Asterion offered a friendly greeting the likes of which dragon society had never seen. Following his initial "Hello," he nudged a strip of meat that had fallen from his mouth forward, displaying a spirit of friendly sharing.
He was attempting peace.
As an "Information Glavenus," Asterion naturally knew a great deal about Kulve Taroth. After all, she was one of those rare dragons whose name had been changed twice. In the original Japanese version and during her initial release, she was known as the "Garish Brilliance Dragon," then later adjusted across various localizations to "Mother of Gold" and finally standardized as Kulve Taroth. Very few monsters had names that shifted so fussily.
Kulve Taroth's body was immense, reaching a total length of roughly forty-five meters. She possessed the skeletal structure of a wingless, quadrupedal reptilian monster—though that forty-five-meter length included the golden mantle draped over her body. Even so, after shedding the gold, her tail remained incredibly long; she wouldn't be much shorter, just significantly less wide.
The Kulve Taroth appearing before Asterion only showed her front half. Her massive, long rear was still hidden behind a semi-molten rock wall. However, even from just the exposed front, one could see the breathtaking beauty of this creature.
She had massive, golden spiral horns. Her chest, back, and forelegs were covered in a thick, sturdy layer of gold plating. Even though Asterion couldn't see the rest of her body behind the wall, he knew this beautiful gold armor extended back like a cloak, running all the way down to cover her hind legs and tail.
This golden mantle was actually the product of Kulve Taroth's vanity. She had a passion for collecting metal objects, melting down gathered metals and ores with high temperatures to adhere them to her body, then lowering her body temperature to let the metal cool and harden into a stunning "outfit."
Interestingly, when the golden mantle fell off, this beauty-loving dragon would burrow underground to don a new layer before returning to face her enemies. It felt as though she simply couldn't bear to be seen "undressed."
It was a manifestation of the high intelligence found in Elder Dragons—much like how wealthy human women wouldn't dream of leaving the house without wearing something luxurious. She had taste and she was meticulous.
"Roar?!" (What do you want?!)
Unlike Asterion, whose actions and words were friendly, the Kulve Taroth appeared quite wary. She didn't retreat back the way she came, but instead fixed a sharp gaze on Asterion, who had moved two steps closer while nudging the meat.
Although it was slightly different from what Asterion had imagined, he could tell that Kulve Taroth was actually quite gentle. At the very least, she wasn't like certain other Glavenus who felt the need to slash anything that stepped into their territory to death, or who would deliberately invade other monsters' domains just to find a fight when they ran out of things to cut.
She was gentle to the point of being almost docile; Kulve Taroth hardly paid any mind to creatures smaller than herself. She would only grow enraged and counterattack in life-or-death moments, and even then, her retaliatory moves were quite simple.
The problem was that Asterion was not small. He was nothing like those bats or Copper Calappas. Kulve Taroth couldn't ignore such a gargantuan creature, especially since Asterion—unlike her—looked like a seasoned fighter. His sharp teeth, claws, and massive, blade-like tail practically had "don't mess with me" written all over his face.
Kulve Taroth's massive size made her movements within these Leyline Corridors quite lumbering. Even her attacks consisted of relatively slow bites, tail swipes, and body slams—simple, unadorned moves that relied entirely on her sheer bulk to pose a threat.
The only thing truly worth being wary of was her breath. Unlike the physical fire, oil, or water spat by normal monsters, Kulve Taroth unleashed a pure wave of superheated energy that surpassed the temperature of common flames. Its power was staggering, capable of melting the very crust of the earth—her sudden appearance through the rock wall just now was a result of using this move.
Unlike the "superhuman" hunters in the games, a hunter in this real world would be vaporized without a trace if hit by that breath; there wouldn't even be a scrap of equipment left for a souvenir. Even when conducting research on the gentle Kulve Taroth, hunters were constantly risking their lives.
Because of this, in this "damn real world" where game mechanics didn't apply, Asterion had no intention of fighting Kulve Taroth on her home turf and trying to tank those heat waves with his large body.
That would be seeking out misery. If he pushed her too far and she decided to melt an entire section of the Leyline Corridors, what then?
Being buried alive was a terrifying thought. Most importantly, Asterion didn't want to attack Kulve Taroth—Sister, you smell so good!
He wasn't joking. Asterion could truly smell a fragrance radiating from the golden mantle on Kulve Taroth's body.
"Roar-roar, roar-roar-roar." (I don't want to fight. I just accidentally passed through your territory. I can leave right now.)
"Roar-roar-roar, roar-roar, roar-roar-roar-roar?" (I'm trying to get to the place where life energy converges—where it's most abundant and filled with blue energy crystals. Do you know which way to go?)
By now, Asterion had ample experience in communicating with dragons: never be a riddler. Never use metaphors, hints, or plot twists. If you have an intention to express, it's best to state it directly; otherwise, the other party simply won't understand.
Of course, the language had to be as concise as possible and the speaking speed fast, or else you'd risk a fight if you encountered an impatient dragon.
"Roar?" (Passing through?)
Kulve Taroth's eyes were full of suspicion.
"Roar-roar, roar-roar-roar." (That's right, just passing through. If you spend all year in the leylines, you should know the place I'm talking about, right? Could you point me in the right direction?)
Asterion's "culinary diplomacy" didn't seem to be working. If anything, after he nudged those strips of Agnaktor meat over with his foreclaws, Kulve Taroth looked even more on guard.
"Roar." (You want to eat me.)
This Kulve Taroth had lived for an unknown number of years, and she was indeed intelligent enough to see the... appetite in Asterion's eyes.
The moment those words were uttered, the atmosphere grew tense. Both Kulve Taroth and Asterion dropped into combat stances, each fearing a preemptive strike from the other.
"Roar! Roar-roar-roar!" (Alright, I admit you smell a bit delicious... uh, I mean that shiny gold outfit of yours smells delicious!)
One second before the atmosphere turned into a full-blown brawl, Asterion took a deep breath and made one of the most important speeches of his dragon life.
Kulve Taroth: "?"
"Roar-roar, roar-roar-roar." (I mean your golden armor. I'm not saying your meat smells good. Uh, you understand, right?)
Every dragon's intelligence varied. Since this was their first meeting, Asterion didn't know her mental capacity, so he could only test the waters.
"Roar?" (You like it?)
Kulve Taroth's tone was odd. She tilted her head to look at the golden spaulders on her shoulders, her expression unreadable—somewhere between joy and suspicion.
"Roar-roar, roar-roar-roar." (It might be a bit different from how you understand it. I love eating all kinds of metals, but your styling is indeed very beautiful.)
She was the "Gilded Goddess," after all. How could she not be beautiful? Whether from an aesthetic or practical value standpoint, she was stunning. Her armor set was a top-tier "must-have" for any transmog list.
Seeing that Kulve Taroth no longer seemed intent on attacking, Asterion simply sat down on the ground, exposing his chest.
He suddenly realized something: he might not be lost anymore.
If he could get on the good side of an Elder Dragon like Kulve Taroth, who lived in these Leyline Corridors year-round, she could just lead him to the Elder's Recess. Who could be better at navigating than a local?
"Roar-roar, roar-roar-roar-roar." (First of all, those horns are incredibly cool. I know a guy with a pair of massive horns too, but they aren't curved like yours. He's also got a terrible temper, not friendly like you...)
"Roar-roar-roar-roar." (...And the color is gorgeous. Bright gold. Even in the lightless depths of the earth, you shine like the sun. Unlike me—I always feel like my colors are too dull. Silver-gray isn't flashy enough...)
"Roar-roar-roar." (...The layers, too. It's like you're wearing a magnificent cape. I always feel like my wings are a bit too plain. What do you think if I got a metal shell like that? Would it make me look more imposing?)
"..."
Asterion rambled on. It was rare to meet a dragon with enough intelligence to understand him, so his desire to talk was high. Without realizing it, he drifted from praising Kulve Taroth to all sorts of unrelated topics.
"Roar-roar-roar, roar-roar-roar-roar-roar." (...The continent we live on—you should understand that concept, right? Anyway, on the other side of the sea, there's another continent. There lives a tiny species of "Ape-Wyverns" called humans. They recently came over to our side. Some of them even saw you or your kin thirty odd years ago...)
Thirty years was a long time for humans, but for a dragon, it was like yesterday.
"Roar-roar-roar-roar, roar-roar." (...Did you know? Clothing made with your sense of style would make those Ape-Wyverns risk their lives just to collect the materials. Especially your scales. If they saw you again, they'd probably worship you as a god. A God of Wealth or something...)
"Roar-roar-roar-roar, roar-roar-roar-roar." (There are people among humans just like you. They call it "outfit coordination." They deck themselves out in all sorts of gold jewelry and gems. Hmm? What did you say? You want to know what they look like? Let me think...)
Asterion wasn't just blowing smoke. Even if Kulve Taroth's golden mantle was made by melting down various metals (meaning it had impurities), it still had a very high purity of real gold. Her "Glimmering Tail Shell" in particular was composed of almost solid gold.
In a human kingdom, people would beat each other's brains out over it.
Asterion was on a roll, and Kulve Taroth was listening with rapt attention. At first, she was a bit embarrassed to hear this stranger dragon praise her clothes, but she also felt that this dragon had excellent taste. Once Asterion expanded the topic to the "Ape-Wyverns," she became completely enthralled.
She actually quite liked the stories Asterion told about the humans, especially the part about their fashion styles—unaware that Asterion was just making things up by mixing modern-day fashion with Hunter gear, prioritizing "coolness" above all else.
Since Kulve Taroth had no way to verify it, he made it as flashy and attention-grabbing as possible.
Before they knew it, the two dragons had shifted from a state of mutual hostility to lying side-by-side. Kulve Taroth had even invited Asterion to her usual resting spot just so she could focus entirely on listening to him talk—rather, listening to him tell these stories of the surface world.
This was a brand-new world for Kulve Taroth. In all the years since her birth, this was the first time she had heard of a world so vibrant and colorful. It was no longer just the dark underground or glowing red lava, nor the occasional green trees or yellow sand she saw when she peeked at the surface.
In his excitement, Asterion used his blade-tail to sketch several magnificent patterns from his memory on the ground for her, enthusiastically suggesting how she could refine her golden mantle further.
Among dragons that wore metal shells, Kulve Taroth was different from the likes of Kushala Daora. A Kushala's steel skin was part of its body, but this golden mantle was merely a set of clothes Kulve Taroth wore—one she could change whenever she pleased.
Forty years later, when Kulve Taroth would reappear due to the massive leyline energy fluctuations caused by Xeno'jiiva, scholars observing her for the first time would theorize that she created the golden mantle as a protective shell to survive the high temperatures of the Leyline Corridors.
But as research progressed, that theory was tossed into the trash. Kulve Taroth had no need to protect herself from heat; she possessed an organ that controlled her body temperature, allowing her to easily heat her own body to a staggering 1,400 degrees Celsius.
That was far more intense than lava, which usually tops out around 1,000 degrees.
Furthermore, after shedding that golden mantle, Kulve Taroth's combat prowess didn't decrease—it actually increased.
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