The waning moon hangs like a hook over the Rock-Biting Tribe, stretching the shadows cast by the low hills into twisted shapes.
Galos's Dragon Eyes are deep and dark in the night, crouching low, with dark red patterns shimmering faintly on the obsidian-like Dragon Scales.
"I will soothe the unrest in my heart with your deaths."
With a sweep of his tail, he smashes the Goblin Warrior jumping from behind into scattered mud; its leather armor, carefully tanned and protected by Alchemy Runestones, shatters like wet paper.
"Damn Dragon Race!"
Reflected in his eyes are flames and the ravaged realm, Broken Tooth Goruk's realization strikes him, followed by an angry growl.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
The engine ignites, quickly burning through black oil, transforming it into energy.
Black oil—formed from the long accumulation of monster bodies, a thick black substance, is the foundational energy for many Alchemy Tools, akin to petroleum but with far more potent energy.
Resources such as black oil, Magic Energy Stones, and Source Crystals are incredibly abundant.
This is a crucial factor in the advanced development of alchemy on Bernardo Planet.
As the engine hums into action,
a large cloud of steam rises from the Giant Arm Miner, with Alchemy Runestones on its steel plate illuminating, as the heavy body strides across the ground, charging at the Red Iron Young Dragon.
If on the ground,
if it were on land,
driving the Giant Arm Miner, Broken Tooth Goruk is confident of killing any Young Dragon.
And given the Young Dragon's intelligence, arrogance, and conceit, it may forget its flying advantage and remain grounded to engage in battle.
"I'll first tear off its Wings, and it'll be too late when it wants to fly back to the sky!"
Broken Tooth Goruk already has his battle strategy figured out.
Though the Giant Arm Miner is not a combat-type Alchemy Golem, its giant arms possess the power to pulverize rocks and bend steel; a direct battle with a Young Dragon should be manageable.
Elsewhere,
Shaman Groz from the Biting Tribe hunches his back; at the top, the largest pustule resembling a hump bursts open, releasing disgusting fluids, and a large, black-purple spider leaps out.
The spider's compound eyes are dark red, its carapace pitch-black, its legs lined with fine bristles, the size of a goblin's head.
At first glance, it appears lifelike, like a fleshly being, but it's truly a Spirit Body cultivated by Groz and his primary means of attack.
Spider Essence Web!
Groz casts Magic, the Spider Essence crouched on his back, opens its mouth and spews a resilient, huge, sticky, and poisonous web at Galos.
On one side is the web formed by Magic,
on the other is the Giant Arm Miner charging aggressively.
Galos's limbs bend slightly, muscles under Dragon Scales tense like steel wires, then suddenly unleash powerful strength while Dragon Wings swing.
Whoosh!
Wind envelops dust, forming a shockwave scattered far.
Before the web lands, the Red Iron Young Dragon surges into the sky.
Driving the Giant Arm Miner, Goruk looks up at the sky, helpless as there are no means for this Alchemy Golem to attack aerially.
"Scared off like the Red Young Dragon before?"
Goruk, after scaring off two Young Dragons, feels extremely impressive, perhaps fearless of adolescent Dragons.
"Praise me, for mighty Goruk has frightened away another Giant Dragon!"
The goblin shouts.
The other, perplexed goblins instinctively echo, praising Goruk's might and bravery.
Only Groz knows this isn't over.
"Be careful! It hasn't left yet!"
Galos rises high, looking down at the tiny goblin tribe below.
His wings flap, slicing through the air as he dives downward, the airflow contacting the feather-like scales on the wing membrane, producing a piercing shriek.
As the distance closes,
Galos folds his wings into a cone shape, the dark red patterns on the Scale Armor glow faintly, like flames flowing on steel.
The Red Iron Young Dragon descends like a black-and-red comet, with immense pressure, targeting the conspicuous Giant Arm Miner.
Broken Tooth Goruk feels a twinge of fear.
But that fear is soon shredded by recent burgeoning confidence.
He controls the Giant Arm Miner, lifting massive arms to meet the Red Iron Young Dragon, shouting excitedly, "Witness, tribesmen, witness the moment of the mighty Goruk's dragon slaying!"
Goblin after goblin looks at Broken Tooth Goruk with worshipful eyes.
His confident tone even infects Groz, making Groz feel that perhaps this fellow really could.....
Thud!
The clash between the Red Iron Young Dragon and the Giant Arm Miner happens instantaneously.
The ground spider-web cracks, with the shockwave flinging surrounding goblins, causing them to crash into cliffs or their comrades' weapons, suffering heavy casualties.
The eight-meter Alchemy Golem crumples like a can crushed by a Giant, riveted steel panels twisting and breaking, black oil spurting like blood.
Broken Tooth Goruk's scream halts abruptly, a broken metal pipe pierces his throat, pinning the goblin to the twisted control panel.
The last scene he sees is Galos rising from the flames and smoke.
"It's dead! Run!"
A goblin climbs up from the ground, shouting for escape, but after running a few steps, its head flies high, frozen in terror, just in time to see its headless body futilely twitching its fingers.
Galos's Dragon Wings unfold like two giant guillotines, sweeping low across the tribe's camp.
Where the wings pass, goblins, tents, stone houses, weapon racks...... everything is neatly sliced.
Whoosh!
A shadow suddenly leaps from the side.
Galos sweeps his claws, yet there's no tactile contact at all.
The Spider Essence leaps onto Galos's back, its fangs penetrate through the gaps in Galos's Dragon Scales, sinking completely; more accurately, without tearing his Dragon Scales and flesh, it seems to meld directly within.
The sting of a bite comes.
The Magic-formed Spider Essence, directly disregarding his tough Dragon Scales, causing him damage—not severe, but enough for Galos to frown.
"My resistance to Magic attacks is still insufficient."
The Dragon Race's magic resistance increases with age; adult dragons can ignore many spells, but young dragons have very limited spell resistance.
"And purely physical attacks aren't effective against Spirit Bodies, Magic Essences, and the like."
Magic-like Skill—Little Fireball!
Whoosh! A small fireball forms beside Galos, striking the Spider Essence and obliterating it.
His claw's power is far stronger than Little Fireball, but its effect on the Spider Essence is inferior to Little Fireball.
"Magic-like skills need to be deepened; I know too few now."
Galos thinks.
He's committed to making himself become invincible in defense, incredibly fast, with thick health, difficult to kill, but that doesn't mean Galos wants to be a 'reckless brute' relying solely on a powerful body for close combat.
The Dragon Race is naturally gifted in being mages; he won't abandon this advantage.
Yet, this adaptive evolution is far slower than his physical form; Galos currently only holds several Magic-like Skills ahead of other Young Dragons.