"Be careful, something underground is about to surface!"
As soon as Gauss’s voice fell.
The tremors beneath everyone’s feet intensified.
The cracks on the ground expanded at a visibly fast pace, as if some creature underground was about to break free from the earth’s constraints.
Albena protected Gauss as they retreated.
"Boom!!!"
Amidst a loud rumble.
The soil at the center of the crack suddenly blew upwards.
The head of an insect covered in a hard shell burst out from the earth.
In front of them were several giant multi-legged insect-like monsters, born with sharp mouthparts perfect for digging.
Gauss instantly recognized their species.
"Burrowing insects."
Of course, this was of little importance, since burrowing insects mostly only posed a level 2 challenge as demons, and aside from their digging talents, their combat strength was quite mediocre.
More importantly, Gauss sensed a burst of scorching breath energy surging out from the huge hole the burrowing insects had excavated.
"Boom!!!"
Fire elemental breath energy erupted from the underground like a volcanic explosion.
Simultaneously, a menacing crimson figure tore through the earth and soared towards the sky with unparalleled might.
At this moment, its powerful dragon wings fully opened, beating heavily as it hovered above everyone’s heads with scorching air currents.
The crimson scales glistened under the scorching noon sun.
Like a flying, living volcano.
It was the Red Dragon Beast!
Gauss discovered that witnessing this dragon beast in person was far more awe-inspiring than observing it through the shared vision of Clay Magic.
So this is a dragon?
At least its physical appearance shouldn’t differ much from the red dragons nurtured by its kin.
Upon its appearance, its molten gold-colored slit eyes instantly locked onto Gauss’s team on the ground.
Especially Gauss, whose small body emitted a familiar yet strange aura that made it uneasy.
This aura vaguely unnerved it.
Yet, within its sight was undeniably a bipedal human.
"Roar!!!"
It opened its mouth, letting out a deafening roar, seemingly in anger yet trying to relieve its unease.
Below it, more kobolds were emerging from the underground.
Along with their lord, they returned to the surface.
Gauss and the others slightly distanced themselves.
Gauss had only engaged in brief combat earlier, without using much magic, just a Magic Missile and Flying Technique, but he hadn’t expended no energy.
On the contrary, aiming to swiftly settle the battle, he invested a significant portion of his magic power into upgrading, which resulted in the earlier one-hit kill scene.
He was still chewing on crystal stone dust, using the talent of a [Special Stomach] to quickly replenish.
"Be careful, Lord Gauss."
In front of Gauss, Albena advised.
She could see the dragon beast floating in the sky had set its sights on Gauss.
"So this is the Red Dragon Beast?" Aaliyah swallowed hard.
Dragons compared to ordinary creatures were indeed beings from another dimension.
Its size wasn’t particularly exaggerated, but the pressure and presence it exhibited far exceeded that of demons of the same tier.
Since its appearance, even the air seemed to grow heavier.
The air was filled with an oppressive sulfurous scent.
Serdur seemed somewhat uneasy, but after a deep breath and adjustment, he continued to cast recovery magic on Gauss.
After the initial shock, Gauss was the least affected by the presence of the Red Dragon Beast, despite its focus almost entirely on him.
Of course, this didn’t mean that the beast wasn’t powerful.
On the land covered in a blanket of yellow sand.
Both parties temporarily remained motionless for their respective reasons.
Directly absorbing the energy-rich demon crystal dust allowed Gauss to quickly recover his condition.
However, this standoff was destined to be short-lived.
"Roar!"
Breaking the calm first was the impatient dragon beast.
Unknown why, the longer it watched Gauss, the more its inner unease intensified, making it grow even more restless.
This unease quickly transformed into a deep-seated sense of humiliation.
It was a dragon!
Creatures as small as these bipedal insects should naturally be groveling under the glory of its proud dragon wings.
Its ferocious wings, larger than its body, suddenly flapped.
Its form shot upward abruptly, while it opened its dragon maw.
It slightly lowered its head.
Without any preparation time, its thick neck swelled and reddened, a blaze of fire condensed within its throat.
The next moment, the fire formed into a golden flame that shot forth.
A shower of fire rained down from the sky.
"Boom!!"
"Stand by my side!"
With no time for more words, Albena, well prepared, shouted loudly.
Simultaneously, she grasped the shield [Fortress of Mountains] with her arm on full display.
The shield [Fortress of Mountains] and magical armor [Azure Oath] burst forth with intense radiance, magical runes instantly lighting up.
The next moment, a wall of energy rapidly expanded around her, enveloping Gauss and the others in the blink of an eye.
Then hardened into a massive, solid, semi-transparent crystal barrier.
"Rumble!"
Shortly after the shield formed, the Red Dragon Beast’s molten breath cascaded down like a fiery rain!
The scorching breath collided with the crystal wall shimmering like liquid gold, as two forces ravaged the air.
Ripples of intense vibrations exploded across the shield’s surface, its light flickering urgently.