Dragon King: Throne of Demons and Gods-Chapter 44: The Hunger for Power

[New Trait Unlocked: Detection]

[New Skill Unlocked: Burning Soul]

[Skill Enhancement: Fire Mastery Advanced]

[New Skill Unlocked: Reptilian Slayer]

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[New Skill Unlocked: Piercing Strike]

Bel's eyes scanned the system messages.

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[Draconic Evolution System]

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Name: Belzerion

Title: Lindworm of the Scorching Abyss

Race: Dragon

Class: Lindworm

Level: 39

EXP: 44,700/50,000

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Core Stats:

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HP: 900/900

MP: 298/320

Strength: 155

Toughness: 135

Intelligence: 125

Speed: 130

Agility: 125

Stamina: 140

Pressure: 40

Unassigned Stat Points: 20

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Draconic Core: 37%

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Unlocked Traits & Skills:

Final Wyrm: Grants extreme endurance, rapid recovery, heightened battlefield awareness. Bloodlust further amplifies physical attributes.

Goblinbane: 20% increased damage against goblins.

Fire Mastery: Fire-based attacks are more effective, resistant to heat damage, and capable of absorbing ambient flames to replenish stamina.

Reptilian Slayer: Increases damage against reptilian-type monsters by 15%.

Piercing Strike: Allows physical attacks to ignore a portion of enemy defenses. The effect increases with Strength.

Burning Soul: Enhances physical and mental abilities using fire-infused aura. Increases Physical and Mental strength by 25% INT. Physical attacks deal additional Fire damage and have a 33% chance to Burn the target. MP Cost: 10 MP.

Detection: A passive skill that allows the user to perceive hidden objects possessing magic. MP Cost: 5 MP.

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Bel smirked.

"Three new skills," he muttered, flexing his fingers.

Reptilian Slayer, useful in this dungeon. It was the same with Goblinbane. If the pattern continued, his skills seemed to be adapting to his fights.

That would meant even stronger enhancements in the future.

Piercing Strike, this was an exciting one. It would help him bypass defenses. The stronger his enemies, the more he'd need it.

Burning Soul, this one was different. A self-enhancement skill. He could push himself even further in combat, adding fire damage to his physical attacks. And by 25% INT?

That was a major boost to his abilities. That means he was potentially stronger than what the numbers could show.

Lastly, Detection.

A skill that wasn't for offense. The ability to see hidden objects with magic? Treasures? This could be interesting.

Bel smiled. By the time they reached the boss, he should hit level 40.

Time to allocate more points.

He placed 10 into Intelligence, 5 into Strength, and 5 into Toughness.

A wave of power surged through him, his body tensing as the changes took effect. His muscles felt denser, his mind clearer, his aura heavier. He clenched his fists, adjusting to the new sensation.

Now, time for experiments.

First: Detection.

Bel exhaled and closed his eyes, focusing inward. At first, there was nothing, just the quiet darkness behind his eyelids. Then, something shifted.

It was like unlocking a new sense, a part of him that had always existed but had never been used. A slow pulse ran through his mind, stretching outward.

Then, everything lit up.

The dungeon walls were no longer just stone. Threads of energy ran through them, some glowing with power, others completely dull. He could tell which stones were just rocks and which held magical properties.

His gaze shifted to the adventurers. Their weapons shimmered, some faintly, others blazing with enchantments. The elf's book radiated immense power, while Garrik's shield had traces of a strong magical item incrusted into it.

Then, something unexpected.

Bel's eyes widened.

There was magic inside the lizardmen corpses.

His mouth parted slightly. He stepped closer to one of the bodies, focusing. The faint glow was buried deep within, pulsing like a hidden ember beneath layers of flesh and bone.

"Magic items... inside the monsters?"

As he began a gruesome investigation, Garrik's voice cut through the air.

"Hold up."

The group stopped immediately. Garrik frowned, scanning the area like a man who had seen too many bad surprises.

"Something's wrong," he muttered. "These monsters," Garrik gestured to the bodies around them, "they're way too strong for an E-rank dungeon. This is more like a solid D-rank... or worse."

A murmur spread through the party. The tin-ranked adventurers shifted uneasily, while the copper-ranked ones exchanged glances.

"If these creatures are this strong, then the boss..." Garrik exhaled sharply. "It won't be something we can handle easily. If it's stronger than these, then we might be walking into a death trap."

Silence filled the chamber. One of the tin-ranked mages, clutching his staff tightly, shifted uncomfortably.

"Should we... maybe abandon the raid?" he asked hesitantly. "If the monsters are stronger than expected, then..."

"Nonsense!" One of the dwarves interrupted, crossing his burly arms. "We've been doin' just fine! That battle mage of ours is tearin' through them, and even the elf lass is handling herself well. We can win this."

"Yeah," the archer chimed in. "We've already made it this far. There's no point turning back now."

Garrik exhaled through his nose, his brow twitching slightly.

"I never said we were giving up. I meant we need to rethink our strategy."

The others looked at him, waiting.

"First, we need to clearly define our roles. If this dungeon is stronger than expected, then we can't afford to be sloppy." He gestured at the party. "Tanks up front, damage dealers behind, mages don't waste mana, healer in the back. Everyone needs to be aware of their role and act accordingly."

While the conversation carried on, the elf stood slightly apart from the group, her pale eyes drifting absently around the battlefield. Then, she noticed something.

Bel, crouched beside one of the giant lizardmen, was removing something from its corpse.

She narrowed her eyes, observing closely.

Bel turned the object over in his gloved hand. A smooth, round stone glowed faintly against his palm.

No doubt about it, this was a magic core.

A realization struck him.

With Detection, he could locate magic cores instantly.

But even more surprising all of these beasts had magic cores.

Bel's eyes were filled with intrigue. He lifted the core, observing it under the dungeon light. It thrummed with energy, almost calling to him. His grip tightened slightly.

Then, he let his intrusive thoughts win over him.

Slowly, he raised his hand to his mask.

From a distance, his face was shadowed, barely visible to the others. The elf could barely see his face, however, her eyes widened as she watched his lips part, revealing sharp, gleaming teeth.

The magic core slipped between them.

Then, his jaws closed.

Bel crushed the stone between his teeth. It was tough, almost like biting into solid shell tasting iron.

A faint resistance pushed back against his bite before it gave way, cracking apart. The last time he did that, his mout and throat payed the price, but this time, it was less violent.

The taste was earthy and metallic, dense, packed with solid energy.

Bel chewed slowly, feeling the raw force seeping into his body. Then, he swallowed.

A wave of energy surged through him, spreading from his esophagus outward. It moved along his veins, pressing against his skin, seeking an outlet.

The sensation was... odd. Like something reinforcing his body from within, strengthening the very fabric of his skin.

Then, a familiar chime.

[Toughness +1]

Bel froze.

His eyes flicked to the notification. His mind processed what had just happened.

Eating magic cores... increases stats?

The implications sent a rush of excitement through him. He had never seen this property before. If every magic core had an effect like this, then...

"Battle mage."

A voice behind him snapped him back to reality. His shoulders tensed. He had been careless.

Slowly, he slid his mask back into place before turning to face the speaker.

It was the elf. She stood a few feet away, watching him with an unreadable expression.

"What do you want?" he asked, voice even.

"We're deciding our next course of action. You should join us."

Bel was silent for a beat before exhaling through his nose. He stood, brushing himself off, and turned to walk toward the group.

Then, the elf spoke again.

"One more thing."

Bel paused.

"You should avoid damaging or taking anything from the monsters," she said. "In a raid, all materials belong to the entire party. When we leave, we sell or share the loot accordingly. Taking something now could be seen as stealing."

A beat of silence.

Bel's head tilted slightly.

Then, he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Raiding with people already sounds really annoying."

With that, he turned and walked toward the group, leaving the elf to watch after him, her gaze lingering.

Both joined the group as they finalized their strategy. They had all agreed to continue the raid. The two mages and the healer would stay near Garrik, ensuring a stable defense.

Then, Garrik turned his gaze toward Bel.

"There's still one problem we need to address. Your aura," Garrik said flatly. "You're too easy to locate. Against normal monsters, it's fine. You make a good decoy. But against a boss of this level, better not take risks."

One of the dwarves, stroked his chin.

"Aye, he's got a point. Feels like yer aura's gotten even stronger than before. Can ye control it? Dial it down a bit?"

Bel shook his head.

"I can't. But if it's that much of a problem, I can always just be a decoy."

The second dwarf chuckled.

"No need for that, lad. Vargan, do we still have one of those concealment trinkets?"

The first dwarf, Vargan, flinched and rummaged through his pouch. After a moment, he pulled out a ring with a small crystal embedded in it and tossed it to Bel.

"Here, didn't think about it. That should do the trick. Wear it, and it'll cut your presence down to nothing."

Bel inspected the ring, turning it between his fingers.

"That will reduce my presence?"

Vargan smirked.

"Yep. And tell ye what, if we make it out of here, and ye perform well against the boss..." he threw a playful punch at Bel's shoulder, "... ye can keep it. Ye carried us through that last fight."

Bel briefly considered the offer. A concealment item sounded useful. He nodded and attempted to remove his glove, but as soon as he moved, he noticed everyone watching him too closely.

Troubled, he changed the focus.

"When are we going?"

Garrik took the cue and stepped forward.

"Now. Let's move."

The party resumed their march, Bel staying in the back. He pulled his left glove off and slid the ring onto his finger.

The effect was instant.

The air around them shifted, as if something massive had suddenly vanished. The warmth of his presence disappeared, leaving only an eerie stillness.

It was as if a fire that had been burning in the room was suddenly snuffed out, leaving a hollow cold in its place.

The group stopped.

The elf's sharp eyes widened slightly, her fingers brushing against her book. The healer, standing near Garrik, murmured under her breath.

"What... are you?"

For a brief moment, no one spoke. They all felt it, this wasn't normal. They had been standing in his aura this whole time, and only now did they realize just how much it had been influencing the environment.

Before anyone could question further, Garrik held up a hand.

"Enough. Stay quiet."

The party tensed. The air grew heavier, the cave walls in front of them were opening to a larger space.

They had reached the boss's territory.