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The deep, resonant roar of the dragon echoed throughout the cavern. Yet, instead of striking fear into the kobolds, it seemed to excite them even more.
Some of the kobolds were lying on the ground, wagging their lizard-like tails. Others waved their rusty daggers and metal pan-shaped shields, barking joyfully, "Woof! Woof! Woof!" A few kobolds even danced bizarrely around a bonfire.
The scene was chaotic, but it was clear they were ecstatic about being ruled by a dragon.
Su Nian, holding Anna in his arms, froze for a moment. Suddenly, he imagined himself in his previous life as a boss with employees as enthusiastic as these kobolds...
Setting aside their intelligence, just looking at their zeal, his companies would undoubtedly dominate the Fortune Global 500.
"Bolikri, is this all the kobolds in your tribe?"
Su Nian flew to the center of the hall, observing the kobolds below from above, and questioned Bolikri, who had hurried to his side.
He noticed that most of the kobolds present were either elderly or very young. Many of the younger kobolds were wrapped in colorful bandages, and some were even missing limbs. It was evident that a war had occurred recently.
"Master, let me report to you."
Bolikri knelt on the ground, his dog-like face filled with sorrow as he sobbed and sniffled:
"The Broken Fang Tribe used to be a medium-sized tribe with about four to five hundred kobolds. Back then, I wasn't even the chieftain. But later, our tribe was attacked by a group of Ettercaps leading their spider swarm. They seized our territory and occupied our mines..."
"In order to ensure the survival of our race, I led the remaining members of the Broken Fang Tribe to escape and settle in this cave."
As he spoke of the tragic events, the surrounding kobolds began to wail in unison, sounding just like puppies that had been scolded.
Ettercaps?
Su Nian searched through the memories inherited from his dragon lineage and quickly recalled detailed information about these creatures.
Ettercaps were humanoid spiders, typically at Tier 2, with some exceptional ones reaching Tier 3.
However, they were vastly different from Spider-Man.
They had four sturdy limbs, allowing them to walk upright or crawl. Their heads resembled ordinary spiders, complete with compound eyes and sharp venomous fangs.
In short, just looking at them could make one's sanity plummet.
Ettercaps possessed a flute-like organ that allowed them to control spiders, much like snake charmers.
Due to their photophobic nature, they usually lived in dark forests or caves.
These creatures were violent by nature, particularly fond of devouring brain matter. Controlling spiders was just one of their numerous offensive strategies.
In fact, they were formidable fighters themselves.
Although they were humanoid monsters, they could still spit webs from the glands in their mouths, forming large nets to trap their prey.
Additionally, their abdomens housed venomous stingers. Once their prey was immobilized, they would inject dissolving venom into their victims.
Since Su Nian's lair was located on the outskirts of the Silvermoon Forest, he hadn't encountered such beasts yet.
But that wasn't the point. The point was, did he just hear something about a mine?
A mine meant wealth, and wealth meant he could buy revival potions to temporarily alleviate Anna's condition—or even sleep on piles of gold coins!
"Bolikri, what kind of mine did your tribe occupy before? And how many Ettercaps are there?"
Bolikri's face lit up with joy. He knew that if the black dragon was willing to help, they stood a good chance of driving away or even killing the Ettercaps and reclaiming their old territory.
"Great Master, our former tribe was called the Dogtooth Tribe. It was four to five times larger than this cave. For example, the metal shield that kobold over there is holding—we had hundreds of those in the old tribe. And those metal forks, our prized weapons, we had over two hundred of them... Ow!"
Su Nian frowned impatiently and exhaled a hot breath onto Bolikri's face. The strong airflow turned into a white mist in the slightly chilly cave, blowing Bolikri head over heels onto the ground.
"Get to the point!" Su Nian's voice thundered in Bolikri's ears like a storm.
"Reporting to you, Master!"
Feeling Su Nian's displeasure, Bolikri scrambled to his feet and reported in a disciplined manner:
"The mine was a silver mine. As for the Ettercaps, there were five of them, but their spider swarm... there are too many to count..."
Su Nian didn't bother exposing whether Bolikri truly couldn't count or was simply illiterate. Instead, he pondered whether the silver mine was worth the risk.
First, there were five Ettercaps, possibly more by now.
These Tier 2–3 monsters weren't the most troublesome part; it was their spider swarm and the web-filled lair that posed a significant challenge.
Secondly, Ettercaps were chaotic evil creatures, making them difficult to tame. Although there were historical accounts of black dragons subjugating Ettercaps, their chaotic nature made them unreliable. Su Nian was particularly concerned about the potential threat they posed to Anna.
On the other hand, the kobolds were different. Though they were also evil-aligned, their lawful tendencies meant they would protect Anna, who was now one of their own.
After contemplating for a while, Su Nian decided it was worth the effort. After all, Anna's illness couldn't wait, and unforeseen expenses could arise at any time. There was also the looming threat of human mages potentially finding him.
Unlike other dragons who could afford to laze around, Su Nian was determined to strive for a better future.
Currently, the only way to quickly enhance his strength was through the Evolution Enhancement System. Su Nian opened the system panel, scanning it for a while before locking onto two modification options:
[Basic Furnace]: Modifies the acid sacs to include bio-furnace cells, producing molten magma that can be expelled as toxic flames. (Cost: 1000 System Points)
[Basic Dragon Breath Accumulation]: Enhances the acid sac wall cells to increase the storage speed of dragon breath. (Cost: 1000 System Points)
Ettercaps were afraid of fire, and his acidic dragon breath was less effective against their chitinous exoskeletons. Engaging them in close combat risked being overwhelmed by their spider swarm.
Thus, transforming himself into a fire-breathing black dragon was the optimal way to deal maximum damage to the Ettercaps.
A cold glint flashed in Su Nian's dragon eyes. Killing Fireflame Rabbits earned him 1–2 system points each, Mountain Wolves 2–3 points, and Silvermoon Wolves slightly more at 5–6 points. They were troublesome prey with meager rewards.
The real rewards came from humans, particularly those aligned with justice. The system doubled the points for such kills, with Tier 2 humans yielding at least 15 points each.
It seemed inevitable that he would have to confront the humans of this world.
However, the remnants of his humanity deterred him from attacking ordinary villagers. Mercenary groups and bandits, on the other hand, were fair game.
In truth, players were the best targets, but according to the system, they hadn't arrived in this world yet.
"Bolikri, tell me, are there any human bandit camps or mercenary groups nearby?"
Bolikri was momentarily stunned by Su Nian's abrupt question but quickly responded:
"To inform you, Great Master, there are indeed two bandit groups nearby. As for mercenary groups, there's only the Blood Lion Mercenary Group; I haven't heard of any Black Beast Mercenary Group." """