Su Nian had been observing from the shadows for quite some time. The moment he saw the bandits charge together, effectively grouping themselves, he knew it was the perfect opportunity. Why hesitate?
As for the mage? She wasn't a healer, so she held no value to him.
Apologies, but adventurers without utility are still enemies.
The black dragon glided through the air, circled back, and unleashed a second wave of Acidic Dragon Breath. Though its power was slightly diminished, its spread had exponentially increased.
"It's a black dragon! Scatter, quick!"
"Kyle, my eyes! They burn! I can't see!"
"Help me! I don't want to die…"
The acidic breath didn't immediately kill the bandits in the forest, but it corroded their exposed organs, especially their eyes.
Screams of agony echoed through the woods as the bandits, blinded and disoriented, stumbled chaotically. This was when the kobolds accompanying Su Nian began to shine.
Or rather, it was the traps the kobolds had meticulously set up beforehand that truly shone.
One bandit, his vision impaired by the acid, clutched his burning eyes as he staggered toward a nearby bush. His entire body was aflame with pain as the acid trickled down his collar, eating away at his flesh.
He needed water—a stream!
Familiar with the surroundings, he managed to find the path to the stream despite his blurred vision. But he failed to notice the tripwire and spike trap hidden in the grass.
Nearby, a kobold with a sinister glint in its eyes tightened the tripwire at the exact moment the bandit passed.
The bandit felt a sudden resistance around his ankle before losing his balance entirely, tumbling into the concealed spike trap ahead.
"Thud!"
"Aaargh—"
Sharp stone and bone spikes pierced his body, eliciting a guttural scream of pain.
"When these tall humans lie flat in the traps, they'll be shorter than me!"
A kobold sneered as it leapt out of the bushes, its rusted knife and fork easily slicing through the struggling bandit in the trap.
Similar scenes unfolded throughout the forest. The kobolds' traps covered almost every possible escape route for the bandits.
Poisonous insects, fire oil, pits—most bandits fell victim to these traps. Even those who didn't die immediately were soon surrounded and finished off by kobolds emerging from the underbrush.
Any enemies killed by his minions still counted as Su Nian's kills, ensuring he earned all the System Points. Circling above, Su Nian kept an eye on the lucky few who avoided the traps.
His razor-sharp claws picked up these fortunate bandits and flung them from the sky. As mere Tier-1 bandits, they couldn't survive the fall.
Soon, with the kobolds' assistance, all the bandits lay dead in pools of blood—except for their leader.
Su Nian had earned a total of 786 System Points.
Commanding Bolikri and the kobolds to clean up the battlefield, Su Nian descended with deliberate steps toward Joseph, the bandit leader. His menacing dragon head rose high, and his icy dragon eyes radiated unrelenting killing intent.
[Terrified Bandit Leader: Joseph - Level 12 - Tier-2 Warrior (Trash)]
Joseph trembled uncontrollably, collapsing to his knees. In less than a minute, the bandit group he had painstakingly built over the years had been utterly destroyed.
"Oh, mighty True Dragon!"
He prostrated himself, pressing his face into the dirt, clutching at grass, and sobbing as he pleaded:
"Please don't kill me! I'll give you money—yes, Gold Lions! I have over a hundred Gold Lions! They're all yours if you spare me!"
Recalling the dragons' infamous love for treasure, a flicker of hope reignited in Joseph's eyes. He shakily lifted his head, only to be met with a razor-sharp dragon claw.
[Killed Tier-2 Human Warrior: Gained 11 System Points]
Joseph died, half his head gone.
Su Nian exhaled a puff of murky air. One dragon wing shielded Anna's view, while the other claw wiped the blood and brain matter off on the grass. With a single kick, he sent Joseph's corpse flying into the bushes before lowering the wing that had blocked Anna's sight.
Little girls shouldn't see too much gore. Su Nian had to protect her innocence.
He was increasingly embracing his role as a dragon. Killing a bandit like this no longer stirred even the faintest ripple in his heart.
The female mage was dead, corroded by the acidic breath. Having been hit directly by two rounds of acid, nothing remained of her but a puddle of black liquid. Only her mithril staff and magic ring were left intact.
Su Nian picked up the mage's ring with his claw, shook the acid off the staff, and held it in his mouth before turning to face the despairing Tier-2 warrior.
[Despondent Blaize - Level 15 - Tier-2 Warrior (Trash)]
Let this be a lesson not to wander the forest with your girlfriend in your next life. This place has not only lecherous bandits but also unreasonable evil dragons.
Thinking this, Su Nian killed the defeated warrior, earning another 16 System Points.
With this, his System Points exceeded 800. The Basic Furnace was now within reach.
When Su Nian returned to Bolikri and the kobolds with Anna, he found them cheerfully hauling the spoils of war from the bandits.
This was a kobold trait—they would loot everything from defeated enemies, even the sturdy ribs from their corpses.
So when Su Nian saw a kobold gleefully wearing a bandit's underwear on its head, he wasn't surprised.
He made a mental note of this kobold. It would guard the lair entrance from now on—no way was it getting into the dragon's den.
Of course, the treasure chest containing the Gold Lions from the bandit leader was also found by the kobolds. As expected of creatures with "dog" in their name, nothing hidden by physical means could escape them.
"We have achieved a grand victory, but all glory belongs to our great master!"
Bolikri stood atop a half-human-high rock, holding a newly acquired longsword. However, his strength was insufficient, and his struggle to lift the sword looked rather comical.
Facing his kobold subordinates, he loudly delivered his post-battle speech as a chieftain:
"Dragon scales toughen our skin! Dragon bones strengthen our skulls! Dragon hearts ignite our magic! We live for the Great Dragon! Long live the dragon! Long live our great master!"
Bolikri raised his arm high, and the kobolds followed suit, lifting their spoils and barking, "Woof, woof, woof!"
To Su Nian's ears, it roughly translated to:
"Great! Master! Long live! Woof, woof, woof!"