196 Drakes
After some time, Leo pushed away the thoughts about him being an Ancient Dragon, since it was still years away from happening.
It would be better if he focused on his surroundings instead of his far-fetched dreams.
“...”
He looked ahead and quickly opened his map, examining the various objects highlighted on it. Since he had seen a lot of the valley from the mountaintop, the once grey map now had some color in it.
Leo’s purple eyes instantly locked onto a small crevice or rather a ravine that spanned a few hundred meters.
Whilst looking at the map, he started walking towards the ravine.
Leo also made sure that his Shadows were beside him, ready to attack if something leaped out of the greenery.
Well... they acted more like meat shields, since every creature in the valley was three times Leo’s strength.
In this manner, the group moved for a few kilometers, Leo flinching at every roar and sound he heard along the way.
.....
Swish...
He carefully pushed aside the leaves blocking his vision and frowned. If he took another step, he would fall into a deep ravine.
Looking at its endless depths, Leo saw some kind of purple liquid bubbling below and smirked. He knew that whoever fell into this hole was dead, unless they could fly.
“Found it...” He muttered to himself.
Rubbing his hands, he instructed his Shadows to clear some of the greenery and cut some small trees so that the path to the ravine could be easily accessible.
He watched as the Shadow Yeti and Skeleton, careful not to make any sound, quickly got to work.
He, then, turned around and looked at the small hill in the distance.
“I should wait until nightfall...”
Pulling up his hood, Leo slowly made his way to one of the trees. He found a branch about halfway up and made himself comfortable.
Now all he needed to do was wait until the Shadows ruled the Valley.
***
A beautiful moon hung in the sky, illuminating the world below with its light. The moon shone so brightly that the scales of the massive monsters roaming in the valley reflected its light, making Leo aware of their presence.
He had chosen to wait until nightfall before starting his plan for two reasons. One, he could see where the dragons and other scaly monsters were. Two, at this point in time, his prey was sleeping.
“You can stop.”
Looking at his Shadows, who were still relentlessly clearing the path to the ravine, Leo watched as they slowly retreated to his Shadow before rising from his sitting position.
Massaging his numb legs, Leo quickly descended from the tree and summoned Fenrir. The wolf’s black fur was a perfect camouflage in the night.
Growl...
Fenrir showed his worries about the plan because he shared a bond with Leo and knew what he was thinking.
“Don’t worry. You can outrun them... Probably?”
Leo tapped the wolf’s massive head before climbing onto his back. They started running towards the hill in the distance that Leo had seen previously.
As they neared the mountain, Fenrir slowed his pace and finally halted as the clear view of the hill entered their sight.
“...”
Leo and Fenrir watched as a literal light show was happening before them. Countless lights were glimmering in the area, making it seem like a disco party.
There were hundreds of monsters, each the size of a bike, laying all across the mountain, sleeping without a care. The monsters were called Drakes, Lizard-Dogs without any wings. They came in various colors, and most had sharp claws and tails, a testament to their dragon bloodline.
Growl...
Fenrir tried to persuade Leo not to do what he was planning, but Leo only tapped his head.
“Don’t worry...”
Shadow Energy began to flow through his capillaries, making its way towards his hands. Leo quickly cast his Shadow Blast and held the orb close to his body so its grey color wouldn’t reveal his presence if anybody saw him.
“Get ready...”
He told Fenrir before launching the orb towards the countless lying Drakes and urging Fenrir to dash towards the Ravine.
They didn’t even manage to turn around completely when Leo’s attack reached the Drakes, making some of the injured ones cry out in pain.
Roar...
A number of others joined the cry, jolting awake from their slumber and taking in their surroundings, trying to understand what was happening.
Kleek...
Suddenly, a single Drake, whose scales were covered in all white, stepped out of the group, raising its head, which had something similar to a crown or antennas.
Crackle...
It started vibrating with Mana, making the air in the vicinity ripple. The creature’s red eyes burned with bloodlust as it sensed Leo’s presence and began to move towards him.
Kleek...
The White Drake let out a sound, causing half of the Drakes to split from the group and chase after Leo.
Leo cursed under his breath as he urged Fenrir to run faster towards the ravine. The pursuing Drakes were gaining on them, and Leo could feel their hot breath on his back. He could see the purple liquid bubbling at the bottom of the ravine, and he knew that he had to time his jump perfectly if he wanted to survive.
“Almost there!” Leo shouted to Fenrir, who was panting heavily from the exertion of the run.
As they approached the edge of the ravine, Leo urged Fenrir not to stop running and, at the last second, instructed him to jump.
Whoosh...
Since Fenrir trusted Leo very highly, he didn’t even hesitate, even though it was fairly obvious that they wouldn’t make the jump.
“Shadow Protection!”
Leo pumped his Mana into his hands, quickly creating a barrier where they could land, which allowed Fenrir to have a second jump.
Swish...
The wolf quickly used the platform to leap over the edge and landed on the other side of the ravine. He then threw Leo off his back and gave him a big lick with his tongue.
At this point, it was his way of punishing his owner for doing something foolish.
“Bastard...”
Pushing the massive wolf away, Leo turned his face, riddled with saliva, towards the other side of the Ravine, watching as the massive group of drakes approached them.
Drakes didn’t have very good vision, so Leo decided to throw in another lure.
Crackle...
He summoned his Demonic Flame, allowing the white fire to dance on his body and making sure the Drakes saw him.
Roar...
Hearing their enraged roars, Leo smirked, watching as they got closer and closer to the edge.
Kleek...
He felt rather than heard some kind of strange vibration pass through the air, and a smile disappeared from his face.
Although he saw that the Drakes in front were already falling into the abyss, he focused on the strange mana vibrations that reverberated through the air.
[????????????? ???????????Y??????????o??????????????????u???????? ??????w?????????i?????l????l??????????????????? ??????????????d???????i????????????e?????????????.???????.????????????????.???????????? ???D??????????????e?????m????????????o??????????n?????~????????????!??????????????? ????????????]
Somehow, Leo could understand what it meant and shuddered. He only knew one thing that was able to communicate with him in this vicinity: the Alpha Female of the Drakes.
She was a monster twice the size of a normal Drake, with the ability to control all the Drakes in her pack, which numbered in the hundreds, if not thousands.
If a Female Alpha is left to live long enough, there’s a high chance that she might even evolve into a higher being, sometimes even becoming a dragon.
These Alphas also held grudges, and Leo didn’t want one of such creatures to remember him after its evolution.
“I have to kill her...”
Speaking to himself, he watched as the Drakes finally understood what was happening and tried to stop in their tracks, but the monster behind them pushed them, making them fall into the ravine.
Leo got closer to the edge, watching as the Drakes plummeted into the strange purple liquid and quickly resurfaced, trying to get some air. He knew that they were capable of swimming.
One by one, they started to resurface out of the liquid and gathered on the small islands that were protruding from the lake of purple liquid.
At first, it seemed as if nothing had happened, the Drakes staring at Leo with murderous eyes, before one of them suddenly leapt at another.
Roar...
The Drake bit its brother’s neck without any hesitation, ripping away the scales and tearing away its flesh without any resistance. Other monsters couldn’t even react before the attacked Drake was dead.
Their small brains couldn’t quite comprehend their kin attacking each other. They were all under one queen, and it didn’t quite click within their brains that refusing her was an option.
.....
Roar...
Suddenly, another monster went on a rampage, followed by another one. Soon, every single Drake was fighting each other without any remorse. They ripped each other’s throats, sliced limbs, and bit into each other’s bodies. It was a bloodbath.
Meanwhile, Leo watched everything from afar, looking at his status window that was rapidly gaining EXP. Although he couldn’t pick up the items dropped by the creatures, EXP was a good enough reward.
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