"Dragon! Dragon! Dragon!"
All the kobolds were crushed to the ground by the oppressive dragon's might, their entire bodies trembling violently due to an instinctive fear that occupied their minds, leaving their dog-like heads completely blank.
The kobold leader, Vini, felt as if his heart had dropped into an icy abyss in the dead of winter, cold seeping from the inside out, bringing him unparalleled despair!
They're going to die; fleeing this far only to end up with such a result.
In addition to despair, Vini felt an indescribable bitterness; no wonder this place was so peaceful, no wonder the food was so abundant yet no fierce hunters were in sight, it turns out this was a dragon's territory!
In the past, with their keen sense of smell, they would have naturally detected the dragon's scent before entering this territory. Unfortunately, exhausted and ravenous from barely escaping, they had no energy left for caution.
Regrettably, it's too late to say anything now.
Everything is over!
Just as Vini the kobold leader closed his eyes to await death, the Blue Dragon Austin spread his membranous wings on a giant tree, whipping up a gust of wind before lightly landing on the ground.
"I'm asking you, little kobolds, dare to trespass in my territory, are you ready to be eaten?"
The gigantic Blue Dragon looked down with a trace of mockery in his voice.
Even though he was only born for less than two years and was still in his juvenile phase, his body had unscathed grown close to two meters tall, standing before these frail kobolds like a massive beast, capable of easily tearing them apart.
"No, no, no, Dragon, dear Dragon... we, we..."
Under the pressure to survive, Vini forced his dog head to raise, his brain working at an unprecedented speed to find an excuse for the situation, and suddenly, his mind lit up.
"Dear Dragon, we are here to seek allegiance to you! Your renown has spread throughout the Forest Land, and we, admiring your fame, have finally arrived in your domain after many hardships, hoping to pledge ourselves under your command and become your retainers..."
The kobold leader, Vini, thought quickly on his feet, speaking smoothly for once, puffing out his chest as if sincerely loyal and eager to be taken under protection.
Austin circled around the kobold leader Vini with interest, his gaze causing a cold sweat to break out on the kobold.
As for what this guy said, Austin didn't believe a word.
Two years ago, he was just a nerd earning a meager salary in a concrete jungle, enjoying reading novels and idling his days away, until one day, he woke up in a cold, dark place. After struggling to break through a white wall, he discovered, to his astonishment, he had transformed into a creature.
A Blue Young Dragon,
The moment he saw sunlight, the Dragon Race heritage told him his name, Austin.
What had become of his unreliable parents, and why had they left a Dragon Egg in a cold, grassy corner? Austin had little room for such thoughts. For the past two years, his sole focus had been on survival in this world.
Though the Dragon Race's inherited memories told him that dragons were life forms favored by the Divine, destined to become rulers of the sky even if they idled around for a hundred years, that was a matter for adulthood.
No creature is particularly strong in its young age, and when Austin had just hatched, having polished off the egg shell, he might have managed to emit a one or two-volt current at best, possessing the combat prowess of nothing more than a small cat from his previous life, and a pet cat at that.
To survive, for two years Austin remained cautious, stealing bird eggs, gnawing on tree bark, engaging in all manners of sneaky, underhanded acts, even resorting to eating dirt when driven by hunger, thus living the once-proud Blue Dragon's life as the disgrace of the Dragon Race.
How could he possibly have gained a good reputation in such circumstances? Moreover, wary of the endless emergence of magic beasts in the forest, Austin's activities during these two years were confined to a ten-mile radius. It wasn't until his body rapidly grew, gaining some combat ability, that he began clearing out nearby beasts, claiming around a one-kilometer territory.
And as for these kobolds at hand, it was obvious they'd strayed into his territory in their flight.
"Should I just get rid of them?"
As he gazed at the kobolds crouched on the ground, this thought flashed through the mind of Blue Dragon Austin.
His smooth growth to this point was inseparable from his discreet development strategy.
Were news of a Blue Young Dragon's presence in a certain area to spread, those seeking the title of "Dragon Hunter," not to mention the forest's magic beasts eager to taste dragon meat, would not hesitate to come and devour him whole, bone and all...
Reflecting on that terrifying imagery, Austin's gaze towards the kobolds became even deeper, causing Vini to lower his dog head further.
Fortunately, Austin ultimately decided against killing them.
He spread his membranous wings, his voice filled with dragon's might resonating in the air:
"Very well, I accept your allegiance, but you must know that only those with value are worthy of my protection. If one day you fail to show your value, you'll be eaten, understood?"
His menacing head moved directly in front of kobold leader Vini, fine sparks dancing over the ghostly blue scales, leaving Vini petrified with his mind blank.
"Un-understood!"
"Good, follow me!"
Austin spread his wings, flapping powerfully to create a gale on the ground, lifting his entire body into the sky.
He didn't look back at the newly acquired retainers, but he sensed their exhilaration as they eagerly followed his shadow through the forest, rushing towards the Dragon's Nest.
In the Dragon Race's inherited memories, kobolds are among the continent's lowest classes, where even a massive tribe of thousands seeking allegiance to a dragon would face disdain, let alone these few scattered individuals.
For these bottom-tier races struggling for survival, becoming a strong entity's vassal is considered a blessing.
Austin's acquisition of these retainer subordinates was not out of sympathy; he certainly had his reasons.
Perhaps there was the inclination of having struggled alone for two years, of feeling something upon seeing intelligent life.
But more than that, it was Austin's striving for strength development.
"Blood Wolf pack, you are done for!"
Thinking of those loathsome enemies, a flicker of deep light flashed through Austin's pupils.