Chapter 337: A True Dragon Lord's Offspring? My Name Is Michen Kemplit
Boom!
The roar was deafening. The impact from the fist sent all the surrounding tables and food flying, creating a massive tremor.
Alar and Tribe Leader Diyelong were both sent flying by the shockwave, tumbling helplessly over several times on the ground.
"Ah!"
Tribe Leader Diyelong cried out before fainting.
Alar felt the blood roil in her veins. She propped herself up, the hairs on her body standing on end as she stared at Little Nick, her face filled with disbelief and horror.
The sleeping people of the Oasis were also jolted awake, each one frozen in place, filled with confusion and fear.
A terrifying oppressive feeling filled the air!
"You, you're not Little Nick," Alar's voice trembled.
Little Nick was just an ordinary child!
But the Little Nick before her was terrifying. Just by standing there, he gave Alar a sense of powerlessness, an inability to resist. It was like the natural dominance of a predator over its prey, leaving her with no choice but to surrender and await death.
He looked down at his own fist.
"The feeling is wrong."
Little Nick frowned.
The [Qi Burst Palm] didn't make direct contact with an opponent; it was a move designed to prevent negative effects from touch. However, he could still feel the feedback from the attack.
With a grim expression, Little Nick walked calmly toward the spot where Tang Zheng had been blasted away, completely ignoring the terrified gasps of the humans behind him and Alar's trembling questions.
A group of inferior beings. Who would care about bugs?
He appeared to be walking, but his speed was actually very fast.
In two or three breaths, Little Nick had arrived at Tang Zheng's location. A large crater had appeared in the soft desert sand.
Inside lay a corpse, half-buried in sand. A clear depression was visible on its chest, and a large patch of its clothing was stained red with blood.
He had died a miserable death.
Seeing this corpse...
"There's such Magic? Ohahaha, how interesting."
"You group of inferior beings always provide some amusement from time to time."
As he spoke, Little Nick's eyes moved, locking onto a small sand dune to the northwest.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
[Magic Arrow: Fire]
Three crimson streams of light suddenly flew out from behind the dune. A piercing sound tore through the air as all three accurately struck Little Nick.
Bang—
The three magic arrows shattered on contact, dissipating into faint magical energy.
Tang Zheng's figure walked out from behind the sand dune.
"Completely unharmed? Is it Magic Invalidation... no, that's not right?"
Tang Zheng narrowed his eyes, using [Ninjutsu: Detect] to observe the changes in Little Nick's aura. After being attacked, his aura hadn't weakened in the slightest.
"Fire Attribute Nullification? What a frightening surprise."
Under his detecting vision, Little Nick's entire body was enveloped in a surging, flame-like aura of life energy, one that far exceeded the Heroic Realm.
This was... around Level 45!
Tang Zheng was inwardly stunned. His gaze swept over the information that had just appeared on his Stat Panel.
"[Ki Sense]?"
"And that [Qi Burst Palm] from before... it's a Monk-type Class."
Tang Zheng quickly made a judgment, somewhat surprised and wary that such a strong individual would exist in Despair Valley.
Among the strong individuals he had encountered so far, this opponent's power was second only to the ancient Fire Dragon and the Sun Anglerfish!
"First, he noticed the anomaly with the corpse, then used [Ki Sense] to pinpoint my location. This means he has a considerable degree of keen intuition."
Tang Zheng had used the Mana-based [Illusionist] to cast the Magic [False Death], creating a fake corpse that was visually indistinguishable from a real one. It was within his expectations that the opponent wouldn't be fooled, but in turn, he had managed to obtain some information.
The information is currently unclear!
To deal with an opponent of around Level 45, he would likely need to reveal some of his power.
No!
I can't determine the other party's identity, or if he has companions.
Seeing Tang Zheng, who was covered in sand and looked disheveled but had not sustained any serious injuries, Little Nick's expression changed.
He had obtained detailed information about this outsider Human from the Oasis humans. Logically, the man shouldn't have been able to withstand a single punch from him!
These inferior beings were as fragile as withered tree branches, easily snapped in two. Yet this one had managed to block it.
Did he use some kind of magic item?
"What foolish thing are you doing?"
"This fragile Magic, even if you cast it tens of thousands of times, you couldn't kill me."
Little Nick spoke with disgust, his cold eyes fixed on Tang Zheng. "This place is terribly boring. An interesting Human popping up is indeed worth investigating."
"Can you tell me where you came from?"
"How dare you ruin my plan!"
Plan?
What plan.
"You're not a Human, are you!"
Tang Zheng's face was serious. He needed to extract information from the other party. Though phrased as a question, his tone was exceptionally certain.
He made this judgment because a Human couldn't possibly surpass the Level of an "Aberrant."
Furthermore, Tang Zheng had truly not detected anything unusual about the other party's disguise as a Human. His Stat Panel showed no alerts. This could only mean one thing: the other party was using a general magic-type skill, something akin to a talent or a racial ability.
"How could I possibly be an inferior being like you! Damn it, damn it!!"
Little Nick seemed to have suffered some kind of insult, his face twisting in a contorted expression. "It's all because of you damn Humans that I've been trapped here!"
"It's all because of you—you ruined my plan!"
Crack— Crack—
The small Human body began to swell at a visible rate. Cracks appeared on the surface of the skin as the disguise completely vanished.
In the blink of an eye, his body shot up two meters!
His pupils turned golden, and his entire body was covered in a layer of fine, dark-gold scales. He had powerful, developed muscles and a short tail. His head was completely bestial, with upward-curving horns on both sides!
A terrifying aura made the air heavy. An airwave surged, and the desert sand beneath his feet spread out in circular ripples!
Seeing this unusually conspicuous appearance!
"A Dragonoid?" Tang Zheng said.
How could there be a Dragonoid here? The question was, did the Dragonoid Race even exist in this Otherworld!
—It's indeed possible!
Most Dragon Lords could interbreed with any creature. For example, the Dragon Queen of the Dragon Kingdom and Lizardman Kuru Xue both possessed the bloodline of a Dragon.
The problem is!
The opponent's Level was as high as 45. This was comparable to some older dragons!
An offspring of a True Dragon Lord?
The amount of information was a bit overwhelming.
Tang Zheng's gaze hardened. He stomped fiercely on the ground, his body moving to retreat as he began to chant in a low voice:
"Third-Tier Magic: Compound Elemental Summoning!"
"Sandstorm Elemental!"
Whoosh—
A cyclone formed out of thin air. The desert sand coalesced into a swirling, sand-yellow elemental that kicked up a massive dust cloud as it charged toward the dragonoid.
"Idiot!"
The desert sand beneath the dragonoid's feet collapsed as his powerful body sped across the desert at extreme speed. Wherever he passed, yellow sand splashed up into the air.
[Destructive Aura]
A faint white light enveloped the dragonoid's hands as he crashed into the Sandstorm Elemental.
The spinning sandstorm scraped against the dragonoid's body, creating a fierce crackling sound, but in the next moment, a bestial claw emerged from the dust and tore the Sandstorm Elemental in two.
It clearly possessed an effect that suppressed elementals!
"His aura weakened a little, though not by much, but Wind and Earth elements should be able to damage him. He doesn't have resistances to those types."
Tang Zheng analyzed as he retreated:
"Also, like a typical monk, he should lack long-range attacks."
"He wasn't surprised to see the elemental. Is it because he'd already obtained information about me from the Oasis Humans?"
Fortunately.
Tang Zheng felt a sense of relief. The only information he had revealed here in Despair Valley were his third-tier magic caster techniques and his warrior abilities.
Bang!
After dealing with the elemental, the dragonoid had already charged right in front of Tang Zheng, extremely close.
At this point, it was no longer suitable to cast Magic, neither in terms of chanting time nor distance!
Shing—
Tang Zheng waved his hand, drawing the magic greatsword that was hidden by his cloak and hung at his waist—the same one he had gotten from Troll Gu.
His sleeve opened.
A bronze-colored armlet was faintly visible. It was the [Armlet of Death Protection], which he had equipped earlier during his probing attacks.
Although he didn't think the opponent would possess an instant-death type move, it was better to be safe than sorry.
"[Qi Gathering Impact]"
A fist covered in fine golden scales entered Tang Zheng's vision.
"[Fast Slash]"
The magic greatsword swung!
BOOM!!
The sword blade and the fist collided first, and a powerful shockwave instantly erupted.
To prevent the opponent from becoming suspicious, Tang Zheng even proactively deactivated the [Valkyrie]'s [Aura of Courage], a move that could produce double damage on the first clash.
Bang—
Tang Zheng's body was sent flying horizontally, smashing heavily into a sand dune dozens of meters away.
The [Ninja]'s [Concealed Presence] passive activated. Tang Zheng's face immediately turned deathly pale, his aura becoming faint, giving the appearance of being severely injured.
"Ohahaha!"
The dragonoid retracted his fist. Seeing Tang Zheng defeated by a single punch, he laughed triumphantly.
"How foolish. To see my true form and dare to meet my fist head-on."
"What kind of monster are you!"
Tang Zheng revealed a look of disbelief and shouted.
"Monster?"
"You ignorant fool, I am a Dragonoid!"
The dragonoid spoke proudly, seemingly unsurprised by his easy victory, as if it was only natural.
He lacks combat experience!
Tang Zheng mentally assessed. The opponents this guy had faced before must have been too weak, to the point that he didn't have the slightest suspicion about this feigned defeat.
It really is a Dragonoid.
In fact, this was Tang Zheng's first time seeing this Race, so he was still a bit unsure. Now that the other party had admitted it himself, it couldn't be better.
It reminded him of one of the Floor Guardians in the Great Tomb of Nazarick, Sebas, who was also of the "Dragonoid" Race.
"You, you—you're the one behind the Gray Dwarf Race's annihilation of the humans!"
Tang Zheng sounded as if he had discovered something unbelievable, his voice weak. "No, with your power, you could have easily destroyed the humans."
The dragonoid had mentioned earlier that he had ruined his plan. Tang Zheng thought back, and the only thing that could possibly be related was the actions of the Gray Dwarf Race.
Too strange?
This was the part that had always felt off to him.
"Shut up!"
"Shut up!!"
The dragonoid seemed to have been triggered by something, stomping on the ground as he yelled, looking somewhat unstable.
Thump— Thump!
Every stomp made the ground tremble.
Seeing the dragonoid's reaction, Tang Zheng felt as if he had grasped a flash of inspiration.
"I understand now... cough, cough!"
Tang Zheng spoke loudly, then started coughing, his aura growing even weaker.
"With your power, you have no need to disguise yourself as a Human and suddenly attack in the Oasis. You're protecting the Oasis... to be precise—you're protecting the humans in the Oasis?"
"I heard a rumor from the now-extinct Grey Dwarves that 'Humans are a cursed race,' and that a calamity will occur if they are attacked."
"The so-called 'calamity' is you, isn't it!"
"You clearly see Humans as inferior beings, yet you must protect them, and you also manipulate the Grey Dwarves to destroy them. For such a completely contradictory situation—there is only one possibility!"
The dragonoid stopped stomping. His neurotic mood subsided. He slowly raised his head, a pair of golden, bloodshot bestial eyes staring at Tang Zheng, a thick killing intent practically overflowing from them.
"You were ordered by a much stronger existence, one you absolutely cannot defy, to protect the humans here."
"You would rather indirectly manipulate the Grey Dwarves to eliminate the humans than dare to do it yourself... Just what kind of existence could make you so fearful, that even..."
"The rumor is at least a hundred years old, yet you still don't dare to disobey this order?"
The air became eerily silent at this moment!
"Inferior being!"
The dragonoid's sharp arm, covered in dark-gold scales, twitched slightly. He strode forward on his strong, powerful legs, one step at a time. "You talk too much."
"I will personally snap your neck."
Tang Zheng had initially suspected the dragonoid before him might be the offspring of some Dragon Lord, but now he could rule that out!
How could an existence like a Dragon Lord possibly care about humans, who were like bugs in their eyes?
In the Otherworld, to possess great strength and also harbor some sort of goodwill towards humans, there was only one possibility—a Player!
Could this dragonoid be an NPC placed here by a Player who descended into the Otherworld?
"My name is Michen Kemplit."
Tang Zheng suddenly said.
"An ant groveling on the ground is not worthy of me remembering its name."
The dragonoid's expression remained blank as he continued to walk forward coldly, as if contemplating how to painfully kill the human before him.
Alright, not an NPC!
And definitely not a Player.
"Good grief."
Tang Zheng performed a kip-up, leaping to his feet from the ground. His weak aura vanished, and even his pale complexion returned to a rosy-white.
The dragonoid's thick killing intent faltered. He stared blankly at Tang Zheng, who had recovered from a near-death state in an instant.
"Information gathering complete."
"Scouting is also complete. You have no companions here; you're alone." Tang Zheng dusted himself off.
He hadn't just been trying to get the dragonoid to talk; he had also been constantly scanning the surroundings to see if this area was being observed.
That possibility had also been ruled out!
Because if any Magic was observing this place, his Stat Panel would have alerted him immediately.
"I have many questions, and I think I'll get the answers directly from your mouth." Tang Zheng reached out and grabbed the magic greatsword stuck in the sand beside him.
"—Eeeeeeeyah!!"
The dark-gold dragonoid let out a sharp roar. "You inferior being, how dare you make a fool of me!"
Rumble!
A golden afterimage crossed the dozens of meters between them in an instant, its sharp claws slashing viciously toward Tang Zheng's neck.
[Iron Grip]!
"[Four Light Consecutive Slashes: Magic Slash - Wind]!" Tang Zheng swung the magic greatsword with one hand.
He used a martial art technique combined with a [Magic Swordsman] Class skill, infusing it with an element to change its attribute.
Translucent, sharp magic wind blades formed four elemental slashes with the swing of the magic greatsword. The wind attribute was inherently known for its speed!
Before the dragonoid could even get close to Tang Zheng, both his arms and legs were struck by the wind-attribute slashes!
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
The dark-gold scales were broken, and sprays of blood erupted from his arms and legs simultaneously.
"——Yaaahhh." The dragonoid roared in shock and anger, flying backward even faster than he had charged.
He left a distinct, clear trail in the desert sand.
(end of chapter)