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***
Ordinary creatures really can't handle it.
Even if one meets a red dragon in youth, one can wrestle with their wrists.
But I just bluntly overwhelmed it.
In terms of defense, mine is stronger than it, and in terms of bite force, I'm a few miles ahead of it.
As for spitting acid, let's not talk about it...
And the strength isn't even necessary to mention...
I felt that this was the strongest individual of the Digger Clan.
After all, such a thing did not appear in the memory of the true dragon inheritance, so it can be seen that the earth-digging insects are extremely rare.
"Go up first!"
I grabbed the corpse of the Digger Worm with both claws and flew upwards. Although the corpse of the bug was a bit disgusting, it was the only good food in my hands at the moment, and it can't compare to how disgusting evil eye creatures look.
Winnie also jumped and landed on the corpse of the Digger Worm, intending to hitch a ride.
While everyone on the ground waited anxiously, I flew up with the corpse of the Digger Worm.
"Lord!"
Shatar and the others saluted respectfully.
"Bang~"
The huge insect corpse was directly thrown on the ground by me, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Shatar looked at the insect corpse on the ground and knew that it should be the corpse of the Digger Worm. As expected, the Lord was invincible. How could such a small insect even dream of defeating the Lord?
"The crisis in the mine has been resolved, and the mining work is proceeding normally!"
"Shatar, send all the ore and crystals to my cave!"
"Obey! This subordinate will do it right away!"
After finishing speaking, I left with the corpse of the Digger Worm.
When the feast is approaching, I must make perfect preparations.
---
Tauren Crok watched Barbatos soar into the sky, his massive wings carrying him effortlessly away, and let out a deep sigh, filled with frustration and a touch of fear.
In the Iron Hoof Tribe, there were ancient records of the Digger Worm. One story stood out in particular: an elite team of fifty warriors from his tribe once encountered one. At first, they assumed it was just a slightly larger version of the usual earth diggers, a creature they could handle easily. But what they didn't expect was the sheer destructive power of the Digger Worm. It had obliterated nearly the entire team with minimal effort.
If not for the timely intervention of the royal army from the Half-Beast Empire, the situation would have been disastrous. And yet, despite the forces aligned against it, the Digger Worm had retreated unscathed, leaving behind only carnage.
Now, as Crok watched this black dragon, a different kind of dread gripped him. This dragon, Barbatos, had grown stronger; his presence was overwhelming. The aura he emitted made Crok's very bones tremble. He couldn't shake the image of Barbatos' looming figure. The last time they had met, the dragon had been smaller, far less intimidating. How was this possible? Weren't dragons supposed to grow slowly over centuries?
What Crok didn't realize was that Barbatos had been using a spell to shrink himself to a third of his actual size. If Crok had seen the dragon's true form—a towering behemoth over 30 meters tall—his soul might have fled his body in pure terror.
Crok's mind was swirling with doubt. So much didn't make sense, but there was no time for contemplation. He knew better than anyone why he had truly come here, why he had left the Half-Beast Empire. It wasn't to carve out a legacy or establish the Iron Hoof Tribe as a force to be reckoned with.
No, Crok had a far more important mission. And that mission took precedence over everything else. Right now, the most critical thing is simple: escape.
He needed to get out before it was too late.
...
A few days later, I stood before a grand display of ingredients within the dimly lit cave, the air heavy with anticipation. The cooldown for the Feast had finally come to an end, and this time, the main course was something truly exceptional.
The massive carcass of the Digger Worm lay before me, its once formidable hide now nothing more than a future meal. Beside it, a gleaming magic crystal pulsed with power, surrounded by refined blocks of rare ores—each one brimming with latent energy. A huge pile of Evil Eye Shorma flesh lay stacked high, grotesque yet tempting, brought here thanks to the Any Door ability.
But the true decadence lay in the details—scattered among the main dishes were piles of silver and gold coins, shimmering like stars, to be used as condiments. Beside them, various potions, scavenged from Turom's stash, would serve as the perfect seasoning, enhancing the potency of the feast.
I smirked, knowing full well that no poison could affect me during the Feast. It was one of the feast's greatest abilities—it turned all consumed matter, whether it be treasures, flesh, or even toxins, into pure nourishment. Even the corruption from the Evil God's influence had no hold on me. My Void Feast consumed all without hesitation, transforming even the deadliest of substances into fuel for my growth. Poison? It might as well be flavoring.
"Let the feast begin!" I declared, my voice echoing through the cave, eyes gleaming with hunger.
The familiar hunger pangs hit.
There was a burst of fragrance from the insect corpses in front of me. I knew that this time the main course should be okay, but this fragrance was a bit worse than the Evil Eye Shorma flesh.
I watched the corpse of the Digger Worm in front of me and started to devour it with my eyes closed, not looking at the worm's ferocious expression.
Kacha Kacha~
The hard carapace of the earth-digging insect was swallowed bit by bit.
Unexpectedly, the worm meat was quite delicious, with a beefy taste.
After eating the worm meat for a while, I consumed the mountain of Evil Eye Shorma, and then I began to eat the blocks of ore and crystals and put some gold and silver coins as condiments.
Then I continued to gnaw at the corpse of the earth-demon worm.
Soon the body of the Digger Worm and the mountain of Evil Eye Shorma flesh were eaten up by me.
The progress of the feast had also reached 94%...
I devoured all the messy ingredients like ores and crystals in one go.
Finally, the progress of the feast reached [100%]!
The makeover begins!
Still in the familiar pitch-black space, I watched my body start to grow little by little like a bystander.
...
After a day, I, who was in the cave, slowly opened my eyes.
I looked at my body, and my shape didn't change much. The length from head to tail was about 15 meters.
Only about half a meter longer...
I touched my head; it seemed that the changes here were even greater!
I came to the pool in the cave and looked at my reflection in the water. I seemed to become more handsome again!
Two dragon horns grew out of my head.
This time, the two dragon horns grew forward, which are much smaller than the other four dragon horns.
In my opinion, the dragon horns are invaluable. During my last battle with the Earth Digger, the backward-curved horns acted as a natural shield, guarding my neck against its vicious jaws. Even though I knew my scales alone could withstand the bite without a scratch, the added defense gave me a distinct advantage, effortlessly cracking the Digger's jaw. It's not just about brute strength—having that extra layer of protection elevates my invincibility, ensuring that no matter what I face, I remain untouchable. After all, in combat, every edge counts.
But it is undeniable that dragon horns are not just for decoration.
This time, the dragon's horns extend forward; it seems that it is meant to let me hit the enemy with my head.
I withdrew my thoughts and looked directly at the panel.
//
Status:
Name: Barbatos Caesar Volaric.
Race: True Dragon
Biological Order: 13th (Intermediate)
Occupation Level: Mage LVL 10 [Intermediate]
Body Length: 39.05M
Vitality (VIT): 68.1
Current Feast Tier: 168
Feast Cooldown Time: 30 Days
Spell-like Abilities:
Transfiguration/Polymorph…
Spell Rune:
Zero Tier: Mage's Hand (Return to Nature), Communication (Proficient 5%)
First Tier: Water Blade (Return to Nature)
Second Tier: Water Element Strengthening (Return to Nature), Water Therapy (Return to Nature), Invisibility (Proficient 70%)
Third Tier: Shrink (Proficient 9%), Acceleration (Return to Nature), Guard Barrier (Return to Nature)
Fourth Tier: Any Door (Return to Nature), Rupture (Return to Nature)
Fifth Tier:
Sixth Tier: Water Dragon (Entry 42%)
Abilities:
Earth Mana Affinity (LV 5), Water Mana Affinity (LV 7), Dragon Scales (LV 13), True Dragon Breath (LV 13), Draconic Vitality (LV 16), Draconic Might (LV 6), Draconic Magic (LV 8), Fly (LV 11), Dragon Eyes (LV 5), Bite (LV 13 + 0.1), Claw (LV 13 + 0.1), Wild Scream (LV 6), Atomic Furnace (LV 4), Armor Shredder (LV 6), Evil Eye (LV 5),
Vibration Perception (LV 1)
Effect: You can detect vibrations within a limited range, allowing you to sense the position of nearby enemies. As your magic power grows, the range of this perception expands.
Finally, after an entire decade of devouring a vast array of creatures without gaining a single new ability, something finally clicked—a new power emerged. Over the last ten years, I've consumed nearly everything the Dark Forest had to offer: creatures both rare and deadly, countless ores, magic-infused crystals, beast cores, and even enchanted equipment so valuable that entire adventurer guilds couldn't even dream of affording them. For a long while, I started to believe I had reached some unseen limit; that the Feast ability itself had begun to falter after consuming so much, especially the Evil Eye Shorma. It felt like I had hit a wall, an endless void that couldn't be filled.
But now, with this fresh ability coursing through me, I'm certain my hunger has not reached its end. The Feast wasn't flawed, nor was my potential capped. This new power proves my hunger still holds untapped depths, waiting to be unlocked. The reasons why this took so long remain a mystery—perhaps it's linked to the creatures I've consumed or some hidden aspect of the Feast itself. Yet, with this newfound strength, all my doubts have been silenced. My hunger has finally been rewarded, and the Feast's true potential is far from exhausted.
I focused on the newly added ability.
Seeing the profile of this ability, I immediately understood.
No wonder the earth-digger worm was able to evade its sneak attack ahead of time; it could sense vibrations in space.
I knew that burrowers could sense vibrations. When lurking underground, they would stick their tentacles in the soil to sense the movement of the surface, to ambush and attack prey.
But ordinary diggers can only perceive movement on the ground.
This earth-digging monster can actually sense the movement in the surrounding space.
This is amazing, equivalent to 360-degree perception without dead ends.
No wonder Winnie's shadow veil ability is nothing in front of this earth-digger insect.
I began to feel the vibrations instinctively.
This feeling is amazing as if entering a completely different world.
My body can easily sense all the vibrations around me.
All surrounding vibration sources seemed to be amplified.
The dragon's facial perception is already very sensitive; not to mention the Feast helps my body perception become stronger.
I felt that my sense of hearing had also been greatly strengthened this time.
This ability is more powerful with me than in the earth-digging monster.
For example, at this very moment, I could perceive two vibration sources outside the cave.
I knew that this was a guard arranged by Shadar.
This vibration source is most likely the heartbeat of two frost trolls.
With this talent, I wouldn't be afraid of sneak attacks or anything like that.
Unless the sneak attack is so fast that I can't react.
But now, the range of perception is relatively limited; I can perceive vibrations within a radius of 80 meters from me as the center.
I can even sense the subtle movements of insects vibrating their wings.
This talent is also very demanding on the brain because too much vibration source information has to be processed.
Overall, this Feast is still very good!
This was beyond my expectations. I originally thought that this time my health might be increased.
"Lord!"
The two guards next to me were stunned as soon as I came out of the cave.
Why do I feel that the image of my master is even more stalwart?
At this time, I felt a very small vibration source appear beside me.
"Lord!"
Winnie popped up from the side.
I was already familiar with her elusive figure, but this time I sensed Winnie's position very clearly.
Moreover, I also discovered a problem: I seemed to be able to roughly remember the characteristics of the vibration sources that appeared around me.
For example, Winnie, as long as she appears next to me once, then next time I will know that the source of the vibration is her.
Thinking about this silly cat, I thought it was cool that I didn't find her.
Moreover, vibration perception seems to have the function of a simple lie detection because I can clearly sense the heartbeat of others.
One must know that their heartbeat is different when they are lying.
"What's the matter?"
Winnie looked at me in a daze for a moment.
Do dragons grow so fast?
How old was she when she first saw the black dragon around 13M tall, and now he is nearly 40M.
"Master, some humans seem to be looking for something in the magic iron mine vein; I didn't alarm them!"
I let out a sigh of relief; it seems that the days of peace are numbered.
Those guys can't stand it anymore.
Well, the Voltan family, I'm waiting for you!
"Let Shadar deal with them!"
Since they are the enemy, all the minions they sent will be cut off.
Having never fought, I don't know if I can beat the Voltan family, especially when they are in contract with a devil.
Anyway, just do it first; if I can't beat them, it's over.
It is not too late for the dragon to take revenge in 100 years.
I can always return to my back castle in the depths of the Dark Forest; not even a devil will dare to follow me there!
I could fly away directly, but it would be difficult for Shadar, Winnie, and Shea.
I thought carefully.
This is not timidity before a fight; it is called planning for a rainy day!
"Yes!"
"Also, be vigilant; I don't want to find out after being beaten to my lair by the enemy last time!" I warned.
Those humans are not so simple.
No, it shouldn't be humans anymore; it's half human...
Winnie paused when she heard the words and disappeared in place.
***
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