Chapter 638: Dragon-Slaying Tactics
"Roar...!"
Kalecgos let out a sharp screech, feeling the piercing pain of a massive bolt impaling his chest, flapping his wings in panic.
The tremendous pulling force dragged him upward.
The sound of something tearing through the air nearby forced him to dodge quickly.
Fear of an unknown attack made Kalecgos abandon his pursuit of the panicked adventurers.
He sensed movement in the distance and dove over without hesitation.
With his vast combat experience, Kalecgos knew to prioritize threats in battle.
But just as he lunged forward, a strong sense of danger triggered all his alarm bells.
He immediately dodged, but several piercing bolts had already sealed off his escape routes.
A thick magical shield quickly enveloped his front, blocking the incoming armor-piercing bolts.
However, these bolts had incredibly strong penetration.
Kalecgos saw the gleaming arrowheads explode with fierce anti-magic energy, forcibly tearing through the shield and flying at him.
"Enchanted armor-piercing bolts?"
That thought had just flashed through Kalecgos's mind when four or five bolts from dragon-hunting crossbows were already right in front of his eyes.
Knowing their lethality, Kalecgos didn't hesitate to cast Haste on himself, abandoning his dive attack and flying straight upward.
The bolts brushed past his scales with a whistling sound, carrying the adventurers' frustration.
Cold sweat pouring down, Kalecgos hovered a thousand meters in the sky, eyes locked on where the bolts had been fired.
Feeling the pain and numbness in his chest, he grabbed the bolt without hesitation.
The barbs buried deep in the arrowhead made cold sweat pour down his body.
But he still gritted his fangs and yanked the bolt out.
Splat!
Hot blood gushed out, and the intense pain made Kalecgos howl uncontrollably.
But he quickly recovered and began chanting spells swiftly and skillfully.
Heal Major Wounds!
The large wound began closing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
It took quite a while before Kalecgos barely regained his strength.
He looked down in horror at the busy adventurers, his mind filled with questions:
"What the hell? What kind of weapon is that?!"
"Have adventurers become this strong now?"
"They didn't flee when they saw me?!"
"Who are they? A trap from the Cole Elves?"
"..."
The chaotic thoughts left Kalecgos full of doubt and alarm.
He never expected that in just over a decade, human adventurers' power had grown this much.
Thinking this, he was filled with deep regret.
If he hadn't chosen this exact time to hibernate, but had continued expanding his kingdom...
He might've already uncovered the secrets of the Death Desert and found a way to resist the Dragon Frenzy Lock.
But now, most of the Blue Dragon Kingdom's draconic kin were polluted by the "Crimson Moon," having lost their reason and intelligence, and had to be dealt with.
Kalecgos only brought them out to make use of waste.
The remaining draconic kin, plagued by Dragon Frenzy, couldn't fulfill his ambitions.
Thus, Kalecgos had no choice but to "cooperate" with the Cole Elves.
At first, he thought the Cole Elves were only interested in the Death Desert's secrets.
But now it was clear—that wasn't the whole story!
The Cole Elves probably had their eyes not just on the Death Desert, but on him as well!
Kalecgos still believed the adventurers here were a trick of the Cole Elves.
Blue Dragons had violent tempers and never withdrew from a battle midway.
He scouted the adventurers for weaknesses, then dove toward the rear ranks without hesitation.
In Kalecgos's view, a weapon that could break magical shields and pierce dragon scales and muscle armor...
Must be outrageously expensive and extremely rare.
And he wasn't wrong.
Even with the Cole Elf Kingdom's industrial capabilities and access to Bay Territory's crossbow data...
They only managed to produce a few experimental dragon-hunting crossbows before giving up.
The reason was simple: the magical materials and parts were too "expensive."
If it were just 10,000 or 20,000 gold coins, they might've pushed through.
But after calculating, the variety and intricacy of materials made the cost 35,000 gold in parts and production alone.
And manufacturing one required high-level technicians.
Some core components even needed master magical item crafters.
Including the Cole Elf spellcasters' labor fees, total costs soared to a staggering 90,000 gold!
Almost double what Bay Territory paid!
Plus, it took up the valuable time of master craftsmen!
Totally not worth it!
So they figured it was better to steal ready-made crossbows from Bay Territory.
Though it cost many expendable adventurers, it saved tens of thousands in gold.
Meanwhile, for Bay Territory, dragon-hunting crossbows were no longer that hard to produce.
Not because they weren't important—
But because a sophisticated magical production line had been created for their mass demand.
Of course, components requiring extra finesse and granting valuable crafting experience—
Were deliberately assigned to magic item makers who needed practice.
Bay Territory didn't chase cost-minimization. They aimed to save manpower, boost efficiency, and enhance productivity.
To test Kalecgos's strength, Alice specially mobilized over 50 dragon-hunting crossbows.
So when Kalecgos swooped in from behind to launch an assault—
Alice's eyes flashed with cruelty as she decisively gave the order to "feign retreat."
"Run…!"
"The Blue Dragon's coming!"
"Get out!!"
"Help!"
"Everyone, hide!"
"Get underground—quick!"
"Scatter!!"
"..."
The oppressive dragon might spread out, sending terrified adventurers fleeing in all directions.
The dread crushing their hearts made them lose all will to resist!
Just as Kalecgos prepared to unleash his breath, a hint of pride flashed in his eyes.
But knowing it wasn't time to celebrate, he beat his wings hard and charged toward the nearest crossbow.
Fully focused, Kalecgos "saw" a few frantic adventurers dragging a cart away.
Realizing the cart was too slow, they ditched it atop a barren dune and fled.
Kalecgos excitedly dove.
But with his rich combat experience, he didn't charge in blindly—instead, he began chanting a spell.
Magical energy gathered in the sand beneath, forming huge spikes that burst up and impaled the cart.
Boom!
Crash!
The six-meter-high spikes destroyed the cart completely, shattering the bows and crossbows inside.
"Success!"
Kalecgos noticed dense spell runes on the fragments, magical energy dispersing, and an enchanted bolt rolling aside—he relaxed a little.
Slightly relieved, he turned toward another fleeing cart.
Seeing adventurers trying to drag it into a cave, his rage flared. Thinking of his stinging wound, he roared ferociously.
"You little bugs are digging your own graves!"
Enraged, Kalecgos channeled his innate magic, manipulating the familiar sand and unleashing a torrent of power.
The adventurers inside the tunnel suddenly felt the ground quake.
Cracks appeared overhead as sand poured down.
"Hurry…!"
"Get out…"
"It's collapsing!"
"Run!!"
"It's coming!!"
"We won't make it…"
"Waaah…"
"..."
Kalecgos could clearly sense the crying bugs underground, and though venting some anger, he showed no mercy.
Both ends of the tunnel collapsed, burying over ten adventurers.
Kalecgos, consumed by malice, didn't even bother to bury them alive—
He deliberately left a pocket of space, letting them wait for death!
Interested in the weapons that could hurt him, Kalecgos definitely wanted to study them if he could get any.
After destroying the second dragon-hunting crossbow and sensing the adventurers' desperate retreat, he finally relaxed.
He rose into the air again, targeting the furthest cart without hesitation.
In the Death Desert, where he knew the terrain perfectly, Kalecgos believed these bugs could never escape.
So, of course, he wouldn't let any threatening weapon slip by.
He wanted them all!
Just as Kalecgos dove at the third cart—
He suddenly stopped. The adventurers turned to face him, trembling as they drew their swords.
At that moment, a fast-moving black shadow shot out of the cart at incredible speed toward Kalecgos.
Though acting casual, Kalecgos never let his guard down—and now faced a deadly strike head-on.
His massive body twisted lightly, narrowly dodging the bolt!
This showed his body control, reaction speed, and overwhelming confidence.
As the final attack failed, despair spread among the surrounding adventurers—two even collapsed in fear.
Smelling the stench of urine in the air, Kalecgos grinned, exposing razor-sharp fangs, and leisurely landed with a thunderous crash.
The tremor and his terrifying presence knocked all the adventurers off their feet.
Savoring their fear, Kalecgos reached out a claw toward the cart.
Crack!
Before he could touch it, the cart shattered.
A nimble figure burst out from the flying wood splinters, sprinting down the dune.
So fast, no adventurer could react.
But Kalecgos, with lightning reflexes, saw it all clearly.
Especially the storage belt at his waist—clearly carrying the key crossbow.
Furious but amused, Kalecgos stomped hard, digging a deep pit in the soft sand.
His 20-meter-long body shot out like a cannonball.
Chris, sprinting madly, felt the wind whipping his cheeks and didn't dare look back—he just ran.
But suddenly, the burning sunlight on his face vanished, replaced by a massive shadow.
Instinctively, Chris looked up—and locked eyes with a twisted, terrifying face.
"Ahhh...!"
Chris screamed, legs buckling, tumbling across the sand.
Boom!
Kalecgos landed nimbly, ten meters in front of Chris, his chilling claw slowly reaching out.
Chris flipped over and shouted with all his might:
"Great Blue Dragon Lord Kalecgos, please forgive my disrespect and offense! I offer you a powerful weapon capable of ruling the Death Desert!"
Chris didn't speak in common tongue, but in flawless Draconic.
His voice trembled with fear, but his face held stubbornness and hope.
The deadly claw stopped before his face. Kalecgos looked down and snorted, then said:
"Foolish worm, you have no right to negotiate. Hand over the weapon that belongs to me—now!!"
Hearing this, Chris realized he might have just saved his life. A flicker of joy flashed in his eyes as he tremblingly reached for his belt, a hint of reluctance showing in his gaze.