Chương 209: Reborn as the Dragon — Chapter 209 - Captives and Transformation (2)

What was going on? Had Banana Wolf and Bugs Bunny gotten into a fight? That didn't make any sense. One was a carnivore and the other was a herbivo, No. Bugs Bunny counted as an omnivore now. How had those two ended up at each other's throats like this, and with this much violence? Su Nian landed in the center of the arena. He released his Dragon's Might in a wave, forcibly breaking up the brawl and pinning both monsters flat against the ground where they couldn't move an inch.

"What is wrong with you two? The dungeon's never had a rule against fighting each other, but pulling out knives and clubs is a different story. Weapons down. Now." The moment Su Nian's roar hit them, both monsters seized up like they'd been struck by lightning, nearly scared into wetting themselves. Their weapons clattered to the ground. In any normal situation, Bugs Bunny wouldn't have stood a chance against Banana Wolf.

The problem was that this time, every other gnoll had chosen to enhance their muscles, but Banana Wolf, wanting to hold Little Red at all hours of the day, had chosen to enhance its scales instead. Scales that, as it turned out, didn't cover its skull. So right now, Banana Wolf's face looked like a large, badly-bruised pumpkin. Su Nian studied the battered, swollen wreck of Banana Wolf's face, and had to work to keep the amusement off his own.

"You got beaten the worst. You go first."

"Master — Bugs Bunny repays kindness with enmity! Wuwuwu... I clearly, saved, it..." Banana Wolf clutched its own swollen, puffy face and wept like a three-hundred-pound child. Su Nian was surprised, but he didn't jump to conclusions. He shifted his gaze to Bugs Bunny instead, curious to hear its version. When he'd sent Bugs Bunny after the Healing Magician earlier, he'd taken the opportunity to check in on the fighting in other parts of the maze. He had no idea what had actually happened while his back was turned.

"Great master!" Bugs Bunny bowed its head respectfully. Its voice came out soft and weirdly cute. The contrast with its absolutely massive frame and coiled, grotesque musculature was jarring in a way that defied easy description. After the full-body muscle enhancement, Bugs Bunny's vocal cords had adapted to handle virtually any language. The Common Tongue of the Continent it spoke now was crisp, precise, and perfectly enunciated.

"I was right in the middle of a fierce fight with the human magician when this stupid wolf sent Little Red over to fart on me. I blacked out on the spot. Now I can't even look at a carrot without feeling sick." The more Bugs Bunny talked, the angrier it got. The muscles across its body crackled and swelled, white steam hissing out through the exhaust vents along its arms with a steady, pressurized sound.

"I'm going to kill him! Roar!"

"I clearly, saved you. If I hadn't come, you'd be dead!" If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. Banana Wolf shot back from the floor, its chubby wolf face a picture of wounded pride and misery.

"It's lying through its teeth!" Bugs Bunny let out a furious snarl. But pinned under the Dragon's Might, it couldn't move at all. It took a long moment for the rage to cool, and then Bugs Bunny drew a deep breath and continued.

"Great master, I understand how it looked. The human had crippled all four of my limbs and was moving in to finish me off. But I still had my headbutt. My skull is my strongest weapon. I didn't need any help."

"This stupid wolf could have done something — anything — to assist me. Instead it specifically chose to send Little Red out to fart on me and the human prisoner both. I ask you honestly, master. Can that be tolerated?" Su Nian thought about Little Red's smell. He thought about what had happened to those Sakura players after the experiments. He very much wanted to shake his head and say: no, it absolutely cannot, not even the heavens themselves could endure that. But his current role was monster lord.

His job right now was to smooth things over, pacify the beasts, and play the reasonable peacemaking dragon. He considered it for a moment.

"Banana Wolf acted with good intentions," he said.

"And yes, Little Red's fart knocked you out too, but it also preserved the prisoner. That matters."

"Bugs Bunny." Su Nian's tone shifted.

"I know you didn't need the help. But if that headbutt had landed, the prisoner would be dead. Do you remember what I said my goal was?" Bugs Bunny stared up at the black dragon's serious expression and slowly lowered its enormous rabbit head in shame. It had lost itself in the heat of the moment. The thought that its master had wanted a living prisoner, not a headless body, hadn't crossed its mind once.

"So this ends here. You already beat Banana Wolf half to death. You've had your satisfaction. That's where it stops." Su Nian turned.

"And Banana Wolf, don't look smug. You could have found another way to help. Releasing Little Red was not the only option available to you." His dragon eyes narrowed.

"If it happens again," he said, very quietly, "you won't see Little Red for three days." Banana Wolf went completely still. Then it pressed itself flat against the ground, trembling from nose to tail, not daring to say a single word. Every trace of smugness evaporated from its battered face. Su Nian snorted, turned on his heel, and strode into the dungeon. The dark dungeon had clearly been designed around his dimensions. Even at full size, he didn't feel cramped walking through it.

The problem was the cell doors lining the corridor, each one barely large enough for a human to pass through. There was something distinctly strange about it, like a giant who had wandered into a country of small people.

"Master, you're here!" Kobold Chieftain Bolikri heard the footsteps in the corridor, spotted the black dragon, and came scurrying over immediately.

"Master, when do we start torturing the humans? And what information do you need? Don't worry, I guarantee I'll get every last thing out of them!"

"Not yet." Su Nian shook his head. They hadn't even started questioning anyone, and this one was already eager to reach the torture phase. Honestly. Could they not extend these human players even a shred of basic dignity? His monsters were getting worse by the day. He had no idea who they were picking this up from. With Bolikri leading the way, Su Nian came to a stop in front of Medraco's cell. He hadn't even opened his mouth before Anna let out a sharp gasp behind him.

"You, you're not dead! That's impossible..." The girl's eyes went wide. She had seen this exact man, the evil human who'd attacked her brother with that strange weapon, get blown to ash by her own fireball. She'd watched it happen. Unless... this was a twin brother? That was the only explanation she could come up with.

"Hehehe. A bunch of foolish monsters." Medraco lifted his head at the sound of her voice. Even in captivity, he sat with his spine straight and his chin up. That was his pride as a player, and as an American. Death was just death. Respawn tokens were precious, sure, but he was a player. He genuinely wasn't afraid.

"You have no idea how powerful we are. As you've already seen, we can respawn. We can respawn as many times as we like." A deep, satisfied sense of superiority settled over him. Being unkillable meant the rules didn't apply to you.

"Do you remember Ohguchi Akase and David Jones?" Su Nian asked, his expression flat.

"Those should be the names." Medraco blinked.

"My companions," he said, his voice dropping into something cold and deliberate.

"Capturing them is meaningless. Torture is meaningless. We don't feel pain the way you do. So don't even think about using them as leverage against me, little black dragon." The words came out with venom, but underneath them, Medraco was genuinely unsettled. So the master of this dungeon really was the black dragon. He'd half-suspected it, but seeing it confirmed was another thing entirely.

And the dragon was noticeably larger than before, its presence heavier, the pressure radiating off it distinctly deeper than when they'd last crossed paths. Was this dragon leveling faster than the players? Medraco's expression tightened. He quietly cast Appraisal. Level 38. Barely any change. Was it just his imagination, then? He turned it over in his head and couldn't arrive at any answer that satisfied him. ➤ Next: Killing Two Birds with One Stone