"It was quicker this time." Rex smiled as he reached pity. Last time it took him almost three hours and now it only took him 2. He felt like his luck was getting better. 'Now, here I come, Green Dragon! Scavenger! My treasure is a Green Dragon!'
It didn't take him long to spot one of the layers of a Green Dragon—the 'monster rex' of the Large Tree Labyrinth. From an elevated cliff, he saw the rare, towering jewel tree, taller than even the great tree on the 18th floor, its wide canopy glowing with multiple colors of gem as if they were fruits.
These trees were rare and hard to find, wilting after a week and taking a month to regrow somewhere else on the 24th floor. The gems were valuable materials for crafting magic items, and wherever a jewel tree appeared, a Green Dragon guarded it.
Contrary to what he first believed before researching, Green Dragons weren't a singular floor boss like the Goliath on the 17th floor. They were more like the infant dragons of the 11th and 12th floors—each one strong enough to be a monster rex in their floor area, and multiple existed at once.
There were usually three Green Dragons active at a time on the 24th floor, spaced far apart across the massive layered floor, guarding an important resource. Despite being more than one, each was as strong as the Goliath—maybe even stronger.
'Well, I'm immune to their poison breath, so…' Rex sighed, already knowing how boring the fight would be.
Since his time as a level one fighting the infant dragon, dungeon fights had gotten pretty easy. He now completely outscaled the floor he needed to farm due to his abilities and stats. It was starting to get... boring.
He still enjoyed butchering monsters, but it was starting to feel stale. So, after a bit of thought, he decided—why not make this fight interesting? Why not bring back the fire he felt during his dragon-hunting days? After all, he was about to fight a real dragon.
"Limitations." He removed his bag as he glanced at his status.
— — — — — — — — — —
Rex Magnus
Level 3
[Strength] I9 | [Endurance] I10 | [Dexterity] I6 | [Agility] I12 | [Magic] I7
[Predator] H
[Luck] I
[Skill]
"Scavenger" — Harvest stats, skills, magic, properties, or treasure from corpses and evaluate quality.
(Skill: Strong Body, Body Furnace, War Cry+, Tremor Sense+, Heptathlos, Jack Bird Dash, Vouivre Rage, Vouivre Blood)
(Magic: Blue Papilio Powder, Fire Breath+, Berakh HaKele, Dark Fungus Spores+)
(Physical Property: Sharp Retractable Claw, Nictitating Membrane+, Sharp Teeth++, )
(Development Ability: Abnormal Resistance (H))
"Indomitable Will"
— Grants immunity to mind-based attacks, enhances physical and magical growth through trials, enables multitasking and rapid skill mastery, and in dire moments, suppresses pain, boosts mental fortitude, and significantly increases all stats.
"Dragon's Bane"
— Massively increases all abilities when fighting any dragon-type monsters.
— — — — — — — — — —
"No magic—not even Blue Papilio Powder. No need to activate prey mark either since the buff it gives is too much." He thought for a while. "Should I use Strong Body?"
His current stats haven't grown much in two weeks since he had been killing level 2 monsters. Currently he is equivalent to a low, almost mid-level 4 adventure. Green Dragons were known to rival a 3-man party of level 4s with C-rank stats. As a solo fighter, it might be too much to go against it at base…
"I forgot about Dragon's Bane." He mumbled. The passive skill massively increased all his base abilities when fighting dragon-type monsters, so he should have more stats than the Green Dragon when it activates. "Alright—no Strong Body, no magic, no skills, no DA. Just raw stats, my spear, and Dragon's Bane."
Naturally, Rex stripped down to just his boots, boxers, and utility belt, tossing the rest of his armor and clothes into his bag. Of course, he kept his Spartan helm on—just in case someone caught him lacking.
"Hmm..." He thought. 'This wouldn't be complete without a cape~.' So he threw on his cloak, pulling it down his back like a cape. 'And I also need a shield…' He folded his arms. "Now where do I find a shield—"
Rex suddenly outstretched his arm and caught a flower shield tossed by a Lizardman.
"Oh, thank you, kind sir~," he smiled at the Lizardman who had just tried to ambush him with a shield toss. "Who knew monsters could be so considerate?"
The Lizardman was promptly taken care of, and Rex hid his bag before returning to the edge of the cliff where he could see the forest.
'Time to make a cool entrance.'
Rex squatted at the edge of the cliff, pouring raw power into his legs, causing spiderweb cracks to spread rapidly across the ground beneath him. Then he pushed harder—the cliffside ruptured with an echoing boom, the earth beneath his feet exploding into a crater as small chunks of stone lifted into the air from the pressure. Cracks tore outward like lightning across the surface, and just before the collapse fully set in—
"Hup!" With a sharp breath, a thunderous boom echoed as he rocketed upward, the entire cliffside erupting into rubble and boulders. Chunks of debris were hurled into the air after him, chasing him as he shot into the sky like a missile.
His acceleration launched him forward like an arrow from a bow, flying in a beautiful arc, moving at over 100 m/s toward the tree, his cloak fluttering behind him.
The Green Dragon, lying under its treasure tree, slowly opened its eyes. Its eyelids moved, and then its nictitating membrane slid to the side as it turned its eyes skyward, feeling something rapidly approaching.
Danger.
The Green Dragon rose to all fours, its full height on display—7.3 meters (24 ft) at the shoulder, and with its head raised high, it stood nearly 10 meters (32 ft) tall, taller than the Black Goliath. It towered like a three-story building, and with a total length close to 19 meters (55 ft), it dwarfed all monsters above the 34th floor.
The dragon had a large, waving fin that ran from its nose to the end of its whip-like tail, and a slender, feline-like build. It had particularly long legs, an elongated neck, dark green scales, and a lighter green underside, and looked more elegant than the brutish wyvern or infant dragon.
Highly intelligent for a floor 24 monster, it immediately recognized the incoming threat. But it didn't retreat. It was a Green Dragon. It could lose to no one, especially not when its guarding its treasure.
The opponent slammed into the ground not far from the great jewel tree, landing with a boom as dust shot up, covering the area. But the dragon could see the shadow inside rise to full height, and then—with a wide swing of his spear—the dust cleared.
His black cloak fluttered to the side with the wind, glowing amber eyes behind the shadow of the T-shaped helm meeting the reptilian green.
The Green Dragon massive bat-like wings, stretching 65 meters wide, snapped open with a thunderous crack. The sheer force of the motion blasted out a dome-shaped shockwave, tearing through the air and rushing past its opponent—then it threw back its head and roared:
"OOOOOOOOOO!"
The roar erupted like a shockwave, sending out multiple concentric rings of compressed air that expanded outward rapidly, tearing through the clearing. It was a roar designed to suppress all lower beings without exception, a declaration of overwhelming dominance.
But the man raised his spear and shield high and let out a cry of his own:
"Ooh-lalalala~ Aioohniyahentailoli~!"
Green Dragon: ???
Then it noticed. Why else would this being give out such a trash war cry?
'You dare mock me!!??'
For the first time in its 2 weeks of life it felt true rage.
The Green Dragon's rage manifested immediately as the ground beneath Rex erupted violently. Massive roots surged upward, breaking through soil and stone, twisting into thick, sinewy coils as they snapped toward him from every direction, aiming to crush and strangle.
'Overgrowth~!' Rex greened behind his helm at the deeply of the Green Dragon's signature magic.
Rex didn't waste time, swinging his spear multiple time in a split seconds, crimson arcs of his weapon sweeping around him, the air itself seeming to ripple from the sheer force. With impossible sharpness, the roots shattered mid-strike, sliced into dozens of neat cubes that scattered across the clearing.
But the cubed roots shivered, twitching, then regenerated at terrifying speed—splitting and turning into vines of their own while new ones burst from the ground beneath him. Like a relentless hydra, the forest tried to coil around him, roots spiraling in a fast-forming cocoon.
As a thick root lashed toward his chest, he twisted his torso to the side, letting it pass inches from his bare pecs. The second came from below—he dropped into a forward roll, tucking in just enough to clear it as it skimmed overhead.
The moment his feet touched the ground, another root shot toward him—he sprang up, using its surface like a springboard to vault into the air. Mid-air, he spun, cloak swirling behind him as he angled his body over a fourth vine that snapped past him.
In the same breath, his spear slashed in wide crimson arcs, blade tearing through roots that had begun to close around him from above and both sides. Splinters and chunks of wood exploded outward, vines shredding like paper under the force.
Every motion flowed into the next, his spear carving effortlessly through wave after wave of vegetation that he couldn't dodge, reducing thick roots and vines into falling shreds of wood and fiber. But they kept coming, regenerating and attacking again, trying to capture and overwhelm him.
The Green Dragon, sensing the futility of mere roots, raised its mighty wings, and with a heavy beat, a powerful gust tore through the clearing. Trees swayed violently, leaves scattered into a chaotic storm of green.
Then, from the depths of its throat, a menacing glow of emerald brilliance surged upward. It reared back, chest swelling before it lunged forward and unleashed a roaring blast of poisonous green vapor. The deadly cloud surged outward, rapidly filling the area in front of it in a wide fan shape, covering trees, stones, and air in thick, green fog.
Rex watched with utter calm as the poisonous mist surged harmlessly over him. Immune to its lethal toxins, he dashed forward, blasting out of the dense cloud and sprinting towards the dragon with his shield in front of him and spear extended to his side.
The Green Dragon hissed furiously, its frustration evident in its flaring nostrils. With a snap of its jaws, venomous liquid sprayed from the dragon's dagger-like fangs, two green corrosive liquid that shot forward at breakneck speed.
Rex immediately performed a armless cartwheeled to the side just as venomous spit slammed into the dirt where he'd just been—hissing and burning deep into the earth like acid.
The moment he landed, the dragon shifted tactics immediately. Its claws dug deeply into the earth, and a pulse of dark energy coursed from its body down through the ground.
Massive spikes and blunt roots surged violently upward, ripping through the earth with deafening cracks. The sheer intensity forced Rex to stop his advance and leap backward more than fifteen meters into the air.
As he was in the air, the ground below exploded once more—an eruption of greenery surged up with terrifying force. Towering trunks burst from the earth, roots twisting and knotting together into elaborate barriers, while flowers bloomed wildly in flashes of color that masked their threat. The forest moved like it was alive, coordinated, each piece slotting into place to trap him midair.
Just as the cage was about to close, a sharp horizontal slash of crimson light carved through the mass. The roots and branches split cleanly in halves, the upper half of the formation rising slightly into the sky, reveling Rex floating in the air.
The dragon roared with glowing eyes, its fury channeling through the living forest. Instantly, the vegetation began to regrow—faster, tighter, more aggressive than before—racing to coil around him again, like the forest itself refused to let him go.
Rex laughed, clearly thrilled, as he charged down the towering mass of plants converging around him. The Green Dragon snarled and responded with fury, pumping pulses of bright green energy into the ground.
The earth quaked beneath them, massive thorn-covered roots and stems exploding upward, ripping apart the terrain and sending boulders and dirt crashing down like hail.
He moved like a blur, leaping from one rising root to another, his momentum flowing from step to step. With every landing, his spear lashed out—each strike slicing clean through thick roots, leaving only shattered fragments tumbling through the air.
He continued forward, his path leading him towards the green dragon still under the gem tree, as the monster rex continued using overgrowth, trying to stop or land a clean hit. Seeing its opponent was getting close, the dragon's eyes flared with venomous light as it opened its jaws again.
Once more it spewed a second wave of thick, green fog towards the towering structure of plants, engulfing Rex who had just dodged another root attack. Then, without pause, the dragon added a sharp blast of venom from its fangs.
The venom struck the dense mist—and ignited. The cloud burst into emerald flame, rolling forward and setting the entire canopy ablaze. The towering plant structures were engulfed instantly in vivid green fire—and Rex disappeared within it.
This fire wasn't only heat, it added the corrosive effect of its venom and the poison effect of its breath. Its strongest combination of attacks had wiped out a group of four arrogant creatures that tried to come after its tree. Surely this one would die too. Though he seemed stronger with the way he handled the overgrowth, he shouldn't survive this.
It stopped its breath attack, looking at the massive structure of plants engulfed in green flames, flicker of green ambers flickering out with wood cracking and snapping audibly. This is the end.
As the dragon was about to return to its laying position, a laugh sounded:
"FU-HAHAHAHA!"
It's eyes instantly snapped towards the tree to see the laughing man standing on a burning branch, many patches of his skin corroded into blisters from the flame.
"This senior is pleased by such a display!" He laughed, tossing his burning shield to the side as he spread his arm and bent backwards. "Let's get serious, HASHIRAMA!"
"OOOOOOOO!" The green dragon stretched its head towards Rex and roared.
[Author's Note: Short chapter. Wanted to finish the fight in one go, but decided to just post it as it is. Also, what do you think of the green dragon magic? I think I made it too overpowered, but I guess it makes sense for a level 4 Monster Rex. Still, will see if I can slap a 'balancing' patch on it. The Overgrowth especially.
I will try to speed it up. Next chapter he will also kill the goliath of the 17th floor and finally make his way down to the 25th floor, and start his exploration of Water City. Don't want to spend too much time on this arc or it might drag on so expect next chapter to be long, 4000+. Might have to split it into two.
Anyway, thanks for reading and have a good night~o(*￣▽￣*)ブ]