Reborn As a Pirate - Chapter 154

Chapter 154: Killing The Blood Claw Dragon!
The [Upper] Blood Claw Dragon, after consuming a massive quantity of carrion in mere moments, began to exhibit alarming signs of aggression: its scales flushed red, steam billowing from its jaws, as it entered a state akin to a berserk frenzy. Ryan recognized the imminent danger; he couldn’t let it continue to feed and strengthen.

With a piercing glare, he lunged forward, intent on interrupting its feast, but the dragon, sensing his approach, bolted. It sprinted with ferocious speed, its jaws snapping up chunks of decaying meat as it fled. Its blood-red eyes glanced back at Ryan, radiating pure malevolence.

Understanding that a direct chase was futile against the desperate beast, Ryan stopped and donned his dark gold gloves, which soon shimmered with a vibrant blood light. Within moments, he conjured a massive, crystal-clear blood-red spear, nearly two meters in length, a formidable weapon born from his own life force.

Gathering his strength, Ryan launched the spear with a powerful thrust. The air hissed sharply as the spear, now a blur of crimson, soared through the cave and impaled the fleeing dragon, pinning it forcefully to the ground. Ryan charged towards it, covering the distance in powerful strides.

The dragon, caught in a struggle between life and death, thrashed wildly, its tail whipping through the air in a last-ditch effort to fend off its assailant. Yet, as it attempted to dislodge the spear, blood poured from its wounds, weakening it further. Its movements became sluggish; its tail swipes grew inaccurate.

Seizing the moment, Ryan’s eyes gleamed with anticipation. He lifted his greatsword high, the blade segments aligning as he channeled all his power into a final, decisive blow. The sword came down with a resounding crack, echoing through the cavern.

The dragon’s body seized, then went limp, its resistance fading as Ryan’s blade crushed through its skull, obliterating its brain. Such a blow was beyond recovery, even for a creature as resilient as the Blood Claw Dragon.

“Defeated successfully!” Ryan declared, his voice echoing in the now silent abyss. He withdrew his greatsword with a long, steadying breath, the adrenaline of battle slowly ebbing from his veins.

Compared to his previous encounter with the Unicorn Dragon, this fight had been surprisingly straightforward. The lack of injuries he sustained spoke to the unusual circumstances of the battle, largely due to the ancient dragon’s prior intervention, which had left the Blood Claw Dragon on the brink of death.

But a victory was a victory, regardless of the path taken to achieve it. Ryan was not one to dwell on the ethics of battle; in the Rotten Miasma Abyss, survival was the only morality that mattered.

Now, it was time to reap the rewards of his conquest. Ryan’s gaze dropped to the shimmering object by the dragon’s corpse.

In the grim and forsaken clearing, where the air reeked of decay, the once-dreaded overlord lay defeated, his form crumpled and powerless amidst a sea of putrid flesh. Next to him, a singular crescent-shaped scale, bathed in blood-red hues, clattered to the earth. It shimmered with a mysterious silver luminescence, piercing the surrounding gloom with an eerie light.

Ryan, his boots crunching softly on the littered ground, approached the fallen scale. With a careful motion, he stooped and scooped it up between his fingers, examining its otherworldly glow.

—

The holographic panel flickered to life, displaying:

[Trophies: Blood-Born Reverse Scale]: A Silver-level trophy, harvested from the formidable Upper Blood Claw Dragon. This scale, a mark of the vanquished Blood Shadow Assassin, carries with it a special skill [Flaw lv.2]: Increases Critical Rate by 10% a chance to inflict double damage.

—

Ryan’s eyes sparked with excitement as he read. The new ability, [Flaw], promised a potent boost in combat, granting his strikes a chance to deal devastating double damage. For a greatsword wielder like himself, known for the infrequency but brute force of his attacks, the implications were significant. Though the chance was merely 10%, the potential for such power could disrupt and dominate the battlefield rhythm, turning the tides in his favor with a single, well-placed blow.

With the scale now securely in his possession, Ryan set about harvesting the rest of the fallen dragon. The new space ring on his finger allowed him to methodically disassemble and store the beast’s remains without leaving anything behind.

After packing away the last of the dragon’s materials, Ryan glanced at his clone’s traveling panel.

—

[Level]: 13 (13% → 75%)

[Spiritual Value]: 142,635 → 242,635

[Spiritual Ability]: 6.5

[Physical Strength]: 76.69

[Loot (13 pieces in total)]: …True Red Horn (Transform Defense into Offense lv.2), Blood-Born Reverse Scale (Flaw lv.2)

—

“After defeating the [Upper] Blood Claw Dragon, I’ve only gained 62% experience,” Ryan mused aloud, his voice tinged with a hint of resignation yet satisfaction. His previous encounter with the [Superior] Unicorn had catapulted him an entire level; now, the gains were more incremental, reflecting the increasing challenges as his abilities grew.

As the evening crept upon the forsaken battlefield, Ryan ignited a bonfire. The flames crackled and danced, casting a warm glow that flickered across his determined features. With the dragon defeated and the surrounding area scoured for valuables, he felt a pull to move on, driven by the lingering stench that surpassed even the most noxious of breeding farms back home, a reminder of the decay he was leaving behind in his quest for greater power and deeper mysteries.

Ryan prided himself on his resilience, yet after trudging through the thick, oppressive miasma for what seemed an eternity, his endurance waned. Relieved, he finally crossed back into a region where the miasma thinned, a familiar area that brought an immediate sense of ease to his weary body. Glancing over his shoulder with a shiver of fear, he eyed the distant shadows where the ancient dragon had emerged, before quickly turning away to make the final stretch towards safety, the [Campfire Point-Corruption Abyss Outpost].

Upon arrival, the pervasive stench that once made him grimace now seemed almost refreshing compared to what he had endured. “Nothing like a bit of perspective to sweeten the air,” Ryan mused, a rueful smile tugging at his lips.