Chương 143: Reborn as the Dragon — Chapter 143 - Tyrannosaurus Stink Bug

"Ninja, I am already a ninja, biu~ biubiubiu~""Ugh! Mom... ugh..."

"Momota-chan, is that you? I miss you so much... ugh... let's, let's be together forever..." The players had clearly lost the plot. Their eyes were blank, but their mouths kept running, mumbling words that made no particular sense. Su Nian glanced at the Sakura Players' status panels. Each one had accumulated a heap of debuffs. [Dizziness], [Nausea], [Lacrimal Gland Stimulation], [Disoriented Consciousness], [Hallucinations] All of it, courtesy of Little Red's Shit Bombs.

To be fair, the enclosed space had probably amplified the effect. Open-air usage likely wouldn't be quite this devastating. But still. The power on this variant Shit Bomb was genuinely staggering. Comparable to a poison gas grenade. Su Nian was very satisfied. He decided it was time to give Little Red a shot at a real future.

"Banana Wolf. Bring Little Red over."

"Ah! Great and mighty Master, you — you have finally set your eyes on Little Red!?" Banana Wolf lit up the moment the words left Su Nian's mouth. It was just as they said. A good insect would shine no matter where it ended up. But then the joy flickered into something sadder. If the master had taken a liking to Little Red, Little Red was going to leave. Still. Following the master had to be better than following a small Gnoll like itself. The master was a powerful legendary creature. A Dragon.

A small Gnoll couldn't give Little Red the future it deserved. The master absolutely could. So there was only one thing left for Banana Wolf to do. Bless Little Red. If you truly care for someone, you have to learn to let go.

"Master. Little Red. Is a good insect!"

"You must. Treat her. With sincerity!" Banana Wolf cradled the unconscious Little Red against its chest, weeping openly, snot running freely. Su Nian's eyebrow twitched so hard it nearly came off his face. He was starting to think this subordinate of his was not entirely right in the head either. Whether that was from years of marinating in the stench or simply a factory defect, he genuinely couldn't tell.

"What are you thinking!" Su Nian's roar hit Banana Wolf like a thunderclap. It lurched so hard it nearly flung Little Red across the room.

"This insect is staying with you. I'm giving it a Dragon Blood Baptism — to wake up its intelligence and enhance its abilities!" Su Nian's voice was low and dangerous, eyes sharp with irritation. His dragon claws came down on Banana Wolf's head in three rapid thumps, BANG, BANG, BANG. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Lucky for Banana Wolf that he was still in a state of Weakness. At full strength, one of those would have finished it off permanently.

The knocks hurt. But hearing that Little Red wasn't going anywhere — that Little Red was staying, Banana Wolf's entire chest flooded with relief and joy. And, of course, with the boundless admiration it always felt for its Black Dragon Boss. [Banana Wolf's Favorability towards you has increased by 7. Current Favorability: 100 (Super Bootlicker)] Su Nian: "... (? _?)" Honestly, a super bootlicker this mentally unhinged was more embarrassment than asset. Absolutely beneath a dragon's dignity.

He shook the thought off. Looking down at Little Red, he pressed a single drop of his heart's blood onto it. The Tyrant Stink Bug's bloodline was genuinely abysmal, which meant the moment it made contact with dragon blood, the transformation was total. The previously limp and lifeless Little Red let out a sharp, spirited squeak, launched itself off the ground in a perfect backflip with three and a half rotations, and landed on its feet. Then it started growing. Visibly. Rapidly.

Its flesh and tissue expanded as the dragon blood tore through it like a flood breaking through a dam. In less time than it takes an incense stick to burn halfway down, Little Red had gone from face-plate sized to the width of a round banquet table. Two ferocious horns jutted from its head. Its compound eyes blazed red, radiating a cold killing intent. Even the chitinous shell across its back had sprouted a layer of fine black scales. Su Nian cast Insight. [Tyrannosaurus Stink Bug, Little Red] Bloodline too trash.

Dragon blood bypassed gradual evolution entirely and forged it into a brand new species.

"Squeak!" Little Red now had real intelligence behind those red eyes. It crawled to the Black Dragon's feet, flattened itself against the ground, knocked its insect head rhythmically against the stone in a full prostration, gratitude and submission expressed with every motion. Its Favorability was now system-readable. It opened at 95. Su Nian had privately wondered if spending a drop of heart's blood on a garbage Tyrant Stink Bug was a waste. He took that back entirely.

Being the first to undergo draconification said something about Little Red's innate potential. He pulled up the skill panel to confirm. [Rapid Production], Creates a large quantity of Spicy Dung Balls in a short window. Requires feeding. [Stench Jet], Little Red aims its rear at the target and fires a concentrated, foul-smelling blast of flatulence wreathed in flames. [Poisonous Carapace], Little Red's shell carries lethal toxins. Contact inflicts Nausea, Dizziness, and severe gastrointestinal distress.

[Flourishing Lineage], Dragon blood enhancement has boosted Little Red's reproductive output. It now produces Stink Bug offspring carrying the dragon lineage at a significantly accelerated rate. [Flaming Projection], Little Red wiggles its rear and hurls a freshly produced Spicy Dung Ball. This throw carries a burning effect on impact. Its level was low. Its defense and HP were laughable. Any player above level ten who closed the distance could kill it in a few swings. But stationed in the rear?

Little Red was a vicious stench artillery platform, especially lethal against lower-level entities like the current wave of players. Eventually the players would develop shielding arrays and barrier spells to counter it, and maybe then Little Red would be ready for retirement. Maybe. After all, this was a creature following a Black Dragon. It would keep evolving, strange new abilities piling on with time. One day, a single dung ball might rival an actual stench nuclear warhead.

It wasn't outside the realm of possibility. Life should always have room for hope and imagination.

"From now on, your name is Little Red."

"This is Banana Wolf. You already know each other. You two are partners now." Little Red squeaked twice. Its red compound eyes were full of deep feeling, a devoted, lovestruck attachment to Banana Wolf that it made absolutely no effort to hide. Ahem. You're welcome. Banana Wolf stared back at Little Red with the same wordless intensity. A single gaze that stretched ten thousand years. In a modern setting, a crowd of young people would have gathered by now, hollering "Kiss already!" and "Get together!"

at the top of their lungs. Su Nian had seen enough. He needed to go find his little loli and wash his eyes out. He gave the two of them quick orders, stockpile Spicy Dung Balls, as many as possible, strategic reserves, then turned and walked out of the dungeon without looking back, leaving behind an atmosphere that had become increasingly tense and very, very strange-smelling.

"Didn't I forget to mention something to Banana Wolf?" Outside, replaying the whole sequence in his head, Su Nian had a nagging sense he'd left something important unsaid. He turned it over, couldn't land on it.

"Probably just imagining things." He shook his dragon head, spread his wings, and flew toward the lair. Back in the dungeon, Banana Wolf lay flat on the ground, foaming at the mouth, a column of poison debuffs stacked beneath its health bar. Little Red was sprawled across Banana Wolf's chest, its insect face etched with frantic worry. Purifying the soul. ➤ Next: Joy Shared is Joy Doubled