Chương 54: Reborn as the Dragon: — Chapter 54 - Flame Arrow Tower Trial (1)

The system prompts faded and vanished. A flood of mana surged through Mei Magogoko's body all at once, an intensely satisfying rush, like holding it in for three days and finally finding a bathroom. Her level shot straight to 29. A cascade of magic skills unlocked in rapid succession, Fireball, Dragon's Breath, Wall of Fire, Rain of Fire, every last one an aggressive fire-type offensive spell. She felt invincible. Unfortunately, the power boost wasn't permanent.

She had to complete the storyline quest to keep it, and she only had one week. After that, everything would revert. But she'd already felt it, that sensation of immense mana flooding every corner of her body. How could she just walk away from that? And if she actually pulled it off, she would inherit all of it permanently. At that point, she could very well become the leader of every player in the invasion world. Just thinking about it made Mei Magogoko tremble with excitement.

"Oh! My dear Gogoko, the evil mage is dead — no one can stop us from being together anymore!" Weimons pulled her close, his face pressed near her ear, voice brimming with satisfaction. He delivered the words in a full theatrical singsong, like a bard performing a ballad about his own happiness.

"Yes, Knight Brother," Mei Magogoko said sweetly.

"We can finally be together~" She buried her contempt somewhere deep and let none of it reach her face. What showed instead was warmth and delight. She threw herself into Weimons's arms and went perfectly, adorably soft. Weimons looked down at her. How was a man supposed to hold back?

"Awoo!" He scooped her up and tossed her onto the bed, already pulling at his armor, grinning that grin of his.

"Dear Gogoko, it's been a full day since I've demonstrated my might. Please — allow me to demonstrate it again!" Eight minutes later. Mei Magogoko lay draped across Weimons's chest, full of energy and completely blank-faced. Her contempt for him had reached a new personal record. Heh. Fast. Even faster than before. 185 seconds. She really wanted to kill him. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. But Weimons still had his uses. He commanded a sizable army.

Going after the dragon alone would be suicide, and if anything went sideways, she'd have no way out. With that in mind, Mei Magogoko reached up and gave his enormous pectoral muscles a gentle squeeze.

"Knight Brother," she murmured sweetly, "I heard from that old bastard that you're going to slay the evil dragon?"

"Yes, Gogoko. It's the King's mission." Weimons's expression dimmed. He shook his head.

"But without the Grand Mage, the expedition will likely fail. If the dragon doesn't walk into our trap, only archers and mages can even reach it, and arrows shot into the sky lose power fast. They can't pierce that dragon's scales." Mei Magogoko's eyes shifted thoughtfully. She hesitated for a moment, then chanted a string of low, obscure syllables, and a perfectly formed Fireball appeared in her palm. She smiled brightly at him, her voice carrying a hint of mystery.

"Knight Brother... is it possible that I learned quite a lot from Meisente? Things like... higher-tier magic?"

"Gogoko, you..." Weimons stared at the woman in his arms, visibly stunned. That was Fireball. The signature spell of a Grand Mage. When had she gained this kind of power? He couldn't puzzle it out. But at the end of the day, Mei Magogoko was his woman. She'd witnessed his might twice. She'd long since been shaped by him. So what if she was a little stronger? The pleasant surprise swelled up and overtook him entirely.

"Oh! Dear Gogoko, you're incredible, you're a genius! I can't help it. I need to show you my might again!" Mei Magogoko: "... (￣ー￣)"... The night moved fast. At first light, Weimons set out with Mei Magogoko and his army. He had it all now. A chance to slay the dragon. A perfect woman by his side. After this, he would be renowned across the kingdom, his name written into history itself.

"I am Weimons, the Lionheart Knight — prepare to die, evil dragon!" The road ahead blazed with light, filled with hope. Weimons sat tall on his warhorse, Mei Magogoko nestled in his arms, his gaze iron-steady and his chest swelling with ambition.... Meanwhile, the evil dragon in question was busy studying his newly completed Flame Arrow Tower. The structure was tall, its silhouette strongly reminiscent of the human archer towers from Warcraft, and Su Nian found it visually satisfying.

When he coiled on the top of it, spread his wings, and roared at the sky, he felt like an actual evil dragon for once. A shame his body was still a bit small. He'd been eating constantly for weeks, leveraging Intermediate Devour at every opportunity, and he'd only grown to five meters. He was starting to think it came down to what he was eating. If he consumed something like Grey Wolf or Bolikri, he might put on more size.

The thought drifted through his mind, and he let his gaze slide casually toward Grey Wolf and Bolikri. To eat or not to eat... heh heh heh... Standing in full sun running military drills, Grey Wolf and Bolikri both felt a sudden chill crawl straight up their spines. Every hair on their bodies stood on end. They snapped to attention instantly, ramrod straight.

"Forget it." Su Nian shook his head.

"Not worth the trouble." He let the idea go and redirected his attention to the Flame Arrow Tower's info panel. [Building Name: Flame Arrow Tower] [Level: 1 (Upgrade conditions not met)] [Armor:,] [Attack Speed: Fully automatic, 1 arrow / 10s | Manual, up to 1 arrow / s, depending on soldiers assigned] [Skill: Fire Arrow Rain, Range 5x5 | Requires 100 charge | Each attack generates 1 charge] Fully automatic, one arrow every ten seconds. That was painfully slow.

Honestly, he'd gone in with high expectations for the Flame Arrow Tower. He was coming out a little disappointed. On the bright side, he could speed it up by stationing soldiers inside, though he didn't know yet what requirements the soldiers had to meet.

"Alright. First things first: let's see what this thing can actually do." ➤ Next: Flame Arrow Tower Trial (2)