Tale of the Red Dragon Without Dragon’s Might
Chapter 174 - 173 Fierce Deity and Evil Spirits

Chapter 174: Chapter 173 Fierce Deity and Evil Spirits

Leon rode the wind and spent less than half an hour to reach the Lost Plateau. From a distance, he could see the Cloud Giant couple at their castle hidden atop the mountains, veiled in clouds. He flapped his wings vigorously and dove down, landing near the Beast Pen in the lower courtyard of the castle.

"What are you two doing?" Leon noticed the Cloud Giant couple bent over with their heads down inside the Beast Pen.

Mankus glanced back and, upon realizing the Red Dragon was standing behind them, spoke with familiarity earned from prior exchanges. "Don’t say anything for now—quick, change into your human form. Don’t scare my cat."

Leon opened his mouth, said nothing, and kept his temper in check. He quickly transformed into his human form because he had seen it: the giant lynx was in the middle of a difficult labor, and the Cloud Giant couple was busy helping it give birth.

A novice spectator watches the commotion, and for half an hour, Leon did just that, observing the chaos without intervening. He saw the giant lynx deliver five adorable little lynxes. He was tempted to ask for one, knowing the Cloud Giants wouldn’t refuse, but then he reconsidered—the monsters on his Volcanic Island were all large creatures, and he couldn’t possibly raise small cats. Finally, he let the thought go.

Once everything was taken care of, Mankus stood up, stretched his back with a few thumps, and wiped the sweat off his brow—not from exhaustion but from nerves. Motioning to the Red Dragon, he turned and walked out of the Beast Pen, grabbing a handkerchief—about the size of a human-sized blanket—and wiped his hands. "You’ve finally arrived."

"First, you were in a hurry to have me contact someone to forge equipment, and then you disappeared for months without a trace. Sometimes, I really can’t figure you out. Are you in a rush or not?" Mankus said.

Leon reverted to his Dragon Form, with the Red Dragon once again appearing. It was more convenient for him to converse with the Cloud Giant this way.

Leon picked up on the meaning behind Mankus’ words and said in surprise, "It’s only been a few months! You’ve finished everything already? You didn’t cut any corners, did you?"

"How would I know if there were any shortcuts? I don’t understand forging, and I can’t use dragon equipment anyway. Asking me is pointless. You’ll have to test it yourself to know." Mankus replied. "Only Tear Claw and Dragon’s Jaw are complete right now. The Dragon Armor is still not ready... Just finishing these two pieces of equipment used up all the refined gold and mithril you provided."

"The Dragon Armor doesn’t need refined gold or mithril—it just needs to look awesome. Its purpose is purely aesthetic, like the casual clothes you normally wear, where appearance matters more than practicality." Leon watched as the Cloud Giant summoned his subordinates to carry out Tear Claw and Dragon’s Jaw. In an instant, his enthusiasm had him rushing over.

"Stop, all of you stop. Just leave it there."

Leon picked Tear Claw up off the ground and examined it.

In the design notes, Tear Claw might just be claws, but his version of Tear Claw leaned more toward gauntlets. He didn’t trust anyone else’s sense of aesthetics, so he had specifically sketched out a rough draft, allowing for minor practical adjustments but insisting there couldn’t be significant deviations.

Quality materials went to critical components, with mithril being flexible, but refined gold was reserved only for the claws. Judging by the sheen of the claws, this standard had been upheld.

Leon turned it over repeatedly, examining it for a long time. Tear Claw was passable, meeting his expectations overall, though some detailing left him slightly disappointed.

Imagine a house perfectly oriented north-to-south, with a grand living room, large bedrooms, and spacious balconies—the layout couldn’t be any better, but the built-in décor was lackluster. The developer left walls bare white, without even latex paint, and the tiles had no grout—making it tempting to renovate from scratch.

Leon set down Tear Claw and picked up Dragon’s Jaw.

Dragon’s Jaw wasn’t a helmet; it was fitted inside the mouth. For all intents and purposes, it was essentially a set of false teeth.

"Try it on," Mankus urged. He was curious—after living for so many years, he’d never seen a dragon equip itself with wearable gear.

"Don’t rush me. These things can’t be rushed," Leon said earnestly, though he too was brimming with impatience. But no matter how eager he was, rushing wouldn’t make a difference. To wear these pieces of equipment, he needed the Clothing and Undressing Skill—without its aid, it was impossible. This was why many dragons were unwilling to wear gear: equipping and removing it was so cumbersome.

The Clothing and Undressing Skill wasn’t a universal way of donning any attire at will. Similar to the Sword Control Technique, it required a pre-bonded item. At this moment, Leon had to familiarize himself with Tear Claw and Dragon’s Jaw, imprinting these pieces with his mark. The process varied in time depending on the equipment’s strength.

After much effort in leaving his mark on the two items, Leon stashed them into the small space of his Sleeve of the Universe before standing tall and striking a dashing pose.

Leon heavily stomped his left foot onto the ground, producing a resonant "thud" that sent dust scattering, as if fire had scorched through cotton. A flowing light spread across, and Tear Claw manifested on his left leg.

Emboldened, Leon kept his movements fluid, lifting his right leg to stomp the ground, swinging his left claw, and following quickly with his right claw. Once Tear Claw was fully equipped, he let out a thunderous roar, donning Dragon’s Jaw as well, its refined gold fangs glinting openly.

Leon gave the Cloud Giant a sidelong glance and noticed Mankus staring at him in wide-eyed amazement. He couldn’t help but feel smug.

With Tear Claw and Dragon’s Jaw, he now had the most critical equipment. His claw attacks and biting ability had climbed to a new tier. Even in places where wielding a sword would be inconvenient, he could rely on his superior close combat capabilities. Yet, when it came to sheer style, he knew he’d have to wait until the Dragon Armor was complete.

"Clothes make the man, just like a saddle makes the horse—equipped an item of gear."

"Standard Reward: Frightening Ferocity."

Hearing the familiar chime once again, Leon couldn’t help but think: indeed, one always had to make an effort. Taking action might not necessarily yield rewards, but inaction guaranteed nothing. A stark example was the time he left the Lost Plateau to return to the Molten Lava Lake, where he spent several years but gained nothing.

What Leon couldn’t understand was why his sword didn’t count as equipment. When in human form, he also wore clothes and occasionally donned armor, yet those didn’t qualify as equipment. It had to be dragon-specific gear to trigger his Golden Finger’s reward.

After much thought, he could only arrive at one conclusion: a normal dragon wouldn’t wield a sword or use anything beyond its sharp teeth and claws as weapons. A typical dragon would only wear items like Tear Claw, Dragon’s Jaw, Invincible Dragon Armor, or Spit Storm Neck Armor.

Golden Finger rewards would come when they were meant to—forcing it served no purpose. Leon’s attention shifted back to examining the latest reward from his Golden Finger.

Frightening Ferocity: from the literal meaning, it was easy to understand—it made him look extremely terrifying.

A unique Frightening Majesty, one that belonged only to him.

At this thought, Leon suddenly turned to look at the Cloud Giant. Without shouting, he simply glared and bared his teeth, activating Frightening Ferocity. It was a kind of Spiritual Energy, or to put it another way, an aura.

Though they were different species, beauty was universal—just as no one disliked sunlight. Mankus was initially admiring the Red Dragon when suddenly Leon turned his glare on him. The instant their eyes met, Mankus felt his blood freeze solid, his legs went weak, his heart pounded like a drum, and he gasped for air...

What Red Dragon? All he saw was a terrifying behemoth from an ancient era.

Mankus felt as though he was having a nightmare, one where the mythical Tarrasque awakened from its slumber beneath the Material Plane, annihilating everything in its path. He wanted to run, but his legs didn’t respond, leaving his mind blank.

Leon watched as the Cloud Giant stumbled and clearly succumbed to fear-induced paralysis. Without retracting his aura, Leon strode confidently toward the Beast Pen. He saw the Cloud Giant’s creatures all cower on the ground, trembling and unable to flee, which sent him into uncontrollable laughter.

He was growing stronger, filling a previous gap in his capabilities. His challenge rating had undoubtedly risen by at least one level.