Tale of the Red Dragon Without Dragon’s Might
Chapter 259 - 257 Non-mainstream

Chapter 259: Chapter 257 Non-mainstream

Dragons, being innate magical creatures, may gradually master some spells as they age. Such dragons are referred to as innate spellcasters.

Many dragons transform into humanoid creatures or various beasts. Among them, Silver Dragons enjoy transforming into elves, Bronze Dragons into small animals or elderly humanoids, Golden Dragons spend most of their time in disguise, typically as ordinary humans or harmless animals, favoring roles like undercover law enforcement. Meanwhile, Blue Dragons can even transform into Storm Giants.

According to game mechanics, dragons can use magic to transform into humanoid creatures or beasts of a challenge rating equal to or lower than their own. Similarly, they can use the same action to revert to their true form.

In this new form, the dragon retains its alignment, life dice, life points, ability to speak, Legendary Resistance, lair actions, as well as intelligence, perception, and charisma scores, along with this transformation ability. Other stats and abilities are replaced with corresponding attributes of the new form, excluding class features and legendary actions of the new form.

In summary, once a dragon transforms, it doesn’t retain its strength, dexterity, or constitution attributes. This means that a mighty dragon, once turned into a human form, might have the physical capability of an average person—dropping from being able to effortlessly overturn a house to barely managing to swing a heavy sword.

"Human form it is... I can wield a sword in human form too, and it won’t stop me from casting spells."

Leon primarily uses the Transformation Skill granted by his Golden Finger to assume human form, which is different from the transformations of other dragons. Imagine a giant monster transforming into a humanoid monster—it can still wield heavy weapons. Besides, he primarily relies on spells for combat effectiveness, so a small drop in battle prowess doesn’t matter much.

"I’m a mage; I have spells."

Tassera, being a Storage Dragon, retains her spellcasting ability even in human form. Although she loses her immensely powerful physical body, she can still use spells, ensuring minimal loss in combat strength.

"Why is this entrance so small?"

"How does anyone walk through such a tiny entrance?"

"I don’t care who built this pyramid. The entrance is plenty big for humans and even carriages, but it’s useless to me—it’s just frustrating!"

Leon and Tassera weren’t too troubled; a minor drop in battle strength was acceptable. Cecilia and Salovis, however, were genuinely anxious.

They relied entirely on their Dragon Forms for combat. Once they lost their dragon forms, they lacked the powerful physical attributes—unable to use their sharp teeth and claws or their breath weapons. Their combat strength...well, claiming they retained only 10% of their power might be an exaggeration, but they likely had just two or three layers of their usual strength left.

"This entrance is really way too small." Cecilia stretched her neck out to peer into the entrance. "Do we really need to transform into human form to enter?"

Tassera had already transformed, wearing a long robe that was obviously not custom-made—it squeezed tightly around her chest and looked rather narrow. She said, "You can try squeezing in with your Dragon Form, as long as you don’t get stuck."

"Human form works." Cecilia feigned nonchalance. "In human form, I can at most use Frightening Majesty and cast a couple of minor spells. Just don’t call me a burden, and we’re good."

"Can’t lift, can’t carry, can’t fight monsters, need others to rescue you, but when treasure appears, you run faster than anyone else..." Tassera teased. "Why wouldn’t we feel like you’re a burden? Of course we would!"

The idea of girls helping girls is purely imaginary. Four people, eight separate factions—this kind of thing only happens in dormitories. Tassera has always been dissatisfied with Cecilia, especially since Cecilia had recently begun to pose a threat and pressure to her.

Originally, Cecilia was just a slender, frail Green Dragon. Who would’ve thought she’d possess the bloodline of a Jade Dragon? Now, awakening her spiritual energy had made her progressively stronger, seemingly poised to overtake Tassera.

On top of that, with Leon ruling Watchtower Port, Tassera’s scholarly tendencies left her completely incapable of assisting Leon with city management. Unlike Cecilia, who excelled in this area, Tassera inevitably lost points.

The one area where Tassera had unshakable confidence was her figure—a physical trait Cecilia could never rival. It must be said, Leon’s taste was rather peculiar; he preferred humanoids with ample curves over elegant dragons.

"Why don’t you wait outside? Leon and I can explore the pyramid on our own." Tassera smiled. "Don’t worry—since you’ve come this far, we’ll split the treasure we find with you. Everyone gets a share, no one left behind."

Tassera glanced past the Green Dragon, locking eyes with Salovis, Leon’s sister. "Little sister, would you stay outside? We’ll share the treasure with you too."

"Just make sure I get as much as you do." Salovis wasn’t interested in exploring the dungeon; only the treasure mattered to her. While she didn’t dare claim as much as Leon, she insisted on equal shares with the others—she wouldn’t tolerate anyone receiving more than her.

"I can’t promise that; your brother is the team leader, not me." Tassera turned to Leon.

Leon noticed everyone watching him and hesitated.

Cecilia and Salovis couldn’t enter the pyramid in their Dragon Forms. If they entered in human form, their combat strength would diminish significantly—it wasn’t impossible they could become liabilities.

"I can provide you with some weapons and equipment suited for human form. If...you still feel unprepared or inexperienced, it’s because you’re not adept at fighting in human form." Leon was seriously considering leaving Cecilia and Salovis outside.

"Master wouldn’t be able to go all out in human form either," retorted Cecilia, unwilling to stay behind. "Anywhere else might be fine, but this tomb of the Ancient Fallen Empire surely holds terrifying monsters... Are we really okay entering in human form?"

Cecilia’s comment reminded Leon that the tomb’s owner was extraordinary. If he were limited to human form, he might not be able to defeat such a foe. More importantly, in the open wilderness, he could escape unhindered, but escaping inside the pyramid would be much harder.

"But the entrance is just so small—it only allows human form..." Tassera said. "Are we really going to turn back after coming all this way?"

"We’ve come all this way; turning back is impossible—absolutely impossible..." Leon muttered to himself. "But blindly charging in human form won’t work either."

Leon stared at the pyramid, racking his brain for a solution to their entry difficulties.

Suddenly, Leon recalled reading tomb-raiding novels. He thought tomb raiding wasn’t too different from dungeon exploration. With a slap to his forehead, he exclaimed, "I’ve got an idea!"

"What idea?" Cecilia asked.

"We’re dragons, not weaklings. Why should we follow human strategies for dungeon exploration? We need to broaden our perspective." Leon looked at his sister. "Salovis, remember when we remodeled the Volcanic Island and flattened a mountain together?"

"Of course I do," Salovis replied, vividly remembering the grueling labor—it was the hardest thing she’d ever done, reducing a dignified Red Dragon to a mere laborer.

"Look at this pyramid; it’s not as big as that mountain we flattened," Leon said. "We can demolish it from the outside."

Tassera smacked her forehead upon hearing Leon’s words.

Here we go again—another of Leon’s unconventional dungeon strategies.

Honestly, what kind of whimsical joker had she ended up pairing with?

Still, even she had to admit Leon’s idea wasn’t bad. They were dragons, full of strength and resources. Even pyramids over two hundred meters tall were nothing to them—at worst, they’d waste a few days and expend a little effort.

"I support the idea of tearing the pyramid down." Cecilia was all for it. If they dismantled the pyramid, she could contribute her strength, which would earn her a larger share of the spoils.

"Tassera, why aren’t you saying anything? Don’t you support the idea?" Leon asked. "This pyramid is certainly protected by magical power, but rest assured—my flames can destroy magic. Anyway, there’s nothing urgent waiting for us back home, so spending ten or fifteen days here is no big deal."

Tassera hesitated before replying, "Do whatever makes you happy."

"Then it’s settled," Leon declared. "The demolition squad is officially established."

Leon couldn’t resist delivering a motivational slogan: "Seize the clear skies, embrace the overcast, drizzle feels like sunny days, moonlight counts as daylight, clear skies are worth double time, light rain calls for big efforts, heavy rain demands steadfast work, torrential rain—you improvise!"

"Yay!" Salovis cheered, hopping excitedly.

"Let’s get started." Leon spread his wings and flew to the top of the pyramid. He perched there and unleashed a blast of Samadhi True Fire. Once-solid bricks crumbled easily under his flames, tumbling onto the sand below.

Leon focused on spewing Samadhi True Fire, burning each brick one by one, while Cecilia and Salovis busily shoveled away the rubble. In less than ten minutes, they had dismantled the pyramid’s peak.

"We could start tearing from the middle. After removing part of it, the upper layers will collapse on their own," Cecilia suggested, proving she was quite sharp.

"In that case, why not start from the base?" Salovis countered.

"Because we don’t need to dismantle the entire pyramid—just the ceiling," Leon explained.

"Got it," Salovis nodded.

"Tassera, stop lazing around." Many hands make light work, but Cecilia—utterly intolerant of slackers—shouted upon seeing Tassera motionless at the pyramid’s base.

Tassera stood frozen, inexplicably feeling sympathy for the pyramid’s deceased owner.

As they tore into the pyramid, they would inevitably awaken the Pharaoh or some other being entombed there. She couldn’t help but wonder what their reaction would be upon realizing their home had been destroyed.

Would they cry? Laugh? Freeze in shock? Burst into fury? Or perhaps stagger about in disbelief?

Maybe they’d just stand there, baffled, for a long while.