Tale of the Red Dragon Without Dragon’s Might
Chapter 308 - 303 Fishing

Chapter 308: Chapter 303 Fishing

Compared to the Frost Worms, Leon was more eager to encounter the Kraken. As long as he saw the Kraken once, he could transform into a Kraken in the future and never have to worry about his lack of proficiency in water combat again.

In his human form, Leon was far less ferocious than in his dragon form. After using an immobilization spell to restrain the Kraken Priest, he refrained from crudely breaking the Priest’s limbs. He wanted to avoid any irrational actions after releasing the immobilization spell during interrogation later. Instead, he simply pulled out a pair of Dimension Shackles and locked them on the Priest.

"Those shackles are magic items, aren’t they?" The Halfling’s sharp eyes caught on. "What do they do?"

"They prevent Otherworldly Transmission," Leon replied candidly.

"I don’t think this guy would attempt Otherworldly Transmission," Isily interjected. Magic Items weren’t easy to obtain—even she only had a few. "How many Magic Items do you even have on you?"

"Not that many... Alright, let’s focus on the main issue." Leon raised a hand and snapped his fingers stylishly, breaking the immobilization spell on the Kraken Priest. "I have a few questions to ask you... you’re a Kraken Priest, right?"

The Kraken Priest ignored Leon and kept struggling, its slick tentacles tightly bound.

"Are you planning to summon the Kraken?" Leon pressed further.

The Kraken Priest’s expression twisted in rage. "I won’t say a word!"

"Honestly, I doubt you have the capability to summon the Kraken," Leon muttered to himself.

"I heard that when the Kraken and its Priests exist on the same plane, the Kraken can project its vague consciousness into the minds of its Priests. The Priests can act as the Kraken’s eyes and ears, and when the Kraken wishes to speak, the Priests become its mouthpiece."

Leon waved at the Kraken Priest and asked, "Kraken, can I have a word with you?"

There was no sudden rush of overwhelming power, no peculiar phenomena. After waiting a minute, Leon turned to the others and said, "I think I might go too hard on him. Maybe one of you should take over the interrogation instead."

"Too hard? Or are you just too soft-hearted?" Isily wrinkled her nose.

Leon merely smiled without answering.

"Let me do it." The Martial Monk walked up to the Kraken Priest and mercilessly punched him in the face. "Let me ask you—are those disappearances your doing?"

The Kraken Priest belonged to the Priest class and had sharp perception. He was certain Leon was someone he couldn’t afford to provoke, but the Martial Monk was another matter. He merely cast the Monk a sidelong glance and sneered contemptuously, spitting a mouthful of bloody saliva.

"I asked you a question!" The Martial Monk grabbed the Priest by his collar.

To those who had witnessed the Kraken’s rage, the Kraken appeared godlike. Some mistook the Kraken’s power for Divine Power, and through their worship, sought to appease the beast. Sometimes, they were rewarded with power and became the Kraken’s Priests as a result.

It was precisely for this reason that Leon despised those fanatical followers. In their fervent devotion, they’d do anything for the being they worshiped.

No matter what methods the group tried, the Kraken Priest stayed tight-lipped. The fact that most of them were in the good or at least good-leaning moral alignment didn’t help; they struggled to resort to harsh measures. Ultimately, they gained no information and had to end the Priest’s life with a clean strike.

"The disappearances in Whale Bone Town have been solved—turns out it was the Kraken Priest causing trouble. Now that the Kraken Priest is dead, we can head back and report the results," the Halfling suggested, looking visibly spooked at the mention of the Kraken, reluctant to remain a second longer in Whale Bone Town—or even Iron Port.

"The disappearances in Whale Bone Town were certainly the doing of the Kraken Priest. Otherwise, why wouldn’t he deny it? But the key issue lies with the Kraken," Leon said matter-of-factly. "Unless we eliminate the Kraken, there will never be true peace."

Leon noticed everyone staring at him and asked, "Is there a problem with what I said?"

"What do you think?" The Halfling quipped. "The Kraken of the North Sea—a legendary monster."

"Its tentacles can snap the masts of galleons and warships like twigs, dragging vessels and their crews into the deep sea. Any castle facing it is no sturdier than one made of sand. If it shows up on the open sea, trade routes will collapse, and coastal cities will lose all connection."

"Even a giant dragon would be unable to fly away if the Kraken grabbed it and dragged it into the ocean," the Halfling gestured. "All we need to do is report what we know about the Kraken to the City Lord or the King. Dealing with the Kraken—that’s a job for big-time heroes, not for small-fry adventurers like us."

"Fine, then you go report back. I’ll go alone," Leon said, waving his hand before striding off into the distance.

"Wait, I’m coming too," Isily decided after a moment, chasing after Leon.

The righteous paladin wanted to follow as well but was stopped by the Martial Monk.

"You’re not seriously planning to fight the Kraken, are you?" Isily caught up to Leon and asked, "Do you even know how terrifying the Kraken is?"

"I know," Leon answered.

"Then why are you still going—" Isily questioned.

Leon responded with righteous resolve, "If the Kraken surfaces, how many cities and lives do you think would be destroyed?"

Isily stood there, mouth slightly agape, stunned by Leon’s words. She couldn’t believe it. Even the kindest Metal Dragon wouldn’t go to such lengths, would they? Could it be that this guy, who was previously fixated on the Frost Worm, had already been planning to eliminate it to prevent it from wreaking havoc?

"What’s your plan?" Isily asked, licking her lips nervously.

"I’ll look around. Whale Bone Town can’t be the only place where disappearances have occurred," Leon replied, his human form clearly more methodical than his dragon form. "Whenever I see a Deep Sea Descendant, I’ll kill one. Whenever I see a Kraken Priest, I’ll kill one. Sooner or later, someone won’t be able to hold back and will come looking for us."

Isily nodded and said, "That’s a good plan."

Leon shifted into a palm-sized seagull, while Isily, capable of transforming into humanoids as well as beasts, crouched down and became an albatross. Albatrosses are larger birds, dwarfing Leon’s seagull form—whether intentionally or not was anyone’s guess.

Over the course of three days, they traveled to seven or eight towns and villages, slaying an untold number of Deep Sea Descendants disguised as humans. Occasionally, they deliberately let one or two escape. As for Kraken Priests, they were less common. Apart from the one in Whale Bone Town, they only encountered one among all the small towns and villages.

At the time, that Kraken Priest was inciting villagers to throw infants into the sea.

It was an afternoon devoid of sunlight.

Leon was grilling a man-sized fish on the beach when the sky suddenly darkened. Strong winds whipped up, and waves crashed against the rocky shore. Emerging from the ocean was a giant armed with a trident, its purple-gray skin and blue-black hair glistening in the dim light.

"A Storm Giant?" Isily exclaimed in shock.

The Storm Giants ranked at the top of the giant hierarchy. An adult Storm Giant was on par with a giant dragon. In certain humanoid civilizations, Storm Giants were revered as lesser gods, with countless mythological tales and legends spun around their feats and renown.

"Take a closer look," Leon cautioned.

Isily examined carefully before noting, "He has fins and tentacles..."

"Looks a lot like, well, a Kraken Priest..." She stammered, the realization creeping over her.

"That’s a Storm Predecessor, also called a Storm Messenger," Leon explained after a pause. "Many Storm Giants live in deep-sea palaces coated with coral and seaweed or fortress strongholds hidden in underwater rifts. Krakens, Aboleths, and Ancient Dominators all delight in corrupting these Storm Giants into their pawns."

"A Storm Predecessor is even stronger than a regular Storm Giant," Leon added, glancing at Isily. "A typical young Silver Dragon might not be able to beat him."

"A young Silver Dragon couldn’t beat him? Is he really *that* strong?" Isily asked. "Then why aren’t we running?"

"What’s there to fear... I’ll run faster than you anyway," Leon quipped, grinning. "Sometimes, when danger comes, you don’t need to run that fast—just faster than your companion."

"Uh..." Isily was momentarily speechless. Could Leon secretly be a Red Copper Dragon who loves cracking jokes?

"Do you even realize what you’re doing? The Master won’t forgive you!" The Storm Predecessor roared, without wasting words, as he raised his trident. Lightning swirled around it, making him look like a god descending from the heavens.

"Run!" Leon abandoned the grilled fish and leapt into action.

Isily immediately resumed her dragon form, taking off into the air as a young Silver Dragon.

Leon dove into the ocean mid-jump, transforming into a plump little seal and swimming out to sea.

The Storm Predecessor glanced between them, then strode after Leon, diving into the water with a giant splash. With just one powerful stroke of his fins and tentacles, he shot forward a dozen meters. Swimming proved to be far more natural for him than flying, as expected of one with Kraken-like modifications.

The Storm Predecessor’s lightning-covered trident had frightened Isily. It wasn’t until she flew into the clouds and looked around, failing to spot Leon or the Storm Predecessor, that she realized Leon had deliberately drawn the giant away. Touched, tears trickled down her cheeks.

But Leon wasn’t thinking about any of that. He simply wanted to avoid revealing his true identity in front of the Silver Dragon and planned to act independently once they’d distanced themselves.