Tale of the Red Dragon Without Dragon’s Might
Chapter 331 - 326: Underwater World

Chapter 331: Chapter 326: Underwater World

Many dragons possess amphibious abilities, but sadly, Red Dragons do not—they cannot breathe underwater.

Although underwater breathing can be achieved using magic items or potions, the body structure of a Red Dragon is inherently unsuitable for swimming. For this reason, Leon opted for the 72 Transformations.

In such a case, a colossal Kraken would be far too conspicuous, while the Dragon Turtle, though strong, lacks appeal. The Green Dragon, though amphibious, shares a similar body structure to the Red Dragon. All things considered, the Bronze Dragon has everything one might need.

Leon transformed into a young Bronze Dragon and left the Volcanic Island with Fiora. As soon as they flew off the island, diving into depths deep enough to engulf a dragon, they plunged into the sea. Sunlight filtered through the crystalline water, refracting vibrant, colorful rays.

Compared to purely terrestrial dragons that cannot be amphibious, or even other amphibious dragons alike, the Bronze Dragon is quite extraordinary. Its scales are smooth and seamless, and its limbs are webbed—almost too perfectly adapted for swimming.

For Leon and Fiora, navigating the sea floor about dozens of meters down was just a matter of casually paddling their limbs and flicking their tails a few times.

The shallow seas, only tens of meters deep, teem with life, hosting the richest and most diverse organisms. Over half of the coral and marine plants thrive in the warm, sunlit waters here. Vibrant coral reefs are visible everywhere, with schools of fish weaving through.

The Sahuagin could not escape. However, instead of troubling the Sahuagin right away, Leon was more captivated by the underwater scenery. He remarked, "It’s my first time seeing such a beautiful underwater world."

"Weren’t you always diving before?" Fiora said, noting that Leon often went diving, despite being a Red Dragon that supposedly detested the ocean.

"I’m not sure why..." Leon pondered before saying, "Maybe it’s because I always dived in my Red Dragon form before. The Red Dragon’s eyesight underwater isn’t as good as the Bronze Dragon’s."

As a Bronze Dragon, Fiora loved the ocean. She said, "The scenery underwater is as magnificent as it is on land, maybe even better."

"It’s hard to say which is better or worse. It’s more a matter of perspective—the underwater world has its charm, just as the land’s sceneries do," Leon said as he casually picked up a seashell. "It’s like how Tassera has her allure, Cecilia her elegance, Salovis her cuteness, and Fiora her bold charisma."

"Are you flirting with me?" Fiora bared her teeth. "You don’t think that just because it’s the two of us here, you can take advantage of me, right? Even if you are my King, that won’t work."

"I was just giving you a compliment, what are you thinking about?" Leon had plans to court Fiora during this expedition, but this wasn’t the moment. Hearing her words, he couldn’t help but wrinkle his beak-like nose.

Fiora was stunning, but Leon could never muster enthusiasm for her, mainly because of her quirky mind that kept inviting mockery.

Leon’s expression of disdain was too genuine to be feigned, making Fiora a bit self-conscious after realizing she’d misunderstood.

Not thinking much further, Leon became engrossed in the mesmerizing underwater world and asked, "You, as a Bronze Dragon, have lived by the sea for years and love diving during your free time—you must know most of the marine creatures here, right? What’s the name of this fish?"

"Sapphire Fish," Fiora followed his gaze and spotted a brilliantly bright, azure fish. "It doesn’t taste very good."

"You’ve eaten it before?" Leon asked, "I wouldn’t dare eat something this colorful."

"Multicolored creatures are often poisonous, but we’re dragons." Fiora saw a jellyfish drift past her, took a casual bite, and remarked.

"That’s an ocean sunfish, isn’t it?" Leon was surprised to recognize such a creature in this world.

"That one tastes even worse—in fact, it’s the worst fish I’ve ever eaten," Fiora grimaced with distaste.

She had, of course, gone through a rebellious phase. Despite inheriting practical knowledge from her elders warning her that the ocean sunfish tasted bad, she’d insisted on trying it herself. One bite taught her the truth—ignore wisdom at your own peril.

Leon chuckled and said, "I’ve heard that ocean sunfish are the dumbest fish in the world. They move sluggishly, react slowly, and survive purely by being unpalatable and lacking nutrition. They’re not worth hunting, yet they reproduce prolifically—laying tens of millions of eggs at a time, sometimes even hundreds of millions..."

"Pretty much," Fiora agreed. "It’s rare for a Red Dragon like you to know so much about ocean sunfish."

"I’m far more knowledgeable than you imagine—a scholar, at the very least," Leon boasted. "You said the ocean sunfish was the worst you’ve ever eaten, but what’s the best?"

"Sharks, of course!" Fiora said, her eyes lighting up.

"Those things?" Leon’s gaze fell on a massive fish with twin spiral horns resembling bull horns atop its head, covered in tough scales.

Fiora turned to look and said, "That’s not a shark—it’s a Bull Fish. Sea Elves and Locathah Fishmen often tame them as beasts of burden or guard creatures. The process is simple—just imprint them so they view you as part of their school."

Leon nodded but said nothing further.

As they got further from land, the sea floor, once dozens of meters deep, dropped to nearly a hundred meters. Shallow waters gradually gave way to the twilight zone.

By surface standards, light in the twilight zone is barely visible. Yet, for creatures dwelling here, it’s far from dim. Large hydroid formations and underwater kelp forests often provide shelter, and sunken ships are a common sight.

Leon wasn’t a newcomer to seahorses—large hybrid creatures resembling a horse crossed with a fish, with fins replacing hooves and manes, and a back half ending in a fish tail. But he encountered, for the first time, sea slugs covered in long, pointed cilia. These creatures used their sensitive cilia and tentacles to hunt, reportedly favoring Sahuagin as prey.

Below the twilight zone lies the murky layer. To most surface dwellers, it seems pitch black and eerie. The water takes on the frigid chill of the deep sea, with frequent sightings of "Marine Snow," a drifting cloud of upper-layer debris and remnants left by life activity above.

The murky layer hosts the only discernible civilization at such depths—the Sea Demons, or Sahuagin—although this doesn’t mean Sahuagin are exclusive to this layer.

Beyond the murky layer are the Upper Deep Layer, Lower Deep Layer, and Extreme Deep Sea Area—territories of the true deep sea, where sunlight cannot penetrate. Here, immense pressure, low temperatures, and scarce life create an almost barren and inhospitable zone.

They just traversed through a canyon.

"It’s right up ahead," Fiora suddenly said. "That’s the nearest Sahuagin settlement to us. I’m not sure if it’s the one you’re looking for."

"Makes no difference," Leon said. "I don’t care whether they’ve attacked ships under our protection or if they’re truly Sahuagin. Everyone must bow to me now."