Another Promotion

This harrowing brush with danger was a wake-up call for Cassius, igniting an urgent desire to elevate his strength. Perhaps it was the innate indolence of his dragon blood, or perhaps the string of victories had made him overconfident, but he had grown lax following his slumber. He had forgotten that this world was fraught with perils and had presumptuously treated Elezerg as his private garden. The red dragon gazed at his panel. Beyond the recent war, Duke Brad had also supplied him with an enormous amount of experience. This time, he made no deliberate effort to suppress his growth, choosing instead to claim these abilities and convert them into immediate personal might. As for the remaining two levels' worth of experience, he already had a solid plan in mind. [Your True Dragon Sorcerer level has increased to Level 9.] [Your True Dragon Sorcerer level has increased to Level 10.] [You have gained bonus Metamagic feats. You select: Empower Spell, Extend Spell.] Although he had gained two levels in succession, the newly acquired spell tiers were so high that they afforded a quota of only four spells. This was the inherent limitation of any sorcerer, True Dragon Sorcerers included—refinement over quantity. Even so, his caster level had now reached Level 13, enabling him to tap into the seventh tier of the Weave and placing him firmly among the high-ranking spellcasters in all of Elezerg. [You have acquired the draconic spells: Draconic Agility, Hoard's Pouch, Undying Inverted Scale, and Cataclysmic Dragon Eye.] Draconic Agility 5th-tier Transmutation Spell [The dragon harnesses spatial power to render its massive draconic frame nimble and agile. Its Dexterity attribute continuously increases over the spell's duration, reaching up to 30 while active.] Hoard's Pouch 5th-tier Evocation Spell [This spell creates a pouch-shaped zone of force energy that trails behind the dragon in flight, allowing it to transport vast quantities of items. Objects within the Hoard's Pouch become weightless, enabling the dragon to fly at its normal maximum speed.] Undying Inverted Scale 6th-tier Abjuration/Transmutation Spell [The dragon concentrates its vital essence, designating a specific scale as its "inverted scale." Before the inverted scale is shattered, the dragon can ignore a single instance of lethal damage. After it breaks, the dragon's Strength, Constitution, and Dexterity receive massive increases.] Cataclysmic Dragon Eye 7th-tier Divination Spell [An incorporeal dragon eye manifests and hovers in the air, moving according to the dragon's will. The dragon can see normally through this eye and has a chance of perceiving visions of the past and future. The dragon eye can endure the same amount of damage as the dragon itself, and the dragon can even channel its breath weapon through it, though doing so causes the eye to dissipate.] "So this is a seventh-tier spell..." Sensing the intricate, sprawling spell knowledge flooding his mind, Cassius felt a surge of excitement. The spells this time aligned almost perfectly with his desires; they truly lived up to their reputation as the dragons' coveted secret hoard. Although he had obtained a seventh-tier spell, he had yet to master it completely and would need further experimentation. Next came taking over the Principality of Lakeman, reaping the spoils of this war, and laying the groundwork to conquer the entire Great Anzetta Waste. Within Lakeman Castle, Mezrolash, Alger, and the others struggled out of the ruins shrouded in the shadow curse and presented themselves before the red dragon. Behind them trailed Langlibaitiao, along with the newly freed vampire spawn, Yeno Lakeman. "Master, it was my incompetence. Falling under enemy control forced you to intervene personally..." Alger knelt on the ground. His half-dragon face showed none of the exhilaration of vengeance—only solemn calm. Duke Brad was dead. His final obsession as the "human Alger" had vanished with him. What remained of this body was nothing more than an evil dragon's minion belonging to the Cinder Nest—a loyal Redscale Conqueror, the half-dragon Alger. Mezrolash stepped forward and reported, "Master, what should be done with these surviving vampires? One of them is a Starfallen." As the leader of the tieflings, Mezrolash naturally harbored deep-seated hatred for anything related to vampires, but reason reminded him that only the red dragon held the authority to decide. Cassius turned his gaze toward Langlibaitiao. The player wore black robes scavenged from who-knew-where. His skin was pale all over, his canines sharp, and a faint glint of crimson flickered within his pupils. Langlibaitiao had drunk the old vampire's blood, transforming into a true vampire endowed with terrifying regenerative abilities and even the power to create his own vampire spawn. Noticing the red dragon's gaze, Langlibaitiao immediately flashed a fawning smile. "Boss, I'm super strong now! No matter how they hit me, I won't die, and if I can't win, I can just turn to mist and bail." Before the words had even settled, Langlibaitiao dissolved into a wisp of light mist. He had planned ahead; the moment this faction leader showed any intent to kill him, he could flee instantly. Cassius: "..." With a soft *poof*, Langlibaitiao reverted to his original form, scratched his head, and offered an awkward grin. "Just... you know, showing off my abilities to you." Cassius pondered for a moment and quickly realized that these undead creatures who walked by night were exceptionally suited for covert missions like infiltration, assassination, and reconnaissance. Thus, the red dragon spoke: "I want you to establish a specialized vampire unit dedicated to carrying out missions that cannot see the light of day. As for the name..." "The Lang Division! How about we call it the Lang Division?" Langlibaitiao blurted out excitedly. "..." Noticing the impatient look cast down by the red dragon and sensing the sudden chill in the air, Langlibaitiao let out another awkward laugh. "Uh... of course, it's entirely up to you." "I just thought the Lang Division sounded cool. Or we could call it the Langlibaitiao Fan Support Group." "Nocturne. A nocturne that brings eternal sleep to our enemies in the dark of night." Cassius's tone brooked no argument. Langlibaitiao immediately began buttering him up. "What a fantastic name, Boss! How do you come up with something so brilliant?" Cassius continued, "Select suitable candidates and turn them into vampire spawn to join Nocturne. As for your blood rations, I will allocate special funds. Buying blood from the infinitely respawning Starfallen shouldn't be difficult." "Keep a tight leash on those bloodsuckers. If I discover any normal residents being attacked by vampires... as the one in charge, I trust you know what your fate will be without me spelling it out." "Yes, yes, absolutely, Boss! I, Langlibaitiao, will gladly run myself ragged for you! I'll work tirelessly to make Nocturne the top-performing department in the Cinder Nest!" Hearing Cassius's words—especially the phrase "allocate special funds"—Langlibaitiao nodded like a woodpecker, agreeing without hesitation. He had finally leaped up the social ladder, climbing from a lowly wage slave to a department manager! Even though he had paid a steep price, earning the nickname "The Vampire's Consort" on the forums, this trip to Northwind Keep had not been in vain. Langlibaitiao wept tears of joy on the inside, thoroughly elated. At this moment, Cassius had no inkling that this "Nocturne" would become thoroughly notorious in the future. Players who were already fearless in the face of death became completely unhinged after turning into undead. Under Langlibaitiao's leadership, they threw themselves headlong into reckless danger, rallying under the slogan, "Leave no witnesses and it's a flawless stealth run," and unleashing a storm of blood and slaughter across the continent.