Cinder Nest.
"Hurry up! Haul the stones up!"
"Lord Duoluo said we need to clear space for the catapults!"
"Right, got it!"
"Captain, why did you hit me?"
"You brainless pig, you blocked the firing slit!"
The goblins were busy with their routine fortification work, reinforcing Bedrock Fortress to make it even more impenetrable.
Disciplined hobgoblins had taken over their sentry duties, knocking the goblins down yet another peg in the lair's hierarchy. Even so, the cowardly runts dared not voice their resentment.
"Open the gate! We're coming in!"
A shout rose from the lizardfolk gathered below the fortress gate.
Behind them, massive carcasses were dragged on sledges, warm blood still steadily dripping onto the snow.
As newcomers, the lizardfolk had taken on the temporary duties of patrolling and hunting.
Their burly chieftain, Ak, was a hunter of extraordinary skill. He consistently led his hunters in cornering and bringing down massive woolly boars and mammoths, while the old shaman remained in the valley, using druid magic to mend the wounded.
Meanwhile, the satyrs loved nothing more than the strongest wine, the most fragrant spices, and the wildest dances.
Shortly after arriving at Cinder Nest, these bard-like creatures had launched into an around-the-clock celebration.
It was only when an exasperated Langpu finally lost his patience, smashed one of the dancing satyrs flat with his greatclub, and roasted him over a spit that the rest of them quieted down, though they remained rather sullen.
They played various melodies on their enchanted panpipes, capable of plunging foes into states of panic or charm.
Further in the valley's depths, the ogres had assembled once more for another of Langpu's literacy classes.
The ogre mage had been having an excellent time lately. The merchant caravan from Sige Town had brought him over twenty precious spell scrolls.
Among them were practical second-circle spells like *Misty Step*, *Rope Trick*, and *Hold Person*, and even a third-circle spell, *Stinking Cloud*.
This had undeniably freed him from the embarrassing plight of being a mage who knew nothing but *Fireball*.
Langpu treated the scrolls like priceless treasures, storing them deep in his cave and posting guards at the entrance to bar all trespassers while he spent day and night immersed in studying magic.
*I need to build a wizard tower,*
Langpu thought to himself, nudging the newly acquired gold-rimmed spectacles resting on his snout.
Compared to his massive five-meter-tall frame, the cavern was starting to feel cramped.
He was considering establishing a wizard tower just like any proper mage to store his scrolls and magic items, and to spread his name across the continent. He had even thought of a splendid name for it—
"The Giant Sagacious One."
It conveyed both his colossal size and his brilliant intellect.
If he could tack on titles like "of the Cinder Nest" and "Architect of the Grand Design," it would be truly perfect.
For the moment, however, the noisy squabbling of the ogres around him pulled him back to reality.
"Boss, what are we doing?"
Datou poked his head out from the side, grinning happily.
"Why ain't ya talkin'? Are ya handin' out food?"
"I wanna eat green goblins!"
"I wanna eat canned little folk!"
Langpu's scale-covered face immediately darkened.
"Shut your mouths!"
He brought his club down right onto Datou's crown. The terrifying strength granted by his half-dragon transformation struck with such force that tears sprang to Datou's eyes as a massive red knot swelled on his forehead.
*Thud!*
Datou tipped straight over and collapsed like a log.
"Does everyone... understand now?"
A benign smile stretched across Langpu's monstrous, scale-encrusted face, revealing a maw of jagged, razor-sharp teeth.
Paying no heed to the unconscious Datou, he pulled out several vivid illustrations painted by the satyr artisans and pointed at the goblin drawn on the canvas.
"Now, repeat after me—"
"Companions."
With Datou's fate fresh in their minds, the ogres became far more compliant. Daring not cause any further trouble, they dutifully chanted in unison:
"Com—pan—ions—"
Langpu gave a satisfied nod. The brutes were finally showing some progress.
Yet the ogres were not finished.
"Delicious!"
This chorus rang out even louder and more unified than before, carrying the simple, hearty joy of honest farmers celebrating a bountiful harvest.
Langpu's complexion, which had only just returned to normal, went pitch-black once more. The muscles in his thick arms swelled, and thick veins bulged beneath his dragon scales.
*Snap.*
The newly acquired gold-rimmed spectacles were instantly shattered by a bulging vein at his temple.
The fury in Langpu's eyes burned hotter than ever.
*Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!*
Instantly, the ogre cavern was filled with wails and groans of agony.
***
Giant's Mouth Cave.
Inside the red dragon's lair.
Cassius shook his body, inhaling the scent of sulfur and pumice clinging to his scales.
Whenever a red dragon approached the juvenile stage, an abundance of surging energy would begin overflowing from its body. The impurities seeping into the air produced this distinctive smell.
*I'm about to enter the dormant period,*
Cassius reflected.
He had not yet spent the experience earned from defeating the abominable yeti. Looking at his character panel, he initiated his level advancement.
[Advancing class: Sorcerer]
[Your Sorcerer level has increased to Level 6]
[Gained bonus 3rd-circle spell: *Fireball*]
The method for casting *Fireball* materialized in the red dragon's mind. Though a third-circle spell, *Fireball* was remarkably straightforward and brutal—it all came down to a single word: boom.
As a red dragon with an innate mastery over flame, Cassius found channeling the spell came completely naturally.
With only a few casual attempts, he could conjure a blazing sphere of fire and hurl it at the cavern floor.
*Boom!*
The fireball detonated against the stone, blasting a wide patch of scorched black across the surface.
"No wonder sorcerer players back in my old world formed the Church of the Fireball. Casting this really does feel great,"
Cassius remarked to himself.
[Gained trait: Advanced Elemental Affinity]
[The blood of the ancient red dragons grants you searing might. When you cast a spell that deals the damage type associated with your draconic ancestry, you may add your Charisma modifier to the spell's damage.]
As a pure-blooded red dragon of Tiamat's direct lineage, Cassius gained far more spells and significantly more powerful traits from mining his draconic bloodline than an ordinary player sorcerer ever could.
Most sorcerers knew only a handful of spells, relying on repeatedly casting them to act as the artillery batteries of their parties. Wizards, by contrast, had access to an entire spell list and could flexibly adjust their prepared spells each day.
Consequently, in higher-level tiers, once a sorcerer's spell list was figured out, it became extraordinarily difficult to match a well-prepared wizard of the same level.
In Cassius's view, the progression features of the Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer class were already beginning to lag behind his natural growth.
Mid-to-late features like Dragon Wings, Draconic Presence, and Dragon Transformation were hardly icing on the cake for him; they felt more like painting legs on a snake.
What was he supposed to do, grow four wings?
Or have an actual dragon transform into a dragon?
Or stack a second layer of frightful presence onto his own?
This was where the value of multiclassing and prestige classes came into play.
However, many humanoid classes were unsuited for a red dragon. Classes like Fighter or Paladin came with heavy restrictions involving weapons, armor, religious faith, and the like.
As a result, Cassius had not yet decided on which other class to pursue, pinning his hopes instead on discovering hidden classes and prestige classes.
Chapter 53