Dragon System: Red Dragon Legacy-Chapter 48: The Final Test-3 (The BloodHound)

After Orion returned from his bath and changed into a fresh set of clothes from his inventory, he immediately noticed that the whole team’s morale was at an all-time low.

Everyone was hungry and exhausted, and Lloyd and Martin were still shaken from their encounter with the monsters. The situation was obvious—they needed food. Not everyone could survive on magic stones like Orion could.

’Oh right... magic stones.’

He had completely forgotten to collect the magic stones from the Craghorns.

"You guys need food, right?" Orion asked.

"Yes," Estaban said, clutching his stomach. "I’m so hungry I can barely move."

Orion thought for a moment, then said, "What do you say to goat meat?"

Estaban’s eyes lit up. "That would be amazing. But where would we even find—"

Orion pointed toward the slain Craghorns, which looked quite similar to goats. "These Craghorns. They look close enough. Why don’t we eat them?"

Estaban recoiled. "It’s a monster! That’s disgusting. Who knows what’ll happen if we eat it?"

Martin and Lloyd nodded in agreement.

Orion sighed. "Listen, princess. Do you have any better ideas? Can any of you go out and hunt right now? We’re exhausted—and we need food fast."

He paused, then added, "To make sure it’s safe, I’ll eat first. That way, you’ll know it isn’t harmful."

He said it calmly, fully trusting his poison resistance skill.

The others exchanged glances.

"...Fine," Estaban said. "But only after you eat first. Now, how do we cook it?"

"We’ll make a campfire and roast it over the fire."

He turned to Lloyd and Martin. "You two—go skin the meat."

They looked horrified and immediately began grumbling in protest.

"I don’t care how you feel," Orion said coldly. "Just do it."

Seeing no other choice, Lloyd and Martin obeyed.

Meanwhile, Orion gathered scattered wood and lit a campfire. Night had already fallen, and the temperature dropped quickly. He and Estaban sat across from each other by the flames.

"Let me ask you something," Estaban said. "Why did you really pick those two?"

"What do you mean?" Orion asked, feigning ignorance.

"They’re weak—and you know full well they’ll slow us down. So why?"

"You’ll understand when the time comes," Orion replied with a faint smile.

Realizing he wouldn’t get a straight answer from Orion, Estaban snorted and dropped the subject.

.

Soon, Lloyd and Martin returned with the prepared meat. Orion skewered it on sticks and began roasting it over the fire.

"While we wait," Orion said, "let’s talk about our classes and skills. I’ll go first. My class is Beast Tamer, A-rank. I have two skills: one is Flash Movement, which you’re already familiar with, and the other is Flame Pulse, which heats up the aura around me."

"Wait... so you’re a Beast Tamer and can still fight like this?" Estaban asked, clearly surprised. "Man... you really are different."

"Alright, my turn," Estaban said proudly. "My class is Ironbound Warrior, A-rank. As you can probably guess from the name, it’s a strength-focused class. I also have two skills: Aura Punch, which lets me strike from a distance using my aura... and Berserker, which boosts my strength four times—but I lose control for a few minutes."

Orion raised an eyebrow.

’Impressive. He’s more valuable than I thought.’

He then turned to Lloyd.

"Alright, my class is Artificer Alchemist, C-rank," Lloyd said nervously. "I’m an alchemist... and I have no idea why my class has ’Artificer’ in the name. I only have one skill—Blue Light. It creates a blue flame in my hand, but I don’t know what it actually does."

’So he doesn’t know,’ Orion thought.

’Perfect.’

"And you, Martin?" Estaban asked.

"My class is Essence of Scholar, C-rank," Martin said quietly. "It’s not meant for combat. And... I don’t have any skills."

Nobody was surprised—after all, they already knew he wasn’t very strong.

"Well," Orion said as the meat finished cooking, "let’s eat first. We’ll figure out our next move afterward."

The warmth of the fire and food brought some comfort—but suddenly, something rustled in the trees.

"Did you hear that?" Orion asked.

"Yes," Estaban said, already on edge.

Lloyd and Martin scrambled to their usual hiding spot.

Then, a massive hound-like monster emerged from the shadows. It towered over Orion, every tooth sharp and menacing. Red light oozed from each wound on its body, and combined with its burning, glowing eyes, it was the most horrifying sight Orion had ever seen.

Orion’s blood ran cold.

"A-Appraisal."

[Blood Hound – B-Rank]

Possesses regeneration

Weakness: Heart

"Holy shit... it’s a B-rank monster," Orion screamed. "And it has regeneration."

"What is a B-rank monster doing here? This place is supposed to be restricted to C-rank monsters!" Estaban said, his voice filled with worry.

"We’ll figure that out later," Orion said grimly. "Right now, our main priority is to kill this bastard."

The monster charged.

Orion activated Flash Movement, reappearing atop a tree branch. He needed a moment to think—to strategize before engaging the monster.

But Estaban didn’t wait. He charged forward and threw a punch—only for the hound to swat him aside effortlessly.

Estaban crashed into the ground, unconscious.

"Damn it," Orion muttered, analyzing the monster, but he couldn’t see a clear way to defeat it.

"Fuck it." There was no point in overthinking.

He activated Flame Pulse and leapt toward the monster’s eyes.

The hound noticed him and instinctively slashed at Orion with its claw.

Their claws collided—

CLANG!

The impact sent a sharp shock through Orion’s arms. His claws trembled, nearly cracking under the sheer strength behind the blow.

He retreated instantly, but the monster lunged again. Its jaws opened wide, rows of razor-sharp teeth gleaming in the firelight.

Orion dodged to the side and counterattacked from behind, driving his claw into the hound’s back.

"HROOOOWLL—KRRRSSSHH!"

The Blood Hound let out a twisted howl, half pain, half rage, and violently shook its body, flinging Orion away.

He crashed into a tree.

"Ahhhhhh... shit!" He clutched the back of his head, his hand slick with blood. His vision began to blur as he stared at the crimson mess.

Orion barely managed to stay on his feet.

His dragon blood surged, slowly beginning to heal Orion’s wounds.

But the monster didn’t wait.

"HRRRSSSSHH—HRAAAKK!"

The hound lunged again.

"Flash Movement!"

Orion vanished and reappeared atop a tree branch.

Below him, the Blood Hound snarled, pacing in a tight circle.

"HROOWWWW..."

Then—to Orion’s horror—it snapped its jaws around the trunk.

CRAAACK!

Half the tree’s girth vanished in one bite. One more, and it would fall.

"Flash mov—!"

The tree collapsed before he could finish.

Orion slammed into the ground, his body battered and scarred, blood pooling beneath him like a small river.

Silence.

The world felt heavy. Distant. Cold.

He was on the verge of losing consciousness. Although he knew dying here wasn’t permanent, it still hurt. He couldn’t accept this pathetic defeat—he hadn’t even managed to injure the monster.

The pride in him refused to accept it—he had the means to defeat this monster.

’Why am I suffering like this... when I can clearly beat this thing?’ he thought.

His fingers twitched.

He let his instincts take over. Every skill in his arsenal ignited at once—he no longer cared about staying low-profile.

’Flame Pulse, Dragon’s Charm.’

Power surged violently through his body. His wounds closed at an unnatural speed.

Orion forced himself upright.

"Dragon transformation."

His body transformed. Red, shimmering scales spread across his skin, heat rippling through the air.

The hound, believing him dead, turned toward Martin and Lloyd—both were unconscious from fear.

Then—

It froze.

A deep, instinctive fear crawled up its spine.

"GRRRRRRR...?"

Dragon’s Charm flooded the area.

The Bloodhound slowly turned its head.

Orion stood there, radiating a menacing aura, eyes glowing with cold fury.

The monster took an involuntary step back.

"You want to dance? You son of a hundred fathers."

A cold smile spread across his face.

"Then let’s dance."