Reborn as the Dragon: The Princess Sacrifice Begins...

"Fugan Branch, for cough relief? Not bad."

"Lianxing Leaf, for moisturizing the lungs? Pretty good."

"Bloodgrass Mushroom, for blood replenishment, mildly toxic? Passable."

…

Amidst the torrential rain, Su Nian darted through the jungle, delving deeper into the forest. His Basic Insight skill scanned the surroundings, and whenever he spotted useful herbs, he would grab them with his mouth and carry them along.

However, after circling the area, he still couldn't find any medicine to treat heart failure.

It was understandable, though. After all, on Earth, heart failure could only be alleviated but never completely cured.

But now, Su Nian was in a fantasy world, where anything seemed possible. Perhaps he just hadn't stumbled upon the right remedy yet.

He hoped these herbs could temporarily slow down Anna's condition.

As this thought crossed his mind, Su Nian followed the stream back to his dragon's nest.

"Clang!"

Suddenly, the sound of weapons clashing echoed from afar, accompanied by faint human shouts.

"Someone?"

Su Nian's draconic face scrunched up. Although he used to be human, he was now a dragon—an evil dragon—and had no desire to get entangled with the humans of this world. The wounds from being blasted by a grand mage hadn't even healed yet.

In situations like this, the best course of action was to avoid trouble as much as possible. After all, he was still just a third-tier juvenile dragon.

But just because Su Nian wanted to avoid trouble didn't mean trouble wouldn't find him. The sounds of combat were approaching his dragon's nest, as if the pursued party was seeking refuge in the cave.

Su Nian couldn't fathom why someone being hunted would choose such a suicidal path.

But he knew that letting humans into his lair would endanger his initial treasure—his SSR-grade prized possession. If it got damaged or lost, who knew how long it would take to find another one? And even then, it might not be so easily snatched.

This was something he absolutely couldn't accept.

Su Nian climbed up a tree on all fours, stealthily moving through the jungle under the cover of the drizzling rain, inching closer to the group in combat.

A male human knight and a female human mage were being chased by a group that looked like mercenaries.

Their similar attire and the black viper emblem on their gear suggested they belonged to the same mercenary group.

"Miss, quickly! Get inside! I'll hold them off!"

The young knight stood at the entrance of the dragon's nest, urgently urging the mage beside him.

[Wills: Level 21 - Grand Knight (A piece of cake for you)]

[Selina: Level 18 - Fire Mage (Trash)]

[Black Viper Mercenary Group: Levels 16-20 (A bunch of trash)]

[But there are quite a lot of them.]

The system's information panel, combined with the newly solidified Basic Insight skill, gave Su Nian a rough understanding of the group's strength.

In short, individually, they were manageable, but their numbers posed a challenge. If they united, he might not come out unscathed.

Most importantly, Su Nian's ultimate skill, Dragon Breath, was still charging and not ready for use.

As the Grand Knight fought at the front and the mage retreated into the cave while casting Fireball spells, Su Nian knew he couldn't hesitate any longer.

He glanced at the modification function panel. Ideally, he wanted the High-Efficiency Dragon Breath Pouch or the Compressed Dragon Breath, but they required 2,000 and 3,000 system points, respectively.

All he could do was envy them and allocate his 1,000 system points to Basic Steel-Clad Claws and Basic Steel-Clad Scales instead.

[Ding! Modification initiated. This modification is painless and quick. The host need not worry.]

As the system indicated, unlike the excruciating pain of modifying his eyes, this modification was almost imperceptible.

Su Nian only felt a momentary stiffness in his body, accompanied by a slight itch. When he inspected himself, he noticed his scales now had a faint metallic sheen.

His dragon claws had also grown larger. The once milky-white claws now bore a silvery-gray hue, as if coated in metal.

[You have been strengthened. Go get them!]

This was the message conveyed by the Basic Insight skill.

Su Nian had never killed anyone before, but the half-dragon instincts and survival skills ingrained over time helped him overcome the psychological barrier.

He had drunk blood and eaten raw meat; he was a dragon—a wicked dragon!

Su Nian dropped the herbs on the tree, and with a powerful kick of his strong dragon legs, he shot out like an arrow. His wings spread wide as he charged menacingly toward the mage.

In team battles, the rule was to target the squishy mage first!

Other dragons might roar to announce their presence and unfurl their majestic forms before making an entrance.

But Su Nian was different. He was playing dirty, and he wasn't majestic.

Sharp steel-clad claws sliced through the falling raindrops. In this moment, under the cover of the dim jungle, he became the deadliest assassin.

His tail swayed to maintain balance as his hind legs extended forward, razor-sharp claws outstretched like a diving predator.

Using the momentum, Su Nian's claws not only latched onto the mage's shoulders but also knocked her to the ground.

The mage was petrified. Raised in the lap of luxury as a noble, she had never faced such a life-and-death situation.

Everything happened in a flash. Before the Grand Knight could react, Su Nian had already bitten off a large portion of the mage's shoulder, along with her neck.

"Ptui~"

[Killed Level 18 Human Mage. Gained 10 system points.]

Su Nian's eyes glimmered coldly as the mage's corpse grew cold. She had been beautiful, far surpassing the celebrities on Earth.

But it couldn't be helped. This was Su Nian's territory, and it housed his treasure.

Life was already hard enough.

Whoever threatened him would die.

It was his first time killing someone. Staring at the corpse, a sense of discord welled up inside him, but it was fleeting and quickly suppressed.

Humanity lingered within him, but if the Su Nian on Earth was lawful good, his fusion with Wotru had shifted him to true chaotic neutral.

"It's a black dragon!"

Someone in the Black Viper Mercenary Group shouted, their eyes filled with caution. The Grand Knight also turned his head belatedly, seeing the mage lying in a pool of blood and the black dragon with a menacing glare.

"Selina!"

The Grand Knight's eyes widened in rage, bloodshot and brimming with hatred. His grip on his sword tightened, and his gaze toward Su Nian was filled with fury and vengeance.

"I'll kill you! Kill you! Die!"

He no longer cared about the Black Viper Mercenary Group. All he wanted now was to slay the black dragon and avenge the girl he loved.

[Enraged Grand Knight (Level 21-30)]

Basic Insight marked the Grand Knight with an arrow, indicating his state.

There was no need to fight him head-on. Better to deal with the trash first.

In an instant, Su Nian made the most prudent decision.

Clear the minions before the boss!

Agilely dodging the Grand Knight's sword, Su Nian's tail whipped around as he leaped toward the Black Viper Mercenary Group, the dozen or so mercenaries in his sights.

 """