Chapter 71 The Young Fox of the Dragon Knight

The seamless coordination between the two left Maddos’s advantage in brute strength utterly nullified. While Maddos was held back by the combined efforts of Vinigo and Sophie, it gave ample time for the two furious adult Thunder Lizards to charge forward.

Once again, they breathed their deadly dragon breath. This time, the full-force lightning breath struck Maddos’s back, bursting into dazzling and lethal arcs of red electricity, like fireworks exploding in the night.

Maddos screamed in agony. He turned, roaring as he charged at the two adult Thunder Lizards, the blood-red halberd in his grasp seeming to swell with savage power as he struck down with violent force.

Vinigo narrowed his eyes, watching the three monstrous beings locked in ferocious combat. He reached out to stop Sophie, who was about to rush forward, and after a moment’s thought, spoke quickly.

“The Thunder Lizards have a slight upper hand. Once they finish off Maddos, they’ll likely come for us as well. We should deal with them first.”

“But—” Sophie hesitated, but Vinigo waved her off and continued, “Don’t be naïve, Sophie. The only reason they haven’t attacked us is because of Hanni’s divine magic—and because Maddos has angered them more. If given the chance, these carnivores would never let any tasty morsel slip by, no matter if it’s a woman or child.”

At this, Sophie glanced back at Hanni and softly agreed.

“I’ll take the left, you the right,” said Vinigo.

Roles reset, the reconstruction began anew. Vinigo signaled for Sophie to circle to the rear of the melee from the right, seizing a favorable position, while he remained seated, rummaging through his backpack.

He pulled out the Scarab Dagger, lashing it to a steel tent pole with alchemical cord to create a makeshift spear. Then he unearthed a set of simple plate armor, fastening it over his soft armor with custom clasps to serve in place of a proper cuirass.

Before long, feeling the mysterious power within him settle, Vinigo changed gear and once more activated Fantasy Reconstitution.

Character selected, analysis complete… reconstruction commencing. Level 20, Dragoon, reconstitution complete!

The concept of the Dragoon originated from the Lion Wars—a class famed for launching devastating attacks with leaps that defied all physical laws, rather than for actually riding dragons into battle. Its greatest strength lay in its monstrous jumping ability and the destructive force it brought.

Vinigo fixed his eyes on the Thunder Lizard, crouching low. The Dragoon’s jump was a supernatural feat, but required a lengthy charge-up. If the target moved out of range, the effort would be wasted.

Now, however, was the perfect moment. Maddos and the two adult Thunder Lizards were locked in a frenzied brawl, indistinguishable from one another. The juvenile lizard circled outside, too wary to join the fight, only roaring from the sidelines.

In an instant, Vinigo sprang into the air and soared above the melee. Gripping his makeshift spear with both hands, he plummeted earthward as if cleaving sky from earth, driving the weapon straight toward the Thunder Lizard’s skull.

Magical light flared from the Scarab Dagger, drawing a crystalline line across the world. With a sickening sound, the blade pierced the lizard’s skull and plunged deep into its brain.

The steel pole couldn’t withstand such force and shattered. Vinigo, now unarmed, used a burst of wind magic to propel himself clear of Maddos’s halberd’s arc and the other lizard’s enraged swipe, rolling clumsily through the sand.

No sooner had he regained his feet than he saw the Thunder Lizard unleash another bolt of red lightning from its maw. Vinigo, ready for this, used a blast of wind from his left hand to slide his body aside, narrowly evading the deadly flash.

That was close… Vinigo knew he couldn’t withstand such an attack head-on, unlike Maddos.

“Hanni!” Vinigo shouted. “Focus the light!”

He needed say no more. Hanni already knew her true target: compared to the Thunder Lizards, Maddos—surging with wicked power—was by far the better choice.

Meanwhile, Sophie was already swinging her dueling blade, slashing at the Thunder Lizard—striking just as it exhaled its breath, the perfect moment when it was winded and vulnerable.

Form Thirty-Two: Shattering Gate!

The greatsword crashed down with astonishing force on the lizard’s neck, drawing a grievous wail. Before the beast could retaliate, Sophie shouldered her sword and dashed away, leaping over the lizard’s sweeping tail and crashing into Maddos, shoving him straight into the path of the enraged Thunder Lizard.

“Good!” Vinigo shouted in approval. He crouched, fixing his gaze on Maddos.

Maddos instantly raised his halberd to ward off attack, but Vinigo only grinned and turned to flee.

His makeshift spear was already broken. Without a spear, Vinigo could not perform another jump attack—such was the limitation of his reconstructed character: he had to obey the rules of whatever game system he’d based the role on.

With Vinigo’s interference, Maddos found himself in trouble again. The Thunder Lizard, blinded by rage, cared little for who its enemy was—Maddos was in front of it, and that was enough.

And behind Maddos stood Sophie.

Lightning breath! Form Thirty-Two: Shattering Gate!

The two attacks struck Maddos simultaneously. Though his strength was formidable, none could survive such a pincer attack at full force—he was doomed.

At that moment, Hanni’s focused sphere of light descended from above. The blinding radiance, infused with divine power, erased the seething black energy from Maddos’s body as easily as hot oil melts ice. It destroyed not only his unholy magic, but his mighty body as well.

A single, fatal blow.

“Sophie, give me the halberd,” Vinigo called.

Sophie deftly hooked the halberd with her foot and tossed it to Vinigo. He caught it, crouched, gathered his strength, and moments later launched himself in another jump attack, landing atop the Thunder Lizard’s head.

The beast was circling Sophie, but Vinigo’s descending strike drove the halberd into its neck. Unable to withstand such a wound, its eyes rolled back and it collapsed, dead.

“Sophie, control the young one. Hanni, Enslave it!” Vinigo commanded.

With Sophie’s help, Hanni cast the spell over twenty times before finally gaining temporary control of the juvenile Thunder Lizard. Vinigo summoned Ramen, signaled for Sophie to remove a harness, and made a few quick adjustments to bind the lizard.

“Behave and you get fed; misbehave and you get punished,” Vinigo declared.

He sent Hanni and Sophie, along with the big cat and the little lizard, to stand guard at a distance. He himself set about dismantling the two adult Thunder Lizard corpses, harvesting their most precious materials—eyes, claws, fangs, and scales—filling a bundle and sealing it with a special membrane to mask the scent, intending for the juvenile lizard to carry it.

Afterward, Vinigo reset his character, taking on the form of a scavenger cat to search the battlefield for spoils. Maddos had carried a fair amount of valuable items, and whatever had survived the divine light’s onslaught was sure to be precious.

There were indeed many gains, but what surprised Vinigo most was the discovery of a massive, locked wooden chest at the edge of the Thunder Lizards’ territory.

Curious, he approached and pried it open. After avoiding the built-in lightning trap, he was astonished to find within a finely crafted large round shield.

“This shield…” Vinigo mused. Disengaging his character construct, he reached out to lift it.

So heavy!

Using the Eye of Insight, Vinigo confirmed that the shield bore no magical inscriptions. It was simply exquisitely made—solid steel, with perfect curvature and reinforcement, both sturdy and supple.

On the back of the shield was inscribed, in elegant script: “Presented to Sir Colburn, in honor of your slaying one hundred werewolves. Your friend, Sir Wilson Humphrey.”

“Ah…” Vinigo exclaimed in delight. “Sir Colburn’s shield. The good news is, now I know what I have to do next. The bad news is, Sir Colburn is likely dead.”

Holding the shield, a thought struck him.

A great round shield? Heavy, yes… but perfect for that character.

Soon, Vinigo’s party arrived at the central town of Blackshire. They found an inn and settled in.

Blackshire was a peculiar place. Because of the desert and the Thunder Lizards, many local products couldn’t be sold elsewhere, making them exceedingly cheap. Conversely, imported goods could fetch high prices here.

Vinigo modified Maddos’s halberd “Stormrage” so it could be disassembled into shorter segments. As the alchemist Mary, he reforged Sir Colburn’s shield, imbuing it with enchantments for increased strength and automatic return. He also fashioned a full-body suit from the Thunder Lizard’s fine belly scales.

Finally, using the pure alchemy of the Strange Scholar, he extracted unfading dyes from indigo and cinnabar, tinting the equipment in his chosen colors.

Of course, he didn’t forget to offer prayers to the Lord of Wishes for “alchemical success” and “mastercrafted completion.”

Materials used included locally sourced Thunder Lizard blood, harpy feathers, and cheaply bought werewolf claws, teeth, and Scandinavian ores. Vinigo also processed his spare materials into simple magical items for sale.

The tamed Thunder Lizard hatchling was sold as well—a rare and coveted creature that all major factions would pay handsomely to acquire, perfect for raising into a mighty thunder drake mount.

Truly, it had been a most rewarding hunt.