Chapter 8 Stormy Peak
The red dragon was flying freely in the sky. In the distance, there was a towering steep cliff that reached into the clouds. That was the Hurricane Cliff.

This is the northern pass of the Akkad Mountains, a place where storms gather and hurricanes often rage.

The vast undulating slopes within a radius of 100 miles to the south, filled with rocks, trees and even tundra, are called Storm Hills.

Storm Peak also had a different name in the past life - "Novice Mass Grave".

Due to the active and intense elemental reactions, there are few people living here, and countless creatures grow wildly here.

Hill giants, gnolls, ogres, goblins and even wyverns, all kinds of monsters live together here, and if you are not careful you will be surrounded by evil creatures.

But for Cassius, an evil dragon, this is a holy place for leveling up and collecting followers.

It was approaching winter, and the hurricane-force winds on the high slopes of the storm were mixed with broken snow. The grass on the ground was withered and dry, and there were large areas of thin snow covering it.

The red dragon also felt a chill in the air and couldn't help but spit out a breath of hot air with a sulfur smell, sublimating the snowflakes in the air into water vapor.

“Need to find a place that’s warm enough to live.”

The red dragon thought.

The previous Cloudtop Peak was quite good. Although it was located in the Anzeta Wasteland in the northwest of the continent, known as the "Land without Spring", there was plenty of geothermal heat in the caves, and even magma spread deep inside, which was in line with the red dragon's pursuit of fire and heat.

But unfortunately, after his adoptive mother was killed, it was no longer safe there. Perhaps even kingdom guards were stationed at the entrance of the cave to prevent the evil dragon from returning.

Cassius tried his best to recall his memories of Storm Heights in his previous life, and suddenly thought of a good place to go.

"It's a good opportunity to see if I can recruit a subordinate, or gain some experience."

The red dragon, troubled by the cold wind, suddenly perked up, spread its wings and glided across the earth.

Giant's Mouth Cave.

I don't know who came up with this stupid name, maybe some bored bard.

Perhaps it was because the jagged rocks at the edge of the cave entrance resembled a giant's rotten teeth, or perhaps the open hole looked like a mouth, but from some point on, it was called this name.

The nearby ogres and goblins also called it that, at least this name fits their poor imagination.

The owner of the cave has changed many times, and now it is a chimera.

Chimera, according to legend, was created by the demon lord Demogorgon who was summoned to the human world. It has the hind legs of a goat, the forelimbs of a lion, a pair of dragon wings and the heads of all three creatures.

It combines the worst aspects of each part of itself: its dragon head drives it to raid, plunder and amass treasure; its lion nature fuels its desire to hunt down powerful biological threats in its territory; and its sheep head makes it vicious and stubborn, ready to fight to the death.

At this time, the owner of the cave was sleeping leisurely near the cave entrance, licking his wounds.

The huge body, more than seven meters long, lay lazily on the rock, feeling the residual heat from it.

It is the most terrifying monster within a hundred miles. It is at the top of the food chain, and its only responsibility is to plunder and kill everywhere, as can be seen from the piles of bones accumulated in the cave.

There are even many human relics, such as armor and swords, which are collected by this greedy creature. It seems that many human adventurers have also been eaten by it.

However, the whistling sound of wings outside the cave interrupted everything.

Chimera roared furiously, stood up and looked outside the cave, ready to tear the ignorant intruder into pieces, but saw a strong red dragon landing with a bang.

"Submit to me, or die."

The red dragon spoke in Dragon Language.

Chimera has dragon blood and can understand dragon language, although it rarely speaks.

It observed the creature in front of it. This red dragon was obviously a minor, slightly smaller than it, but stronger.

Although it was a powerful opponent, it did not seem invincible. The lion's head roared, and the lion's nature aroused its strong desire to hunt powerful creatures. The half-grown red dragon in front of it was undoubtedly a worthy opponent.

Hearing the Chimera's low growl, Cassius shook his head with regret, and thought that it was indeed troublesome to do anything because his body was not scary enough.

If a twenty-meter-long mature red dragon was entrenched here, covering the cave entrance with its dragon wings, would it still worry that a chimera would not surrender?
We still need to find a way to grow quickly.

And he was also observing the terrifying monster in front of him.

[Based on your level, you can observe the following information]
【Chimera】

Type: Large Monster, Chaotic Evil

AC: 14 (natural armor)
Attributes:
Strength - 19
Agility - 11
Constitution——19
Intelligence - 7
Perception – 14
Charm - 10
Proficiency: Listening +4, Spotting +3, Hunting +5
Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., passive perception 18 ft.

Languages: Draconic

Actions: Multiattack, Bite, Horn, Claw, Fire Breath

Features: Paradoxical creature, evil servant

Challenge Level: 6 (2 XP)

Comment: "Chimera is a demonic and brutal creature that likes to launch surprise attacks on its prey. It swoops down from high altitude while breathing fire, and then lands to continue the attack.

It will simply seek prey for its own amusement, it enjoys the fear and pain of its prey, often teasing its prey, or leaving it alive after it is wounded, then returning to kill it after it has suffered enough pain and fear.

This may be the strongest opponent Cassius has encountered since his rebirth, a real chimera.

"If you're not convinced, let's have a hand-to-hand fight."

Cassius gradually became serious, his golden vertical pupils shrank slightly, revealing a bit of the fanaticism of a red dragon encountering a strong enemy.

His well-developed muscles gradually tensed up, and he seemed eager to fight at any time.

The Chimera let out a long roar, flapped its wings and flew into the sky.

It still used the most familiar routine, swooping down from the sky, and the giant dragon head on its left side spewed out a terrible breath of fire.

However, using fire on a red dragon that is almost immune to fire is obviously not a good idea.

All we can say is that this beast lacks knowledge and the wisdom to fight.

The red dragon on the ground just tensed its muscles and remained motionless.

"Be the first to attack."

Cassius spoke softly in Dragon Language, a lavender magical aura flickering slightly in his eyes.

This is a very practical trick that allows him to predict the enemy's movements before the next attack and make a fatal blow, which can play a decisive role at some critical moments.

The Chimera swooped down rapidly, spewing fire, and landed a few meters in front of the red dragon.

The red dragon stared at it coldly with its vertical pupils flashing with spiritual light, and could see the direction in which it was flying.

Immediately afterwards, his tense muscles burst out with powerful energy.

He spread his wings, and his seven-meter-long dragon body rose into the air like a spring, and flew to the side of Chimera in the air despite the fierce breath of fire.

The Chimera flapped its wings hastily, trying to change direction - but it was too late.

(End of this chapter)