The Paladin in the Abyss-Chapter 525 - 549 The Dragons Tactics

Chapter 525: Chapter 549: The Dragon’s Tactics Chapter 525: Chapter 549: The Dragon’s Tactics “Ha! I know!” the Dwarf eagerly interjected, “Is it because before breathing out, Dragons must inhale, right?”

“Completely… wrong,” the Elf Priest smiled and shook a finger at the Dwarf, “but you can’t be blamed for that, because that’s one of the most widely held misconceptions about Dragons, and the True Dragons are quite happy that mortals think so. In fact, through the dissection of Dragon Corpses, Elven Scholars have long discovered that a Dragon’s stomach is divided into upper and lower parts. The lower tail is where food goes, while the upper stomach stores the Elemental Energy used for digestion. During combat, that Elemental Energy from the upper stomach floods into the lower one and is then emitted in the form of a Breath Attack. At the same time, the tension and pain of battle prompt the upper stomach to rapidly condense new Elemental Energy, and when the lower stomach is filled again, the Dragon is ready to unleash another Breath.”

“You mean to say… that powerful Breath of a Dragon is actually its vomit?” Bruto looked disgusted, “Like a Dwarf who has had one too many?”

“Pretty much. Your vomit can be quite forceful too, can’t it?” Alamir said with a chuckle, “In combat, it’s very hard to tell by appearance alone whether a Dragon has finished charging its Breath. Some Dragons extinguish their flame after the first Breath, left to fight with fangs and claws like beasts, while others can spit their full force every six seconds, as if they had abstained for decades…”

“Cough cough!” Lancelot cleared his throat, reminding Shuni’s Priest that there were underage girls present.

“Alpaca. You’re familiar with the creature, right? They really like to spit saliva…”

“But isn’t there some limit to this?” Bruto glared at the Elf discontentedly, “Do we have to wait until battle starts to find out whether a Dragon is in shape today?”

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“Thinking of it that way isn’t entirely wrong, but there’s something I haven’t mentioned yet: when a Dragon spews, its abdomen, neck, and head must be in a perfectly straight line. In battle, a Dragon’s head may twist and turn, but they can only spit straight ahead. ” Alamir turned to Kalalin, who was listening intently, “Generally, a Dragon can launch a Breath Attack about three times a minute. Before launching, there will be telltale signs such as a pause in movement, uncontrollable slight twitching, and the rolling of the throat. Pay attention to their body movements and orientation, and adjust your position in time, then it’s unlikely you’ll be harmed by a Dragon’s Breath.”

“Thank you,” Scholar knew this was directed at him, “This is truly life-saving knowledge.”

“Don’t mention it. Having discussed the Breath, let’s talk about another special ability of adult Dragons and above: the Lair Effect. Although Dragons can be encountered in the wild, their exceptional physical qualities and flying capabilities mean that almost nobody can prevent a Dragon from retreating in a skirmish. Therefore, the final battle with a Dragon always occurs in their lair… Bruto, would you help me out?”

Alamir passed his cup to Bruto, who instantly filled it with mead. Dwarves, though fond of fine alcohol, are never stingy about sharing. To this small yet sturdy race, true joy comes from drinking heartily with friends.

“Thank you, my good Dwarf!” the Elf took the beer mug, sipped a little to moisten the throat, “Different colored Dragons have different nest effects; let’s focus our energy on the White Dragons. First is the environmental influence, within a six to ten-mile radius centered on their lair, the ground will rise with bone-chilling cold, and it’s always under an unceasing frozen rain. If the White Dragon is resting in its lair, the frozen rain will turn into a Blizzard…”

“But that doesn’t sound very smart,” Lancelot Morassa stroked his chin and remarked, “If I were a Dragon Hunter, couldn’t I use this feature to determine if the Dragon is at home?”

“That’s why White Dragons are the least intelligent and most beast-like among True Dragons,” Alamir shrugged, “White Dragons prefer to build their nests in ice caves or deep underground chambers, ideally only accessible by flight, and they can detect intruders by changes in the pitch of the wind at the cave entrance.”

“Don’t go in through an opening where the wind is strong, got it.” Bruto finished another whole mug of beer, stood up, and tilted the barrel to let the liquid flow out from the top opening, “So, what does the inside of their stronghold look like? Like a luxurious ice rink?”

“The White Dragon’s Lair is filled with slick icy slopes and concealed pits, making it very difficult to walk, and the White Dragon itself will rest high up or even hang upside down from the ceiling like a bat. When an intruder breaks in, it will launch its Breath from above as the enemy struggles to approach, completely destroying them before they have a chance to cause any damage.”

“I can first put you all in a Dimensional Bag, then let you out when we reach the White Dragon,” Lancelot suggested, “I am quite confident in my movement technique, and those difficult terrains won’t stop me.”

“A viable option,” Alamir nodded, “In addition, Dragons can manipulate the Magic Power accumulated in their nest, known as nest actions. Known White Dragon’s nest actions include creating a dense frost fog, serrated ice falling from the ceiling, and ice walls rising from the ground.”

“The frost fog can cause some damage, but its more important function is to obstruct vision. This limits the effectiveness of Spellcasters and makes it hard for ranged attackers to find their targets, while an adult White Dragon has approximately sixty feet of Blindsight vision, allowing it to hunt in pitch-black fog or use a Breath to slaughter all the enemies who instinctively gather together.”

“There’s not much to discuss about falling ice shards; their power increases with the distance they fall, but it also gives targets more time to react. White Dragons often pretend not to notice a target to Paralyze their foes and then kill them with an ice stalagmite that descends from above, so you must keep moving and always be aware of the surroundings. This may not sound too difficult, but in battle, it’s easy to focus all your attention on the White Dragon and overlook the potential dangers of the environment.”

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“And summoning ice walls is used to restrict the intruders’ movement; the walls are always straight, and their length and height can reach up to thirty feet. The White Dragon will choose to use them to prevent enemies from getting close or escaping based on the situation. The good news is, the ice walls are vulnerable to Flame, a single Fireball Technique can blow a big hole in the wall; the bad news is the White Dragon itself can easily smash these ice walls, leaving a mess of shattered ice in place and ultimately making the combat environment treacherously difficult to navigate.”

“Lastly, let’s talk about the White Dragon’s own battle moves. Disregarding the nest effects and the Dragon Breath, the White Dragon itself is not much different from a large lizard; they will swing their left and right front claws at the target, along with a bite attack, and if someone happens to be behind them, they might add a tail swipe. But the power of these moves is actually not too bad, the damage is like that of a Mandrill’s pincer grasp; the real threat comes from the Dragon’s wings, which are even more tactically significant than their Breath…”