nucmednet Chapter 90 Beastman
Chapter 90 Beastman
The kobold that walked in was covered in bright red scales, with a well-proportioned body, full and powerful thighs, and a round and long tail—it was the same one that had evolved into a dragon-blooded kobold.
It bowed to Thor with great respect in its eyes and began to speak.
"Tana has come as summoned. What are your orders, Great Dragon Lord?"
Clearly, the previous evolution had made this kobold stand out from the pack, earning it the great honor of serving the dragon lord.
Thor gazed at the peculiar little creature and, seeing that the magical fluctuations within it were gradually stabilizing, assumed that the magic inherent in its bloodline had awakened. He asked curiously.
"After activating the dragon blood within you, what spells have you mastered?"
Tana looked up, her tone tinged with uncertainty.
"It looks like a fireball spell, but I haven't tried it yet."
This was not unexpected for Thor; almost half of the dragonblood kobolds had awakened the Fireball spell.
But this does not mean that Fireball is weak. On the contrary, it is the most cost-effective and classic of all low-end spells.
"Then demonstrate your awakened fireball spell to me."
"yes!"
Under Thor's gaze, the kobold in front of him appeared both excited and nervous.
With its slightly trembling paws, it took out a small ball made of bat guano and sulfur from its pouch, chanted a simple incantation, and then pointed forward with its paws.
The small ball on its other claw suddenly burst into flames, transforming into a fireball the size of a fist, which whistled out of the cave entrance.
The fireball flew for nearly thirty meters before exploding into a dazzling burst of fire in mid-air.
This is not a true fireball spell. Both its flight distance and power are quite different from the original, and it can only be considered a secondary fireball spell.
The reason for this outcome might be that the kobold is not yet skilled enough, or perhaps its magic power is insufficient. However, it is likely that with training and growth, its power will increase, and it might even be able to discard casting materials.
Even now, a minor fireball spell, if used properly, can easily blast away an entire team of low-level adventurers, a world of difference compared to the weak kobolds of the past.
If one could cultivate dozens or even hundreds of dragon-blooded kobolds, a single volley of fireballs would be comparable to a weakened version of a meteor shower.
But those were things for later; Thor quickly put them out of his mind and started talking about serious matters.
"If you can get your hands on bat guano, you must know where to find bats, right? Go catch me a few live ones!"
"yes!!"
Upon receiving the order, Tana immediately bowed and withdrew. Before long, all the kobolds sprang into action.
To them, the Dragon Lord's command is a divine decree, and even the smallest matter is worth the entire tribe's mobilization.
…………
Just as these kobolds were taking their homemade nets and burrowing into the crevices and dark corners of the mountains, a gnoll was in trouble in a mountain about sixty kilometers away.
If viewed from above, one can see a natural basin nestled between several low hills, filled with houses built of clay and stones, resembling a small human town.
However, the residents living there are not human, or rather, not purely human, but beast-like beings with animal characteristics.
The origin of the beastmen is a subject of much debate. Some say they were a gift from the moon goddess Suren, given to children abandoned in the wild, as a means of survival.
Some believe they were creations of Mara used to spread her barbaric doctrines; others even firmly believe they were possessed by the spirits of wild beasts roaming the wilderness, which is why they exhibited bestial characteristics.
Normally, the beastmen appear as ordinary people, but on the night of the full moon, they transform into wild beasts.
During this process, they inhale large amounts of air and water, their metabolism speeds up exponentially, and the energy stored in their bodies is rapidly depleted.
The resulting hunger can directly devour reason, causing one to be completely controlled by a frenzied, bloodthirsty desire.
At this point, all living things become synonymous with food in their eyes, and even relatives, friends, parents, and children are no exception and will be attacked.
The most typical of these are the werewolves, beast-like beings that have long been synonymous with madness and terror.
Therefore, all those suffering from bestiality are regarded as evil beings in the human world.
If discovered, they would be expelled at best, and burned at the stake at worst.
This forces the vast majority of beast-like patients to live in isolation, huddling together for warmth in the wilderness far from human habitation.
This mountain basin is one of the larger gathering places of beastmen in the vicinity. It contains not only common werewolves, boarmen, and ratmen, but also rare bearmen and tigermen.
Their long-term isolation and expulsion led them to fully accept the bestiality within them. Although they still retained some knowledge from their human days, their behavior had become completely beastly.
The gnoll responsible for relaying Thor's orders was spotted by two ratmen before he could even get close.
These creatures, covered in stiff fur and resembling large, humanoid rats, flashed a cruel light in their eyes, raised the crossbows in their paws, and pulled the trigger.
Several poisoned arrows coated with green slime whistled through the night sky, giving the gnoll no time to dodge before piercing its body.
The excruciating pain caused the hyena-like creature to let out a scream, followed by a strong sense of numbness. It swayed a few times and then collapsed uncontrollably.
"Look what we found! A stray dog!"
"Haha! It's even baring its teeth at us, is it planning to catch a mouse?"
As the gnoll's vision blurred, two short figures draped in tattered black cloaks emerged from the corner.
The hoods on their heads covered their faces, leaving only their pointed mouths and gleaming green eyes visible. Then everything went black, and they lost consciousness completely.
A ratman grabbed the jackal's ear, greedily examining the flesh beneath its spotted fur, and asked its companion beside it.
"Should we hand this guy over to the chief?"
Upon hearing this, the other ratman sneered, stretched out its slender claws, slashed at its lower back, pulled out a serrated dagger, and stabbed it into the jackal's neck.
"You mean that big cat? When did he become our leader? We ratmen should have our own leaders! Drag this wild dog back; it just so happens that a litter of pups is about to be weaned, and it's time for them to taste flesh and blood."
The unconscious gnoll twitched violently, and blood gushed out immediately after the dagger was pulled out.
Upon smelling the sweet, pungent odor, the eyes of the two rat-men involuntarily glowed red, and they both leaned in to suck up the food.
Only when they could no longer suck out a single drop of blood did they grin, their mouths stained red, and drag the unfortunate jackal-man away into the night.