Chapter 103: The Might of the Great Dragon

[Adventurer Midsummer, you have failed the Will saving throw against the dragon’s “Intimidating Presence” ability. You will enter a panic state for 4d6 (4–24) rounds = 2 + 1 + 3 + 1 = 7 rounds (42 seconds).]

Upon seeing this status, Zhao Xu felt a heavy weight press down on his heart.

Dragons’ power is classified by age groups—twelve tiers in total, from wyrmlings to the mightiest ancient dragons. Only upon reaching the fifth tier, the young adult dragon, do they possess the “Intimidating Presence” ability, the very essence of their draconic might!

Although Zhao Xu bore the blessings of the gods, which softened the depths of his panic compared to the guards, he still felt an overwhelming sense of oppression within.

Struggling to overcome the unease, he lifted his head with great effort—

A massive golden dragon soared above them, its entire body shimmering gold. It flew steadily, not with agility, but with impressive speed.

Bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun, the dragon’s form was edged with a soft orange light. As it vanished into the crimson horizon, its colossal form seemed to dissolve into the amber sunset, casting a radiant glow that merged seamlessly with the sky.

Zhao Xu realized that this golden dragon’s loud roar and flight along the skyline were not directed at them.

It was merely a weary traveler, letting out a mighty roar to dispel any lurking threats nearby during its monotonous journey.

Soon, the golden dragon disappeared from sight, swallowed by the horizon where the heavens met the sunset.

Yet, while this brief encounter barely touched them, Roya’s entire caravan was thrown into chaos.

Not to mention the weak-legged horses collapsing, even those guards who had valiantly fought off ambushers were trembling uncontrollably, barely able to steady their weapons.

Some clutched their heads, cold sweat dripping down, utterly devoid of any will to resist.

More still knelt on the ground, bowing toward the dragon’s fading silhouette, revering this godlike being.

Had the golden dragon lingered, not one soul in that caravan would have remained—everyone would have fled.

The power of panic as a negative status effect thoroughly suppressed every individual.

Zhao Xu, who in his previous life had sworn to slay dragons but was ultimately slain by one, knew quite a lot about the dragon race.

Though still shackled by panic, his demeanor remained the calmest among those present.

“This is a gold dragon,” Zhao Xu said with difficulty to the few players around him. “Metallic dragons are inherently good, unlike the evil chromatic dragons—black, red, and the like.”

In truth, upon seeing the golden dragon, Zhao Xu had already breathed a sigh of relief. A benevolent gold dragon would never attack them without cause.

Had it been an ancient black dragon of evil nature, after terrifying them with a roaring display, it would have unleashed acid breath.

The damage from such an attack, 16d4 (16–64), would have left no survivors.

At this moment, none had shaken free from the lingering terror; it felt as if they had all witnessed a real horror scene. Even Roya could not rally the group.

Without reaching at least level five, any failed saving throw against a dragon’s intimidating presence meant only one option: to flee or curl up in fear.

“What kind of negative status is this? So powerful,” Maple Leaf complained, still less affected than Arthur, who was a native.

But seeing the once valiant guards reduced to such a state, even he felt an uneasy curiosity born of fear.

“Have you noticed your status bar?” Zhao Xu explained.

Yuuyuu and the others had drawn closer; in such a state, mutual warmth was a source of encouragement.

“Yes, but it only shows a single negative status, lasting at least forty seconds,” Wanderer Rainbow replied first.

Zhao Xu nodded. The information panel wouldn’t serve as their knowledge skill; if Rainbow didn’t know about this ability, the panel could only indicate the panic status.

“That’s the dragon’s ‘Intimidating Presence’ ability. Below 5 Hit Dice (HD), failure means falling into panic. At 5 HD or above, failure results in the ‘Trembling’ status,” Zhao Xu explained.

For players, level one equals one HD; five HD means five hit dice, i.e., level five.

Maple Leaf recalled the “Trembling” status—it merely suppressed various checks, imposing about a 10% penalty.

Who would have thought that panic, one level above trembling, could outright scare people into fleeing?

“Truly an insurmountable race,” Maple Leaf said, watching how a single negative effect from the gold dragon had crushed them all. His dream of dragon-slaying was shattered.

Zhao Xu only shook his head, silently gazing toward the distant horizon, unsure why the golden dragon had chosen to suppress them.

Not only the caravan, but all nearby animals in the canyon scattered in frantic flight.

The sounds of animals trampling and fleeing echoed continuously.

The panic triggered by failed saves under level five had effectively ended any hope of mass dragon-slaying tactics.

Hence, in his past life, Zhao Xu had trained relentlessly to reach level five before joining a dragon-hunting party.

Dragons themselves were not easy foes for mages either—possessing inherent spell resistance and often being warlocks themselves, formidable spellcasters of the highest order.

Nearly a minute later, everyone finally recovered from the panic; the team slowly regrouped, and those who had fled to the edges returned.

“Midsummer, do you have any thoughts?” Roya approached to consult him.

Zhao Xu looked down at his staff. What options did he have? The “Shield Against Living Creatures” spell only protected him from the dragon’s melee attacks.

Various breath attacks or spells were unpredictable and beyond defense.

“Keep moving. You can’t just cancel this mission,” Zhao Xu said.

Roya smiled brightly.

He knew the gold dragon, being good, would not harm them.

But the fact that a great dragon had left the Skybreak Mountains, risking intervention by other strong beings to roam between towns, meant the road ahead would not be easy.

Or perhaps, Roya needed Zhao Xu’s words as psychological comfort.

“What’s wrong, Brother Midsummer?” After Roya left, Yuuyuu came over to ask.

Zhao Xu sighed.

“Gold dragons can shape-shift. When they walk among human towns, they often take human form, not flying through as dragons. That’s why Roya fears unexpected dangers ahead.”

Beyond this canyon lay human settlements.

From now on, they would switch to a day-hide-night-march strategy, avoiding daytime reconnaissance.

“Heh, what’s there to fear? If worse comes to worst, we’ll fight again,” Wanderer Rainbow said confidently. Since recovering from near death after a horse kicked him, his tone had grown bolder.

Slowly, the team reassembled and pressed forward. After passing through the canyon, they returned to the easier terrain of the plains.

As night approached, Zhao Xu and his companions finally reached the reception point at the first human town—Crescent Town—ending nearly a week of savage wandering.

After Crescent Town, three more days’ journey would bring them to the foot of the Skybreak Mountains, to Kasso and Butan cities.

There, Zhao Xu could openly seek the Mage Association to teleport home.

If he delayed any longer, he would have reached level three.

The scholar of the archives could not afford to stagnate any further.