GOT King of Dragon

"The initial exploration progress is quite low. It seems that the quality of the Swamp Marigold is not bad." 

Having explored several times before, Rhaegar was delighted and reached out to pick the flower. 

**Swish—** 

In an instant, a shadowy tendril shot out from the corner, aiming straight for Rhaegar's lowered head. 

A gust of wind brushed past him, leaving him no time to dodge. 

**"Hiss... Gah..."** 

At the critical moment, the Devourer's long tail lashed out, its sharp tip piercing the shadowy tendril and slicing it cleanly in half. 

Everything happened too fast. 

By the time Rhaegar reacted, the severed tendril had already fallen to the ground. 

He quickly grabbed the Swamp Marigold and turned to run. 

More shadowy tendrils emerged behind him. 

The Devourer let out a low growl and opened its draconic maw, unleashing a burst of dragonfire. 

**Splurt—** 

The sound of a blade tearing through flesh echoed. 

Rhaegar instinctively turned his head—and his eyes widened in shock. 

From within the darkness, not only did more tendrils emerge, but a headless figure also stepped out. 

At that moment, the headless figure held a steel spike in its hand and had silently pierced through the Devourer's tail. 

As the steel spike was withdrawn, crimson dragon blood seeped out, sizzling as it met the air. 

The headless figure then stuffed the bloodstained spike into its stomach and turned around, standing motionless. 

Rhaegar stared at the figure. 

He could feel it—somehow, it was staring back at him. 

A chilling unease crept up his spine. 

**Thud—** 

The next second, the Devourer, sensing pain in its tail, swung it violently, smashing the headless figure apart. 

As the figure disintegrated, the shadowy tendrils retreated as well. 

Gone along with them was the steel spike hidden in the figure's stomach. 

Rhaegar rushed to the Devourer's side and scrambled onto its back. 

Clutching the Swamp Marigold tightly to his chest, he gave a hurried command: 

"Devourer, let's get out of here!" 

Something about that headless figure felt profoundly wrong. 

Normally, shadow creatures were no different from mindless beasts. 

But that figure—there was something deeply unsettling about it. 

It felt like facing an actual living person. 

A shiver ran through Rhaegar as he urged the Devourer to leave immediately. 

The Devourer, equally repulsed by the shadow creatures, flapped its wings and soared into the sky. 

Rhaegar, still panting, began contemplating whether the shadow creatures had evolved to possess intelligence. 

--- 

### Late at Night 

Rhaegar piloted the Devourer in circles above Dread Hollow Fortress, not rushing to land. 

**"Exploration complete. Please retrieve the lost treasure."** 

Only after hearing the system notification did he check the exploration panel. 

**[Flower of Life]** 

**Exploration Progress: 100%** 

"Finally done—just in time." 

Rhaegar let out a sigh of relief, secretly grateful. 

After leaving the swamp forest, he hadn't returned to Dread Hollow Fortress immediately. 

Instead, he had detoured to Whispering Fortress to alert Yara and her people, instructing them to light torches and increase patrols in case of a shadow creature attack. 

He had also mobilized part of the stationed barbarian army to reinforce Dread Hollow Fortress. 

After all that, he had finally returned. 

"Now, let's see what treasure the Swamp Marigold has yielded." 

Cradling the golden flower in his arms, he watched as a glowing orb emerged from the exploration rewards and landed on the dragon's back. 

It was a **purple light sphere**, about the size of a coconut. 

"Purple? Could it be... an epic relic?" 

Excited, Rhaegar poked the glowing sphere. 

Brilliant purple light scattered as the system notification sounded. 

**"Relic successfully retrieved. Analyzing..."** 

**"Analysis complete. Classified as an Epic Relic—Greedy Stamen."** 

"Yes! An epic relic! Just one tier below legendary!" Rhaegar grinned. 

He then checked the text description in the exploration panel. 

**"Rooted in death, it blooms with the brilliance of life."** 

Rhaegar frowned slightly, struggling to understand its meaning. 

**"Greedy Stamen..."** 

**"Death and life..."** 

Rhaegar gazed at the delicate cluster of flower stamens in his hand, speculating that the method to activate them must be related to life and death. 

After thinking for a moment, Rhaegar gave the order to descend. 

The Devourer folded its wings and landed outside the city walls. 

The army of wildlings was assembling, and the Crabclaws approached the giant dragon one after another, kneeling respectfully before it. 

Rhaegar spoke plainly, "Do you have any freshly hunted animals? Corpses will do." 

"We do, my prince." 

The previously defiant Fusky, who had snatched Rhaegar's bracelet earlier, was now a loyal Crabclaw. He eagerly ran to the bonfire and brought back a deer carcass. 

Sliding down from the dragon's back, Rhaegar placed the greedy flower stamens onto the deer's corpse. 

The stamens emitted a faint glow. 

Before their very eyes, the deer's body rotted, decayed, and turned into a pile of dry, cracked bones at an alarming speed. 

The onlooking wildlings were horrified by the sight. 

Even Rhaegar was taken aback. 

He hadn't expected the flower stamens to be so vicious. 

After consuming the entire deer, the stamens still shimmered faintly, as though urging for more sacrifices. 

Rhaegar ordered more animal carcasses to be brought over and tossed them near the stamens. 

As before, the carcasses were reduced to heaps of brittle bones. 

Thankfully, the stamens were finally satiated. 

The glow subsided, and a system notification sounded: 

"Congratulations, the Greedy Stamens have been activated. You have obtained…" 

**[Essence of Life]** 

**Grade:** Epic (Purple) 

**Effect:** Immense vitality that can awaken latent talents. 

**Note:** *"Non-magical beings should not consume!!!"* 

The stamens withered, producing a single golden droplet of dew, which fell into Rhaegar's palm. 

Staring at the information displayed on the exploration panel, Rhaegar's mouth opened slightly in surprise. 

"Enhancing life potential… What an incredible ability." 

Noticing the special warning in the description, Rhaegar shook the droplet in his hand, sighing in resignation. 

He was human, and although he carried the bloodline of the Dragon King, his body did not possess magic. 

He was not a magical being. 

He couldn't consume the droplet. 

Turning to look at the Devourer, Rhaegar saw the dragon staring back at him. 

Its green, slit pupils scrutinized the droplet in his hand intently. 

Rhaegar strode forward, raising his palm as he smiled. "Come on, Devourer. This is your well-deserved reward." 

The Devourer had contributed greatly to finding the Swamp Golden Lotus. 

This droplet of dew rightfully belonged to it. 

"Hissss-gaaa…" 

The Devourer's piercing gaze remained locked on the droplet. It let out a soft hiss and lowered its head, opening its jaws as it lay prostrate. 

"Catch it, then." 

Rhaegar laughed as he tossed the droplet into the Devourer's mouth. 

The tiny droplet disappeared instantly in the dragon's cavernous maw, dissolving in its saliva. 

*Gulp~~* 

The Devourer cooperatively swallowed, shaking its head and standing upright. 

Rhaegar examined it closely from both sides, trying to discern any changes. 

"Hisss-gaa…" 

Annoyed by his staring, the Devourer flicked its tail, wrapping it around Rhaegar and tossing him back onto its back. 

It then turned and leaped over the outer wall of the fortress. 

"Alright, I guess the droplet's effect hasn't kicked in yet," Rhaegar muttered, gripping the dragon's scales with a tinge of disappointment. 

--- 

The Devourer lay outside the castle, closing its eyes to rest. 

Carrying the Swamp Golden Lotus, Rhaegar was welcomed through the gates of Terror Hollow Fortress. 

Though it was late at night, the castle's residents couldn't find peace of mind. 

Most were still anxious over the assassination of their lord. 

Rhaegar entered the reception hall, where Sam, Solor, and Babart had been waiting for him for some time. 

Sam was the first to greet him, nervously saying, "Seven layers of hell! I'm so glad you returned safely. I was worried something might have happened to you on the way." 

---

**(End of Chapter)**