No sooner said than done. Caesar kicked Cecilia's butt while she was still licking her claws, and the two dragons began a forced march along the riverbed.
There were indeed many scattered Rock Shell Crabs along the way, but most were small fries with single-digit levels. Caesar didn't even bother to look at them properly.
These low-level monsters wouldn't even get stuck in his teeth; they were a waste of stamina and time.
After walking for about an hour, the view ahead suddenly opened up—
The forest broke off here, and a deep blue lake abruptly appeared before them. The water was so blue it looked fake, as if someone had poured tons of toilet cleaner into it. The shore wasn't a beach but was instead piled with a large amount of grayish-white mineral crystals that dazzled the eyes in the sunlight.
This place was practically an open-air buffet.
Dozens of Crystalline Rock Shell Crabs, each a full size larger than the ones before, were lying on the shore, sluggishly nibbling on those minerals. The rock shells on their backs had completely crystallized, looking like they were carrying massive sapphires.
Caesar hid in the bushes and did a quick count.
At least thirty of them. And their levels were all between LV.18 and LV.20.
If he farmed them all, how much experience and Materials would he get?
"Slurp."
A loud sound of drooling came from beside him.
Cecilia stared at the large crabs carrying'sapphires,' her eyes glowing. "That... that looks even more delicious! They have sugar cubes growing on their backs!"
"Those are Ores. If you dare eat them, I'll knock your teeth out." Caesar held down the restless head of this stupid dragon. "Listen, don't be in a hurry to kill them. Cripple them first and pile them together."
"Why? I'm hungry!"
"Dead crab meat turns powdery and tastes like rotten cotton." Caesar was spouting nonsense with a straight face. In reality, he just wanted to gather the monsters first to make it easier to execute them all at once for the multi-kill experience bonus. "If you want to eat fresh sashimi or grilled crab, do as I say."
"Understood!"
Cecilia nodded vigorously. For the sake of food, her execution capability was instantly maxed out.
Over the next half hour, a silent kidnapping case played out by the lakeside.
The two dragons acted like habitual offenders with perfect chemistry. Cecilia was responsible for crowd control with her Paralysis Breath. With one blast, the large crabs sunbathing would immediately move like they were in a slow-motion replay.
Caesar was responsible for the physical strikes.
He didn't use skills, relying purely on his brute strength. He would rush up, grab the crab's large pincers, and with a 'crack,' dislocate the joints. Then, like throwing a discus, he would toss the incapacitated crab into a natural pit on the shore.
Before long, a mountain of crabs had piled up in the pit. Dozens of Crystalline Rock Shell Crabs were squeezed together, unable to even flip over, doing nothing but blowing bubbles and rolling their eyes.
"Finished."
Caesar brushed the dust off his claws, looking satisfied at this pit of 'reserve rations.'
He wasn't in a hurry to kill them either. Instead, he dragged a few of the fattest ones and took Cecilia to hide behind a towering giant tree a short distance from the lakeshore.
This tree was ridiculously large. Just the roots exposed on the Ground formed a natural haven. The two dragons huddled in the folds of the roots, perfectly shielded from the view of the lake.
Start the fire, let's eat!
The most primitive way to eat was, of course, direct roasting. Cecilia breathed a small flame, and the dry branches began to crackle and burn.
Several large crabs were placed over the fire. After a while, the originally blue-gray shells began to turn red, and an aroma of roasted meat so rich it made one's scalp tingle wafted out.
"I want that one! The big one!"
Cecilia didn't care about the heat, grabbing a freshly roasted crab with her claws and stuffing it into her dragon maw.
"Crunch!"
The bite force was staggering. The hard crystalline shell was crushed instantly, revealing the snow-white, steaming crab meat inside.
"Hoo... so hot... hoo... so good!"
The stupid dragon chewed while huffing air, her eyes narrowed into slits of happiness, and her tail wagged behind her so hard it leveled the dirt on the Ground.
Caesar ate a bit more sophisticatedly.
He found a few large broadleaves, wrapped the prepared crab meat and crab roe tightly, and then smeared a thick layer of wet mud on the outside.
This cooking method was called 'Beggar's Crab.'
He threw the mud balls into the pile of charcoal embers to bury them, using the residual heat of the earth to braise the crab meat. This would lock in the freshness to the greatest extent.
While waiting, Caesar didn't stay idle.
He smashed open all the crab shells left over from earlier, rummaging through the pile of fragments for energy storage crystals.
"Bronze again... still Bronze... Tsk, has the drop rate been stealthily nerfed by the devs?"
Caesar looked at the pile of dull, low-quality crystals in his hand, feeling a bit annoyed.
Logically, for a mutated individual like this, it should at least drop a Silver-Rank material, right?
"Um, this hard thing doesn't taste good."
Cecilia casually tossed a half-bitten crab shell behind her.
The spiked shell drew a parabola in the air, flew over the tree roots, and landed somewhere unknown—
"Don't litter." Caesar didn't even look up, continuing to rummage through the pile of shells. "It would be bad if you hit a child."
"Who would be out here in the middle of nowhere?" Cecilia retorted indistinctly, her mouth full of oil. "Besides, This Young Lady is a dragon. I'll throw things wherever I want."
Caesar ignored her.
His sonar organ was always on; this was a habit he had recently developed. Any movement within a one-kilometer radius would be fed back into his mind.
However, it was calm right now. Aside from some small insects, there were no large creatures worth noting.
Except... Hm?
Caesar's Shadow Claw, which was peeling a crab shell, suddenly paused.
There were a few very slight vibration feedbacks.
It didn't sound like the heavy footsteps of a beast on four legs, but rather like... bipedal walking?
...In the dense forest five hundred meters from the lakeshore.
A team of twelve people was cautiously moving through the bushes.
They wore uniform white outfits with a golden emblem embroidered on the chest—a crossed staff and longsword.
Lordaeron Empire, Seventh Magic Combat Academy.
"I say, do you guys smell something?"
A chubby boy at the back of the line suddenly sniffed and stopped.
He held a staff that looked quite heavy, but right now, all his attention was on his nose.
"It seems to be... the smell of roasted meat? No, it's a seafood smell? It smells really good!"
The middle-aged man walking in front frowned.
He was the instructor leading this team, named Instructor Raymond, a LV.30 Gold Rank fire mage.
"Shut up, Paul," Instructor Raymond scolded in a low voice. "This is the Dragon Spine Mountain Range. Although it's just the periphery, Magical Beasts could appear at any time. Can you put something else in your head besides food?"
"But Instructor, it really smells good..." The chubby boy shrank his neck aggrievedly.
"Instructor, Paul isn't wrong. There really is a strange fragrance."
A clear and pleasant voice chimed in.
The speaker was a young girl walking in the middle of the group.
She had dazzling silver hair and skin as white as a porcelain doll. Her mage robes were a custom-tailored high-end version, and she held a short wand inlaid with a ruby.
Veronica Hester, from a Count's Family on the Empire's border, and also a prominent figure among this year's freshmen.
"Since Miss Veronica said so, there must be something wrong!"
"Right, right, I smell it too! As expected of Miss Veronica's keen observation!"
Several youths nearby immediately acted like dogs that had caught the scent of a meat bone, vying to agree with her.
Instructor Raymond rubbed his temples, feeling a bit of a headache.
These noble young masters and misses had no idea of the cruelty of the wild. If the academy hadn't mandated that final assessments must be led by an instructor, he wouldn't have bothered bringing these deadweights to such a godforsaken place.
"No matter what the smell is, stay sharp," Raymond said with a stern face. "Our goal is to collect twenty energy storage crystals. As soon as the mission is complete, we retreat immediately."
The group continued forward.
After passing through the last patch of dense forest, the view ahead suddenly opened up.
"This is Rock-submerged lake?"
Veronica looked at the empty lakeshore with some disappointment.
According to the information provided by the academy, this should have been a gathering place for Crystalline Rock Shell Crabs. Why did the shore look so bare now, without even a single crab shell in sight?