Chapter 38: The Fire Dragon Tattoo

Rod’s mouth hung open, his breathing becoming slightly rapid as his eyes filled with disbelief. His entire skin now appeared as smooth and tender as that of a newborn baby, glowing with a moist sheen as if it had just been taken out of milk—so smooth that it seemed milk could be squeezed out at any moment! It was simply flawless.

The previous faint scars had all disappeared, leaving only these new marks. Yet Rod felt that once these injuries healed, they too would leave no trace.

He knew all this was the result of the trials he had undergone—benefits and effects gained through those trials! The outcomes far exceeded his expectations.

If anyone were to see Rod’s skin now, men would be mortified to death, and women would be utterly ashamed—it was simply beyond imagination.

Of course, all this alone wouldn’t have caused such a profound shock or transformation in Rod. What was truly crucial was the pattern that appeared on his body—a tattoo, to put it simply. It was the tattoo of the fire dragon he had killed, appearing exactly as it was, vivid and lifelike, seeming almost alive with movement and spirit.

This left Rod utterly puzzled. How had this appeared on him? Why? Logically, he had only undergone physical trials and hadn’t gotten any tattoo. The deep red color, burning like flames, made it seem utterly alive.

A soft humming sound came through the air, and Fen Tian reappeared before Rod. Ever since his demonic identity was exposed, Fen Tian hadn’t appeared before him for a long time, as Rod had kept him hidden inside his body. His appearance would expose Rod’s identity, so under the current circumstances, it was impossible to let him show himself to the world.

As soon as Fen Tian appeared, he seemed extremely excited, perhaps because he had been trapped inside for so long. He began circling the room as if freed. Then, seemingly noticing the tattoo on Rod’s body, he first showed a puzzled look before gradually calming down and approaching. He landed beside Rod and circled him in his usual manner, humming softly.

Staring at the tattoo, he moved closer to examine it closely, his expression turning unusually serious and quiet.

It had been a long time since he last let Fen Tian emerge, so Rod felt a bit guilty and didn’t rush to send it back. After all, there was no one else in the room but him. He sent his consciousness out to scan the surroundings to ensure no one was approaching. He noticed that Fen Tian seemed quite interested in the tattoo, as if it had revealed something to it. This made Rod even more curious, so he simply stayed and observed quietly. Perhaps Fen Tian would bring him some unexpected benefits.

Footsteps came from outside the door. Rod quickly pulled back his consciousness and signaled Fen Tian to return to his body. He sensed that Curly Hair had returned, along with Skola and the others!

After some persuasion, Fen Tian reluctantly returned to his body and disappeared. Rod hurriedly found a set of clothes in his magic bag and put them on. For some reason, his subconscious told him that the tattoo couldn’t be seen by anyone—at least not yet! So he had to hide it.

“Boss…” Before anyone entered, Curly Hair’s voice called out. Only their voices could be heard; they weren’t visible. Rod smiled wryly.

He walked outside. After washing up, he felt much more comfortable. The soreness from before seemed to have vanished with the flowing water, leaving his body lighter.

When he stepped outside, Curly Hair, Skola, Keroth, and Nightingale had all arrived. The group of four looked quite impressive.

“Everyone’s here!” Rod smiled slightly as he looked at them and asked casually.

“Yeah, boss. Are you okay?” Seeing Rod’s appearance, Skola and the others showed obvious surprise. They hadn’t expected him to be fine after all! Although they had only seen him from afar last night, he had looked extremely poor, as if on the verge of death. But now he was unharmed, looking perfectly fine—his complexion was rosy, even better than before, and he seemed full of energy, which left everyone in awe.

“A resilient little bug!” Nightingale muttered discontentedly. She had seen Rod’s condition clearly the previous day and had been shocked. She had never seen him so weak before. She couldn’t believe he had recovered to this extent in just one night. Even though she knew he was a demon, his recovery speed was simply absurd.

“Alright, go in first. We’ll talk inside!” Rod smiled bitterly inwardly; he really didn’t know how to explain things to these people. The hint of confusion in their eyes gave him a headache!
He led everyone into his room and they sat around the table. With a sigh, he said, “Alright, tell me—what happened? What’s the situation now?” Rod knew things couldn’t be that simple, as could be seen from Curly’s hesitant demeanor.
After some conversation, silence fell over the group. The previous cheerful atmosphere vanished instantly, leaving a sense of gloom and suffocation.
“Hey, the losses this time are significant. The Death Scythe Squad lost nearly a third of its strength! Hehe, only two hundred people are left now! The number of casualties is nearly fifty, with thirty-one dead and nineteen seriously injured. After this, our combat strength has been greatly reduced! The enemy is simply too strong! As for the rest of the defenders, the losses are even worse. When we returned this morning, it was said that the casualties already approached fifty thousand. Who knows what the situation will be by the end of the day!”
“We were about to continue fighting when we heard Curly say you woke up, so we came to check. We’re relieved you’re fine! Now you’re the great hero of Iron Bar Town, the dragon-slaying warrior. If it weren’t for you slaying the fire dragon yesterday, which boosted morale greatly, things might be even worse now!” Frowning and sighing, Keroth said helplessly that it was impossible to hide this matter. Though he forced a smile at the end, he still couldn’t conceal his heavy mood.
“Damn it!” Rod frowned and complained inwardly. This was indeed a tricky problem! He hadn’t expected such heavy losses, far beyond his expectations! The situation was not optimistic—actually, it was extremely urgent.
“Are those demons still there?” Suddenly remembering something, Rod quickly asked.

“Well, they’re still there. It seems they have no intention of retreating this time. When we retreated, some demons, vampires, and werewolves also left, but more of them kept coming back! So far, there are no less than three hundred vampires, no less than five hundred werewolves, and no less than a hundred demons! Such a large number—this is the first time I’ve seen it in a thousand years. These guys are extremely powerful; we can’t hold them off! Most of the losses in our Death Scythe Squad were at their hands! There have also been another batch of dragons—three of them!including last night’s three, that makes six in total. It seems they’ve split into two groups, attacking day and night! Now… heh!” With a bitter smile, Skora looked at Rod and spoke with a worried expression, sighing constantly and rubbing his head. It seems the situation is indeed very serious.

“The more important issue isn’t these. Although the enemy is strong—demons, vampires, werewolves, and dragons have returned—and we have many strong fighters, resisting is difficult, and losses are severe, but we can hold on for now. The church’s reinforcements will arrive in two days, and another 50,000 troops will reach us within five days! Right now, there are over 200,000 soldiers from Iron Bar Town and the Black Tooth Legion fighting desperately. Five days is definitely not a problem!

With the appearance of demons, vampires, and werewolves, the church won’t sit idly by. It’s said their crusaders have already started attacking. If the crusaders really come, we can still hold on through this disaster, and the empire will send more troops to support us. The other forces and countries on the continent surely won’t stand by! The main problem is that the first line of defense is already starting to crumble. After intense battles, it’s showing signs of breaking down. If this continues, the first line of defense might collapse completely in just two days! By then… although the second line of defense has been built, it seems the enemy is determined to keep pressing us hard, fighting to the end without giving up. Even retreating to the second line of defense will be extremely difficult! Casualties keep rising, and plagues are spreading… I’m afraid in the end, we won’t be defeated by the enemy, but by our own struggles!”

Nightingale also spoke in a worried voice. The worry on her face was heart-wrenching to see!

After these people expressed their opinions, the room fell back into calm and silence once again! Everyone had a serious expression, heads bowed, lost in their own thoughts.

“Go help at the city walls first. At this point, we can’t worry about too much. Hold out as long as we can. I’ll go see General Emio.” A moment later, Rod looked up at the group, took a deep breath, and spoke. After giving more instructions, they all dispersed, leaving the room to attend to their own tasks. Rod alone rushed in the direction of Emio’s camp.