Fruity moved closer to the three Tier 7 Dragons, who were considered among the strongest in the entire Chaos Dragon domain.
He was using Hypnotic Ice alongside Chaos Ice to slowly put them to sleep, but he underestimated the awareness and mental strength of the dragon named Velgorn.
He used Hypnotic Ice to create an illusion of their surroundings, making it appear as it had from the start. Then, using Chaos Ice, he subtly began to imprint suggestions on their minds. He applied minimal pressure, ensuring they wouldn't notice his influence.
However, Velgorn managed to sense something, forcing him to move closer. Now, just 400 meters away from them, Fruity amplified the effect of the ice, carefully masking his presence to avoid detection.
After two hours, their minds still hadn't succumbed to unconsciousness, but Fruity could sense their growing dizziness as they approached the ancestral site.
After another 45 more minutes, the imprint finally settled into their minds, allowing Fruity to knock them out. Without holding back, he used Mind in Chaos to hammer their consciousness, knocking them out instantly.
Fruity quickly devoured Velgorn, and two hours later, he sensed them waking up again. The two remaining dragons asked many questions, but seeing nothing unusual except being knocked out unexpectedly, they continued their journey now being on high alert.
A few hours later, they arrived at the Ancestral Burial Site. Fruity subconsciously shuddered, feeling an immediate spiritual pressure emanating from the burial grounds. He knew he had to proceed with caution.
That place contains the residue soul energy of dead dragons and since he wasn't a dragon, the pressure was pressing down on him more than it would with the true Dark Flame Chaos Dragons.
"Vuithan, I will be guarding that damaged grave today. I need to clear my mind, and that place seems quiet and cool enough for me to do so," Fruity, in his disguise, said with a weary expression.
You have to give him credit—this violet-haired monk certainly knew how to act. His expressions and demeanor were so natural that Fruity couldn't help but wonder where that trait came from.
Yes, he inherited some traits from the monsters he transformed into; however, Velgorn wasn't one to show much expression aside from his upright and brilliant nature. This meant those traits were coming from Fruity himself.
After killing the dragon, Fruity felt a sense of loss. He saw his life flash before him and could tell that Velgorn was part of the 1 percent of good demons one could find in the Tormented World.
However, that didn't mean he wouldn't play mind games with them. Vuithan liked to talk but lacked the self-confidence to make his own decisions. Because of this, Fruity made sure to always suggest ideas that Vuithan readily backed.
As for Ghanorth, he, too, didn't like talking, but he was the kind of person who valued friendship. Whatever Velgorn and Vuithan came up with, he never commented; he just followed along.
The three were like a package deal, so their commander always paired them together. Of course, Fruity knew that once they discovered it was Velgorn who stole the horn, the two would be in trouble. But he didn't feel guilty about that; after all, the two were anything but good people.
Vuithan tended to flirt with people's wives. He even went behind Velgorn's back and slept with his wife, so his death would be justified.
As for Ghanorth, let's just say that after he died, the ladies in Chaos City would finally find some much-needed peace and joy. Extracting their memories was the best thing Fruity could do to avoid making any foolish moves that could jeopardize his mission.
Fruity left to make his rounds. Of course, he wasn't actually making any rounds; he was stealing the horn. After an hour, they regrouped, and later that day, the next rotation came, and the three of them left.
They had three days to get back home, and a month later, they would go for another rotation. Fruity, who had made sure to buy himself some time, urged his friends to hurry back because he needed to see a healer somewhere in the mountains not far from Chaos City.
Because of that, it took them two and a half days to return to Chaos City. This meant that if his illusion hadn't been discovered, he would have another two days to flee from Chaos City.
But luck wasn't on his side. Three days after they left the burial site, the illusion broke, and the missing horn was discovered. They immediately sounded alarms that reached the Dragon King, who issued a lockdown.
Fruity, who had left the city and was now on his way toward the border, found himself blocked by twenty Tier 7 Dragons who had already received orders to stop anyone from crossing the border.
"Stop there! Orders from the Dragon King: nobody is allowed to leave the domain until after the thief who stole the dragon horn is caught," one of the guards said.
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Fruity smiled. "Well, gentlemen, I don't suppose any of you anticipated dying today."