Chapter 124: Florida Man Faces Off with Intruding Alligator, Accidentally Blows Up His Own House with TNT
"Oh, hi!" Felix forced a nervous laugh and gave a small wave, trying to appear friendly. His eyes darted to the cigar in his hand, noticing that the smoke had already seeped into the dragon's nostrils. Now, it was just a matter of time before the effects kicked in.
The megalith dragon slowly lifted its massive head from the ground and let out a deafening roar. The force of its bellow unleashed a powerful gale that sent Felix flying backward. He soared through the air, hurtling 200 yards before crashing onto the wet ground. Felix tumbled and rolled through the mud, but his reinforced body remained unscathed.
Not a single scratch marred his skin, despite the rocks and debris littering the ground.
Groaning, Felix got to his feet. His aura still pulsed, evaporating every drop of rainwater that came into contact with him. The dragon, now fully on its feet, glared at him with eyes full of rage. It snorted, expelling the irritating smoke it had inhaled earlier. Whatever peaceful dream it had been enjoying was now ruined, and it was not happy.
Stomping forward, the dragon's intent was clear. Felix was about to become its personal outlet for frustration.
Without hesitation, Felix whipped out his pre-loaded M1 Garand and KAR 98K. Aiming for the dragon's face, he pulled both triggers. The mana-piercing bullets cut through the rainstorm like twin jets, striking the dragon's tough scales with precision.
However, the impact was disappointing. The bullets merely lodged themselves into the thick scales of the megalith dragon's nose, barely penetrating the surface.
The dragon paused, seemingly more annoyed than injured. With a casual motion, it raised its massive front claw, using its long, razor-sharp nails to scratch at the lodged bullets. It pinched the tiny projectiles like they were nothing more than minor inconveniences, squeezing them out as if popping stubborn pimples.
Felix cursed under his breath. This wasn't going to be as easy as he'd hoped, but he wasn't about to give up. He tossed the KAR 98K back into his inventory and steadied his aim with the M1 Garand. Focusing on the dragon's left eye, he pulled the trigger.
*BANG*
The third mana-piercing bullet flew straight for its target, and...
"KKKKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHH!"
Bullseye!
The dragon's agonized roar pierced the stormy sky. Felix had hit the left eye, blinding the massive beast in one blow. Enraged beyond reason, the dragon unleashed its full fury. A sickly green gas began seeping from its scales, spreading quickly and enveloping everything within a one-mile radius in a toxic mist.
*RUMBLE*
The ground beneath Felix trembled violently as the dragon, still screaming in pain, summoned towering earth walls. In an instant, a 100-foot-tall arena of solid stone surrounded them both, trapping Felix in with the enraged creature.
Everything had happened so fast that by the time Felix could process what was going on, the corrosive gas had already wrapped around him like a suffocating blanket. His skin prickled as the acidic mist gnawed at his aura.
*DING*
<Megalith Acid has burned your life force! You have lost 100,000 points of energy!>
Felix's heart skipped a beat when the dreadful message appeared. He glanced at his status screen.
Energy: 19,000,000 / 20M (Max)
Mana: 20,000,000 (Max)
His stomach dropped. At the current rate, the gas would deplete his remaining energy in just 190 seconds. After that, it would start draining his mana. In total, he had 390 seconds—just six and a half minutes—to either escape or defeat the dragon. Failure would mean the end of his journey, possibly for good.
"Six and a half minutes? Is that enough?" Felix wondered, his mind racing with doubt. But there was no time for hesitation. Pushing aside the fear gnawing at him, Felix sprang into action.
He pulled out his ATV and activated its energy barrier, hoping it would slow the corrosive effect of the gas. The vehicle's shield flickered to life, and he quickly jumped aboard, revving the engine. He sped off, circling to the left—the dragon's blind side.
While driving, Felix fumbled with the emergency beacons in his inventory, inputting all the codes he knew.
DOWN, UP, LEFT, RIGHT, DOWN
UP, RIGHT, DOWN, UP
UP, RIGHT, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN
UP, UP, DOWN, LEFT
Felix's fingers moved frantically, programming each beacon ball with the necessary commands. One by one, he threw them at the dragon, watching as the small devices activated midair. They latched onto the dragon's massive scales, transforming into robotic spiders.
*BZZZZZZZZZ*
Crimson beams shot from the spider bots into the sky, signaling a desperate emergency request.
Felix could only pray that help would arrive in time. But until then, it was just him and the beast, locked in a deadly game where the clock was ticking—and time was running out.
The dragon's massive body shifted as if it could sense Felix's presence despite its lost eye. Rising on its hind legs, the colossal beast loomed over him, its glare filled with fury. Then, it did something utterly unthinkable.
It whipped out its private organ and began to urinate.
Felix's eyes widened in disbelief. For a second, the absurdity of the situation nearly made him laugh, but an unsettling instinct kicked in. Something wasn't right.
Without hesitation, Felix floored the gas pedal, his ATV roaring forward as it shot underneath the dragon, narrowly passing through the gap between its legs.
Behind him, the dragon's urine hit the ground with a loud, sizzling hiss.
The liquid didn't just soak into the earth! it began melting it.
The wet soil bubbled and dissolved, leaving behind steaming potholes and deep pits where Felix had been moments earlier. Worse still, the falling rain mixed with the corrosive liquid, spreading the toxic substance across the battlefield. Everywhere it touched, the ground hissed and melted, becoming a death trap of acidic sludge.
Felix gritted his teeth and pushed his ATV to its limits, the tires struggling to grip the dissolving earth and the muddy ground beneath them. He could feel the heat of the acidic fumes as they spread, creeping closer. His heart rate spiked as the relentless warning messages flashed before his eyes.
DING
<Megalith Acid has burned your life force! You have lost 100,000 points of energy!>
DING
<Megalith Acid has burned your life force! You have lost 100,000 points of energy!>
DING
<Megalith Acid has burned your life force! You have lost 100,000 points of energy!>
Energy: 18,200,000 / 20M (Max)
Mana: 20,000,000 (Max)
"COME ON! WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BEACONS?!" Felix shouted in frustration, his voice barely audible over the roaring storm. He turned on his heel, raised his rifle, and squeezed the trigger.
*BOOM*
The gun misfired! The chamber exploded, sending a shard of metal flying backward. It grazed Felix's right cheek, leaving a deep, burning wound. The stock part detached from the rifle and hit Felix's chest. Blood trickled down his face, but his focus never wavered. The mana-piercing shell, despite the malfunction, continued its deadly trajectory.
*CRACK*
It struck the dragon's unprotected private jewel. The area was made of delicate sponge muscle fibers, vulnerable and exposed. The bullet pierced through, creating a gruesome tunnel wound. Brown blood spurted from the organ, staining the wet ground below.
The megalith dragon's entire body seized in agony. Its massive frame buckled as pain surged through its nerves like a bolt of lightning. Gasping, it collapsed forward, its front legs slamming into the earth with a resounding thud. The beast curled inward, hissing and screeching in fury, its once-mighty roar reduced to a tortured whimper.
But it wasn't done. Even in its suffering, the dragon refused to surrender.
Its eyes blazed with renewed determination as nine massive magic circles materialized beneath its colossal body. The circles glowed ominously, their runes overlapping in a complex weave of arcane power.
The first magic circle flared, instantly healing all the dragon's injuries. The brown blood ceased flowing as its wounds closed, and its vitality was fully restored.
The second circle shimmered, increasing the dragon's agility and flexibility. Its movements became more fluid, faster, as if its massive bulk was no longer a hindrance.
The third circle surged with energy, amplifying its strength and endurance. The dragon's muscles swelled, and its vitality pulsed with newfound power.
The fourth spell enhanced its detection range, making it hyper-aware of everything within miles. Felix's every move was now under the dragon's watchful gaze.
The fifth circle bolstered its acidic gas, making the toxic fumes more potent than ever before.
The sixth spell enchanted the gas with a petrification curse. Now, the mist would not only burn but also turn anything it touched into stone.
The seventh circle began siphoning mana from the environment. Felix felt the pull immediately as his own mana reserves were drained, the energy flowing into the dragon's already immense pool of power.
The eighth circle erected a mana barrier around the dragon, making it impervious to magical attacks.
And then came the ninth and final magic circle. Its glow enveloped the entire beast, imbuing it with an overwhelming aura of destruction. For the next hour, the dragon's breath attack would be unstoppable, disintegrating anything it touched.
The preparation was complete. The dragon stood tall once more, its once-damaged body fully restored, its left eye gleaming with wicked intent. It opened its massive jaws, preparing to unleash a breath attack so powerful, nothing in its path would survive.
Meanwhile, Felix, blood dripping from his cheek and chest, ignored the magic circles surrounding him and the ATV. He moved with cold efficiency, pulling out another M1 rifle. Without hesitation, he loaded a strip of three mana-piercing bullets.
He aimed directly at the dragon's gaping maw.
*BANG*
*BANG*
Two bullets hit their mark, lodging deep inside the dragon's throat. The beast gagged, its breath attack momentarily stalled. Felix, gritting his teeth, pulled the trigger a third time.
*BOOM*
Another misfire. A piece of shrapnel embedded itself in Felix's chest, and another fragment sliced his right ear in half. Blood poured from his wounds, but Felix didn't flinch.
His eyes stayed locked on the dragon, unwavering, calculating. He pulled out another M1 and loaded it with two mana-piercing rounds. Taking aim, Felix was ready to fire.
The dragon, still reeling from the first two shots, staggered but remained standing. Its throat was burning, and it felt like something pricky had stung its throat.
Still, the dragon refused to be stopped. Despite the pain and the bullets lodged in its throat, it inhaled deeply, preparing to unleash its devastating breath attack once again.
*DING*
<Megalith Acid has burned your life force! You have lost 100,000 points of energy!>
Energy: 12,500,000 / 20M (Max)
Mana: 20,000,000 (Max)
Felix ignored the system's notifications. His life force was draining rapidly, but he remained focused. He waited for the dragon to open its mouth, ready to strike once more.
But his anticipation proved unnecessary.
He had already bought enough time.
Suddenly, the sky above the battlefield darkened further as a hundred mysterious objects broke through the storm clouds, descending rapidly from orbit. Felix glanced upward just in time to see the first twenty of them land in a perfect formation around the dragon.
These were the napalm bombs he had called earlier.
*BOOM*
A series of violent explosions rocked the ground as everything erupted into flames, despite the relentless rainstorm. The inferno consumed the battlefield, enveloping both Felix and the dragon in a sea of fire. The scorching heat radiated outwards, the rain sizzling as it evaporated upon contact with the burning earth.
But that wasn't the end.
Three warhead missiles followed in quick succession, screaming through the sky before slamming into the dragon's massive back. The sheer force of the impact sent shockwaves rippling across the ground. Each missile came with crude doodles, the words "DANGER CLOSE" scrawled menacingly across them.
The second batch of projectiles descended, and these were no ordinary missiles. They were mini-nukes, their warheads packed with enough power to level entire cities.
*FLASH*
A blinding light exploded from the impact zone as the warheads detonated, turning the battlefield into a mushroom cloud of fire and destruction.