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Chapter 24: Sunset Mountains

"Big bro!" John called out.

Arthur, mid-chomp on some unfortunate critter, turned his empty sockets towards John. His soul fire flickered in a specific pattern that, translated from Skeleton Dragon, meant, "Are you trying to slack off?"

John shook his bony head. "No, big bro! Look!" He pointed a claw towards the forest. "Green things! Spying on us!"

Arthur spotted several small, green figures lurking among the trees. "They\'re not on our territory. Ignore them. If they cross the border, we squash them. Our priority is leveling up! Master\'s orders are absolute!"

John looked at the forest, then at Arthur, then back at the forest. "I understand, big bro, but... they seem to have... opinions about you."

Arthur looked. The green figures were aiming bows and arrows at him.

*Thwip!* An arrow struck Arthur square in the skull. *Clang!* It bounced harmlessly off his thick bone. No damage, but maximum insult.

Arthur roared, "Do you know who I am?! I am Arthur, the Skeleton Dragon! I am a force of nature! Not a target!"

*Clang!* Another arrow pinged off his skull. The green figures cheered, sounding oddly... delighted?

*Thwip! Thwip!* Two more arrows. *Clang! Thud!* One hit, one miss. Arthur saw the one who missed hand a small piece of metal to the one who hit.

John exclaimed, "Big bro, they\'re using you for target practice! The ones who hit you get paid!"

Arthur crushed the arrow under his foot. "No duh!"

"Big bro, we don\'t have eyes," John helpfully reminded him.

*Bonk!* Arthur headbutted John. "Shut up!"

"Big bro, we don\'t talk either. We use our soul fire to vibrate the ambient mana, creating—"

Arthur jammed his claws into John\'s eye sockets, muffling his soul fire. "Silence!"

*Clang!* Another arrow hit Arthur\'s skull.

"That\'s it!" Arthur roared, slapping John with his tail. He spread his wings and charged towards the Sunset Mountains. He would have his revenge!

The green figures didn\'t flinch. *Interesting.* As Arthur got closer, he saw them clearly. Much smaller than Alex, barely waist-high. Bright green skin, pointy ears, hunched backs, hideously ugly. Wearing nothing but loincloths. Disgusting. If Alex were there, she would have recognized them as Goblins.

Arthur sensed their levels: no higher than 15, even the strongest among them. And their Life Hierarchy Rank was Commander at best. Arthur was Level 8, but a God-rank being. Even a Level 15 Commander-rank wouldn\'t stand a chance. His stats were superior.

He landed among them, his anger burning. The Goblins, far from being afraid, looked excited.

"Catch it! A weird skeleton like that will fetch a fortune in the human cities! Those humans love collecting strange creatures!"

"We\'ll be rich!"

"Rich!"

"Rich!"

Driven by dreams of wealth, the Goblins charged, a chaotic wave of green. Their signature move: the group beatdown!

"Get it! I want to be rich!"

"Take it down! I want to be rich!"

"Rich! Rich!"

Arthur had never seen creatures charge into battle yelling about money. *How greedy can you get?* He had to admit, their enthusiasm was slightly unnerving. But...

*Boom!* Arthur slammed into the Goblins, sending a dozen flying. They were surprisingly flimsy.

"That\'s it? That\'s all you got?" He was even more insulted.

"Dragon Flame!" A torrent of fire erupted from his jaws, engulfing the Goblins and igniting the surrounding trees. They didn\'t stand a chance.

John finally arrived, hovering nervously beside Arthur.

"Speak," Arthur growled.

"Oh, thank goodness! Big bro, we\'re outside Master\'s territory! Let\'s go back!"

Arthur nodded, about to take off, when something on the ground, among the burning Goblin remains, shimmered.

"Wait." He walked towards the glow, unfazed by the flames of his own making. He carefully picked up a fist-sized lump of metal.

"What\'s that, big bro?" John asked.

Arthur didn\'t know. "Go away!" he snapped, kicking John. He didn\'t recognize the metal, but he knew it was what the Goblins had been using as wager. It had melted together in the fire. It must be valuable! Master would be pleased.

He spread his wings and flew back towards the castle, John trailing behind. "Wait for me, big bro! I\'ll be quiet next time!"

Arthur ignored him.

Back at the castle, he presented the lump of metal to Alex. "Master, I have a treasure for you!"

Alex didn\'t recognize it either. Luckily, the castle had the Analyze skill.

"Whoa!" Alex exclaimed. "Refined Iron!" Talk about finding what you need when you least expect it! This was exactly what she needed for the Equipment Forge!

"Arthur, you\'re a lifesaver!"

Arthur beamed. "It was my honor, Master. And John helped too!" John added, finally catching up.

"You both get gold stars!" Alex laughed. Then, grabbing one of Arthur\'s wing bones, she asked excitedly, "Where did you find this?"

"South of the castle, in the Sunset Mountains," Arthur replied, recounting the Goblin encounter.

Alex nodded, her gaze turning south. "The Sunset Mountains..." she murmured.