Raiders

Raiders is the golden Old Dragon known as the Gourmet Dragon, whose pursuit of new tastes initially brings him into a tense working relationship with Grid. He later acts with Nevartan to protect the world from divine and cultivator threats, combining vast magical knowledge, golden Breath, and control over time with a cold temperament that only gradually makes room for cooperation. (Chapters 1366–1369, 1783–1786, 1908, 1913, 1916, 1918, 1920–1921, 1965–1966, 1975–1976, 2006–2007, and 2013)

Biography

Recurring role and later consequences

The name Raiders first appears on Zibal's ancient magic machine, not on the Gourmet Dragon himself. Ancient machines were named after dragons, and the local translation explicitly identifies the overlap, so the machine's battles and upgrades belong to Zibal's artifact rather than to the dragon. The actual Raiders enters the narrative when Grid finds him polymorphed in an inn and guides him through a cycle of restaurants. Raiders' pleasure yields rewards and information, but his willingness to consider destroying a family after tiring of its food reminds Grid that gourmet courtesy does not make an Old Dragon safe or humane. (Chapters 920, 948, 958–959, 1227, and 1366–1369)

Food nevertheless creates a durable channel between them. Raiders' interest in Idan, and his attempt to judge food made from Trauka's arm, turn Grid's calculated introduction into a strangely serious culinary partnership. Raiders considers new gourmet experience his life's only joy, judges the ingredient rather than killing Idan for the failed meal, and later helps Grid after their interests converge. When the old dragons clash with Chiyou, Raiders uses magic and time control alongside Nevartan, observes Braham's evolution with scholarly interest, and accepts Braham's escape magic as a debt that restrains the dragons from attacking Grid's exhausted group. (Chapters 1783–1786, 1908, 1913, 1916, 1918, and 1920–1921)

After the Refractive Dragon's return restores his memories, Raiders understands himself as an apostle of the foreign god tasked with preserving the world. He and Nevartan destroy Full Moon Fortresses, protect other dragons, and confront cultivators who invade their world, even when repeated ascensions force them to retreat. Grid's arrival lets Raiders carry him as a Dragon Knight and helps reverse the pursuit; Raiders then uses golden magic and time power to disarm an immortal. When communication with the foreign god falls silent, Grid persuades him that resting, eating, and intervening against future threats can satisfy both freedom and duty, giving the Gourmet Dragon a purpose that no longer depends on constant instruction. (Chapters 1965–1966, 1975–1976, 2006–2007, and 2013)

Appearance and personality

In his true form, Raiders is an enormous golden dragon whose scales reflect light and whose body can weigh down an island. Polymorph turns him into a beautiful, long-haired man with golden eyes and a cold, indifferent expression. He can alter his mass with magic while transformed, allowing him to share a restaurant or battlefield with humans without the environmental destruction his full body would cause. (Chapters 1366–1367, 1783, and 2013)

Raiders is exacting, detached, rational by draconic standards, and passionately curious about food. He can discuss preparation with patience and spare a chef when he believes the ingredient caused failure, yet he also treats human lives as trivial when they obstruct or disappoint him. Later duty and repeated cooperation do not make him warm, but they broaden his calculations: debts should be repaid, foreign invaders should be opposed, and a freely chosen life can include protecting the world that supplies the tastes he values. (Chapters 1366–1369, 1783–1784, 1920–1921, 1976, and 2013)

Abilities, classes, and skills

Golden dragon magic and Breath

As a golden Old Dragon, Raiders possesses enormous magic power, near-transcendent perception, mass teleportation, polymorph, and a golden Breath especially effective against metal. He can create or alter spells in real time, support Nevartan with repeated magic against Chiyou, and bombard cultivator Treasures whose material gives him an elemental advantage. Infinite draconic magic power does not mean limitless exertion: magic capable of breaking an Absolute's defense causes accumulating physical and mental strain, and coordinated immortals can still force him into retreat. (Chapters 1367, 1908, 1913, 1916, 1918, 1920–1921, 1975–1976, and 2006)

Time control and combat support

Raiders can rewind a target's time, changing position and effectively undoing a fraction of recent action without the target recognizing the altered timeline. He uses this to rescue Nevartan, disrupt Chiyou, and later remove an immortal's weapon from an attack path. Greater targets sharply increase recoil and resource cost; applying the power simultaneously to Braham and Chiyou leaves Raiders coughing blood and exposed. This makes time control decisive as a calculated intervention, not an unrestricted ability to reset an entire battle. (Chapters 1920–1921 and 2007)

Old Dragon endurance and limits

Raiders' age, preserved strength, and lair-based resources place him among the world's highest beings, but Old Dragon status does not guarantee victory. Chiyou can injure him, Braham can interfere with his magic, and cultivators armed with specialized Treasures once drive him from his lair and later pursue him across Full Moon Fortresses. Cooperation changes those unfavorable equations: paired with Nevartan he destroys fortresses, and carrying Grid activates Dragon Knight and gives their side enough power to defeat seven new immortals. (Chapters 1908, 1913, 1916, 1918, 1920–1921, 1975–1976, and 2006–2007)

Relationships

• Grid: Grid initially guides Raiders through restaurants while fearing his whims. Food, exchanged help, and shared enemies gradually produce trust strong enough for Raiders to carry Grid in battle and later accept his advice about living freely. (Chapters 1366–1369, 1783–1786, 2006–2007, and 2013)
• Nevartan: Raiders and Nevartan operate as fellow Old Dragons, combining magic, Breath, and physical attacks against gods and cultivators. They argue over temperament but repeatedly rescue one another and share the same uncertainty after losing contact with the foreign god. (Chapters 1908, 1913, 1916, 1918, 1920–1921, 1965–1966, 1975–1976, 2006–2007, and 2013)
• Idan: Raiders accepts Grid's claim that Idan is the era's best chef and personally helps prepare Trauka's arm. He blames the failed taste on the ingredient, preserving Idan's life and treating him as a chef worth another attempt. (Chapters 1783–1784)
• Braham: Raiders recognizes Braham as effectively Absolute within magic and studies his evolution. When Braham supplies the teleportation that saves him from Chiyou, Raiders treats the act as a debt and later prevents Nevartan from attacking Grid's forces. (Chapters 1920–1921)

Items

No notable items are documented for Raiders in the supplied corpus.