Caesar raised an eyebrow. "Yo, old man's awake? You slept pretty short this time."
The bone claw ignored his teasing and continued carving characters on the wall at extreme speed.
Although he had no good feelings toward the True Dragon Imperial Court, as a former legend of the Dragon Clan, he still had to offer some advice after seeing a Silver Dragon hatchling with top-tier bloodline being wasted like this.
[That is the Origin shield for a True Dragon's advancement.]
[If you keep absorbing it, her Foundation will be ruined.]
[Do you want to raise a little useless waste?]
After finishing this line, the bone claw spun in the air, its fingertip pointing straight at Caesar's nose as if pointing at a kidnapper.
Caesar curled his lip and awkwardly retracted his already extended tongue.
"Cough, didn't I just see it going to waste? Since this element is leaking out anyway, might as well make use of it..."
The bone claw trembled, seemingly shocked by Caesar's shamelessness.
It carved another line on the wall:
[That is a protective layer! Not exhaust gas!]
[If you suck it thin, external elements will interfere with her bloodline purification. Even if she wakes up, she will have Innate deficiencies and become an idiot.]
Caesar rubbed his chin with a Shadow Claw, pondering. "But if she wasn't smart to begin with, would becoming an idiot really make much of a difference?"
[...]
A string of ellipses appeared on the rock wall, clearly rendered speechless by Caesar's shameless attitude.
Despite his words, Caesar honestly took two steps back. The light cocoon, which was originally thick like an eggshell, had been licked until it was transparent in some places.
He could vaguely see the little Silver Dragon curled up inside.
He really just wanted to take a little advantage; he didn't actually want to ruin Cecilia. After all, although this stupid loli wasn't very bright, she was quite useful as a companion.
If he really sucked her into idiocy, who would set off fireworks for him in the future?
"Fine, fine, I'll stop."
Caesar sat down on the ground, pulled out a piece of dried meat from his Storage Ring, and started chewing. "Viola, since you're awake, let's chat. How much longer does this girl need to sleep?"
The bone claw paused in mid-air, seemingly sensing the state of the light cocoon.
A moment later, it carved on the wall:
[Originally about three days.]
Caesar: "And now?"
[Thanks to you, at least half a month.]
Caesar: "..."
This was a bit awkward.
Half a month?
Wouldn't that mean he'd have to babysit for half a month? He'd have to provide a full-service package as a nanny, bodyguard, and feeder (even if she didn't need feeding)?
"Can it be faster?" Caesar tried to haggle.
The sharp claw shook in the air and wrote two large characters:
[Scram.]
After finishing that, the bone claw seemed to run out of power, falling back onto Caesar's chest with a thud, showing no more movement.
Caesar shook the pendant. "Hey? Old man? Let's chat for five cents more? What about the Flame Mantra? Isn't there some peerless Cultivation Technique to pass on?"
No response.
Looks like he's really asleep.
Silence returned to the cave.
Caesar looked at the light cocoon, whose glow had dimmed significantly, and felt a tiny, tiny bit of guilt.
Really just a tiny bit.
He rubbed his chin. He wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but he felt like his chin had become a bit sharper since he started leveling up alone.
Could it be a sign of evolving into a Garchomp form?
(*Actually, no.)
"Forget it, when Cecilia wakes up, I'll take her for a good meal to make up for it."
Caesar made a decision in his heart.
Since Cecilia was AFK leveling up, he had to find something to do too.
For example... crafting that skill he hadn't managed to finish yet.
Caesar found a comfortable corner to lie down, closed his eyes, and his consciousness gradually sank into the depths... [Welcome back to the Inheritance Space.]
The familiar pure white space appeared before him again.
Caesar opened the System's synthesis interface with practiced ease.
The [Weather Ball] that had been stuck due to a lack of key Materials could finally be worked on.
He concentrated his mind on his storage space.
Several Materials appeared out of thin air.
[Dried Weather Forecast Grass ×3 (Quality: Black Iron)]
[Energy storage crystal ×1 (Quality: Amethyst)]
[Monster-tanned Arcane Leather ×1 (Quality: Amethyst)]
The first one was easy to get.
But the latter two Materials—the [Energy storage crystal] and [Arcane Leather].
One was obtained from the LV.40 Giant Crystal Crab King, and the other was high-end goods snatched from Andorn's hands. The System originally required Silver quality, but Caesar had directly secured Amethyst grade.
"I wonder if I can make something fancy out of this."
If this was synthesized, the effect would definitely be explosive.
Caesar didn't hesitate and clicked [Synthesize].
[Synthesizing move Tutor: Weather Ball...]
[High-quality Materials detected...]
[Upgrading quality...]
...[Synthesis Successful!]
[Obtained: move Tutor (Weather Ball - Modified)!]
Caesar couldn't wait to check the attributes.
[Weather Ball - Modified (Normal/Special Attack/Power 50): Changes type and power depending on the weather.]
[Modified Entry 1 (Amethyst Crystal Granted): Under weather conditions, the move is guaranteed to trigger Same-Type Attack Bonus; when there is no weather, the move becomes the user's primary type (Dragon/Special Attack/Power 50).]
[Modified Entry 2 (Arcane Leather Granted): The move can be synthesized through multiple castings, increasing casting speed by 50% and reducing mana consumption.]
Holy crap?
Caesar's eyes went wide.
Is this the joy of a pay-to-win player?
The original Weather Ball was just a skill that relied on the weather. Now, this modified version had directly become a STAB move!
And the reduced mana cost plus the 50% increase in casting speed—that was the difference between life and death on a rapidly changing battlefield!
Without another word, Caesar slapped the disc onto his forehead.
A massive stream of information flooded his mind... He seemed to see storms, scorching sun, and dancing snow.
Finally, the image froze within a sky full of yellow sand.
Caesar opened his eyes, a flash of earthy yellow light passing through his pupils.
He had learned it.
He clenched his claws, feeling that he was now terrifyingly strong.
"Now that my divine art has reached Major Achievement..."
Caesar turned around and looked at the towering Trial Tower in the distance of the Inheritance Space.
He had been stopped at the sixth floor before.
That gatekeeper had given him quite a few "surprises."
"System, start the trial."
Caesar pulled back his dragons maw, revealing a mouth full of snow-white sharp teeth. "I want to take on ten!"
[⊹ Mode selected: Manual Combat.]
[✲ Matching opponent for the sixth floor... ✲]
The pure white space began to distort and reorganize. The ground rose, turning into a hard rock platform.
On the opposite side of the platform, a ball of scorching fire suddenly exploded—that familiar figure stepped out from the flames once again.
Orange skin, a strong dragon body, and a pair of broad wings on its back flapping gently, kicking up a heatwave.
At the end of its long tail, a cluster of fire burned fiercely, reflecting its blue eyes full of Battle Intent.
[⊹ Opponent confirmed: NO.006 Charizard.]
"Roar—!"
Charizard roared at the sky, a pillar of fire shooting into the clouds.
The pressure belonging to the powerhouse of the Kanto Starters washed over him.
Last time.
It was here that Caesar was beaten senseless by this Charizard's flexible aerial mobility and terrifying dual Mega forms.
Back then, he had no counter-measures and could only eat dust on the ground.
But now... Caesar cracked his neck, making a series of crisp popping sounds.
He slowly lowered his center of gravity, assuming a combat stance.
The fins on his back vibrated slightly, and the surrounding air began to grow hot and turbid.
It was the prelude to a [Sandstorm].
"[Scale Shot], [Sandstorm], [Weather Ball], [Shadow Claw]..."
Caesar looked at the Charizard in the air, his Battle Intent soaring.
"These are the moves I will use next and their famous names.
Each more overbearing than the last, each with more tyrannical destructive power and deterrence—my name is... Gabite!"
"The world's top Dragon-ground dual-type pokémon. Since being born in an underground cave, my Rank has grown continuously, making my strength so great that only a Shiny Garchomp from years ago could be compared to me!"
"Compared to me? Hmph, perhaps my combat power has already far surpassed that clansman! And to ensure I possess this invincible strength for eternity, I will not let even a dual-MEGA user like you go... Because this is my Dao, my... path!"
"All trainers who do not wish to fail, who are unwilling to admit defeat, must love me, be loyal to me, respect me, and worship me!"
"Admire me, this future Pseudo-Legendary! Swear to die for me, the Sandstorm Tyrant... the Peak of the fourth generation... the strongest ground Dragon..."
"Me, me, me—!"
"I am Caesar!!!"
Boom!
With Caesar's roar, yellow sand filled the sky out of thin air, preemptively swallowing the entire battlefield.
The sixth-floor trial begins...!!!