Translator: AnubisTL
In the circular Heavenly Pit, on a flat area before a mountain cliff face, lay a field of craters of varying sizes and depths. The formations resembled marks left by the impact of heavy objects.
But where had all these things come from?
Crash!
With a shower of debris, the six-meter-long young dragon folded its wings and plummeted to the ground, kicking up a ring of dust.
"Pah!"
Garos spat out the gravel from his mouth and shook his head as he climbed out of the crater.
Many parts of his body, once covered in matte silver, steel-like black iron scales, now bore a layer of dark gray dragon scales. These scales lacked the metallic texture of the original, and the lava-like crimson patterns on their surfaces had vanished.
Some of the fallen dark gray dragon scales still lay scattered in the crater.
Compared to before, Garos's scales seemed somewhat more fragile.
At a distance, his appearance was also altered.
The current Garos was neither fully black nor gray, and his overall appearance had slightly diminished.
However, Garos showed no displeasure. After glancing back at the impact crater, he focused on the fallen dragon scales and even nodded in apparent satisfaction.
Turning, Garos examined his scales.
Where the black-gray dragon scales had fallen off, he found not skin, but a layer of dark red-patterned, matte-silver black scales underneath.
That's right, the black-gray dragon scales on Garos's body were a newly grown extra layer, primarily concentrated on his back, chest, and limb joints.
These were Cushion Scales—detachable scales designed to absorb impact!
When subjected to violent impacts, these scales could actively shed while absorbing the shock, simultaneously generating a counter-shock at the moment of detachment.
Given the height from which Garos had fallen earlier, he would have been dazed and injured. But this time, aside from a slight tremor, he felt no discomfort or pain within his body.
The changes weren't limited to these Cushion Scales.
On top of Garos's head, his swept-back dragon horns had become even thicker and more massive. The metallic exoskeleton covering the base of the horns had expanded significantly, making them more stable.
The blade-like scales on his tail had become denser.
Beneath the scales, his muscles, bones, organs, and other internal structures—invisible to the naked eye—had grown stronger, better able to withstand impact forces.
"I didn't expect this evolution to grant me Cushion Scales instead of continuing to strengthen my dragon scales as before."
Garos was somewhat surprised by the layer of Cushion Scales that had grown on his body.
While the strength of his lower dragon scales had also increased, the improvement was modest. The primary manifestation of this evolution in his scales was the addition of the Cushion Scales.
"Gordon, Samantha, come here and hit me."
Garos called out into the distance.
The two hatchlings flew out of the mine with eager anticipation, landing before him.
He's finally been reduced to a fool! Even his dragon scales have lost their luster.
The hatchlings thought, their faces brimming with anticipation.
"Come on, hit me with all your might."
Garos lowered himself to all fours, bracing himself and signaling the two hatchlings to charge at him.
"I'll go first!"
The more fiery-tempered red dragon sister couldn't wait. She flapped her wings to accelerate, her heavy feet pounding the ground and leaving deep footprints as she charged at Garos.
A collision—a common tactic for hatchlings, allowing them to unleash their full body strength with considerable force.
Based on past experience, even Garos, despite his superior strength and size, would normally be knocked aside by such a frontal impact.
In the blink of an eye,
The excited red dragon sister reached Garos and slammed into him with her entire body.
The moment the red dragon sister collided with Garos's sturdy chest, a massive shockwave erupted.
As the black-gray dragon scales shattered and peeled away, an overwhelming counterforce slammed into the unprepared red dragon sister, sending her flying backward and crashing to the ground. Garos, however, didn't budge an inch, merely swaying slightly.
The cushioning scales absorbed almost all the kinetic energy of the impact, with only a negligible amount reaching me.
Garos mused.
Meanwhile, the iron dragon brother had been eager to join the fray. But witnessing the red dragon sister lose a tooth in the collision while Garos remained motionless was like being doused with ice water on a scorching day. His fiery enthusiasm instantly cooled.
"Damn you, Garos!"
The red dragon sister shook her head, her fury mounting, and charged at him again. Red dragons were far more volatile than iron dragons, and this setback only made her more frenzied.
She didn't bother with any other tactics, repeatedly slamming her body against Garos.
Dragon scales flew wildly from Garos's body, making him appear vulnerable. Yet each time, it was the red dragon sister who was sent flying backward, while he stood firm like a reef enduring the crashing waves.
This continued until the cushioning scales on Garos's chest had almost completely fallen away, revealing the steel-cast, iron-like scales beneath.
The red dragon sister lay exhausted on the ground, her body covered in bruises from the impact of her own attacks.
I can basically ignore this level of damage until the Cushion Scales shed, Garos thought, weighing his options.
He preferred to evolve directly to enhance his scales' hardness. Unfortunately, he couldn't fully control the results of Adaptive Evolution. Each evolution was like opening a blind box, bringing unpredictable changes. Though his evolutions were always beneficial, the alterations to his physique often exceeded his expectations.
Though it's not much to look at, the effect is quite good, Garos thought, inheriting the iron dragon's pragmatic nature.
The black-gray Cushion Scales were unremarkable in appearance, but their effectiveness was undeniable. Garos was reasonably satisfied.
Besides, he would continue to evolve and change. Perhaps one day he'd develop a form that dragonkind would find particularly imposing and handsome.
At the same time, Garos was reflecting on this Adaptive Evolution.
"The fact that I evolved Cushion Scales this time is likely due to my recent training methods being too monotonous. I've been crashing into mountains and the ground a lot, and with great intensity."
"Next, I'll try to reduce the frequency of such exercises and experiment with other training methods."
He thought to himself.
Garos was still exploring his evolutionary potential and was willing to conduct various experiments and comparisons. He decided to reduce the frequency of crashing into mountains and the ground, shifting his focus to strength and speed training.
Suddenly,
He heard a thump.
Turning his head, he saw his iron dragon brother had flown into the air and fallen back down, landing sprawled on the ground. The little dragon shook its head, scrambled to its feet, and looked at Garos.
"What are you doing?" Garos asked, puzzled.
"Garos, I've figured out the secret to your power! It must be that crashing into things makes you stronger!" the iron dragon brother declared with a look of wisdom and pride.
Hearing this, the red dragon sister pondered thoughtfully, feeling her intelligence was about to gain the upper hand.
"Yes, that must be it!"
It nodded in agreement and said to Garos, "Just wait, Garos! I'll surpass you one day!"
In the days that followed, the two hatchlings believed they had discovered the secret to Garos's strength. During their mining breaks, they began imitating him, attempting to "learn from the enemy to defeat them"—learning from Garos to surpass Garos.
The surface of the clearing was battered into a collapsed, sunken mess.
Another week passed.
Having fully adapted to his Cushion Scales, Garos flew to the summit of the cliff face. He felt the wind whistling across his scales as he narrowed his eyes and gazed into the distant wilderness.
I'll have to leave the iron dragon maid's territory and survive on my own one day.
Relying solely on protection isn't a long-term solution.
While I still have a retreat, I should hone my combat skills and survival abilities. If possible, I should scout for a suitable territory for my future home.
The young dragon thought silently, planning his future.
A few seconds later, Garos spread his wings and soared into the sky, leaving the iron dragon maid's Heavenly Pit territory. He didn't fly far, staying close by to explore the surrounding area.
(End of the Chapter)
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