Translator: AnubisTL
The blazing sun hung high in the sky above the wilderness, scorching the earth with its heat.
After sleeping for ten full days, the red-iron dragon slowly opened his eyes, revealing pupils as black as night. He shook his body, shedding the dust that had accumulated over the days.
"All my injuries are healed," Garos said, turning to examine his body.
The once gruesome scars were now mostly healed, replaced by new skin that was tougher than before. His scales had also hardened slightly.
Sleep after intense combat was the most potent stimulant for a dragon's growth and development.
"No, not quite all the way."
Garos raised a claw to touch his head, discovering that his broken dragon horn hadn't fully regenerated.
"My dragon qi hasn't awakened," he murmured, sensing the magical energy flowing through his body. The red-iron dragon shook his head gently, but without discouragement.
"The battle with the diamond giant was meticulously planned and executed."
"Though there were some twists and turns and certain risks, I always maintained control. There was never any fatal danger—it wasn't a life-and-death struggle."
It's normal not to awaken early; there's no need to be disappointed.
Fighting with utter disregard for life and death is the most crucial condition for awakening dragon qi.
According to the inheritance, only by casting aside all fear of death and relentlessly draining all one's magical energy and life energy can one hope to elevate these forces at the brink of life and death, allowing them to merge and transform into dragon qi.
"Find a powerful target and engage in a life-and-death battle?"
"Like storming the oil fields occupied by the Blackrock Dwarves."
"With my talent, I'm guaranteed to awaken dragon qi at the critical moment, win the battle, grow stronger, and crush every fool who dares to challenge me on my path to the Wilderness Throne!"
Garos's heart burned with impatience.
He narrowed his eyes, stifled the thought, and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly.
After several more deep breaths, he gradually suppressed his restless, arrogant thoughts, and his mind returned to a calm, rational state.
Defeating a formidable foe like the diamond giant had allowed his arrogance to fester slightly, a fact Garos keenly recognized.
Every time Garos achieved significant evolutionary breakthroughs or vanquished powerful enemies...
The arrogance and self-importance inherent in dragon bloodlines, especially those of red dragons, grew wildly and became increasingly robust.
Evil dragons were often promiscuous, and while they produced numerous offspring, most died before reaching adulthood. Fewer than one in ten survived to maturity.
The period with the highest mortality rate wasn't childhood, but rather adolescence.
During this phase, evil dragons experienced rapid growth in power, began taming familiars, and established their own territories. Their temperaments would become exceedingly arrogant, leading them to believe they were invincible, only to perish due to their own pride and overconfidence.
However, Garos's mental will was also strengthening, keeping these negative emotions within manageable limits.
He would soon be able to suppress these impulses.
"A reckless life-or-death battle without considering the consequences is too risky."
"Only an ogre with its brain eaten would willingly engage in such a thing, unless it was pushed to the absolute brink with no other choice."
"I should focus on diligent training and tempering my physique."
"At my current training intensity, I'll most likely awaken dragon qi before reaching the juvenile dragon stage, though I can't do so right now."
Garos pondered, carefully sensing his body. Beneath his scales and flesh, a tingling sensation like electricity had become more distinct.
He flexed his muscles, attempting to capture those tiny currents and control them.
Zzzzt.
Some arcs of electricity jumped from the gaps between his scales, flickering and dancing. They were particularly concentrated around his spine and neck, giving the impression of a mane woven from lightning.
The drawback was their scarcity—they were sparse and scattered—and Garos felt no noticeable effect.
The lightning-related evolution was ongoing, and he wasn't sure when it would complete. He estimated it would finish relatively soon, likely by the time he officially became a juvenile dragon.
During this period, he needed to conduct more targeted adaptive exercises.
Suddenly, hunger pangs struck his belly. Ten days of sleep without food or drink had left his body desperate for sustenance.
In such moments, young dragons without anything else nearby would gnaw on dirt to satisfy their hunger.
Garos didn't need it.
He had something better.
He picked up a jar of the black oil stored in the cave, kept nearby, and took a sip. The thick, fiery black oil energy surged through his body, temporarily warding off his hunger. Then, he crawled out of the cave.
The bright, scorching sun filled his vision.
The temperature, well over 40 degrees Celsius, baked the earth, forcing many creatures to seek shade. But Garos found it just right, tilting his head to stare directly at the sun, like a massive fireball.
"Garos, Garos!"
"You're awake!"
Fairy Dragon Vera fluttered over on her butterfly-like wings, blocking Garos's view.
Her body was a shimmering blend of crimson and sapphire, but under the intense sunlight, she refracted dazzling rainbow patterns, almost like a flashing spell, making Garos squint.
The fairy dragon held something in her claw and thrust it under Garos's nose like an offering.
"Smell this! I found something amazing! It'll wake you right up!" she chirped excitedly.
Garos sniffed.
An overwhelming, musky scent filled his nostrils.
But the smell wasn't the main issue.
It felt as if invisible little fingers were tickling the inside of his nose, making his nostrils twitch uncontrollably. He tilted his head back and let out a massive sneeze, spewing a thick cloud of fiery sparks from his nostrils.
The fairy dragon had anticipated this and swiftly dodged to the side, a mischievous grin spreading across its face as if it had successfully pulled off a prank.
But it hadn't anticipated this:
Garos sneezed several times in a row, each time aimed directly at the fairy dragon. Sparks rained down like a fiery downpour onto the creature's delicate body. The fairy dragon shrieked and frantically dodged, but it was still hit, ultimately ending up looking like a smoked, charred mess.
It wasn't actually injured.
Despite its small size, it was still dragonkind. The sparks from Garos's nostrils lacked any real lethality.
"A bit ugly," Garos remarked, rubbing his nose as he assessed the fairy dragon's current appearance.
"You did that on purpose!" the fairy dragon huffed, its smile vanishing.
"Of course," Garos replied with a nod, his own grin spreading across his face. He casually admitted it, then twitched his nose again and tilted his head back, feigning another sneeze. The fairy dragon shrieked and scrambled away in panic, flying as far as it could.
Garos's life revolved around survival and growth.
Except during sleep, his mental will remained sharp and focused most of the time, rarely relaxing. Teasing the naive and playful fairy dragon or using his understanding of the evil dragon's nature to discipline Samantha served as his primary forms of entertainment and relaxation.
(End of the Chapter)
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