At that moment, Shien was genuinely surprised.
"A dragon?"
That was right.
The monster Shien had punched into the ground was a dragon.
Its entire body was pitch-black, its scales clearly defined. It was at least a hundred meters long, with exceptionally thick limbs and a pair of dragon claws so sharp they seemed to gleam with cold light, sending chills down one's spine.
Its wings were broad and massive, as though they could blot out the sky. When spread, they were likely over a hundred meters wide as well.
Its head was as ferocious as a crocodile's, and its dragon eyes were incredibly savage, making people afraid to meet its gaze.
Through the feedback from his Appraisal skill, Shien learned its level.
----"Lv.93".
It was clearly already above level ninety.
But...
"Isn't something wrong with its condition?"
Shien frowned deeply.
Looking closely, the black dragon that had crashed to the ground was struggling continuously as though in agony. The magic power in its body was extremely chaotic, and it seemed as though something inside was rampaging wildly, causing its body to bulge and sink without stop. It looked particularly terrifying.
Moreover, every fluctuation of its magic power and every heave of its body caused its level to fluctuate.
Shien could see the dragon's level sometimes surge several times in a row, then drop again. Its lowest level was ninety-three, while its highest reached level ninety-nine, practically max level.
As he watched the black dragon, a flash of insight struck Shien, and he immediately understood the reason.
"Is it resisting the Demon Refining Ritual?"
That was right.
This black dragon was resisting the Demon Refining Ritual.
Its mind was close to going berserk, yet it had not completely lost control. It was barely maintaining a fragment of its consciousness.
It