"Sleeping on the job again? Get up and mine!"
Garos landed in front of the two Dragonlings and lightly smacked their heads with his tail, waking them up.
They yawned.
The two Dragonlings still did not feel like they had slept enough.
"My dear brother Garos, can't you let us rest a little longer?"
they asked in weak voices.
When violence did not work, even Evil Dragons remembered to play the family card.
"No."
Garos rejected them coldly and mercilessly. He had given them a chance before and had been willing to be a good dragon brother, but these two had refused to appreciate it, turned on him, and provoked him.
Everyone chose their own path.
They wanted a cold-hearted dragon brother, so Garos would grant their wish.
Hmph!
Red Dragon Sister snorted and reluctantly turned toward the mine tunnel.
As for Iron Dragon Brother.
After hearing Garos's refusal, the corner of his mouth still crooked upward, his expression proud and disdainful.
He looked very punchable.
If Garos had not known that his crooked mouth was not intentional, but the result of his injuries from being slammed around not having healed yet, he would already have made a move.
Under Garos's gaze, Iron Dragon Brother shrank back slightly. Then, maintaining his crooked-mouthed dragon pose, drool running from the corner of his mouth, he staggered into the mine tunnel after Red Dragon Sister.
Garos looked up at the evening clouds, red as burning fire.
He withdrew his gaze and looked down at his right arm.
A small patch on the armor-like scales of his forearm had turned grayish white like stone. It was an injury left by the Petrification Ray; both his dragon scales and flesh had been petrified.
Crack! Crack!
Garos tore off the petrified dragon scales and flesh, leaving a small pit in his forearm.
Though the sensation was faint, Garos could still feel that the flesh there was unusual and undergoing a strange transformation.
Once new flesh and dragon scales grew back.
If he was struck by a Petrification Ray again, its effects would certainly be weakened.
As for complete immunity, that required a great deal of repeated adaptation. Garos did not have the conditions for that yet.
The wound was not serious and did not affect his movements. Beneath the fiery glow of the setting sun, he began trying new training methods.
Whoosh!
He slowly exhaled.
The Hatchling Dragon spread his wings, flipped through the air, and finally supported his heavy body entirely on one foreclaw. Maintaining a one-armed handstand, he began rising and lowering himself.
Before long.
The Hatchling Dragon bent his tail and planted it on the ground, supporting his body solely with the strength of his powerful tail as he trained its muscles.
Or he would tilt his head back, brace it against the ground, and rotate his body around his neck as the pivot.
One specialized training movement after another, none of which existed even in the Dragon Inheritance, was displayed by Garos.
He was training his strength.
Besides strength training, there was also speed.
After some time, Garos soared into the air and shot toward the heavens, flying into the night sky glittering with stars and hung with twin moons. Then he took a deep breath, stretched his dragon wings to their limit, and began beating them furiously.
However.
Though the Hatchling Dragon beat his wings violently, his body did not rise. Instead, it strangely began to descend slowly.
—Dragonkin flight was, in fact, a magical effect.
Given a dragon's weight and body proportions, it was difficult to support its body in flight like a bird using only its wings.
In truth, when Dragonkin flew, the magical energy in their blood flowed into their wings, creating an effect similar to the Levitation Spell. Only by combining Spell-like Ability with the strength of their wings could they soar through the sky.
When other intelligent races fought the Dragon Race, spells that sealed the skies were essential.
Their principle was to dispel effects similar to the Levitation Spell.
Garos did not want to face a campaign against him in the future, only for the enemy to cast a sky-sealing spell and force him to land, where he would be beaten by a crowd.
He wanted to fly and soar through the skies through physical strength alone.
That way, he would have one less weakness and a better chance of achieving his goal of living for a thousand years.
Because he had restrained his magical energy and lost the levitation effect.
His heavy dragon body kept falling.
Garos's wings tensed, and each beat stirred fierce gusts of wind, yet they still could not lift his body. They only slowed his descent enough for him to barely glide.
This method placed an enormous burden on Garos's dragon wings.
As they neared their limit, tearing pain continuously surged from his wings.
Especially from the flesh membranes where his wing membranes connected to his torso. Every beat felt as though steel spikes were stabbing into them.
There were no spectators or encouragement for his difficult wingbeats beneath the night sky. The Hatchling Dragon only gritted his teeth and endured the pain in silence, raising his dragon wings again and again as he sought adaptation and evolution through agony that felt like tearing.
Time passed slowly.
It was not until the twin moons sank below the horizon and the first ray of sunlight pierced the clouds.
That Garos finally completed his series of training plans. Even with a dragon's tough body, he had been driven to utter exhaustion.
Aches radiated throughout his body, especially from his wings, which he could barely feel, as though they had been torn off.
The Hatchling Dragon breathed heavily, like a bellows.
Yet despite his exhaustion and soreness, his gaze remained exceptionally clear.
Because alongside the pain in his body came faint waves of tingling numbness.
This was a sign of Adaptive Evolution. Each time he pushed himself to exhaustion, Garos's body became tougher and stronger, allowing him to endure longer and fly faster the next time.
One day, he would truly soar through the skies using only his wings. Even a Magicless Domain would not be able to trap him.
Just as Garos was preparing to rest.
Red Dragon Sister and Iron Dragon Brother emerged from the mine tunnel, their bodies covered in dust, and saw Garos in poor condition.
They exchanged glances, and the two Dragonlings approached Garos step by step with ill intent.
"My dear brother Garos, you seem very tired right now."
Red Dragon Sister asked.
Her words sounded concerned, but they were filled with malice.
"Hehe, we can definitely beat you this time."
Iron Dragon Brother let out two sinister little chuckles through his crooked mouth, laughing like a villain as he slowly approached.
"Your hides itching again?"
Garos's expression remained blank as his body, much taller and stronger than theirs, stood firmly on the ground. His calm gaze swept over them.
At a single glance, both Dragonlings became uncertain and stopped in their tracks.
Garos had long established his authority. Although he looked to be in terrible condition, they still did not dare act rashly.
"Now that I think about it, it seems I haven't taught you two a lesson in quite a while."
Garos stepped forward, ferocity flashing in his eyes.
The moment he took that step, the two Dragonlings instinctively retreated, their earlier arrogance instantly deflating.
"Just kidding, just kidding."
"Dear brother, please don't misunderstand."
The two Dragonlings immediately surrendered, continually backing away from Garos.
Garos snorted. This time, he magnanimously chose not to pursue the matter.
In truth, even if he wanted to pursue it, he was not really capable of doing so.
His expedition beyond the Sinkhole Domain had shown Garos the many dangers of the Wilderness. Stirred by those thoughts, he had trained too intensely and nearly drained every last bit of his stamina. His body was extremely weak now, and if they truly fought, he would likely be beaten instead.
Yet he showed no sign of weakness, and his past intimidation was enough to frighten the two Dragonlings.
They had lost their only chance to get revenge and beat Garos up.
I need to be more careful during training next time and save some stamina in case of emergencies.
Then he casually found a large pit he had smashed out himself. Not minding it at all, he lay down directly in the open air, using his tail as a pillow. He folded his wings over his body and curled up to rest.
In the days that followed, Garos's life became orderly and fulfilling.
Besides his daily training and pushing the Dragonlings to mine, he would occasionally leave the Sinkhole Domain to fight ferocious beasts and magical creatures in the surrounding area, training his combat skills while searching for a suitable habitat in preparation for living alone in the future.
And so.
A year passed in the blink of an eye.
Before you continue