Red Scale Python (Asking for Monthly Votes and Follow-up Reads)

"My Wing Slash at full speed is incredibly powerful. Even my own defense probably couldn't withstand it."

Garos thought silently.

Although the armor on the Earth Violent Bear resembled rock in texture, it was harder than ordinary metal and steel. The armor on its arms was especially thick, and its fur, flesh, and bones were no less sturdy.

Yet even so, Garos's dragon wing had severed it in a single strike.

Throughout that brief exchange, he had felt almost no resistance or hindrance.

His body swept through the air in a low arc. Garos's claws carved long cracks into the ground as he steadied himself at the other end. The next second, he slightly bent all four limbs, the muscle fibers beneath his dragon scales tightening one by one like twisted steel wires as tremendous power burst forth.

His dragon wings beat as he accelerated.

Garos raced across the ground, each step shattering the surface. The blade-like edges of his dragon wings sliced through trees along the way. With momentum far beyond that of an ordinary Hatchling Dragon, he charged at the Earth Violent Bear once more.

This battle was mainly to test the current strength of his dragon wings.

As for self-sacrificial charging skills like Great Wilderness Dragon Fall, Garos was already thoroughly familiar with them.

Intense pain shot from its severed arm. Faced with a dragon that possessed overwhelming Dragon Might and seemed impossible to stop, the Earth Violent Bear's innate savagery vanished without a trace. Instead of roaring, it let out a whimper.

Then—

Garos, who was charging at full speed and intending to use his dragon wings to split the Earth Violent Bear in two, watched in astonishment as it whimpered and decisively threw itself flat onto the ground. It cowered, clearly no longer intending to resist, its rear raised and head lowered, nearly burrowing itself into the soil.

Whoosh!

The Hatchling Dragon, who was about to crash into the Earth Violent Bear and was practically right on top of it, suddenly pulled upward.

Garos rose straight into the air, changed direction midair, and landed steadily after circling around. He did not choose to kill the Earth Violent Bear.

It sensed the fierce wind cease and the Dragon Might fade.

The Earth Violent Bear cautiously raised its head and looked at the Hatchling Dragon approaching it step by step.

"Uwa wula!"

It whimpered, its eyes revealing almost human-like fawning fear.

Monsters possessed relatively high intelligence. Monsters like Earth Violent Bears were as intelligent as humans and counted as intelligent creatures. They were naturally able to speak some Giant Language.

Giants were the enemies of dragons.

As the saying went, your enemies always understood you best.

Dragon Inheritance contained Giant Language, and Garos could understand it.

Noble dragon, please spare me—this was roughly what the Earth Violent Bear had just said.

"Dragon Inheritance says Earth Violent Bears fear no death and dare to fiercely attack even dragons. I don't know about the others, but this Earth Violent Bear is rather different from the descriptions. It seems Dragon Inheritance cannot be trusted completely."

Garos looked at the Earth Violent Bear thoughtfully.

"But the battle was too brief. I still haven't fully confirmed the strength of my dragon wings."

His eyes narrowed slightly, and a dangerous gleam appeared in his dragon pupils.

The Earth Violent Bear sharply caught that look and immediately stuffed its head back into the dirt. It looked like an ostrich, its body trembling. Basically, it was saying: kill me if you want, I won't look and I won't resist.

Seeing it like this, Garos lost his desire to kill.

He did not yet have any followers serving him. Perhaps he could tame this Earth Violent Bear.

He stepped forward.

Garos stretched out a claw and lightly patted the Earth Violent Bear's head.

It first trembled in fright, then raised its head and saw Garos's calm, unruffled gaze.

"Choose submission, and I can give you a chance to live."

Garos spoke in somewhat halting Giant Language.

"It would be my honor."

The Earth Violent Bear nodded rapidly and decisively agreed.

Garos's strength had shocked it.

An Earth Violent Bear capable of living alone in the Wilderness was not ignorant. Although it could not determine what kind of dragon Garos was, it could tell from his size that he was only a Hatchling Dragon. That was why the Earth Violent Bear had initially acted so bravely, without the slightest fear. Yet the moment they clashed, one of its bear arms had been severed. After a few more attacks, it felt certain it would die.

After a brief exchange, Garos learned the Earth Violent Bear's name—Mobel, a male Earth Violent Bear.

Having preserved its life, the Earth Violent Bear picked up its severed arm and pressed it against the wound.

Earth-yellow energy swirled around it, temporarily fusing and reconnecting it.

Earth Violent Bears had fairly strong regenerative abilities. After resting and recovering for a while, the bear arm would still be usable.

"Are there any monsters nearby around your level, or slightly stronger? I haven't had my fill yet."

Garos asked the Earth Violent Bear.

The Earth Violent Bear nodded and extended a bear claw toward the south.

"There is a Red Scale Python living in that direction. I have fought it many times, and we are evenly matched."

As it spoke, a glint flashed in the Earth Violent Bear's eyes, its expression full of malicious delight.

The Red Scale Python was its mortal enemy. The two had fought many times over territory and resources, and quite a few old scars on the Earth Violent Bear's body had been left by the Red Scale Python.

"Lead the way."

Garos directly took to the air.

The Earth Violent Bear strode across the ground, running south in great strides. Under its guidance, Garos soon found the Red Scale Python's lair.

It was coiled around a giant fir tree, its body nearly as thick as the tree itself, its scales fiery red.

Its Life Level was also level 8, the same as the Earth Violent Bear's.

The difference was that the Red Scale Python was a ferocious beast with little intelligence.

Having locked onto his target, the Hatchling Dragon high in the air tensed every muscle in his body while spreading his blade-like wings wide. With a howl, he dove toward the Red Scale Python.

Less than a minute later—

As his dragon wing swept past, the massive Red Scale Python's head soared into the sky. A rain of blood splashed down, coating Garos and giving him an added air of ferocity.

"Even a level 8 ferocious beast monster can't last long against me."

Garos flicked his dragon wings, shaking the blood from them.

Though he could fight above his level so easily, he felt no pride or complacency. Dragons were top-tier monsters by nature; accomplishing such things was only natural.

Life Level was merely a reference and could not truly measure combat strength.

Garos kept firmly in mind that arrogance and conceit were the greatest original sins that killed dragons. He could not lose himself because of temporary strength.

Besides, he could not be considered powerful. In this Wilderness, he merely had some means of self-preservation. He was still far, far from being able to do whatever he pleased without restraint.

Not to mention anything else, Iron Dragon Mother could kill him with a few slaps.

And an adult dragon like Iron Dragon Mother could not even be considered an overlord in the Ser Wilderness.

Not long afterward, Garos told the Earth Violent Bear to remain in this area. He did not take it with him and returned alone to Sinkhole Territory.

The reason was simple.

Given Iron Dragon Mother's temperament, she would not allow an uncontrolled Earth Violent Bear to remain in her territory. She would forcibly enslave it, since Garos had not used Dragon Vein Conversion on it.

Dragon Vein Conversion—when a dragon bestowed its own essence blood upon another creature, transforming it into a Dragon-Vein Creature that was loyal to it from the bottom of its heart.

Compared with followers, Garos cared more about himself. He was still a Hatchling Dragon and in a period of rapid growth. Dividing out his essence blood would slow his growth, and he would not burden himself for the sake of one follower.

An Earth Violent Bear that had not undergone Dragon Vein Conversion—

Its verbal surrender was unreliable. It could ignore Garos's orders and flee at any time.

However—

Surviving in the Wilderness was difficult, with danger everywhere. Even he had to be cautious. Unless absolutely necessary, a monster like the Earth Violent Bear would not leave a territory it was familiar with.

Even if it truly fled, that would not matter.

Garos had only subdued a follower on a whim. Deep down, he did not care much about it. At most, he would kill it if they met again. If they never met again, he would not give it another thought.

Besides—

On one side was the danger-filled Wilderness, a life of wandering and fleeing. On the other was the backing of a powerful dragon with extraordinary potential.

With the Earth Violent Bear's intelligence, it knew how to choose.

When he returned to Sinkhole Territory, the sky was still bright, and the sun continued to radiate its scorching heat as always.

"Garos, Mother told us to go to her dragon lair together."

The moment he returned and landed by the cliff, the two young dragons came over and spoke to Garos. More accurately, they were now Hatchling Dragons.

After a year had passed, both Red Dragon Sister and Iron Dragon Brother had grown considerably, and they had reached the Hatchling Dragon stage.

"She summoned all three of us at once. It has been a long time since that happened. I wonder what Mother wants to tell us."

Red Dragon Sister blinked curiously.

"Hehe, maybe Mother prepared some delicious bloody food for us to enjoy together."

Iron Dragon Brother tilted his head and guessed happily.

Have these two idiots already forgotten what happened to me a year ago?

Garos shook his head slightly.

He remained silent and flew toward Iron Dragon Mother's dragon lair. The two Hatchling Dragons followed close behind, eagerly flying after him.