Alchemy Tools

Not long afterward, a long-awaited rain fell upon the Ser Wilderness. Dark clouds filled the sky, and lightning danced within them like silver serpents.

Thunder suddenly boomed, deafeningly loud. Rain poured down in sheets, wild winds howled, and the dense curtain of rain swallowed the Ser Wilderness.

The Red Iron Dragonet stood atop a hill in the downpour, rainwater continuously sliding down his dragon scales.

Whoosh!

Lightning suddenly tore across the night sky, illuminating the dim rain curtain for an instant before striking with remarkable precision toward the Red Iron Dragonet standing atop the hill.

Natural lightning was incredibly fast.

With a hatchling dragon's current reflexes, he simply could not predict or evade it.

However, Garos had no intention of dodging.

In fact, he had drawn this lightning here himself.

The silver serpent-like bolt descended from the heavens, narrowly missing Garos and striking the ground before him—or, more precisely, the Dark Gold Tail Ring placed on the ground before him.

The lightning existed for only an instant.

Once it faded, the surrounding night sky became dim again.

However, countless tiny snake-like arcs of electricity now danced across the Dark Gold Tail Ring's surface, while the runes engraved inside and outside it lit up one after another.

Feeling the scorched scent in the air,

Garos somewhat wanted to try wearing the Dark Gold Tail Ring and guiding lightning to strike himself.

It would definitely hurt like hell, but it would feel amazing. he thought.

"Better not court death."

Shaking his head, Garos suppressed the impulse in his heart.

The power of natural lightning was already comparable to a high-circle spell. He had not improved his lightning resistance accordingly. A strike would not kill him with a dragon's body, but he would certainly be badly injured.

He took several steps back and quietly watched the Dark Gold Tail Ring while bathing in the wind and rain.

Time slowly passed, and lightning occasionally descended, precisely striking the Dark Gold Tail Ring.

After seven consecutive bolts of lightning, every tiny rune upon it lit up. The entire Tail Ring even floated into the air, humming and trembling as it burst forth with dazzling electric light amid the rain.

This Tail Ring had been given to him by the Iron Dragon Mother.

It was not merely an ornament. It was also an alchemical tool.

Alchemy on Bernardo Planet was highly developed, with numerous alchemical tools of excellent quality.

Alchemical tools differed from conventional magical items. One could often use them without knowing magic, but they required specific methods of replenishing their energy.

Spellcasters, warriors, knights, priests, Druids—regardless of profession, any extraordinary intelligent creature with sufficient funds and access would certainly arm themselves with alchemical tools to expand their options.

As top-tier magical creatures, dragons had originally disdained using alchemical tools.

However, as the era progressed, the alchemical tools on this planet became increasingly refined and powerful. Even armies lacking top-tier beings could threaten mighty dragons through sheer numbers if equipped with alchemical tools.

Left with no choice,

dragons followed the tide of the times and began using alchemical tools despite their resistance.

Because dragons themselves were the most powerful magical creatures, with resilient minds and abundant magical energy, they handled alchemical tools with ease and could use a great many of them simultaneously.

Within a few years, the dragons were all praising how wonderful they were, changing from resistance to acceptance.

Dragons armed with large numbers of alchemical tools became overwhelmingly powerful.

The nations even explicitly banned the trade of alchemical tools with dragons.

However, dragons could seize things through cunning and force, and as highly intelligent magical creatures, some dragons were also Alchemists. Furthermore, whenever the profit was great enough, there would always be intelligent creatures willing to take risks and trade with dragons.

Thus, alchemical tools gradually became popular among dragons as well.

The Dark Gold Tail Ring given by the Iron Dragon Mother had once been seized by her from another dragon. It could absorb and store natural lightning, then unleash the spell—Lightning Enchantment—with only a tiny amount of magical energy and mental guidance.

Upon casting Lightning Enchantment,

lightning energy would harmlessly cling to one's limbs, strengthening and stimulating the muscles, increasing strength and speed, while also causing strikes to carry lightning's numbing and scorching damage.

"It's fully charged. Time to try it on."

Garos hooked the Dark Gold Tail Ring with his tail and put it on.

Lightning Enchantment!

Crackle, crackle! Great masses of silver-white arcs burst from the Tail Ring. In the blink of an eye, they intertwined across Garos's tail into a dense net of lightning, constantly snapping and popping.

Unlike other dragons,

Garos's original purpose for using alchemical tools was not to strengthen himself.

Rather, it was to use them to train himself.

Drawing a deep breath, Garos prepared himself. He raised his tail high, then violently swung it.

Smack!

The dragon tail, coated in lightning energy, lashed across Garos's own back. Fragments of dragon scales and electric arcs scattered at once, while the current seeped through every opening and drilled down through the gaps in his scales.

A needle-like stabbing pain and spasming numbness arose from within his body. His muscles were stimulated, and his back repeatedly twitched and heaved.

"Strong enough! This is exactly the feeling I wanted."

Rather than being alarmed, Garos was delighted.

He grew even more excited, repeatedly whipping himself with his lightning-enchanted dragon tail.

If he adapted to the attacks of various alchemical tools and improved his resistance, then if he faced a punitive siege in the future, he would have far greater confidence.

Within the Iron Fir Forest below the hill,

"Could the Dragon Lord have some kind of mental illness?"

Watching Garos "mutilate himself," Mobel's eyes widened.

At the same time,

while Garos immersed himself in training,

Red Dragon Sister Samantha dragged her half-crippled right wing through the muddy ground of the Wilderness, taking uneven steps. Her dragon face was filled with dazed grievance.

Grrr. The sound that suddenly came from her stomach seemed louder than thunder in Samantha's ears.

"I'm so hungry."

The hatchling dragon clutched her stomach and plopped down into the mud.

The torrential rain already made her feel uncomfortable all over. Now hunger tormented her as well. Thinking of all the blows and hardships she had suffered recently, Samantha suddenly wanted to burst into tears.

When she had first left the territory,

Samantha had been high-spirited, practically wishing she could announce her arrival to the entire world.

Before long, she discovered a Goblin tribe.

Goblins, like Kobolds and Gnolls, were creatures who greatly enjoyed attaching themselves to and following dragons. They were also among the most common followers under young Evil Dragons.

Samantha swaggered down before the Goblin tribe, demanding that they offer up everything and submit beneath her wings.

She had thought that a mere tremor of her dragon body would make the Goblins obediently submit, licking her toes and bowing before her.

But the result was—

the Goblins first pretended to submit. Once they learned that Samantha was a lone dragon already driven away by her dragon mother, they suddenly attacked her.

Faced with a large number of Goblins who did not fear her, Samantha flew into a rage and prepared to crush these weak creatures to death.

Then,

one of the weak creatures in her eyes—the Goblin tribe's chieftain—charged toward her while piloting a massive, crudely styled construct made of steel.

Samantha was greatly alarmed. She threw out a harsh threat and turned to flee.

Thanks to Garos's constant oppression over the years,

she was decisive when it came time to admit defeat, and she narrowly escaped with her life.

Goblins did indeed enjoy following dragons, but what Samantha had failed to understand was that such devotion came with a prerequisite: the dragons they liked to follow were powerful dragons.

A lone hatchling dragon who had already been driven away by her dragon mother?

Don't be ridiculous. She was simply top-grade alchemical material delivered right to their doorstep.

Not long after being dealt a blow by the Goblins,

Samantha passed by The Mines. Curiosity made her circle in the sky for a while, only to be discovered by the army stationed around The Mines, which launched an attack against her.

Samantha reacted quickly and fled.

Yet a rune-covered crossbow bolt still shot across a thousand meters of sky and pierced through her dragon wing.

In the time that followed, with her dragon wing severely injured and unable to recover quickly, hunting became increasingly difficult for Samantha. When hunger reached its limit, she could only fill her stomach by gnawing dirt and eating bark.