Not long afterward, a long-awaited rain fell upon the Ser Wilderness. Dark clouds blanketed the sky, and lightning danced within them like silver snakes.
Thunder suddenly erupted, deafeningly loud. Rain poured down, wild winds howled, and a dense curtain of rain swallowed the Ser Wilderness.
The Red Iron Dragonet stood atop a hill in the downpour, rain continuously sliding down his dragon scales.
Whoosh!
Lightning suddenly tore across the night sky, illuminating the dark 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, there was no way he could predict or evade it.
However, Garos had no intention of dodging.
In fact, he had drawn that lightning here himself.
The silver snake-like bolt descended from the sky, narrowly missing Garos and striking the ground directly before him—or, more precisely, the Dark Gold Tail Ring placed on the ground before him.
The lightning existed for only an instant.
When it faded, the surrounding night sky grew dim once more.
Yet countless tiny, snake-like arcs of electricity now danced across the Dark Gold Tail Ring's surface, and the runes engraved both inside and outside it lit up one by one.
Feeling the scorched tension in the air,
Garos somewhat wanted to try wearing the Dark Gold Tail Ring and guiding lightning into 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 already rivaled that of a high-circle spell. He had not improved his lightning resistance accordingly. One strike would not kill him with a dragonkin body, but he would certainly be seriously injured.
He stepped back several paces and silently watched the Dark Gold Tail Ring amid the wind and rain.
Time slowly passed, and lightning periodically fell, striking the Dark Gold Tail Ring with pinpoint accuracy.
After seven consecutive bolts, every tiny rune upon it shone. The entire Tail Ring even floated into the air, humming and trembling as it burst with dazzling electric light through the rain.
This Tail Ring had been gifted by the Iron Dragon Mother.
It was not merely an ornament; it was also an alchemical item.
Alchemy on Bernardo Planet was highly advanced, and alchemical items were both numerous and of exceptional quality.
Alchemical items differed from magical items in the conventional sense. One often did not need magic to use them, but they required specific means of replenishing their energy.
Whether Spellcasters, warriors, knights, priests, Druids, or extraordinary beings of any other profession, as long as they were intelligent creatures with sufficient funds and access, they would certainly arm themselves with alchemical items and expand their options.
As top-tier magical creatures, dragonkin had originally disdained using alchemical items.
However, as the times changed, this planet's alchemical items became increasingly refined and powerful. Even armies lacking top-tier beings could threaten mighty dragons through sheer numbers when equipped with alchemical items.
Left with no choice,
dragonkin followed the tide of the era and began using alchemical items despite their reluctance.
Because dragonkin themselves were top-tier magical creatures with resilient minds and abundant magical energy, they found alchemical items easy to use and could operate a great number of them simultaneously.
Within just a few years, the dragonkin were all singing their praises, shifting from resistance to acceptance.
Dragonkin armed with vast quantities of alchemical items became incredibly formidable.
The nations even expressly prohibited trading alchemical items with dragonkin.
However, dragonkin knew how to seize and plunder, and as highly intelligent magical creatures, some were also Alchemists. Besides, whenever the profits were great enough, there would always be intelligent creatures willing to take risks and trade with dragonkin.
Thus, alchemical items gradually became popular among dragonkin as well.
The Dark Gold Tail Ring gifted by the Iron Dragon Mother had once been seized from another dragon. It could absorb and store natural lightning, then use only a small amount of magical energy and mental guidance to cast the spell—Lightning Enchantment.
Upon casting Lightning Enchantment,
lightning energy would harmlessly cling to one's limbs, stimulating and strengthening the muscles, increasing strength and speed, while causing strikes to carry lightning's paralysis, burning, and other 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! Vast quantities of silver-white arcs burst from the Tail Ring. In the blink of an eye, they intertwined over Garos's tail into a dense web of lightning, continuously snapping and popping.
Unlike other dragons,
Garos's original purpose in using alchemical items was not to strengthen himself.
Rather, it was to train himself.
Taking a deep breath, Garos prepared himself. He raised his tail high, then violently swung it.
Smack!
His lightning-infused dragon tail lashed against his own back. Fragments of dragon scales and electric arcs scattered at once, while the current seeped everywhere, burrowing down through the gaps in his scales.
Needle-like stinging pain and spasming numbness spread through his body. His muscles were stimulated, and his back continuously rippled and convulsed.
"That's got some kick! This is exactly the feeling I wanted."
Rather than being alarmed, Garos was delighted.
He grew even more excited, repeatedly using his Lightning Enchantment-coated tail to strike himself.
By adapting to attacks from all kinds of alchemical items and increasing his resistance, he would have greater confidence if he ever faced a punitive siege in the future.
Within the Iron Fir Forest at the foot of the hill,
"Could the Dragon Lord have some kind of mental illness?"
Mobel's eyes widened as he watched Garos "self-harming."
At the same time,
while Garos immersed himself in training,
Red Dragon Sister Samantha dragged her half-crippled right wing through the muddy Wilderness, taking one deep step and one shallow step. Her dragon face was full of 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 she was starving as well. Thinking of the blows and hardships she had suffered during this time, Samantha suddenly wanted to burst into tears.
When she had first left her territory,
Samantha had been full of high spirits, wishing she could announce her arrival to the entire world.
Before long, she discovered a Goblin Tribe.
Goblins, like Kobolds and Gnolls, were creatures that greatly enjoyed attaching themselves to and following dragonkin. They were also among the most common followers of 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 shake of her dragon body would make the Goblins obediently submit, lick her toes, and grovel before her.
Instead,
the Goblins first pretended to submit. Once they learned that Samantha was a lone dragon who had already been driven out by her dragon mother, they suddenly attacked her.
Facing the numerous Goblins that 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 chief of the Goblin Tribe—charged toward her while piloting a massive, crudely styled construct forged from steel.
Samantha was greatly alarmed. After tossing out a harsh threat, she turned and fled.
Thanks to being oppressed by Garos for so long,
she was very decisive when it came time to admit defeat, and she narrowly escaped with her life.
Goblins did indeed enjoy following dragonkin, but what Samantha had failed to understand was that such loyalty came with a prerequisite: the dragonkin they liked to follow were powerful ones.
A lone hatchling dragon who had already been driven out by her dragon mother?
Come on. She was simply premium alchemical material delivered right to their doorstep.
Not long after being dealt a blow by the Goblins,
Samantha passed by The Mines. Out of curiosity, she circled overhead for a while, only to be spotted by the army stationed around The Mines, which attacked her.
Samantha reacted quickly and fled.
Yet a rune-covered crossbow bolt still pierced through a thousand meters of sky and punched through her dragon wing.
In the time that followed, because her dragon wing was seriously injured and difficult to recover in the short term, hunting became increasingly difficult for Samantha. When hunger drove her to the limit, she could only fill her stomach by gnawing on dirt and eating tree bark.
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