Mining

Iron Dragon Mother glanced at the two foolish Dragonlings staring at each other.

From Garos's words and expression, she understood what he was thinking.

However, Iron Dragon Mother had no intention of stopping him.

As for conflicts between her offspring, unless life and death were involved, she would not interfere with ordinary bullying and oppression.

Besides.

The two Dragonlings ate and drank from her every day, then wandered aimlessly around the territory once they were full, doing nothing worthwhile. They should be made to do something useful.

As for making Dragonlings or Hatchling Dragons mine for her.

Iron Dragon Mother could not bring herself to do that. Though evil and cold-hearted, she still abided by the rules she had set for herself.

But if Garos did it, that was perfectly reasonable.

"The problem is that your 'mine slaves' also live under my protection."

Iron Dragon Mother's eyes gleamed as she gently swayed her tail.

Under her gaze, the Red Iron Dragonet immediately said, "I'll provide you with an additional ten-pound piece of Precious Metal Ore every month."

"Fine."

After a few seconds of silent thought, Iron Dragon Mother nodded in agreement.

"Thank you, Mother. If there is nothing else, I'll be going now."

"Go. Do what you ought to do."

Garos turned and walked toward the two Dragonlings, stopping before them.

"Samantha. Gordon."

Speaking Red Dragon Sister's and Iron Dragon Brother's names, Garos narrowed his eyes and said, "Come with me."

Both dragons looked wary and did not move.

"What do you want?"

they asked.

"Of course, I want you to mine for me."

Garos grinned.

"Why should we?!"

The two Dragonlings refused fiercely, finally realizing that the mine slaves Garos had mentioned were actually them.

"Because I'm stronger than both of you."

Before he finished speaking, Garos lunged at his brother and sister.

Bang!

With a massive dragon charge, he sent Iron Dragon Brother flying head-on.

When their dragon scales collided, dense sparks burst forth. Garos's scales remained completely intact, while a large patch of Iron Dragon Brother's scales cracked and even flew off. His whole body slammed into the metallic cave wall with a dull crash.

Red Dragon Sister had only just reacted.

Garos twisted at the waist and spun around, his thick, long tail covered in blade-like scales lashing out with a shrill whistle through the air.

Bang!

His tail struck Red Dragon Sister's shoulder with tremendous force. The instant it made contact, it tore away a layer of her scales and sent her flying like a ragged sack.

"If you won't listen, I'll beat you until you do."

Garos lifted his chin and looked down at the two Dragonlings he had just knocked over.

"Damn you, Garos! We'll show you what we can do!"

The two Dragonlings' ferocity was also stirred. Dragonkin had tough, powerful bodies, and although they had taken Garos's attacks, they acted as though nothing had happened.

After letting out angry roars.

The two Dragonlings, each a year younger than Garos, charged him from the left and right.

With a one-year age gap, under normal circumstances, it would have been difficult to fight two opponents at once.

But.

Neither Red Dragon Sister nor Iron Dragon Brother was like Garos. Despite their young age, he already understood the need to train on his own. Like most Dragonlings, they believed that as long as they grew steadily according to the natural order, they would eventually become overlords in their own right. Thus, they lazed around without a care and neglected training.

As for Garos.

After realizing that Dragonkin were not absolute overlords and that this world was actually fraught with danger, he had begun consciously training to strengthen himself.

"Heh, let this teach you a lesson."

Garos rolled his neck and met the two Dragonlings head-on.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Dull impacts of flesh against flesh rang out without end.

Only three minutes later.

The two Dragonlings lay sprawled on the ground, their bellies exposed as though they had passed out. Their bodies were covered in marks from Garos's beating. Their facial scales were missing in patches, several teeth had been knocked out, and even their horns had been beaten crooked.

As for Garos, he had not lost a single scale.

Other than some dust staining his body, his worst injury was on his forearm, where Red Dragon Sister had viciously bitten him. But Garos's scales were especially thick and hard. Red Dragon Sister's teeth ached from biting down, and she had only barely managed to break through his scales, leaving a row of tiny tooth marks. Not even a trace of blood had seeped out.

Beneath the dragon scales was another layer of dragonhide.

Before Red Dragon Sister could bite through to his hide, Garos grabbed her by the horn, yanked her head aside, and gave her a beating.

"My dear Garos, I look forward to your future performance."

Iron Dragon Mother flicked her tail with a crisp crack, making it clear that she was quite satisfied with Garos's performance.

In fact.

She had always admired Garos. This Hybrid Dragon was more talented than ordinary Dragonkin, and he was exceptionally serious and persistent in his pursuit of power. He had the potential to become a great Evil Dragon.

Admiration was admiration.

Iron Dragon Mother was still unwilling to raise Garos for nothing.

But now that Garos was trading treasure for food and protection, Iron Dragon Mother was more than happy to watch him grow step by step.

As for the two Dragonlings who had been beaten so badly.

Iron Dragon Mother felt no pity for them at all. Instead, she thought they ought to take a harder look at themselves.

"Thank you for your concern, Mother."

Garos replied, then grabbed Red Dragon Sister and Iron Dragon Brother by their tails, one in each claw, and dragged them out of Iron Dragon Mother's lair.

The two Dragonlings had been knocked unconscious by Garos and were dead weight.

Gripping their tails, Garos flew over the lake at the center of the sinkhole and threw them down.

Splash! Splash!

Countless sprays of water flew into the air, the droplets glistening beneath the moonlight.

Garos circled in midair with his wings spread, staring down at the lake below.

Only a dozen or so seconds later, two figures shot out of the water as if their tails were on fire. In perfect unspoken coordination, they fled in different directions, trying to escape Garos.

Garos beat his wings.

Under the cool moonlight, his pair of dragon wings were long and broad, with a wingspan reaching a full twelve meters—twice his body length. Their membranes were exceptionally tough and rustled loudly as they sliced through the air. Their edges were sharp as blades and shone with a cold metallic gleam.

Whoosh!

The sound of his wings tearing through the air was like a piercing screech.

In the blink of an eye, Garos caught up to Red Dragon Sister, seized her tail in one claw, swung her in a circle, and smashed her toward Iron Dragon Brother, who was fleeing in the other direction.

Bang!

The two Dragonlings fell together, smashing into the ground and sending shattered stones and dust flying as cracks spread all around them.

"Still want to run? I even gave you three seconds' head start."

Garos folded his wings and landed before the two Dragonlings.

Red Dragon Sister and Iron Dragon Brother looked utterly defeated and no longer dared defy Garos.

Then, Garos brought them to the place where he often trained by smashing himself into mountains.

He was highly sensitive to metallic minerals, and because he often came here, he had sensed the presence of some metal ore. It was just buried very deep.

Pointing in one direction, Garos ordered them to start digging.

The two Dragonlings were unwilling, but under Garos's tyranny, they still submitted and obediently began to excavate.

Crack! Crack!

The sounds of dragon claws digging through mountain rock rose and fell.

At the same time, Garos repeatedly flew into the sky, then folded his wings and allowed his heavy body to free-fall and kiss the earth, smashing one deep crater after another into the ground.

This was a more intense form of training than smashing himself into mountains.

—Sun-Earth.

If he misjudged the height, he risked crippling himself. Garos had not trained this way many times.

But Iron Dragon Mother's "expulsion" had made Garos realize that he would eventually have to face danger alone, making him crave strength even more.

Neither Dragonling could understand Garos's strange behavior. They dug miserably through the mountain while comforting themselves.

Red Dragon Sister spat out a pebble and muttered, "Garos's brain doesn't work right. Sooner or later, he'll cripple himself from a fall. Then we'll be free."

Iron Dragon Brother had just smashed apart a hard rock with his horn.

Shaking dust and gravel from his face, he echoed her viciously, "Not just free. When that happens, we'll force him to find ore for us and mine for us!"

At the thought of the wonderful future where they would torment Garos and make him mine to accumulate treasure for them.

The two Dragonlings mining away did not even feel tired anymore. Happy smiles curled their mouths as their claws unconsciously dug even faster.