"Just as I thought... my cheat was tied to achievements.
Getting gold coins for the first time and unlocking an achievement came as no surprise at all.
Offending that young green dragon Cato wasn't for nothing... after all, if I stayed under the Dragon Mother, I probably wouldn't get even a single gold coin in ten or twenty years.
As for winning the four contests I proposed and becoming the so-called Green Forest's Strongest Hatchling, I'd only had a vague feeling it might earn me an achievement. To think it actually worked. What a pleasant surprise."
Standing in the Mystery Sea, Xiluo gazed at the bold lettering with a little delight.
He felt that all his recent efforts hadn't been wasted.
Only after a good while.
Did he turn his gaze downward.
[Rapid Growth]: Accelerates your growth. You will mature faster and develop a larger body. (Costs 20 achievement points) [Rapid Healing]: Allows you to heal wounds faster after being injured. (Costs 20 achievement points) [Sharp Claws and Teeth]: Your claws and teeth will become tougher and sharper. (Costs 10 achievement points)
The familiar [Rapid Growth] and [Rapid Healing].
Since he had already redeemed [Strength], it had been replaced with [Sharp Claws and Teeth].
"Sharp Claws and Teeth? It would pair nicely with Strength, but wouldn't that put me squarely on the melee path?
The warrior class doesn't have much of a future in this world... whether for humans or other creatures."
Xiluo felt an instinctive aversion to [Sharp Claws and Teeth].
Because according to the memories in the Dragon Inheritance, even red dragons among the Chromatic Dragons couldn't enter the ranks of legends through physical ability alone.
Only spells, divine magic, and various supernatural abilities formed the true foundation of the extraordinary power of this world's creatures.
A major reason for the dragon race's power was their superior talent for learning spells and their greater mana reserves compared to other creatures. Physical strength was merely a bonus.
It was like ordinary humans on Blue Star. No matter how strong they trained their muscles to be, how could they fight people armed with guns and cannons?
And this world's high-level spells and divine magic were like Blue Star's guns, cannons, missiles, and so on... the most powerful legendary spells could even rival nuclear weapons.
Even a dragon's body couldn't withstand such terrifying power.
Red dragons were called the strongest Chromatic Dragons. As hatchlings, they relied on their bodies and brute strength.
After reaching adulthood, their larger bodies compared to normal dragons also gave them greater mana reserves. That was the true reason for their strength.
"[Sharp Claws and Teeth] only costs 10 achievement points, but there's really no need to choose it.
Between [Rapid Growth] and [Rapid Healing].
The healing speed of [Rapid Healing] is unknown.
[Rapid Growth] might give me a higher growth rate, granting me greater strength, stamina, mana, and so on. It's an all-around improvement.
As long as I benefit enough to be one or two levels higher than I would have been, I'll be able to crush my opponents in battle. However I look at it, that's a better deal than [Rapid Healing]."
With that thought, Xiluo turned his gaze toward [Rapid Growth].
Soon, the interface changed again.
Current achievement points: 0 Current talents: [Breath Enhancement] [Strength] [Rapid Growth]
Then the Mystery Sea warped.
When Xiluo woke again, it was already the middle of the night.
He stared in front of him.
[Strong blue dragon hatchling] Level: 3 (Elite-+) Condition: Good
"My attributes and condition haven't changed. Is that because [Rapid Growth] has a gradual, ongoing effect?"
Xiluo pondered for a moment, then lay back down in his nest and went to sleep.
Early the next morning.
Xiluo followed Barbara to meet the Dragon Mother.
She was a dragon perched on a huge throne of vines, and she looked very different from ordinary green dragons.
Several long, emerald-green whiskers hung beneath her nose. Lv Teng vines wound around her body, and her exposed scales glittered like gemstones. An emerald crown rested atop her head.
One enormous claw held a vine scepter. She had a stately, regal air, and her entire body exuded a natural beauty.
She was a full eighty feet long.
By dragon standards, she was a rare beauty.
Xiluo used his cheat to examine her and obtained the following information.
[Mutated mature adult green dragon] Level: 18 (Excellence-) Condition: Good
A mutated dragon.
It was his first time seeing one!
Xiluo guessed that she might be a green dragon with a stronger strain of variant blood than Gordon.
And the (Excellence-) designation after her level might be one rank above his (Elite-+).
No wonder this green dragon could dominate the region, become the ruler of Green Forest, and even establish the Dragon Legion. Her own strength was formidable enough.
The Dragon Mother wasn't particularly warm when she met Xiluo.
After all, in her eyes, he was merely a blue dragon hatchling. Even the strongest blue dragon hatchling was still just a hatchling!
The gap between him and the Dragon Mother was as vast as heaven and earth.
She merely offered a few words of praise and expressed that she valued him before having Barbara take him away.
Nor did Xiluo receive any reward for taking first place in the competition.
Xiluo had no complaints about this.
After all, he was living off the Dragon Mother.
She provided all his food and drink, and, more importantly, the protection that hatchlings and young dragons needed most. What more could he ask for?
Dragons were intelligent creatures.
While still inside their eggs, they received the Dragon Inheritance as prenatal education.
They understood many things from the moment they were born.
That included memories of just how rotten their parents could be.
Generally speaking.
After a female dragon laid her eggs, the male wouldn't bother with them.
The female would, at most, raise them to the young dragon stage. Once she observed that they had some ability to survive, she would leave to live her own carefree, unfettered life.
By comparison, this batch of hatchlings taken in by the Dragon Mother was fairly fortunate.
For that reason, most of them weren't opposed to the Dragon Legion she had established.
Of course, once they reached adulthood and could stand on their own, they would still inevitably choose to leave the Dragon Mother.
But that would take nearly a hundred years.
That was also enough time for the Dragon Mother to obtain many things she needed through her legions of young dragons.
The relationship between the Dragon Legion's hatchlings and the Dragon Mother was more like an unspoken partnership.
Returning to the nest.
Xiluo resumed his daily life as a hatchling.
He began learning [Rock and Earth Armor], which he had yet to master.
The other hatchlings trained eagerly to become Green Forest's top dragon in the next competition.
Some even trained their bodies like mad first thing in the morning, roaring nonstop.
The green dragon youngsters gathered to exchange their knowledge of spells.
Some Blue Dragon Wyrmlings wanted to join them, but were excluded and could only exchange knowledge with other blue dragons.
Xiluo sometimes joined the Blue Dragon Wyrmlings' group too.
He noticed that the Blue Dragon Wyrmlings' attitude toward him had changed considerably. There was even a faint hint of respect, something he hadn't received even when he had previously demonstrated his powerful Breath Weapon.
The White Dragons and Black Dragons, the two weaker groups, also banded together to exchange knowledge. Only the black dragon Martha was an exception, mingling with the green dragons.
The Red Dragon Whelp was somewhat lonely. Because of his pride, arrogance, and the absence of other red dragons, hardly any hatchlings wanted to play with him.
He always trained alone in proud solitude.
Sometimes, he would also sneak looks at hatchlings practicing spells.
Xiluo had no particular prejudice against the Red Dragon Whelp, and often sought him out to exchange knowledge and spells so they could grow stronger together.
Just like that, a year soon passed.
Thanks to [Claw Blade] for the 500-coin tip. Thank you!
While I'm at it, please send some recommendation votes and keep reading.
When I don't ask, nobody votes, and it always feels like nobody's reading...
I'm still pretty nervous about writing Draconic again. I'm just afraid it'll flop again.
Also, a quick announcement.
I've slightly revised the achievement descriptions in the earlier chapters and added some explanations.
(End of chapter)
Before you continue