The contest

"I will."

Xiluo nodded lightly and slowly stepped into the circle. He glanced across from him-it was actually Koraman, the green dragon hatchling!

The Hatchling immediately bared his teeth in a grin when Xiluo looked at him.

"Hehehe... Xiluo! We can finally have a proper contest this time!

I'll admit your breath weapon is powerful! When you ambushed me while I was injured last time, you really gave me a fright.

But this time is different! This is purely a contest of strength! I'll crush you completely and show you how powerful green dragons are!"

The green hatchling held his neck high, brimming with fighting spirit, and glanced at Alicia out of the corner of his eye.

Just now, his beloved Alicia had said it herself! As long as he gave Xiluo a sound beating, she would go on a private date with him for an entire day!

This time, he absolutely could not lose to Xiluo!

I swear on the name of the Caesar Clan!

Xiluo felt no dislike whatsoever toward the hatchlings. Looking at the little fellows' oddly proportioned heads and bodies as they made fierce or ingratiating expressions, he found them all rather comical.

Getting along with these little fellows was like an adult dealing with a group of elementary school children. How could he truly take their antics seriously?

He merely smiled.

Then the two hatchlings slowly moved together, extended their foreclaws, and gripped each other's Dragon Arms, ready to begin the contest.

Koraman had noticed nothing before grabbing hold, but the moment he did, astonishment immediately appeared on his draconic face.

He blinked hard.

He looked at his own Dragon Arm, then at Xiluo's.

The contrast between them was stark!

Wait a minute...

Why are Xiluo's Dragon Arms so thick? This forearm is almost as thick as my upper arm, isn't it? What is going on with this guy?

Don't we all eat Spiny Beast meat? Why are you so muscular? Has this blue-scaled, one-horned bastard been eating something else?

"Xiluo... you..."

Bewildered, he had just opened his mouth to ask.

Then he felt an immense force coming from in front of him. He wanted to resist, only to hear a roar.

Next, his whole body felt weightless. The world spun, and pain struck his head.

Then he gazed dazedly up at the dense foliage and the azure sky overhead.

"Who am I? Where am I? What was I just doing? Why am I looking up at the sky?"

He was dumbfounded.

"Xiluo won?"

"How is that possible? Why is this guy so strong?"

"Blue dragons shouldn't have much of a strength advantage over green dragons, and Koraman is even half a year older than Xiluo... how did this happen?"

"Is Koraman too weak, or is Xiluo too strong?"

Gasps erupted all around, slowly bringing Koraman back to his senses. He turned his head toward his darling Alicia.

The pretty little female dragon was looking at him with disappointment written all over her face.

The dragons around him regarded him with contempt, surprise, and mockery.

Koraman felt his blood surge, his green face flushing slightly as he remembered the bold claims he had made to Xiluo at the start and how confident he had been.

That only made him feel even more ashamed and angry.

He wanted to explain, but did not know where to begin.

So he simply tilted his neck, closed his eyes, and played dead.

He did not know how much time passed before the other dragons grabbed his tail and dragged him out of the circle.

Having defeated Koraman, Xiluo walked out of the circle and nodded inwardly.

With the boost from [Strength], he was truly powerful. Going all out, he could actually lift another dragon and slam him down just like Gordon!

Compared with dragons his age other than red dragons, his strength was already overwhelmingly superior!

Smack!

Xiluo felt something slap his foreleg. Turning his head, he saw that it was Gordon, the Red Dragon Whelp.

Gordon stared at Xiluo with blazing eyes and said excitedly:

"That's just like you, Xiluo! Not only do you have a powerful breath weapon, but you have strength like that too! Only someone like you deserves to be my opponent!

Xiluo! This time, let's settle which of us is better!"

Xiluo nodded at his words, then glanced at Alicia. The little female dragon kept snorting through her nostrils and did not seem to be in a particularly good mood.

At the top of the giant tree.

Cato stared at Xiluo in astonishment and said incredulously:

"What did you do to this blue dragon? How can he have that kind of strength? He's no weaker than a red dragon his age, is he?"

"That's what exceptional talent means! If he didn't have that kind of strength, do you think the other dragons would consider him a match for that Red Dragon Whelp Gordon based on his breath weapon alone?"

Do you think I'd have made that Wager with you so confidently, and even let you have Gordon, who so obviously had the potential to win?"

Barbara smiled, looking thoroughly delighted.

Cato's expression immediately darkened.

He felt as though the fifty gold coins in his claws were about to fly away...

That left him rather silent.

Have I fallen for Barbara's trick? That damned female actually set me up like this!

The strength contest beneath the tree continued.

Alicia soon took her turn as well. Her opponent was a male green dragon, and Xiluo had initially thought the male was certain to win.

Yet after the two dragons grappled, Alicia merely muttered a few words and actually pushed the male green dragon out of the circle, leaving Xiluo staring in bewilderment.

Abel, the little blue dragon Koraman had defeated, performed quite well in the contest of strength.

He advanced through round after round alongside Gordon, Xiluo, and Alicia.

However, only Gordon and Xiluo made it into the final.

A Red Dragon Whelp and someone whose physical abilities had been enhanced by a cheat were clearly on a different level from the other hatchlings.

The two dragons faced off.

Gordon, the Red Dragon Whelp, waited inside the circle, brimming with fighting spirit, and growled at Xiluo:

"Just as I thought! The final showdown is still between you and me! The other dragons can't stand a single blow from either of us! Come on, Xiluo!

Step up here! Let's have a proper contest and show those weaklings around us what strength means!"

The other Dragon Cubs cursed and grumbled at Gordon's words.

But they also showed considerable interest, seemingly wanting to watch a great battle.

Yet...

Xiluo blinked and raised his right claw.

"Sorry! I choose to surrender!"

"Sur-surrender? Xiluo! What kind of joke is this? You coward! Are you trying to run away again? In front of all these dragons!?

Get up here! If you're still one of the Chromatic Dragons, if you still have any pride in Dragonkind, get up here!"

Gordon roared furiously, his eyes almost spitting fire.

He had been looking forward to this showdown from the very beginning. How could it end before it had even begun?

The other dragons discussed it among themselves.

"What exactly is Xiluo trying to do? He finally made it to the final, and now he's surrendering?"

"Why doesn't he have any fighting spirit at all?"

"What a strange guy. Just what is going through his head?"

"Gordon! In terms of pure strength, I'm no match for you! I know that perfectly well, and you should know it too.

Since that's the case, why should I fight a match I know I'll lose? That would only waste my stamina!

I should save more of my stamina for the contests to come. Only then will I have a chance of beating you.

It's precisely because I recognize you as my greatest opponent that I have to do this!"

Xiluo explained calmly.

That was indeed the truth.

Although [Strength] was extremely effective, he had still been able to tell easily, through the rounds leading up to the final, that he was weaker than the Red Dragon Whelp.

Had they been the same age, he might have had a chance of winning, but the one-year age gap was decisive.

The Red Dragon Whelp's anger immediately vanished at those words. He blinked, a look of realization appearing on his face.

"So that's it! That's true... when it comes to strength, I'm invincible!

With your intelligence, Xiluo, of course that wouldn't be difficult to see!

Hmm... you want to perform well in the other three contests afterward? A very wise choice! As expected of the opponent I've acknowledged! Your intelligence really is exceptional!"

As he spoke, he nodded, expressing his complete agreement with Xiluo's words.

In the final results of the strength contest,

Gordon came first, Xiluo second, and Abel third.

A black dragon named Clyde, who had previously lamed Allen, the little white dragon, came fourth.

This black dragon was somewhat more muscular than ordinary black dragons, but by all rights, he should have been no match for normal blue or green dragons.

However, he seemed to have obtained some Dragon Combat Techniques from his inherited memories, using unusual methods of exerting force to defeat quite a few powerful opponents and take fourth place.

Alicia only placed fifth, and even that ranking had come from repeatedly using little tricks.

Many dragons were surprised by these results.

Afterward, the breath weapon and spell contests soon began.

In the breath weapon contest,

Xiluo took first place without any suspense.

Thank you to [Salt Marsh Cherry Blossoms] for the 600-coin tip! Thank you!

(End of chapter)