Feeding

Bat wings were probably among the most intricately constructed of any flying creature's in the world.

They had twenty-five joints that could be actively controlled and thirty-four degrees of freedom. Between their two layers of skin, threaded with blood vessels, lay unique elastic protein fibers and skeletal muscle fibers. These allowed bats to control the tension and shape of every inch of the membrane independently, enabling precise turns in the air.

A scorching warmth swirled between the wings on Sol's back, making him feel as though his wings, already larger than those of an ordinary Red Dragon, were now growing at an astonishing rate.

The Dragonvein Crystal he had just swallowed was being digested at an accelerated pace, turning into abundant energy that fueled the spread of blood vessels and growth of muscle fibers in his wing membranes.

The cave he had dug out was so cramped that Sol could not even spread his wings. He leaped out in a bound and raced up the steep slope to the flat top of the Gobi.

Facing the rising sun, he spread his wings wide and discovered that their membranes had grown thicker. Where they joined his body, they now extended all the way to his tail, like a Blue Dragon's.

"My wingspan must be more than twice my body length now. The bases of my wings are even thicker than my thighs. I could soar through the sky with ease even without relying on draconic magic."

Sol tried flapping his wings. A howling gale sprang up instantly, and the powerful recoil thrust his body skyward in the blink of an eye.

The growth of his wings had left him ravenous. Dragonvein Crystals could provide ample energy, but they lacked the essential substances needed to build his body.

This hunt was also the perfect opportunity to get a proper feel for the oasis.

He followed the river downstream, and his sharp eyes soon picked out signs of the other young dragons.

Most of the Green Dragons were coiled around thick trees or resting in the shallows; the Black Dragons hid in the mud in shadowy corners; and the Blue Dragons, the most numerous of all, preferred the desert at the edge of the oasis.

As for the White Dragons? Though they were the second most numerous, they had no fixed habitat and roamed the entire oasis like wild beasts.

Sometimes, Sol truly could not understand how creatures whose intelligence did not even reach nine points as adults could possibly be counted among the Chromatic Dragons alongside the great Red Dragons.

With intelligence like that, they sometimes could not even match some lowly draconic beasts. They might as well be kicked out altogether and the group renamed the Four-Colored Dragons.

A notification that a Mental Power Essence Fragment had been added caught Sol's attention. He glanced at it out of the corner of his eye and immediately realized that some of the young dragons had noticed him soaring overhead.

These creatures were all sinister, cunning, and vicious, full of malice toward almost every living thing. Sol, however, thought that was wonderful.

All he had to do was fly a lap overhead and Mental Power Essence would come rolling in. The thought alone made him want to laugh.

To maximize his gains, he not only made no effort to hold back, but let out a mighty roar. The fierce sound waves traveled far and wide, startling flocks of birds into flight and drawing the attention of nearly every young dragon.

"That brainless brute!"

"Arrogant fool!"

"He's far too arrogant!"

Naturally, Sol could not hear the whispers from beneath the sand dunes, dense forests, and riverbanks. For the next few days, whenever he had time, he flew high into the sky and circled a few times, partly to get used to his evolved wings as quickly as possible and partly to hunt.

The young dragons in this damned place were packed far too densely together. Ordinary animals had either been eaten to extinction or fled in fear, leaving very few behind.

As a result, he had to fly a great distance every day to catch enough prey to satisfy his ever-growing appetite.

He really had no idea what those small, dim-witted White Dragons ate to survive.

On the morning of his fourth day in the oasis, Sol got his answer.

A group of Half-Orcs and kobolds appeared in the wilderness in the distance, traveling along the only main road leading to the oasis.

Behind them was a line of enormous carts built from crude wooden planks, piled high with live Great-Horned Oxen, whole large fish, charred camels, assorted fruits, and some fermented, rotting meat.

The mellow sound of a horn echoed across the wilderness. Hearing it, the young dragons emerged from all over the oasis, flapping their wings and charging straight toward the carts laden with food.

Clearly, all of it was food meant for the young dragons.

At the sight, Sol could hardly believe his eyes.

This was the first time since hatching that he had seen evil dragons provide food for their young.

But that did not slow him down in the slightest. His unusually broad wings beat fiercely, and the powerful gust propelled his sixteen-foot-long body toward the food-laden carts. Though he had set out later, he arrived first.

When the Half-Orcs and kobolds transporting the food saw the specks of various colors rising in the distance, they immediately abandoned the carts behind them and fled without looking back.

After merging with the pterosaur and Scale Bat Biological Templates, Sol's wings had evolved twice. His flying speed was now comparable to a Blue Dragon's, and his skill surpassed a Black Dragon's. He was almost the first to reach the carts.

He immediately set his sights on a Bystin Great-Horned Ox bound by itself to one cart. It appeared to be an old bull, as powerfully built as a young elephant and weighing at least a ton.

Before the other young dragons could arrive, he landed on the enormous ox. He planted a red-scaled foreclaw on its head and spread his massive wings, casting a broad shadow over the entire cart to declare it his.

The Blue Dragons that arrived afterward pounced on two charred camels-their favorite food.

But there were too many of them, and there clearly was not enough meat to go around. Some turned their heads and set their sights on Sol nearby.

"Damn Red Dragon, hand over the ox under your feet!"

"You're only one dragon. You don't deserve that much food!"

Sol looked down at the Blue Dragons around him from on high, flames already flickering inside his slightly parted jaws.

Thanks to the "contributions" of the young dragons around him, he now earned an average of three points of Mental Power Essence a day. Every so often, he could exchange it for a little Coal and Dragonvein Crystal to promote his growth and development.

He had just eaten a piece of Coal that morning, and the fine fragments had yet to be completely digested in his stomach. He was in peak condition.

"Anything I set my sights on is mine! Whether I deserve it or not isn't for you to decide.

"If you don't like it, then come at me! Let me see what you're capable of, daring to order me around!"

Xisitana and Kalpu arrived late, landing behind Sol. Seeing the tense standoff, they could not help feeling nervous.

The other young dragons paid no attention to any of this. Each chose suitable food and dug in.

Quite a few of the Blue Dragons that had arrived early had already buried their heads in the lightning-roasted camels, tearing into the delicious flesh.

The Blue Dragons surrounding Sol eyed the flames surging in his throat warily. They figured that even with numbers on their side, they would likely risk getting hurt, and in the end could only give up in silence.

"We'll let you be arrogant for a few days."

"Just you wait. You'll get what's coming to you sooner or later."