Dragonvein Crystal
"Despicable Sol, we're never going hunting with you again!"
"Don't even think about it!"
Ever since capturing that rock sheep, the three wyrmlings' good luck seemed to have come to an abrupt end. Over the next nearly full night, they found nothing else worthwhile, catching only a few small rodents.
On the way back to the nest, Xisitana and Kalpu chattered nonstop, accusing Sol of what he had done.
Sol naturally paid them no mind. His belly was already half full, and if those two got too noisy, he could always beat them up for some after-meal entertainment.
As they neared the cave, Sol made up an excuse and parted ways with the two wyrmlings, turning to plunge into a thorn-filled patch of grass in the distance.
During this period, he had often eaten dirt and stones. Though a true dragon's stomach could digest them, the energy he could squeeze out of them was pitifully little, and everything left over was waste, leaving his belly feeling uncomfortably bloated.
He raised his long tail high and strained his backside slightly, smoothly passing a long mass of blackish-gray matter.
At that moment, Sol felt several pounds lighter, with a sense of freedom and ease that spread from the inside out.
"I've heard true dragon dung is a super fertilizer. Not only can it double crop yields, it can also be used to cultivate certain magical plants.
It can also increase the power of certain spells and be used as an additive in alchemical potions or a medium for transformation magic. It can fetch a good price.
Should I..."
The keen instinct for wealth and miserly nature in Sol's blood kept him from feeling disgusted at the sight of his own excrement. Instead, he started pondering how to squeeze every last bit of value from it.
But immediately afterward, he shuddered violently and hurriedly dug up a great deal of dirt with his hind legs to bury it.
By now, Xisitana and Kalpu should have returned to the nest. With the smell of his own dung providing cover, this was a relatively safe place.
So Sol summoned the enormous wheel in his mind again and lightly tapped the only lit icon with his thoughts, choosing to withdraw it.
The air in front of him suddenly rippled like water, and an elongated crystal appeared out of thin air before him. It was half a meter long, about as thick as a fist, translucent, and glimmered faintly.
With his keen perception of magical elements and energy, Sol could sense a vibrant life force coming from the Dragonvein Crystal.
It was said to be the physical manifestation of energy released after a powerful elder dragon died, fused with the life force of the planet.
He had no time to examine it closely. To keep its energy fluctuations from attracting the attention of the dragon mother, who might return at any moment, he hurriedly grabbed the crystal with his claws and stuffed it straight into his mouth.
Red dragons had the thickest throats of all the Chromatic Dragons, and their stomachs were highly elastic, like a snake's.
Though he choked so badly that his eyes rolled back, he still swallowed the Dragonvein Crystal whole, even though it was nearly half the length of Sol's body.
His stomach, like a blazing furnace, immediately began to work, digesting and eroding the surface of the Dragonvein Crystal bit by bit. Surging energy was released, gradually seeping into every part of his body like a warm current.
His cells, which had been starved for a long time, greedily absorbed every trace of energy like a dried-out sponge soaking up water.
Under the effect of this unique energy, some information hidden deep within his bloodline began to awaken bit by bit, gradually changing from latent to manifest.
The original Chromatic Dragons and metallic dragons had almost all been at least demigod-level beings, yet today's Chromatic Dragons and metallic dragons could barely reach the legendary level even after reaching adulthood.
"Energy! Vitality! I feel like my whole body is filled up. This is wonderful!"
Sol swayed his head contentedly, his long tail resting on the ground and twisting gently like a snake.
He focused his attention on the wheel in his mind and discovered that the small slot from which he had drawn the Dragonvein Crystal was still lit.
He focused on it again, and new information immediately appeared: Dragonvein Crystal unlocked. One point of Mental Power Essence could be exchanged for one kilogram.
"Only one kilogram?"
The greed hidden in his bloodline made Sol complain.
Dragonvein Crystal wasn't particularly heavy, being about as dense as ordinary stone, but how big could a kilogram of stone be? That small piece just now had probably weighed more than ten kilograms.
"Isn't this stuff as plentiful as weeds by the roadside in the Land of Dragon Crystal? Can't it be cheaper?"
But he could only think it to himself. The wheel in his mind showed no response, as if it were a fixed program unaffected by anything external.
Sol glanced at the balance after Mental Power Essence again. Thanks to Xisitana and Kalpu's "contributions" during this time, it had risen to 2.12.
That was enough for two simple draws or an exchange for two kilograms of Dragonvein Crystal.
However, the small piece he had just swallowed would take him some time to digest, so he didn't exchange for any immediately. Instead, he focused his thoughts on the draw again.
The outermost ring of the wheel began to turn with a rumble, its lights flashing like neon before finally stopping on a simple drawing of a mushroom.
When Sol focused his thoughts on it, detailed information appeared: Congratulations, you have obtained one Blue Mushroom. Withdraw? Yes / No.
Blue Mushroom: A peculiar mushroom with a bright blue cap and a slender stem. Eating it produces a slight healing effect. It is a wild boar's favorite food.
Sol felt that it didn't seem to be of much use to him.
True dragons were physically tough to begin with, and even if they suffered minor injuries, they could heal quickly on their own, so they had no need for it. But if they were seriously injured, eating any number of Blue Mushrooms probably wouldn't help. It really wasn't very useful.
"What a loss! What a loss! If I'd known, I would have exchanged it for Dragonvein Crystal, or saved it for a creature template draw!"
Though he muttered this, Sol felt neither pained nor regretful.
After all, it was only one point of Mental Power Essence, and it had cost him nothing to obtain. No matter how he looked at it, he couldn't call it a real loss.
Waves of warmth kept spreading from his belly, gradually making him sleepy. He lingered outside no longer and, flapping the small wings on his back, raced on all fours toward the cave at the mountaintop.
The dragon mother still hadn't returned, and Xisitana and Kalpu had already curled up in a corner.
Although they hadn't caught much prey today and Sol had eaten most of it, the long-awaited meal of meat had still left the two little wyrmlings feeling satisfied.
Hearing the noise, they glanced at Sol as he darted through the cave entrance. Their gazes lingered on his round, bulging belly for a moment before they lowered their heads resentfully.
"That should have been my meat. Damn it, when I grow up, I'll get him back for this!"
"He must have secretly eaten something good. His belly wasn't this big before. Next time, I'll secretly follow him and see..."
All sorts of thoughts churned in the two wyrmlings' minds, turning into several notifications of increases in Mental Power Essence below Sol's field of vision.
Sol was slightly taken aback, but when he thought about how Chromatic Dragons could experience intense negative emotions in their minds anytime and anywhere, he didn't pay it much attention.
He also found a secluded corner and lay down, tucking his head against his belly, curling his long tail once around his body, and covering himself with his wings until he was a bright red ball.
For the first time since the day he had hatched, he had eaten his fill again. Tonight, he could finally sleep soundly.