Garoth moved through the night, carrying the corpse of the Cliff Serpent Dragon as he returned to Needleleaf Valley.
Thud!
He tossed the serpent dragon's body onto an open area at the valley's edge. Although the creature's form no longer emitted toxic mist, the pungent odor of its blood still carried far through the air.
Unlike other creatures whose blood might attract fierce beasts, the Cliff Serpent Dragon's blood alone could make weaker creatures dizzy just from slling it, instinctively driving them away like avoiding venomous snakes. Those getting too close and inhaling too much would be directly poisoned by the scent.
Garoth descended, his four limbs touching the ground.
With the battle now over and safely back in his territory, he suddenly felt lightheaded - dizziness, nausea, disorientation... various negative conditions cascaded over him.
"The serpent dragon's poison is indeed potent."
Shaking his head, Garoth took several deep breaths before examining his body.
His main torso remained relatively unhard, with only minimal green staining on his black-red scaled armor. But his dragon wings told a different story - they were covered in alarming patches of dark green poison stains, far more extensive and deeply corroded than the marks left during his first encounter with a serpent dragon.
To initially wound the Cliff Serpent Dragon, Garoth had deliberately exposed himself to its poisonous blood.
But these were acceptable losses.
Killing a dragon was fundantally different from slaying other creatures of similar rank. Other dragons might lack the serpent dragon's venomous blood and death curses, but each had their own formidable strengths. In life-or-death battles between dragons, unless the power gap was unimaginably vast, killing another dragon always ca at a price given their incredible resilience.
anwhile, sensing the serpent dragon's intense scent...
The Faerie Dragon and Samantha soared through the sky while the robust Rampage Bears ca thundering in with heavy footsteps, all sensing danger.
When they arrived at the scene...
They found Garoth standing over the lifeless, vicious serpent dragon at his feet. Though his wings were nearly entirely dark green and he appeared sowhat weakened, his overall presence remained powerfully formidable.
Now that his unremarkable Explosive Scales had mostly shed, revealing layers of black-red steel-like scales shimring under moonlight, Garoth's appearance better matched draconic aesthetics - like removing an outer disguise to reveal his true majestic form, drawing admiring gazes from the present dragons.
But this wasn't the ti to admire the red iron dragon's heroic bearing.
Both the Faerie Dragon and Samantha noticed Garoth's nearly completely green-tinged wings, with visible areas of mbrane already rotting away.
Samantha remained relatively calm.
She'd grown accustod to seeing Garoth injured, only to recover swiftly and erge stronger.
But the Faerie Dragon Vira imdiately teared up, circling around Garoth while wailing loudly.
"It's over, it's over! It's the serpent dragon's poison!"
"Garoth, you're going to die, and Vira will have no one to play with!"
Her cries sounded like mourning.
In Faerie Dragon understanding, serpent dragon poison was incurable - creatures as fragile as them would perish upon contact.
"I won't die."
"If injuries like these could kill , I wouldn't have survived this long."
Garoth waved a wing dismissively.
"Samantha, fly high and scout the surroundings with your broad vision. Mobel, lead the Rampage Bears to patrol Needleleaf Valley's periter."
"Alert imdiately if any powerful beasts or magical creatures approach."
He issued solemn orders.
Though the serpent poison didn't leave him severely injured, his condition had noticeably declined, warranting extra vigilance.
Seeing Garoth's serious deanor...
Samantha nodded imdiately, taking to the skies to circle and survey, while Mobel dispersed with the Rampage Bears to patrol the valley's outskirts.
"What about ? What about ?"
Realizing Garoth might actually survive, the Faerie Dragon stopped crying to ask.
"You? Stay away and don't touch the serpent dragon's poisonous blood."
Garoth flew to Rampage Bear Ridge, stuffing the serpent dragon's corpse into a natural cave in the cliffside before returning to his own spacious cave dwelling - his Dragon Nest - to rest with closed eyes.
For dragons...
Sleep was the best recovery thod.
"Garoth, are you really okay? I've heard so creatures go off alone to die when they're about to perish."
Fearful Garoth might secretly be dying alone, the Faerie Dragon Vira followed him.
Garoth lifted an eyelid, telling the Faerie Dragon ominously: "I won't die. But when I sleep, I dream violently - unconsciously killing anything that approaches. You'd best keep your distance."
The Faerie Dragon ant well...
But the sound of its fluttering wings irritated Garoth like buzzing flies when he wanted rest.
"But you're still awake now!"
The Faerie Dragon blinked as it spoke.
But imdiately after, it saw Garoth's eyes close as if asleep - yet his terrifying wings slowly rose toward the Faerie Dragon like deadly weapons.
Given their size difference...
Even a glancing blow...
The Faerie Dragon imagined its spirit might return prematurely to the Serene Spirit Wilderness.
Though returning there was its goal, not through such ans.
"Run away! Garoth's killing dragons in his sleep!"
Frightened, the Faerie Dragon flapped its wings frantically to escape the Dragon Nest.
Days passed...
When Garoth awoke, a full week had elapsed.
Examining his wings, he found the dark green coloration had completely faded. Though so smaller scales hadn't fully regrown, leaving patchy marks, they were fundantally healed.
"My poison resistance must have improved significantly."
"Facing the sa situation again, I could handle the Cliff Serpent Dragon more easily at lesser cost."
Garoth contemplated.
He still had the serpent dragon's corpse, its toxins still potent enough to further boost his resistance.
"This serpent dragon should at least multiply my poison resistance several tis over."
"My fire resistance should see major improvents too."
Garoth estimated conservatively.
"I'll study its body later."
"Those high-temperature steam bursts and explosive acceleration techniques are worth analyzing."
He planned carefully.
While his Adaptive Evolution's outcos remained beyond his direct control, choosing the right training thods could sowhat guide the evolutionary direction.
With countless dragon species...
Nearly each possessed unique bodily structures.
Garoth imagined - if he could gather the strengths of a hundred dragons into one body, he might evolve an unprecedented Ultimate Dragon Form.
Then...
Could he sweep across planet Bernardo single-handedly?
Live without constant caution and fear?
Rival Dragon Gods as true ruler across worlds and dinsions?
Shine with sun and moon, surviving until ti's end at universe's edge?
...The red iron young dragon indulged in magnificent fantasies.
Gurgle gurgle.
Protesting stomach sounds dragged Garoth back to reality.
Healing and adaptive evolution both consud energy, leaving Garoth ravenous enough to devour an entire dragon.
Unrelenting hunger gripped him like invisible hands churning his stomach, making even the surrounding dirt seem edible.
Every struggling young dragon apparently went through dirt-eating phases when surviving alone.
But knowing dirt lacked nutrition and that eating it would be shaful, Garoth suppressed the impulse.
Flapping his wings, he shook off accumulated dust while walking out of his Dragon Nest.
"Wow! You ca back to life!"
The Faerie Dragon Vira had been perched on a rocky outcrop by the cave entrance, calling out joyfully upon seeing Garoth.
Though its words lacked tact.
As if I'd actually died... Garoth clarified: "I was sleeping, not dead."
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