After finishing his hunt, Garoth found another barren mountain to ram against, crashing into the earth repeatedly until he was thoroughly satisfied. Initially, Garoth trained to grow stronger, to ensure his survival, forcing himself to endure the pain of rigorous exercise. But now, he had long grown accustod to the pain. If a day passed without training, he would feel as though sothing was missing—it had beco part of his daily routine.
As dusk deepened into night, Garoth returned to Needleleaf Valley. The mont he arrived, he sensed an aura of tension in the air. Circling above without imdiately descending, he gazed down at the intense battle unfolding between a dragon and an ant army. The Faerie Dragon and the red dragon, both wearing grave and solemn expressions, remained completely unaware of Garoth's arrival, still imrsed in their fantasy world.
Samantha sat in a dignified crouch, her gaze fixed on an anthill below, a ball of blazing fire clenched between her jaws. Above her, the Faerie Dragon Vira hovered, sprinkling dazzling magical dust that made the ordinary black ants gleam like armored warriors.
"Lowly ant-kind!" Samantha roared with fury, deliberately deepening her voice to sound like an adult dragon. "How dare you build fortresses upon the territory of the Red Dragon Queen!" She exhaled thin tendrils of fla, scorching a smoking pit just three centiters from the anthill's entrance as a warning.
"Face in single combat, King of the Giant Ants!" Samantha carefully plucked the 'Ant King'—a large soldier ant with unusually long antennae—and placed it beneath her. The ant panicked, scrambling to escape, but found itself trapped within a hastily dug trench, running in frantic circles.
Vira cast illusions, making the Ant King's body pulse with expanding and contracting light, making it appear more formidable. anwhile, Samantha playfully batted at the Ant King with her claws until, after a 'fierce and grueling battle,' she delivered the final strike.
"It is over! Once again, the mighty Red Dragon Queen claims victory!" Samantha lifted her chin, her eyes filled with pride and disdain. But just as she declared her triumph, Vira herded a cricket into the battlefield.
"Beware! The true mastermind is the Dark High Priest of the Insectoid Horde!" Vira cried. "The traitorous Giant Ant Prince who secretly relayed news of the fortress was rely a puppet controlled by the High Priest! This was all his sche!"
Samantha froze for two seconds before swiftly adapting to the new plot twist, exhaling sparks from her nostrils. "What?! This was all a conspiracy?! High Priest! What is your aim?!"
Vira cackled nacingly, providing the villain's voice. "Keh-keh-keh! To incite war between you and the King of the Destructive Giant Ants, of course! Now that you are exhausted, the ti is ripe for to reap the rewards!"
The Red Dragon Queen bellowed in fury. "Very well! You have succeeded in provoking my wrath! Now—prepare to et your doom!"
anwhile, Garoth silently observed the scene below. Samantha's queenly delusions seed to have worsened, and Vira had fully joined in, crafting an elaborate narrative with twists and turns.
"What are you two doing?" he asked as he landed, interrupting their ga.
"My dear brother, I was... uh... training Vira in tactical command," Samantha stamred.
"Yes, yes," Vira quickly agreed, nodding vigorously.
Garoth shook his head. These two had beco playmates. Should he join in? No—the ga was too childish, unbefitting his image as a dragon. It would undermine his dignity. But perhaps he could play alone in his free ti, without them knowing.
He decided not to press further, pretending to accept their explanation before flying toward the cave where the Cliff Serpent Dragon's corpse lay. Left behind, the red dragon and the Faerie Dragon exchanged glances before refocusing on the anthill. The Dark Cricket High Priest's threat lood—the battle was not yet over! The Red Dragon Queen would surely crush this sinister conspiracy!
Once Garoth left, the two dragons happily resud their ga.
Inside the moonless cave, the pitch-black darkness posed no obstacle to Garoth's draconic darkvision. He approached the Cliff Serpent Dragon's corpse. In the sweltering environnt of the Ser Wilderness, most corpses would have rotted beyond recognition after seven days without preservation. Yet the Cliff Serpent Dragon's body remained nearly unchanged, as fresh as the day it died.
As a fire-aligned dragon, its body naturally resisted decay. Garoth stepped forward, using his claws to pry apart the serpent dragon's scales, examining the structures beneath. Tiny, honeycomb-like pores ca into view.
Just as he suspected, the Cliff Serpent Dragon had used these pores to expel high-pressure steam for explosive bursts of speed. This wasn't magic—this young serpent dragon hadn't mastered spellcasting.
Magic was weak in its early stages, requiring significant ti and effort to learn, far less effective than a dragon's natural weapons. Most dragons only began studying magic after reaching 50 years of age, when their physical growth slowed and their elental affinity strengthened. Moreover, since dragons were innate sorcerers, not all bothered to learn formal magic.
The Dragon Legacy offered multiple paths, not just spellcasting. Garoth had carefully considered his future. For now, he aid to beco a Martial Dragon with sorcerous abilities.
Sorcery was innate, allowing Garoth to develop spell-like abilities without excessive study, diversifying his combat options. The Martial Dragon path, anwhile, was a variant of draconic monkhood. Unlike traditional monks, Martial Dragons didn't adhere to strict disciplines—they grew through brutal training and combat, honing themselves through pain and battle.
It was perfect for Garoth, as if tailor-made for him.
Ordinary monks wielded an energy called "Qi," a unique blend of life force and magical energy flowing through living beings. Through disciplined practice, monks could enhance their speed, strikes, reflexes, and overall physical prowess with Qi, even producing magical effects.
For Martial Dragons, this energy was called "Dragon Qi." While similar in function, Dragon Qi was denser and more potent due to draconic physiology. Martial Dragons with Dragon Qi relied less on flashy techniques but possessed extraordinary combat prowess.
However, at Garoth's current age and energy levels, he hadn't yet awakened Dragon Qi—he wasn't ready to beco a Martial Dragon. His daily training would shorten the ti required, but he couldn't predict exactly when he'd qualify.
Regardless of whether he pursued the Martial Dragon path or deepened his sorcery, Adaptive Evolution remained Garoth's greatest innate talent. It could fundantally reshape him, enhancing his potential.
Garoth ran his claws over the serpent dragon's pores. "If I could evolve similar jet vents on my wings, fueled by magical energy—or better yet, Dragon Qi—my speed could improve explosively, compensating for my current lack of burst mobility."
But how could he control the unpredictable nature of Adaptive Evolution to achieve this?
Pondering this, Garoth instinctively licked so Faerie Dragon scale powder. His mind sharpened, thoughts racing as ideas surfaced and were discarded for being impractical or impossible.
As the powder's effects waned after this brainstorming session, Garoth settled on the simplest, most feasible solution.
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