The blazing sun hung high above, its venomous rays pouring down like molten gold, roasting the entire wasteland until it sizzled.
The ground's temperature kept rising, and waves of distorted air shimmered above it; distant mountains wavered in the heat haze, their outlines blurring like a mirage.
With weather like this, most creatures couldn't take the heat and rarely ventured outside.
The Dragon Race living in the ring-shaped crater weren't among them.
As Fire Dragons, they actually felt more lively and energized than usual on days this hot.
It had been over a month since Galos last negotiated with the Iron Dragon Lady.
Young Dragons needed to grow, and Galos had been training hard to strengthen himself.
In this month, his body had grown another noticeable bit; his Dragon Scales looked like they're forged from steel, and the muscle fibers hidden beneath would tighten like steel cables when he pushed himself, ready to burst forth with incredible power at any moment.
"Break time is over, go mine for me!"
Near the mountain wall, Galos flicked his tail, launching two rocks that smacked Iron Dragon Brother and Red Dragon Sister right on their heads.
The two young dragons looked up in protest, righteously indignant: "We just rested for an hour! Galos, this is abuse! The Dog-headed Man Clan under Mom's care gets a whole two hours of break for the same mining time!"
The Iron Dragon Lady did have Followers.
Among them, one Dog-headed Man Clan specialized in mining for the Iron Dragon Lady.
Hearing this, Galos' tail whipped the ground, sending sparks flying as he strode over to the two youngsters.
"Do you know why you can never beat me, why I always pin you down, why you're forever getting wrecked and humiliated by me?"
He asked, looking down at them.
The two young dragons glanced at each other, clueless.
"Because you seriously lack ambition!"
Galos leaned in close, his shadow looming over the pair as he said in a deep voice: "You are noble True Dragons, with Dragon Veins flowing inside you, yet you dare compare yourselves to kobolds!"
The young dragons shook their heads, eyes showing pity and disappointment.
"Pathetic enough to lose to kobolds... you disgrace your True Dragon Blood."
He said this with utter contempt.
"Bullshit! Kobolds aren't even worthy to compete with me!"
Red Dragon Sister exploded with rage.
"Bullshit! I'm a hundred times stronger than those kobolds!"
Iron Dragon Brother was furious, too.
Galos' expression eased, breaking into a grin: "Talk is cheap—prove it. Show me your resolve, show me the strength and toughness worthy of the Dragon Race!"
"Hmph, don't underestimate us!"
The two young dragons snorted, but quickly got fired up and dove into their previously dug-out mine shaft, determined to show Galos that they were nothing like kobolds, vowing to earn his respect.
Psychological provocation—the Dragon Race's ultimate tool.
Proud and conceited, Dragons just couldn't handle being prodded or challenged.
Galos drew his gaze back from the two youngsters as they entered the mine.
"If only Iron Dragon Lady was as easy to fool as they are,"
Galos sighed wistfully.
Dragons grew more disciplined as they aged; someone like Iron Dragon Lady—a mature Giant Dragon—was miles smarter than hatchlings.
Those two young dragons? Right now, they're basically idiots and easy to scam.
Let them grow another year, and when they become Young Dragons, if Dragon Ladies kick them out as usual to survive on their own, with their half-assed, playful personalities, it really was hard to imagine how they'd survive in this perilous world.
Meanwhile...
A gust of wild wind swept through.
Galos looked up to see Iron Dragon Lady soaring past, wings outstretched across the skies, her body massive, Dragon's Aura billowing, a wingspan nearly forty meters wide casting a thick shadow on the land below.
Dirt whipped up, small rocks trembling nonstop.
Iron Dragon Lady dropped a pitch-black lump, which thunked onto the ground with an earth-shattering crash, like an earthquake, leaving a deep crater at the impact site and sending cracks spider-webbing outward, dust billowing all around.
Galos beat his wings to clear the dust, then stared intently.
He saw a Big-Horned Barbarian Bull, weighing tens of tons, muscles stacked thick all over its body, huge ramming horns atop its head, armored hide covering its massive frame, reflected in Galos' view.
This was a Fierce Beast of Level 10 or above.
Exactly the kind of high-quality blood meal Galos needed.
The Iron Dragon Lady honored her deal with Galos, supplying him high-quality blood food regularly.
This meal was reserved just for him.
As for the two young dragons, Galos made them mine, but they weren't slaving around the clock—definitely not real slaves. Back in the Dragon's Nest, they got food provided by Iron Dragon Lady.
Iron Dragon Lady was cold but stuck to her rules: she always did her duty, never mistreated any young dragon, but also didn't spoil them.
After dropping the prey, Iron Dragon Lady didn't stay; she headed straight back to her own nest.
"Let's eat."
Galos pulled his gaze back, took a deep breath, and started tearing into the Big-Horned Barbarian Bull.
The armored hide on its body was so tough that even Galos' teeth, toughened from chewing ores, couldn't bite right through—it took some serious gnawing and tugging.
The beef was incredibly fresh—almost as good as feasting on it alive—tough, chewy, and full of bite.
Every mouthful warmed Galos' body, providing rich nourishment and energy.
When he'd devoured nearly half the bull's meat, a tingling, itchy sensation suddenly arose from Galos' body, inside and out, surging like tidal waves back and forth.
"This is the feeling."
Galos' eyes sparkled with joy.
He'd just eaten loads of beef—even with a Dragon's furnace-like iron stomach, he was feeling stuffed. But as the tingling surged through his body, that fullness melted away, replaced by a fierce craving for more food.
The young dragon took a deep breath, opened his Dragon's Kiss wide, showing off his rows of dragon teeth.
Awoo!
Ripping off a huge chunk of beef, Galos chewed casually a few times, swallowed it, and the meat instantly melted into soothing warmth inside him. The tingling ran through his limbs and bones, focusing mostly on the parts he'd been training recently.
The Scale Armor meeting the land, the Dragon Horns pounding the mountains, the Dragon Tail whipping against rocks.
Plus all the muscles absorbing the shock, inner organs, and so on.
However...
There was no visible change to Galos' body, only this constant electrifying tingle.
"Evolution doesn't happen in one instant—it builds up as I adapt, fueled by energy, then surges forward over the next period. Based on how much I accumulate and adapt, I get a matching evolution."
Galos pondered silently.
These years, he'd always been thinking about the true nature of his talent, and had some theories of his own.
All creatures have the power to adapt and evolve, but normally, it'd take millions of years—endless ages of gradual change.
Galos, though, could shrink that time to almost nothing.
The key was, his Evolution Talent itself kept growing stronger.
"Maybe one day in the future, I'll evolve instantly to adapt, or even morph directly toward whatever I want."
He imagined.
Then, Galos pushed himself and, against all odds, devoured the entire Big-Horned Barbarian Bull whose mass was many times his own.
The tingling sensation was now stronger than ever, pulsing through him.
Striking while the iron was hot, under the blinding sunlight, he began another round of mountain-smashing headbutts, suffering and enjoying it all at once.