After hunting in the abandoned mine, and discovering the Rock-Breaking Worm swarm.
Galos didn't immediately return to the Celestial Pit Territory under Iron Dragon Lady's protection, but continued to circle above the clouds, gazing down at the boundless wilderness, searching for Demons and Fierce Beasts to hone his combat skills, all while scouting suitable territories to occupy for his future lair.
This is worth mentioning.
Demons are shorthand for Magic Creatures; as a member of the Dragon Race, Galos is actually considered the top-tier among Demons, while Fierce Beasts are wild beasts that have undergone evolution and mutation, becoming aggressive and violent.
Most Demons possess some innate Skills similar to Magic, and tend to be quite intelligent, while Fierce Beasts mainly rely on tough physical attributes to assert dominance, but are much less clever.
Throughout most of the day,
Besides the initial Rock-Breaking Worms, Galos hunted a total of five targets.
Petrifying Lizard, Fire-Breathing Crocodile, Red-Eyed Giant Rhinoceros, Terror Claw Owl Bear, Giant Rock Crab.
Two Demons, three Fierce Beasts.
Due to the Sel Wilderness environment, most creatures are Earth and Fire Element types.
Counting the Rock-Breaking Worms, a total of six battles and hunts gave Galos a clearer understanding of his own abilities.
He is currently a Level 7 lifeform.
When facing the Level 6 Terror Claw Owl Bear, Galos, thanks to the Dragon Race's innate strength and his relentless training, simply rammed it once and killed it outright.
While fighting the Level 7 Demon, Fire-Breathing Crocodile, Galos's inherited Fire Element resistance from both Red Dragon and Iron Dragon Bloodline allowed him to take a direct hit from scorching Fiery Flame, leaving only some smoky burn marks on his Scale Armor. His Flaming Dragon Breath, on the other hand, turned the Fire-Breathing Crocodile into charcoal in an instant.
Other same-level Demons or Fierce Beasts were no match for Galos, either.
Even the thick-skinned Red-Eyed Giant Rhinoceros was nearly half dead when Galos accelerated and crash-landed into it from high altitude.
At present, 'Great Wilderness Dragon Meteor' is Galos's strongest attack ability besides Dragon Breath.
For other Young Dragons, such reckless attacks are dangerous—if they're not careful, they'll get badly hurt—but Galos, who trains on mountains and earth every day and has evolved a layer of cushioning Dragon Scale, is already a master of the technique.
Lower and same-level opponents are very weak.
Only the Level 8 Demon Petrifying Lizard managed to cause Galos some injury.
Its petrifying ray struck Galos, turning a small patch of Dragon Scale on his forearm and the underlying layer of flesh stone-like, but this was the only damage the Petrifying Lizard managed to inflict.
He estimated,
Although he's only Level 7, he should be able to hold his own even against Level 9 Fierce Beast Demons.
Ordinary members of the Dragon Race can fight above their level, and Galos, with his adaptive evolutionary physique, stands out even among Dragons.
However, Galos doesn't share the excessive arrogance and conceit of other Dragons.
Unless necessary, or unless there's enough profit, he won't recklessly face creatures that far outrank him.
With the Dragon Race's innate gifts and adaptive evolution, steady growth makes him stronger over time.
No need to risk his life just for a moment's arrogance, ending up in peril instead.
The arrogance and conceit inherited from the era when Giant Dragons ruled everything have led countless Dragons to die young before they could mature.
Back to the topic.
Aside from hunting Fierce Beast Demons,
Galos also discovered several suitable habitats.
The good news is, these habitats are either lush with fertile soil, or have clear lakes and plentiful birds and beasts, or feature steep terrain that's easy to defend and hard to attack.
The bad news is, just like the abandoned mine occupied by the Rock-Breaking Worm swarm, all have been claimed.
Countless creatures live and reside in this wilderness, and good habitats are rare and scarce, pretty much all already claimed by powerful beasts.
Galos's most coveted territory lies beside mountains and water, with beautiful scenery and abundant food resources.
Unfortunately, it's occupied by a group of Thorny-tailed Lions.
Adult Thorny-tailed Lions have an average Life Level of 5.
If it were a one-on-one, Knight-style duel, Galos could let them have both paws free and still win.
But there are plenty of Thorny-tailed Lions—about thirty or so by high-altitude count. There's both a male and female leader, their bodies are massive, and they look a bit mutated compared to ordinary Thorny-tailed Lions.
He noted the location of his favorite territories.
Galos thought, perhaps when he leaves Iron Dragon Lady's protection, he'll be able to replace the original Lord.
As the Sun was about to sink into distant mountains, layers of fiery clouds soaked the sky with color.
The Young Dragon finished his adventure, soaring beneath the sunset, returning to the Celestial Pit Territory.
By right, he's reached the age where he should be driven out, so although Galos still lives in the Celestial Pit Territory, he no longer shares a Dragon's Nest with Iron Dragon Lady.
He simply settled down on the cliffs where he usually trains.
Upon arrival,
He saw Red Dragon Sister and Iron Dragon Brother lazily basking in the sunset, lying on their backs outside the mine, bellies exposed, half-closed eyes, tails swaying leisurely—utterly content.
Their Dragon natures are lazy and slack, and neither has Galos's discipline.
At first, they thought they'd discovered Galos's secret to strength, so in their spare time they imitated him—crashing into mountains and earth, looking very energetic and full of fighting spirit.
For the first few days, that was true.
The two Dragons were full of enthusiasm, training against the mountains and earth whenever they could, no longer wandering around idly or sleeping whenever bored.
But as time passed, their nature returned and their motivation dwindled.
Just recently,
During her free time when she should be crashing into mountains for training like before, Red Dragon Sister hesitated—thinking she ought to balance work and rest, take a nap to recharge, and then start afresh. So she went to sleep.
When she woke, it was late; the cool night breeze made her uncomfortable.
She figured her condition wasn't right, training wouldn't be effective. So she thought she'd wait for daylight.
At dawn, when the air was freshest, Red Dragon Sister again felt that such good air called for soaring across the sky, enjoying the thrill of flying high and gazing down at the land—once again, putting off her training.
After a few repeats,
She stopped considering training altogether.
As for Iron Dragon Brother, he's a bit different—he didn't go through Red Dragon Sister's mental journey.
—One time, he flew too high and didn't adjust his angle properly when crashing to earth; his dragon face greeted the ground with a bit too much force, leaving him with a crooked mouth and squinting eyes—a real haunted look.
After that, Iron Dragon Brother gave up as well.
Truthfully, although not as effective as Galos's adaptive evolution, if they kept using rocks and earth to hone their bodies, their Scale Armor would toughen over time, and their bodies would grow sturdier.
Even under Galos's pressure, forced to mine,
After a month, their claws and teeth were sharper than before, and muscles stronger, too.
Ordinary Dragons do possess evolutionary abilities far surpassing most other creatures, just not as obviously efficient as Galos.