Translator: AnubisTL
"Will you play with Vera?" the fairy dragon asked.
Garos considered the request briefly, neither refusing nor agreeing. "We'll see how I feel," he replied.
No sooner had the words left his mouth than he felt something strange on his tail.
Turning his head, he saw a vibrant green vine coiled around the tip, tied into a bow-like knot and still shimmering with the pink, light-infused powder the fairy dragon had sprinkled.
Garos flicked his tail.
The razor-sharp dragon scales, overlapping like blades, instantly sliced through the vine, reducing it to fragments.
"We'll play later. Right now, I need you to do something important for me," he said.
"Okay, okay! Let's hurry with the important stuff so you can play with me afterward!" The fairy dragon nodded eagerly, then tilted its head. "What's the important stuff?"
Garos grinned.
"Come, use your illusion on me."
What a strange request from a strange dragon, the fairy dragon thought. Its interests were baffling and even a little dangerous.
"Illusions inflict mental damage. Too many can harm your brain and turn you into a fool. Aren't you scared?" the fairy dragon asked curiously.
That's exactly the mental damage I want.
"Stop asking so many questions and just begin."
Garos took a deep breath, focusing his mind to prepare for the fairy dragon's illusion.
"Alright, alright, you asked for this, okay? Don't get mad just because you get hurt," the fairy dragon added anxiously before unleashing its signature phantom sound technique on Garos.
The sound of a clear spring trickling filled Garos's ears.
The world before him began to spin, twist, and distort.
In the distance, the Earthstorm Bears shed their fur, shrank, and transformed into playful dolls chasing and wrestling. Rocks and trees sprouted limbs and mouths, dancing and singing, while the entire world's colors intensified, resembling a vibrant oil painting.
This time, Garos didn't attempt to break the illusion with physical attacks. Instead, he allowed himself to sink deeper into it.
He glanced down at himself.
To his astonishment, Garos discovered that his dragon scales had transformed into blooming flowers.
Bees and butterflies swarmed around him, buzzing their wings and humming indistinct, incomprehensible melodies that made his head spin.
Garos sat motionless on the ground, as steady as a boulder.
He endured the relentless singing and increasingly bizarre visions, using them as training to adapt to the illusion.
But before long, the sounds and illusions abruptly ceased.
The oil painting-like, surreal world vanished, the illusion dissipated, and the world before him returned to normal.
The experience felt like stumbling into a bizarre, fantastical world. Still somewhat unsatisfied, Garos gazed at the fairy dragon, his eyes lingering on its butterfly-like wings. "I've heard fairy dragon scale powder can enhance mental fortitude," he said.
The fairy dragon nodded. "That's right!"
"Let me try some," Garos requested.
Scale powder was a renewable resource for the fairy dragon, not particularly rare. Without hesitation, it flew above Garos and shook its butterfly-like wings.
Silver-gray powder cascaded down in a shimmering rain.
Garos opened his mouth and swallowed every last speck.
In an instant, his mind became acutely sensitive. His excitement and focus surged, and the world seemed to burst into vivid, warm-toned hues.
The tiny spider weaving its web in a rock crevice, the ants crawling along tree branches, the dust motes dancing in the air.
The rustling of leaves in the wind, the faint rasp of his scales rubbing together, the crisp plink of dew drops hitting stone.
Details he would normally overlook now stood out with startling clarity, flooding Garos's senses.
This feeling... it's truly exquisite, Garos thought, his eyes gleaming.
This was different from the effects of black oil.
While black oil primarily stimulated his body, this scale powder heightened his mental sensitivity and exhilaration.
Beyond perception, Garos felt his thinking speed had accelerated, as if he had become more intelligent.
He paused to reconsider, pondering whether he should shift his focus to spiritual and mental cultivation or formally begin studying magic.
After a few seconds of deep contemplation, he arrived at a negative conclusion.
His wisdom told him that physical strength and power remained paramount.
As a red-iron dragon hybrid, he lacked exceptional talent in spiritual, mental, or magical pursuits. Progress in these areas would be slow, and they wouldn't provide immediate combat capabilities or serve as reliable survival tools in the wilderness.
It would be far more efficient to attempt these endeavors once he had achieved sufficient physical strength, maximizing his efforts for greater returns.
"Vera, continue using your illusions on me," he said, turning to the fairy dragon.
Garos had no intention of prioritizing mental cultivation, but he wouldn't neglect it entirely either. Moderate training was still necessary.
Feeling mentally drained, the fairy dragon rubbed her head before casting the phantom sound technique once more.
Enhanced by the Scale Powder's increased mental sensitivity, the illusions now had a far more profound effect on Garos.
The world around him twisted into bizarre, indescribable shapes.
The shadows of stones stretched into grotesque, distorted monsters.
A colossal tree hung upside down, its roots piercing the sky. Its trunk and sky-obscuring branches were all composed of flesh and blood.
The song in his ears dissolved into an incomprehensible murmur, like the whispered hiss of some creature.
Garos once again found himself immersed in the bizarre realm of illusion.
During this time, he vaguely saw claw-like branches descending from the grotesque world, reaching toward him. Yet they seemed separated by a barrier between illusion and reality, unable to draw near or touch him.
Is this because I enhanced my mental sensitivity with the Scale Powder?
The effects of this illusion far surpass what a fairy dragon could produce.
Garos mused inwardly.
Time flowed slowly onward.
Soon, Garos's eyes lit up as he turned to the fairy dragon. "Vera, you can go play now. Let's end today's mental training here."
The fairy dragon, its wings drooping, lay sprawled on a treetop, listlessly lifting its eyelids.
"No... no play. Vera wants to... rest. So tired."
Fairy dragons excel at illusions, but their mental stamina isn't limitless. Vera was utterly exhausted, her mind drained to its limits by Garos's relentless training. She craved only sleep and rest, lacking even the energy to play.
Garos, however, remained alert.
The effects of the Scale Powder had already begun to wane.
The world no longer appeared as vividly colored, and his senses weren't as sharp as before. Yet compared to his initial state, there had been a slight improvement.
This is truly remarkable stuff.
"By regularly consuming fairy dragon Scale Powder, my mental fortitude and perception have improved dramatically without requiring specialized training," Garos thought, glancing at the fairy dragon snoring atop the tree. He felt like he'd struck gold this time.
The only downside was the lack of access to black oil, which he couldn't obtain anymore.
What would it feel like to consume both black oil and Scale Powder simultaneously? Garos wondered, his mind racing. The combined stimulation of body and mind...
Black oil is a resource I could purchase from merchant caravans if I had a reliable channel.
But I can't reveal myself. That would only invite trouble.
After pacing thoughtfully for a moment, he spread his wings and soared into the sky, preparing to scout the territories of other creatures around Needleleaf Valley more thoroughly.
When he had chosen this place as his territory, Garos had been well aware of the numerous intelligent creature clans scattered nearby, neither too close nor too far. Moreover, a branch of the Thousand Serpents' Trace ran through the area, posing potential security risks.
Yet danger lurked everywhere in the wilderness. Compared to other locations, Needleleaf Valley offered relatively abundant resources, making these security concerns manageable. In fact, if handled skillfully, they could even be turned to his advantage.
After careful consideration, Garos had ultimately chosen this place as his territory.
(End of the Chapter)
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