Translator: AnubisTL
"Only life-or-death battles can stimulate the Dragon Qi Awakening."
"That means I'd have to fight powerful beings with life grades of 15 or even 16 just to have a chance at awakening. It's too dangerous. I'll just let it happen naturally."
Garos wasn't in a hurry.
He had always been patient. As a dragon, time was on his side.
His gaze fell upon the deep crater he had created and the behemoth's remains within. With a sweep of his wings, Garos descended into the pit.
When Iron Dragon Solgorn landed at the edge of the crater, he saw Garos using his claw to pick up half of a behemoth's tusk.
The ice-crystal-like material shimmered with golden halos in the lingering warmth of the lightning strike, forming a bizarrely beautiful contrast against the scorched blue beast blood staining the ground.
At that moment, a brilliant white lightning bolt pierced through the clouds, illuminating the world. The silhouettes of the red-iron dragon and the giant beast's remains were etched onto the earth as torrential rain washed over the battlefield, steam rising like pale banners.
"Golden lightning."
Solgorn stared at Garos, his gaze seeming to pierce through the black-red scales, trying to discern the nature of that heaven-piercing, lightning-infused radiance.
Solgorn's voice was dry as he asked, "When did you master this power?"
He had witnessed the entire battle between Garos and the frost behemoth. When Garos's explosive scales shattered, Solgorn's heart leaped to his throat, and he nearly intervened. But just as he was about to act, he saw Garos's body erupt in a surge of vibrant lightning, abruptly turning the tide of the battle.
Garos caught a falling raindrop on the back of his claw, watching the water bead vaporize against the residual heat radiating from his scales.
"During every thunderstorm, I practice within the clouds," he said calmly. "Today was the first time I fully unleashed it."
The iron dragon fell silent, recalling how Garos had indeed vanished for several hours during heavy rains over the past three years.
But who could have imagined he was soaring through the storm clouds, allowing thunderbolts to hammer his bones? Except for blue dragons, most dragonkind would suffer at least some injury from such lightning strikes.
"Perhaps I should try it too?" Solgorn mused. "Learn from Garos and attract lightning strikes in the clouds. What if I could awaken a similar skill?"
The Iron Dragon Solgorn tilted his head, gazing up at the storm clouds blanketing the sky. His eyes swept across the lightning flashing within, and the idea took root in his mind.
Though it was devoted to managing its territory and familiars, the iron dragon also revered strength and yearned for power.
Garos saw through the iron dragon's thoughts.
"You'd better not act rashly," he warned. "The golden lightning I summoned doesn't belong to the Iron Dragon bloodline. My control over it is purely accidental."
The iron dragon nodded at Garos's words, but its lack of seriousness suggested it hadn't truly taken the warning to heart.
Garos didn't press the matter further.
Let the lightning strike a few times, he thought. Once it's battered and bruised but gains nothing, it'll likely come to its senses. Some things must be experienced firsthand.
"There's still a considerable amount of the behemoth's remains," Garos said. "Its bones, claws, and fangs—these durable materials can be used to craft weapons and armor. Its flesh also contains immense energy. Have the familiars collect and sort the behemoth's remains for recycling."
This frost behemoth...
Its overall strength was comparable to that of the diamond giant.
Three years ago, Garos had defeated the diamond giant through meticulous planning and by pushing himself beyond his limits in a desperate attack. He had sustained severe injuries, coming within a hair's breadth of fatal wounds.
Now, three years later...
His battle with the frost behemoth was almost entirely a head-on clash, relying on brute force rather than cunning. After defeating the behemoth, Garos emerged virtually unscathed, having expended only some physical energy.
A minor disappointment:
The frost behemoth's remains held little value, far less than those of the diamond giant.
Upon reflection, this made sense. The behemoth had been created solely for combat; if its carcass were highly valuable, it would risk arming their enemies.
Solgorn, the iron dragon, ran a claw across his neck, prying out a message stone from beneath a dragon scale.
These devices were now commonplace among the Ironforged Clan's bosses.
Previously, lacking such magical means, they would have had to return to their territory to personally notify their familiars. Now, thanks to trade routes with the south, the Ironforged Clan had acquired many convenient alchemy items.
The iron dragon used the message stone to issue orders to his familiars at Crushed Stone Camp.
They would soon arrive to dismember and classify the frost behemoth's remains.
"While you fought the frost behemoth, I remained vigilant, watching for frost giant ambushes," the iron dragon said. "But even after the behemoth fell, I detected no trace of frost giants or any other giants."
Perplexed, it gazed northward.
"How did this behemoth end up alone, wandering here?"
Garos flapped his wings and soared back into the sky.
He gazed northward, his vision piercing through the heavy rain to see the vast, turbulent Estonian Great River. Beyond the river, across a stretch of the Sierre Wilderness and over the border, lay the gradually approaching Permafrost Tundra.
"Establish more outposts between the Gravel Beach and the Estonian Great River," Garos instructed.
The exact origins of the frost behemoth remained unknown—a potential risk.
But lacking further information and unable to investigate the Permafrost Tundra based on this single incident, Garos decided against delving deeper. Establishing additional outposts in the area to guard against unforeseen events would suffice.
If further incidents arose, they would have to adapt and respond as necessary.
The iron dragon shared Garos's assessment. It nodded and said, "Creatures from the Permafrost Tundra rarely reach this far. The frost behemoth's appearance may have been an anomaly. Regardless, we definitely need more outposts here."
Garos pondered for a moment, then said, "The Permafrost Tundra. Nick's Caravan will be arriving soon. We can inquire about the Permafrost Tundra from them. Their ears and eyes are sharp, and they're always keenly aware of any unusual news."
The Permafrost Tundra was even more barren than the Sierre Wilderness, but it possessed unique resources found nowhere else.
Frost Marrow and Millennial Permafrost, for example, were absent from the Sierre Wilderness. Driven by the promise of high profits, merchants still ventured into the Permafrost Tundra.
Garos delegated these trivial matters to Solgorn.
Flapping his wings, Garos soared into the sky. Instead of returning directly to Needleleaf Valley, he landed in a desolate clearing and activated his Supercharged Frenzy State once more.
In this state, he began a high-intensity 'anaerobic' workout.
The Frenzy State's severe strain was a drawback, but from Garos's perspective, it allowed for more effective training.
With the Dragon Qi Awakening still out of reach, maximizing his physical prowess remained the best way to extend the Frenzy State's duration.
Enveloped in dazzling golden lightning, Garos transformed into a 'gold dragon', darting across the clearing, charging at the mountains, and striking the earth.
He only stopped when the lightning began to flicker and his breathing grew as labored as a bellows.
The torrential rain lashed against his coiled form, golden arcs of electricity flickering intermittently between the gaps in his scales.
He lowered his head, staring intently at his trembling clawed arm.
Tiny golden sparks danced through his muscle fibers, like countless hammers pounding each strand, relentlessly squeezing out every last ounce of potential and strength.
Garos in his Frenzy State.
Radiant, savage, magnificent, dazzling.
But beneath this dazzling facade lay the searing pain of each breath, as if each inhale carried the sting of electric arcs—a testament to the tearing and rebuilding of his muscle fibers.
Over the years, as the sun rose and set, time flowed relentlessly onward.
Many things had changed.
The only constant was Garos's unwavering dedication.
Innate talent alone could not grant him his formidable physique.
Black oil and scale powder were merely supplements. His true strength stemmed from the relentless accumulation of daily efforts, each drop adding to the whole.
His true power was never a gift of talent, but rather the product of crushing that talent and reforging it within his very flesh and blood.
After briefly resting to deactivate his Frenzy State, Garos's breathing gradually steadied.
He took a deep breath, drawing in massive volumes of air mingled with the wind and rain into his lungs. Then, golden lightning crackled once more between the gaps in his scales as he resumed his training.
(End of the Chapter)
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