"You're being too gentle. Use your Demonic Energy and continue."
Garros encouraged them.
Seeing that Garros wasn't angry, and under his constant encouragement, the Violent Bears gradually let loose. They steadily increased their strength and used Demonic Energy to reinforce their bodies.
At first, they were afraid that hurting Garros would provoke his wrath.
But soon, they realized they were overthinking it.
One Violent Bear's paw was covered in thick rock. Accompanied by a fierce wind, it slammed heavily against Garros's dragon scales.
Bang!
As a few broken scales splashed away, Garros didn't even wobble. Several black-Red Dragon scales were faintly visible beneath the Explosive Scales.
The Violent Bear simultaneously felt a thick, explosive counter-shock hit its body, sending it staggering back several steps. Several extremely sharp scale fragments were now embedded in its arm, having torn through the hard rock armor and wedged into its flesh.
Violent Bears were fierce and combative by nature.
Opportunities to attack without restraint with a Dragon as a sparring partner were far too rare.
They viewed Garros's request as a gift and training for them, so they all rubbed their paws together, incredibly excited.
Ignoring the pain in its arm, the Violent Bear took large strides to approach Garros again, raised its paw, and struck out.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Dull thuds rang out incessantly, echoing over the Coniferous Valley.
In addition to the counter-shocks and cuts, the Violent Bears felt the dragon scales on Garros's body getting hotter and hotter. The branding-iron-red hue already present on them was gradually extending toward his spine.
A few more minutes passed.
Bang—Boom!
A bear paw landed on Garros. This time, the shattered scales falling on the Violent Bear turned into a burst of flame and a powerful shockwave with a deafening roar. It sent the caught-off-guard Violent Bear flying, its skin torn and flesh mangled.
Boom, boom, boom!
Several Violent Bears were all blown away, while the layer of Explosive Scales on Garros's surface turned a branding-iron red, emitting a high temperature that distorted the surrounding air.
"They can explode even without fire-attribute attacks now."
"This layer of Explosive Scales can now absorb kinetic energy and convert it into heat. It reduces the impact damage I take while dealing retaliatory damage."
Garros flicked his tail with satisfaction.
His gaze swept over the cowering Violent Bears, whose fur was charred and falling off from the explosions. He urged, "I didn't tell you to stop. Keep attacking me. Don't forget your Spell-like Abilities; use your Spell-like Abilities as well."
His words woke the Violent Bears up.
Surrounding Garros, the Violent Bears began to use their Spell-like Abilities. With a simple swing of a claw, they condensed thick, hard boulders that whistled through the air toward Garros, only to be blown to dust by the Explosive Scales on his body.
There was also a Violent Bear that kept Garros's instructions in mind—to try and wound him by any means necessary—so it stomped its foot on the ground.
Sharp earth spikes burst from the ground, thrusting toward the reproductive vent on Garros's lower abdomen from a tricky angle.
Garros instinctively felt some danger, so he shifted his steps and raised a foot to stomp down, crushing the earth spikes inch by inch.
Although there was a layer of scales outside the reproductive vent, the hardness of these scales could not compare to the chest or back scales. Moreover, if an attack carried effects like vibration or penetration, the damage couldn't be completely isolated.
"This is a weakness. I was a bit negligent before."
Garros thought to himself that he needed to perform some targeted training for his 'little dragon,' just in case.
Time slowly passed, and night gradually arrived.
The Violent Bears lay slumped on the ground like limp mud, their bodies covered in blast wounds and their faces filled with expressions of despair. Initially, they thought that being asked to attack him was a form of training encouragement from Garros, and they were very excited.
But now, that excitement had been completely replaced by exhaustion.
Alongside the fatigue, they also felt shock and a deep, heartfelt awe.
Garros had allowed them to attack and had withstood an unknown amount of damage, yet he was still full of energy, while they were nearly dead from exhaustion.
Gazing over the Violent Bears, Garros nodded with satisfaction and said, "Rest well. Continue in a few days once you've recovered."
With more Violent Bears, the training effect was better than in the past.
Self-training methods like 'humping the mountains and the earth' weren't refined enough and couldn't cover the whole body.
Unlike other dragons, Garros didn't recruit subordinates to have them fight for him or to satisfy an innate desire to rule and enslave other creatures; he primarily did it to more finely train and strengthen himself, making himself even more powerful.
Garros always believed that...
...in this world filled with numerous transcendent lifeforms, only one's own strength represented everything.
Wealth, beauty, power.
These were all mere accessories brought by one's own strength.
Garros's kinks are getting more and more perverted, Samantha thought silently to herself, quietly taking a few steps back to stay further away from Garros, terrified of being targeted.
She didn't know that Garros's strength originated from this 'kink'.
She only felt that Garros was a bit of a pervert, actually enjoying being beaten. Yet Garros was so strong that he remained unharmed, while those hitting him were exhausted to the point of death.
He didn't ask Samantha to continue assisting him in his training.
Garros took to the sky under the cover of night and landed at the edge of the Coniferous Valley. He chose a spot where no other creatures were present and then walked toward a protruding rock pillar.
He approached it.
After pondering for a few seconds, Garros stood upright, thrust his hips, and slammed into it. With a bang, the rock pillar was snapped clean off. He felt a wave of discomfort from the counter-shock, a faint aching pain.
The scales on the outer layer of the reproductive vent were not Explosive Scales and did not have the effect of absorbing kinetic energy.
The 'little dragon' itself was relatively fragile. When this part suffered an impact, although it was protected by scales, it was still inevitably affected.
"It really is a huge weakness. Too fragile. I can't just leave it be."
Garros took a deep breath, hardening his heart.
Because this behavior seemed a bit bizarre, and he didn't want to be watched or misunderstood, he checked his surroundings. After confirming no other creatures were present, he began truly humping the trees, the mountains, and the earth, gritting his teeth against the pain as he slammed into them repeatedly.
This amazing perseverance and determination had no audience.
Only the twin moons in the night sky were like a pair of eyes, silently watching everything happening below.
Meanwhile.
In the Balang Black Oil Field, the oil field territory garrisoned and guarded by the Blackrock Duchy's Third Heavy Cavalry Regiment.
The Dwarf Alchemist Groni picked up a scale fragment that was grayish-black overall with a hint of dark red on the edges and entered his Alchemy Workshop.
"I'll use it as material to create a Seeker to track the Young Dragon's whereabouts."
He thought to himself, then focused his mind on the scale fragment.
"Smelt into a liquid substrate, then extract the essence, stimulate activity, and perform alchemical shaping."
He habitually whispered the basic process of Alchemy under his breath.
Before a stone table covered with various tools, the Dwarf Alchemist drew runes in the air. They landed on the crucible and turned into a fierce fire. Then, he placed the scale fragment inside to perform the first step: smelting.
But to his surprise...
...this metallic-textured scale fragment didn't melt under the burning fire. Instead, it gradually turned a branding-iron red, becoming increasingly bright.
"Is there some special reaction with fire?"
"Could it be a change in dragon scale characteristics caused by being a hybrid?"
Because he had never seen or heard of such a change, the Dwarf Alchemist thought that this might be a brand-new discovery. It could support an Alchemical Thesis and elevate his status among Alchemists.
He excitedly leaned in close, eyes wide as he observed the changes in the scale fragment while simultaneously intensifying the flames