The scorching sun hung high over the wilderness, showering the earth with light and heat.
After sleeping for a full ten days, the Red-Iron Dragon slowly opened his eyes, revealing a pair of black pupils. He then shook his body, shaking off the dust that had settled on him during those days.
"The wounds on my body have fully recovered."
Garros turned his head to look at his body.
The once shocking scars had basically all healed; his new skin had become tougher, and his scales were a bit harder than before.
Sleep after intense combat...
...was the best way to stimulate the growth and development of Dragonkin.
"No, it's not quite a full recovery yet."
Garros raised a claw to touch his head, finding that the section of his dragon horn that had broken off hadn't completely grown back.
"My Dragon Qi failed to awaken."
Carefully feeling the Demonic Energy flowing through his body, the Red-Iron Dragon shook his head slightly, but he wasn't discouraged.
"I only moved against the Diamond Giant after careful preparation and planning."
"Though there were ups and downs and a certain amount of risk, I always held the initiative. There was no fatal danger, so it couldn't be called a life-and-death struggle."
It was normal not to awaken early; there was no need to feel disappointed.
A life-and-death battle—this was the most crucial condition for the early Awakening of Dragon Qi.
According to the Legacy, only by disregarding life and death and pushing all of one's Demonic Energy and Life Energy to the limit is there a chance for them to sublimate and blend together at the threshold of life and death, transforming into Dragon Qi.
"Find a powerful target for a life-and-death battle?"
"For example, storming the oil field where the Blackrock Dwarves' garrison is located."
"With my talent, I would 100% be able to awaken Dragon Qi at a critical moment, win the battle, grow stronger, defeat all the fools who provoke me, and ascend to the Throne of the Wilderness!"
Garros's thoughts were racing.
His eyes narrowed slightly as he halted these thoughts, then took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
After several deep breaths, he gradually suppressed his restless and arrogant thoughts, and his mind returned to a state of calm rationality.
Defeating a powerful enemy like the Diamond Giant had allowed a hint of arrogance to grow; Garros was keenly aware of this.
Every time Garros experienced a significant evolutionary Breakthrough or took down a strong enemy...
...the arrogance and conceit inherent in his Dragonkin Bloodline, especially the Red Dragon Bloodline, would grow wildly and become increasingly robust.
Because most Evil Dragons were promiscuous, they actually had many offspring, but most failed to grow up and died young; less than one-tenth of Evil Dragons reached adulthood.
And the period with the highest mortality rate wasn't actually infancy, but rather the juvenile stage.
At this stage, because their strength increased rapidly and they began to recruit subordinates and establish their own territories, Evil Dragons would become extremely arrogant, believing themselves to be peerless, only to die from their own conceit.
However, Garros's mental willpower was also growing stronger, keeping these tendencies within a controllable range.
He was quickly able to suppress the negative emotions.
"A life-and-death battle regardless of the consequences is too risky."
"Unless forced into a corner with no other choice, only someone who's had their brains eaten by an Ogre would proactively do such a thing."
"Better to honestly train, accumulate strength, and temper my physique."
"Given the intensity of my training, there's a high probability I'll awaken Dragon Qi before reaching the Young Adult stage; I just can't awaken it right now."
Garros calculated in his mind.
He felt his body more carefully.
Beneath his scales and within his flesh, the electric, tingling sensation had become clearer.
Garros flexed his muscles, trying to capture those tiny electrical currents and attempting to control and harness them.
Zzzt, zzzt, zzzt.
A few arcs of electricity leaped from the gaps between his scales.
Swaying and flickering.
They were especially concentrated around his spine and neck.
At first glance, they looked like a mane woven from lightning.
The only drawback was that they were too few and far between, and Garros didn't feel any significant effect.
The lightning-related evolution was still ongoing, and he didn't know exactly when it would be complete, but he estimated it wouldn't take too long—probably around the time he officially becomes a Young Dragon.
During this time...
...he needed to perform more targeted adaptation exercises.
A sudden pang of hunger came from his stomach; ten days of sleep without food or drink left Garros's body in urgent need of replenishment.
At such times, if there was nothing else around, a Young Dragon might eat dirt to satisfy its hunger.
Garros didn't need to.
He had something better.
He picked up a jar of black oil stored in the cave right next to him and took a sip, letting the thick, spicy energy of the black oil fill his body, temporarily dispelling his hunger before crawling out of the cave.
Bright, intense sunlight filled his vision.
Temperatures above forty degrees scorched the earth, forcing many creatures to seek shade, but it felt just right to Garros as he looked up directly at the sun, which resembled a giant fireball.
"Garros, Garros."
"You're awake!"
Fairy Dragon Vera flew over, waving her butterfly-like wings and blocking Garros's view.
Her natural color was a purplish-red with a hint of blue iridescence, but under the bright sun, her entire body refracted dazzling multicolored spots of light, almost like a Flash spell, making Garros squint.
The Faerie Dragon was clutching something in her claws, thrusting it toward the tip of Garros's nose as if presenting a treasure.
"Smell this! I found something good! It'll refresh your mind."
She said enthusiastically.
Garros sniffed.
A sharp, intense scent of musk immediately filled his nostrils.
But the smell was secondary.
It felt as if invisible little fingers were tickling his nasal cavity, causing his nose to twitch a few times before he couldn't help but tilt his head back and let out a massive sneeze, spraying dense sparks from his nostrils.
The Faerie Dragon had anticipated this and dodged to the side beforehand, her lips curling into a gleeful arc of a successful prank.
But what she didn't expect...
...was that Garros would sneeze several more times in a row, aiming at her each time. Sparks showered the Faerie Dragon's tiny body like a rainstorm; she screamed and dodged repeatedly but was still hit, ultimately ending up looking like she'd been smoked and scorched.
She wasn't actually hurt.
Although she was tiny, she was still a Dragonkin, and the sparks from Garros's nostrils didn't have much killing power.
"A bit ugly."
Garros rubbed his nose and commented on the Faerie Dragon's current appearance.
"You definitely did that on purpose."
The Faerie Dragon said huffily, the smile vanishing from her face.
"Of course."
The smile from the Faerie Dragon's face transferred to Garros's as he nodded naturally in admission, while simultaneously twitching his nose again and tilting his head back as if about to sneeze, scaring the Faerie Dragon into fleeing in a panic.
Garros's life centered on survival and growth.
Except when sleeping, his mind was in a serious state most of the time, rarely relaxing. Occasionally teasing the innocent and playful Faerie Dragon, or using his insight into an Evil Dragon's personality to discipline Samantha, served as a form of relaxation and entertainment for him.