Under the shroud of a night sky like black velvet, dotted with countless stars.
Standing on the high and rugged cliff, the Red-Iron Young Dragon looked back, his gaze sweeping inch by inch over the entirety of the Sinkhole Territory.
Especially the area below this cliff, a surface full of potholes and hollows of varying depths, which held almost all of Garros's memories from his time as a hatchling.
"From now on, there's no turning back; I'm completely on my own."
Garros glanced at the two moons in the sky and the Magic Satellites mixed among the real stars, difficult to distinguish; his mood felt slightly heavy.
The level of magic on Planet Bernardo, especially the level of Alchemy using magical creations, was exceptionally high.
The numerous monsters and Vicious Beasts in the wilderness were secondary; the kingdoms formed by intelligent beings were the truly dangerous ones.
"Arrogance, conceit, greed."
"These are the draconic instincts most likely to cause a young dragon's early death. I must remain vigilant at all times and cannot afford to be careless."
There are only two outcomes for a young dragon leaving the nest—becoming a new natural disaster, or becoming nourishment for the wilderness.
Garros naturally didn't want to become nourishment, but he had no interest in becoming a natural disaster either; his goal was simple.
—To survive, for as long as possible.
Only after dying once can one truly appreciate the preciousness of life. Garros cherished this dragon life immensely, which was why, after realizing the dangers of this world, he could persevere in training and strengthening himself.
"Hahaha, I shall establish a Dynasty of my own! I will make countless creatures submit beneath my wings and bow before me!"
Samantha's shouting into the night wind interrupted Garros's train of thought.
This six-year-old young dragon was covered in fiery red scales that seemed to burn like flames in the night, vivid and full of vibrant life.
But such a scale color was actually ill-suited for survival.
It was too conspicuous.
Clad in a layer of black-gray Buffer Scales, Garros could almost merge with the darkness at night, making it easier for him to lurk and hide.
As for the Iron Dragon Brother, Gordon.
His black scales were a bit better, but because they shimmered with a hint of silver light, they were also somewhat conspicuous.
Moreover, the Iron Dragon Brother's talk was even bigger than the Red Dragon Sister's.
"I want to establish a kingdom ruled by Dragonkin, and then I shall rule over all Dragonkin."
He stepped onto a protruding rock with his claws, held his head high, and issued a declaration to the world.
Garros was composed by nature and did not make a fuss.
Looking at the two young dragons, the Red-Iron Young Dragon thought for a moment and said, "Samantha, Gordon, survive together with me."
Having two young dragons to command and huddling together for warmth would be more conducive to survival.
Furthermore, Garros held a heart of awe for the peril-filled wilderness; a year of exploration had also given him a better understanding of the specific situation around them.
With him leading, the two young dragons would have a higher chance of survival.
Following Garros was actually a win-win for them.
Unfortunately, the two young dragons didn't think so.
"No!"
The Red Dragon Sister snorted sparks from her nostrils and said dismissively, "I am a Red Dragon destined to stand at the top of the world, the leader of the Five-Colored Evil Dragons. I can become the Dominator of the wilderness on my own; I don't need to follow you."
The Iron Dragon Brother also shook his head.
"I'm going to the wealthy South. I've heard that the humans in the South have gems embedded in their teeth."
When he spoke of gem-embedded teeth, he made no attempt to hide his greedy desire.
Hearing this, Garros said no more and gently shook his head.
Just like when the two little dragons had first hatched, he offered them a choice once again, and they gave their own answers.
Fate and a dragon's life are composed of one choice after another.
Garros didn't force the two young dragons to follow him; if they were unwilling and he forced them, their personalities would likely bring him trouble instead.
But he still gave the two young dragons one more chance.
Looking at the two young dragons, Garros said unhurriedly, "If you change your foolish ideas and wish to seek my protection, you can head to the hills about ninety kilometers to the northwest."
"There's a dense forest of hemlocks there; it's very easy to recognize."
"If I'm still in those hill woodlands, I might take you in. Of course, that's provided you're prepared to be my slaves and obey my orders unconditionally."
With that, Garros lingered no longer. Withdrawing his gaze from the Sinkhole Territory, he flew toward the hills where he had first tamed the Earth Storm Bear.
"Damnable Garros, you're too conceited, looking down on us completely."
"Just you wait, we'll make you see us in a new light sooner or later!"
"Even if we die and get eaten by Vicious Beasts or monsters, we won't go begging you!"
Against the moonlight, the Dark Gold Tail Ring was coated in a layer of bright luster. Behind Garros, the shouts of his dragon brother and sister drifted over, but the clamor was soon swallowed by the wind of the wilderness.
Two weeks later, Hemlock Hills.
This area wasn't large, and resources were limited, making it a mediocre habitat. However, Garros had no better place to go for now, so he settled there temporarily.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The Earth Storm Bear's paws were encased in thick, hard rock as it struck the dragon in front of it repeatedly.
Garros endured the Earth Storm Bear's heavy blows. His body trembled slightly, and Buffer Scales flew everywhere, eventually revealing his black-based, red-patterned armor scales, which then began to crack and dent.
But just as cracks began to spread across the black-red armor scales and they started to cave in slightly...
The Earth Storm Bear stopped.
"Get up and continue."
Garros lifted his eyelids and spoke with dissatisfaction.
The Earth Storm Bear had only just knocked off a layer of Buffer Scales; now was the time for the real tempering of his physique.
"Roar, your scales are harder than steel. I really can't hit them anymore."
The Storm Bear let out a roar and sat on the ground, panting heavily.
Its thick bear arms could barely be lifted, and the rock attached to its paws had been shattered by the Buffer Scales, revealing cracked and bleeding paws.
Garros still hadn't had his fill.
Although both were essentially about impact, unlike the intense training of slamming into mountains or the ground, Garros felt after this period of time that this method of taking hits was more meticulous and had a good tempering effect.
Besides having the Earth Storm Bear strike him with its paws...
He also had it attack him with Spell-like abilities to hone his corresponding resistances.
This process naturally wouldn't be pleasant; pain was inevitable.
The Earth Storm Bear was a Rank 8 monster; Garros couldn't take its attacks without injury.
But perhaps because he had done so many similar exercises, Garros had developed a very high tolerance for pain. Not only that, while feeling the pain, he even felt a bit excited because he knew it meant he was undergoing Adaptive Evolution.
"Hurry up and absorb the Power of the Earth to rest. We'll continue in a while."
Garros allowed the Storm Bear to rest for a bit.
The Earth Storm Bear looked miserable.
When it submitted to Garros, it had thought that perhaps Garros was temperamental and liked to beat his subordinates to vent, but since it was thick-skinned and sturdy, as long as he didn't kill it, it could recover slowly.
But what it hadn't expected was...
Garros was the exact opposite, having a strange hobby of making it hit him instead.
At first, the Earth Storm Bear was quite enthusiastic.
But it soon discovered that this was not a good job.
Every time it was exhausted to the point of being half-dead, Garros still hadn't had his fill. Fortunately, the Earth Storm Bear's recovery was strong enough for it to barely hold on.
This won't do. If this continues, I'll be so exhausted that my life Rank will drop.
The Earth Storm Bear pondered hard while resting.
Suddenly, it had a flash of inspiration and called out to Garros, who was rubbing his dragon tail against a hemlock tree on the other side.
"Dragon Lord!"
Dragon Lord—this was one of the common honorifics used by subordinates for Dragonkin, similar to calling someone "Master."
Just in the process of rubbing, the hard hemlock was carved with countless deep marks by the sharp scales on the dragon's tail, as if hacked by knives and axes.
Garros spared the poor hemlock and turned to look at the Earth Storm Bear.
The Earth Storm Bear scratched its head, a hint of a shrewd smile appearing on its honest-looking face.
"Hehe, you surely want more Earth Storm Bears as your subordinates."
Under Garros's gaze, it spoke eloquently.
It turned out...
The Earth Storm Bear, Mobel, had once come from a small Storm Bear Pack.
Its father was also the pack leader. Besides the Storm Bear Leader, there were several female bears and some bear cubs that hadn't grown up yet.
In some aspects, the habits of Earth Storm Bears were similar to those of lion prides.
Males were superior and stronger than females, and they could not tolerate other adult males in the same territory, driving away male offspring who were about to reach adulthood.
"You mean, take me to conquer your pack?"
Garros asked.
"Exactly! As long as you kill my father, I guarantee that the other female Storm Bears and cubs will all submit to you."
Mobel nodded heavily, patting his chest in assurance.
"What a truly 'filial' son," Garros thought to himself.