It was clear that Garros seemed a bit irritable and displeased at this moment.
Samantha shrunk her head back, said no more, turned around and left.
Garros lay down once more, his massive wings unfurled, his dragon tail drooping as he squinted his eyes, enjoying a rare moment of quiet rest while peacefully sunbathing.
A few days later.
The sun's rays dyed the sky a dark gold, and wild winds howled through the jagged, strange rocks, kicking up fine grit.
Garros folded his wings and circled quietly amidst the drifting winds and floating clouds, his dragon pupils looking down as he overlooked the hills below.
A flock of Thunder-Horned Sheep was reflected in his vision, currently grinding their horns against the large surrounding rocks.
These creatures, shaped like argali sheep, had massive curved horns atop their heads wrapped in leaping lightning; every time they lowered their heads to rub against the rocks, tiny electrical arcs would splash out.
In the center of the flock, a Thunder-Horned Sheep with a body size comparable to a giant elephant slowly raised its head.
Its twin horns no longer emitted the blue-white lightning of the ordinary members, but instead displayed a dark silver color like liquid metal, their surfaces densely covered with lightning-like patterns. Whenever it ground its horns, the solid Basalt would crack with spiderweb-like scorch marks amidst a piercing sizzling sound.
"Today, it's you."
This was the first time Garros had come out to hunt after three days of rest.
His massive dragon wings unfurled, casting a shadow that covered the entire flock of sheep.
Garros did not hide his aura, diving down like a bolt of crimson lightning. The screeching of the air being torn by his wings announced his arrival and startled the flock.
The ordinary Thunder-Horned Sheep instinctively wanted to scatter and flee.
But as the leader raised its head and a crackling electrical sound exploded between its horns, the flock became stable again.
One by one, the Thunder-Horned Sheep raised their heads, lightning lighting up their horns before they all fired into the sky simultaneously.
Countless silver snakes danced and wove into a power grid, rising against the sky to envelop the diving Garros.
Garros spread his wings, and just as he was about to hit the electrical net, he came to a sudden halt, then executed a nearly ninety-degree turn, demonstrating a terrifying maneuverability far exceeding that of ordinary Dragonkin.
The Thunder-Horned Sheep leader gave a low growl, and a dense Chain Lightning erupted from its horns, chasing after Garros's figure in the air.
The speed of the Chain Lightning condensed from this Spell-like Ability was not the speed of light, but it was still incredibly swift.
Garros was in no hurry to dive and slaughter the flock. As his wings flapped and sparks flew, his majestic and massive body maneuvered flexibly, constantly turning and dashing, dancing amidst the Chain Lightning.
Graceful as a startled swan, lithe as a swimming dragon.
Not a single bolt of the Chain Lightning, known for its speed, could land on his body.
The Thunder-Horned Sheep leader's Demonic Energy was constantly being depleted while its attacks all missed. Fear and anxiety felt in its heart, it gave up the attack, letting the flock scatter to escape the dragon's hunt, while it itself began to flee with electrified hooves, moving as fast as if flying.
But how could this speed compare to Garros?
He dived down, his target clearly fixed on the flock leader.
At the exact moment the Thunder-Horned Sheep leader's hind hooves kicked off the ground, the dragon claws precisely clamped onto its spine, carrying it up into the sky.
At such close range, as the Thunder-Horned Sheep leader struggled, a thick current exploded from its horns, and dense silver-white electrical snakes leaped onto Garros's body, jumping across his dragon scales.
However, Garros remained indifferent to this.
Other than his body feeling slightly numb, he felt no pain or burns.
Having frequently whipped himself with his tail reinforced by the lightning tail ring, Garros's lightning resistance had improved; this level of damage could not affect him much.
His movements remained vigorous.
With a 'crack', his claws twisted and snapped the Thunder-Horned Sheep leader's spine.
Afterward, Garros continued hunting, specifically picking Vicious Beasts with Spell-like Abilities to attack, using their strikes to test and train his corresponding resistances, accumulating progress bit by bit.
The sun gradually dipped westward, sinking toward the mountains.
Under the glow of the magnificent sunset, Garros returned to Coniferous Valley.
Thump! Thump!
The dull sound of heavy objects hitting the ground rang out as two massive, half-dead Vicious Beasts were dropped from the sky by Garros, landing in front of the Great Bears who were sparring with him.
"These are your rewards!"
The low voice came from mid-air, making the Great Bears both surprised and happy.
Not only did Garros not need his subordinates to hunt food for him, but after he had eaten his fill from hunting, he would even bestow the extra food he caught upon them.
Sparring with him was a grueling task.
The Great Bears were often exhausted and seriously injured after a session, greatly reducing their hunting efficiency.
Garros did not consider himself an Evil Dragon and would not mistreat his subordinates too much, so he bestowed this meat to let them recover faster and then continue sparring with him.
After circling in the sky for a bit.
Garros folded his wings, landed before a boiling Sulfur Pool, and then jumped in.
Sizzle, sizzle. As the pool water came into contact with his dragon scales, it immediately made a piercing sound, bubbling constantly and steaming off corrosive gases; nothing grew in the vicinity.
Garros was at ease, closing his eyes and instead submerging his entire body.
The pool water was filled with metallic particles and possessed strong corrosiveness and high temperatures, but for Garros, whose dragon scales were like cast steel and whose hide was thick, it was just right.
The Explosive Scales on his body gradually turned a searing red, but under Garros's careful control, they did not explode.
The pool water flowed through the gaps between the Explosive Scales, coming into contact with the lower layer of scales. Along with the hissing corrosion, the metallic particles contained in the water adhered bit by bit to this layer of armor, gradually tempering its strength, while Garros simply dozed and rested inside.
A short while later.
Garros arrived at the edge of Coniferous Valley. Under the cover of night, seeing no traces of other intelligent creatures around, he once again began his targeted 'little dragon' training.
Thump, thump, thump!
With one collision after another from the Red-Iron Young Dragon.
Wood chips flew constantly, and the tree trunk gradually became riddled with holes, finally falling over at an angle with a creak.
Garros let out a breath, feeling that the strength of the 'little dragon' seemed to have improved; at the very least, the soreness now was slightly less than last time.
"How about trying to chisel some rocks?"
A bold idea sprouted in his heart, but after thinking it over carefully, he rejected it, feeling it was better to progress step by step.
Suddenly.
Just as he was preparing to leave the area.
Garros caught a faint rustling sound behind him, like dragon scales rubbing against branches and leaves, and he whipped around abruptly.
Big eyes met small eyes; their gazes locked for an instant.
The figure hidden in the bushes froze, its body stopping as it tried to quietly turn and leave.
It was not large, like a young kitten, with a long and delicate body covered in a layer of brilliant, multi-colored dragon scales primarily in red, blue, and purple. The wings on both sides of its body were like those of a butterfly, shimmering with a faint silver-grey light in the darkness.
Its appearance was somewhat strange, and its size was far too tiny.
But there was no doubt about it.
This was a dragon.
A Faerie Dragon.