The long-lasting rainy season had finally come to a complete end.
As the first ray of true sunlight pierced through the clouds, a rare morning mist rose from the frozen earth on the northern bank of the Estonia Great River. Being close to the Permafrost Tundra, a faint chill permeated the air.
At the same time.
Inside a naturally formed basalt cave.
A black behemoth, looking as if cast from steel, slowly opened its deep, dark eyes.
Garros had awakened.
After a full month of deep sleep.
This slumber was not a growth-related dragon sleep, but a therapeutic dormancy to heal his injuries.
Raising a claw, Garros felt his thick neck.
The slash that had previously been deep enough to see bone had disappeared. The flesh and dragon scales had regrown, and all the wounds from blades and axes had healed and regenerated. Even the terrifying wound that had completely pierced through his body was gone.
If it were a creature of any other race, suffering such severe injuries would likely leave permanent sequelae even if cured, affecting them for life.
But for Dragonkin, as long as they didn't die on the spot, it wasn't a major issue.
Through sleep, the best medicine, the injuries were fully healed without any lasting effects.
Because this was the closest he had ever come to death, Garros felt very fortunate in hindsight for his day-and-night persistence and his various forward-thinking exercises.
For example.
By adapting to Snake Dragon venom, the Potion Expert's toxins were almost ineffective against him.
Furthermore, the thick dragon neck he had built through neck-strengthening exercises had withstood a fierce strike from a Paladin who had poured all his heart and skill into it, preventing him from being decapitated.
In terms of Dragonkin body structure.
Compared to the strength of other parts, the neck could be considered a major weakness, being proportionally long and thin.
Garros was different.
Due to years of targeted training, his neck was thick and covered in a layer of scales as hard as refined steel. The muscular strength in his neck was powerful enough to support his massive body while hanging upside down in the air.
His weaknesses and shortcomings were being filled one by one.
Standing up, the Red-Iron Dragon stretched his body, pressing low while arching his tail and hips. Simultaneously, he extended and flapped his wings. His muscles and bones emitted a series of crackling sounds like firecrackers, and he shook off the dust and pebbles from his surface.
Then, he closed his eyes slightly, feeling the energy flowing within his body.
In addition to Demonic Energy and life energy.
There was another hotter, more active, and more surging energy flowing through him.
—Dragon Qi, also known as Battle Qi.
Garros opened his eyes and took a deep breath.
Whoosh!
A stream of black-red energy appeared on his claws.
This mass of Dragon Qi, existing between substance and illusion, sometimes rose like flames and sometimes flowed like molten iron. It was black-red overall, pitch black inside with a layer of dark red on the surface, causing Garros to shake his head helplessly.
The color of Dragon Qi was related to the essence of his life.
As a Red-Iron Dragon, it was only logical that his Dragon Qi was black-red.
Currently, his Dragon Qi was not yet thick enough, with only about one-tenth converted.
But when his Martial Dragon Rank became higher in the future and all his Demonic Energy and life energy were converted into Dragon Qi, he would be able to, like the Monk from before, have Dragon Qi transform into flames that completely covered his entire body during intense combat.
When that time came.
With Dragon Qi activated, illusory black-red flames would envelop his body, roiling and burning. It would undoubtedly give people an extremely dangerous and utterly evil feeling.
If it were gold, it would appear much more holy and majestic rather than fierce and dangerous.
To achieve that, one would need a higher Rank to obtain the Dragon Qi Mastery feat. By then, let alone gold, even iridescent black or colorful white would be no problem.
"The battle with the Dragon Hunting Group was dangerous, but the rewards were many. Most importantly, I have now officially become a Martial Dragon."
Garros felt a sense of emotion in his heart.
The birth of Dragon Qi also meant he had successfully taken on his profession.
During his slumber, he had directly comprehended a core skill through his Legacy.
—Claw Strike Mastery.
Numerous offensive and defensive techniques using both claws surged in Garros's mind as if he had known them all along.
In comparison, he felt his previous use of his claws was as primitive and crude as a wild beast's, simply an eyesore that wasted his physical attributes.
Now, with just a casual swing, his claw tips could precisely pierce into the weakest layers of rock.
This increase in precision of power control was more precious than a simple increase in strength.
Furthermore, his Martial Dragon Rank was currently only 1.
As his Rank increased, he would also be able to awaken core skills like Tail Strike Mastery and Wing Strike Mastery, as well as the perception-type skills that Garros currently desired.
Of course.
If he had sufficient time and leisure, he could also learn techniques himself without needing to comprehend them through his Legacy.
It was worth mentioning that Profession Rank and Life Level were two different systems.
For naturally weak creatures, Profession Rank was basically equal to Life Level.
But for top-tier magical creatures like Dragonkin, once they took on a profession, their overall level could not be judged simply by Life Level and Profession Rank.
A Martial Dragon Rank of 1 was very low.
But Garros already felt a noticeable change.
Even without counting the Claw Strike Mastery skill, relying solely on the one-tenth Dragon Qi content in his body, he could increase the duration of his Frenzied State or use it to enhance his attack or defense.
His Life Level hadn't changed.
But his combat power had seen a real and solid increase.
"I don't actually lack offensive skills right now; the key is perception skills."
"At Rank 3, there's Reflexive Dodge, and at Rank 6, there's Danger Sense. It won't take too long to get them."
Garros pondered in his heart.
The Martial Dragon Rank was primarily increased through combat and cruel training that bordered on self-torture. Garros was very good at both, so he could level up quickly when his Profession Rank was low.
He was eager to start training immediately.
However, thinking that the other Dragons and their subordinates were all nervously guarding him, and that now was not the best time for training, Garros suppressed his inner impulse and soared up from the hidden underground cave.
Hearing the movement.
The Young Dragons guarding the area immediately looked over with wary eyes. When they saw the black giant dragon soaring through the sky, they all breathed a sigh of relief, and their long-tensed spirits finally relaxed.
After a brief circle in the air.
Garros folded his wings and landed on the ground.
The Faerie Dragon was the first to flap its wings and fly toward him, circling his strong body and scattering some shiny, dazzling light powder as a celebration.
"My dear brother, you've finally awakened."
Iron Dragon Sorog walked over. Before getting close, he suddenly paused, his dragon scales trembling slightly as if sensing some invisible pressure.
He stared at Garros, a hint of astonishment appearing in his eyes.
The Red-Iron Dragon before him clearly still had that same formidable body, but he was surrounded by an indescribable aura of power, as if even the air was afraid of his breath.
Hot, resilient, and high-spirited.
His body didn't look much different.
But it felt as if some kind of qualitative change had occurred.
"You..." The Iron Dragon's voice was a bit hesitant as he said, "You've taken on a profession? What profession?"
Garros did not hide it and said, "Martial Dragon."
Hearing this, neither the Iron Dragon nor the Red Dragon felt too surprised.
Few Dragonkin took on the Martial Dragon profession because, although dragons were keen on fighting, they were generally lazy and disliked training, let alone the cruel training that was almost self-abusive. Moreover, there were traditional warrior professions as alternatives. As for Garros, he could not be viewed with common sense.
"Martial Dragon and Alchemist."
The Iron Dragon's gaze swept over Garros and Samantha, lost in thought. "You've both taken on professions. I should also choose a professional path to develop."
Because of their powerful Bloodline, the Sorcerer profession was the easiest to start for Dragonkin.
Not counting exceptions like Garros.
A normal Young Dragon who wanted to take on a profession basically only had the Sorcerer profession as an option.
"You can choose a Sorcerer profession first,"
Garros suggested. "Don't forget that time is on our side. Once we've passed the growth period and the situation stabilizes, it won't be too late to change paths."
Short-lived creatures could only specialize in one profession.
But Dragonkin, in their long lives, often studied many professions and tried different paths.
For ancient Dragonkin over a thousand years old, besides their own high Life Level, it was difficult to determine exactly how many skills they had learned or how many unpredictable methods they possessed.
Garros was very interested in magic.
It was just that because the learning cycle for magic was long and required time and accumulation to convert into combat power, it wasn't suitable for him right now. So he could only ignore it for now and consider dabbling in the Dao of magic when conditions were appropriate in the future.
Shortly after.
The migration group was ready to set off again. Garros spread his wings and flew over the group, soaring and circling in the sky.
The shadow he cast stretched across the wilderness, gradually extending toward the north.
The area close to the riverbank was not suitable for nesting as a base. The monster horde set out once more under the dragon's wings, continuing their northward migration. The long line was like a small stream, flowing toward the Borderlands between the wilderness and the tundra.