When the darkness receded like a tide, Garros's first sensation was the oppressive encroachment of the cave walls.
This cave, which had once been spacious enough for him to turn over in, now made it difficult for him to even spread his wing membranes; to his perception, it had become extremely cramped and stifling.
The final Dragon Sleep of his juvenile stage had brought about a massive growth spurt.
"How long have I slept this time? My size seems to have increased significantly."
The Red-Iron Dragon braced himself with his sharp claws and slowly raised his body, feeling his back spines nearly brushing against the ceiling of the cave.
Long-lived species generally have a dull perception of time, and he was unsure how long he had slept.
However, judging by the changes in his body, it had certainly exceeded the normal limits of a juvenile stage Dragon Sleep; he had likely slept through to his adolescent stage, past the age of 25.
"So hungry."
A burning sensation of hunger emanated from Garros's belly.
Before entering his deep sleep, he had consumed a massive amount of food, enough to completely distend his belly.
But that was not enough to sustain the consumption required for such a long deep sleep, and furthermore, his Adaptive Evolution also consumed energy.
Garros touched his body.
His thick bones protruded ruggedly, and his muscles clung tightly to his body, looking somewhat gaunt.
"I probably look like a Black Dragon right now, unsightly."
Hum—the space ring worn on his tooth emitted a hazy luster, and with a ripple like water, a barrel of 95 Black Oil appeared in the Red-Iron Dragon's mouth.
This had been prepared in advance for his battle with the Bloodhoof Chieftain, but it hadn't been used.
Now, it was perfect for replenishing his energy upon waking.
Crunch! He chewed and swallowed it along with the iron barrel.
As the entire barrel of 95 Black Oil went down, it churned in his belly like raging flames, yet it didn't feel as uncomfortable as before, giving Garros the sensation of gradually filling up.
It wasn't just a sensation.
After absorbing the energy, his gaunt body expanded at a speed visible to the naked eye, returning to its proper form.
But his belly still felt empty.
He needed real food, rich in various nutrients, not a single-source 'energy supplement' like black oil.
He took heavy steps.
Garros crawled out of the cramped cave where he had been sleeping; every step caused the cave to tremble slightly, as if it were about to collapse.
At the same time, the Red-Silver Dragon Deborah, who was guarding Dragon Valley, suddenly raised the scales on her neck.
She had been coiled on the cliff face, sharpening her claws, when she felt a tremor coming from the sleeping grounds that made her dragon blood boil.
She spread her wings and rushed toward the source of the sound.
Boom!
The camouflaged rock layer shattered like an eggshell, and the waterfall of light from the twin moons poured down.
A black silhouette shot into the sky against the silver radiance, the sound of its wing membranes spreading like thunder before a storm.
The Red-Silver Dragon froze slightly, her irises reflecting the image of a strange yet magnificent Dragon.
The Red-Iron Dragon's size had surged to sixteen meters, his body length now comparable to a near-Mature Adult Dragon white dragon.
His knotted muscles made his body comparable to two Red Dragons standing side-by-side, brutally striking the observer's vision with an indescribable sense of oppression.
Those limbs, as if cast from steel and iron, were filled with an inexplicable beauty; his neck was thicker than the waist of a Mature Adult Dragon white dragon, and his arms seemed capable of smashing mountains.
Every spine on his body was like a drawn longsword.
They radiated a cold light under the moonlight, exuding an aura of extreme danger and solemnity.
His wingspan was exceptionally huge, nearly a terrifying forty meters when fully extended, with proportions far exceeding normal Dragonkin.
It blocked out the sky and sun, casting a dense shadow on the ground.
A pair of dragon horns wound toward the sky, their roots rough and hard, their tips sharp as if they could pierce the firmament, with a perfect arc.
They were both a magnificent feature and a deadly weapon, and right next to them were several newly grown pairs of auxiliary horns, clustered and guarding like a crown.
The most peculiar change was his scales.
The Explosive Scales, which were originally nondescript black-gray with hints of branding red at the edges, had now changed drastically.
The overall color had turned into a deep black like the night sky, and the branding red edges had dissipated and faded away.
Replacing them were shimmering silver edges, with moonlight flowing over them as if they had been plated with a layer of mithril.
Fearsome, ferocious.
Divine, gorgeous.
These contradictory yet harmonious characteristics were concentrated on him, making him appear extraordinary even in his natural state.
Whether to an Evil Dragon or a good dragon, he held a fatal attraction.
"Garros?"
Looking at the Dragon who had draped the moonlight over his body, the Red-Silver Dragon's dragon language carried a slight tremor.
She felt danger from the Red-Iron Dragon, yet she still moved forward unconsciously; like a moth to a flame, or a dancer pirouetting on a wire, she wanted to test the edge of danger.
"It's me."
Garros was unaware of the Red-Silver Dragon's psychological reaction.
He noticed that the Red-Silver Dragon's size had also grown over these ten years, though her appearance hadn't changed much; only the curves of her dragon ridge were more graceful, and the luster of her silver scales had become more delicate and crystalline.
"How long have I slept?"
Garros asked.
"A full ten years."
Ten years? It had indeed exceeded the limit of a juvenile stage Dragon Sleep.
This amount of time was not long for Dragonkin, but it was enough for some changes to occur.
Had there been any major changes in the outside world?
Garros thought to himself.
The Red-Silver Dragon blinked and whispered, "You now… look much more magnificent than before."
The mithril-like scale edges added a sense of magnificence to Garros, diluting a trace of his fearsome ferocity, making his current appearance more distinctive and attractive in the eyes of a Metallic Dragon.
"Is that so? I haven't looked closely yet."
After a simple response, Garros did not wait for the Red-Silver Dragon to approach.
He flapped his wings and soared straight into the clouds, cruising through the night space to observe his current appearance while quietly feeling his own changes.
Life Level: 14.
This was the standard level for a Golden Dragon over fifty years old.
Garros was now exactly thirty years old.
At this age, a human would already be in their prime.
But for Dragonkin, it was only the adolescent stage between juvenile and young adult, with a long distance still to go before adulthood.
However.
Although his age was adolescent.
His Life Level and size had already exceeded his age group, fully reaching the level of a Young Adult Dragon.
And that was compared to higher-tier Dragonkin like Red Dragons and Golden Dragons.
If compared to a white dragon, he had even surpassed the Mature Adult Dragon level.
He had also awakened several Spell-like Abilitys.
Such as Heat Metal, derived from his Iron Dragon Bloodline.
—It could make a specified metal object scorching hot, burning the target holding or wearing it.
Such as Fire Curse, derived from his Red Dragon Bloodline.
—It cursed the target, doubling the fire damage they received for the duration of the curse.
These two abilities could undoubtedly be used in conjunction with each other.
In addition, Garros's Martial Dragon Rank had risen to Level 3.
During his deep sleep, Garros's Martial Dragon Rank had already reached Level 2, but ten years of deep sleep had only raised it by 1 level.
This increase was not much, but it was normal, because the increase in Martial Dragon Rank relied mainly on cruel training and combat, not deep sleep.
The amount of Dragon Qi in his body had increased to thirty percent.
In addition to Claw Strike Mastery, Garros had also mastered Tail Strike Mastery and Reflexive Dodge, two new Martial Dragon skills.
Tail Strike Mastery, like Claw Strike Mastery, was considered a fixed passive, allowing Garros to reach a brand-new level of technique in using his dragon tail, while Reflexive Dodge required the use of Dragon Qi to enhance reaction speed for a certain period.
Martial Dragons also had ranged attack skills for controlling elements, but those required a very high level to master.
As for now, Garros was going further and further in the direction of melee combat and relatively lacked ranged means, with ranged attacks mainly relying on Dragon Breath, the strongest of which was the Spherical Flame-Lightning Dragon Breath.
But this was not a big problem.
His speed and mobility allowed him to easily approach targets and crush enemies in the melee Domain he was familiar with.