Defeating the World with the Power of One Dragon!

Chapter 123: Evolution, Supercharged Frenzy State

Leaden-gray clouds hung over Tempering Heights like shredded cotton, the first monsoon downpour having persisted for three days and nights without cease. The dense curtain of rain poured endlessly from the heavens as if the skies themselves were overturned.

The Young Dragon soared through the rainstorm.

Raindrops collided against his steel-forged body, shattering instantly upon contact with his dense scales or spiky protrusions, dissolving into watery fragments that slid along the grooves between his armored plates before finally dripping from his sharper claws and thicker, more powerful tail.

In terms of length,

Garoth's body measured thirteen meters from snout to tail tip.

This already matched the size of some Young Adult dragons. Creatures like White Dragons wouldn't reach such dimensions until fifty years of age.

Yet length was secondary.

His massive, imposing frame far exceeded conventional draconic proportions - more like a beast forged from steel and flame than a typical dragon. Any other thirteen-meter dragon standing beside him would appear as slender as reeds, with even the famously robust Red Dragons seeming 'petite' by comparison.

His spiked protrusions hadn't increased in number.

Some had grown thicker while others tapered into sharper points, giving Garoth a more distinctive profile than his juvenile form.His life level had risen to 10.

This roughly equaled a twenty-year-old Young Gold Dragon.

As long-lived titans, dragons enjoyed many innate advantages but suffered one drawback:

—An excruciatingly slow maturation.

This seemed a universal affliction among long-lived species beyond just dragons.

Growing one level in three years without prolonged hibernation, relying solely on natural development, already counted as remarkable progress. If he maintained this pace, Garoth could reach legendary status before adulthood.

Yet such prospects seemed unlikely. Higher life levels carried greater significance and slowed progression further. Those ancient high-level dragons might spend over a century advancing a single rank.

The Wings of the Celestial Comet didn't blaze with energy, merely beating steadily to effortlessly part the storm's veil.

Garoth arrowed straight up into the dense cloud layer in a perfectly linear trajectory.

Within the leaden thunderheads churned silvery-white lightning - wild beasts trapped in cloudy cages, lashing against their confines.

When the red iron dragon breached the storm's heart,

As he raised his head in a thunderous roar, sweeping wings and tail,

The lightning beasts seemed to find their outlet, converging upon him from all directions like ravenous predators.

Garoth neither dodged nor resisted, spreading his broad wings proudly to welcome the electric baptism.

When the first bolt struck his horns, the very heavens seemed to tremble.

The Young Dragon's silhouette turned translucent in the flash, revealing for an instant how currents raced through his veins—traveling down his spine to tail tip before exploding across his wing membranes in countless tiny electric blossoms.

He deliberately snatched at the brightest lightning serpents with his claws, allowing currents to detonate between his talons.

Intense paralysis flooded his system,

Followed immediately by exhilaration as muscles beneath his scales contracted and expanded, fibers tightening and releasing like steel cables to unleash power beyond normal limits.

Threads of golden lightning began glowing between Garoth's armored plates.

First wreathing his horns, transforming their black-and-crimson into radiant gold before spreading along his spine, neck, and chest... densely clustered like a brilliant golden mane, with arcs dancing eagerly across limbs and tail.

Crackle! Zap!

Violent, dazzling golden electricity enveloped his entire form.

Garoth's body seemed to swell further, his frenzied golden visage making his previous imposing stature appear diminished by comparison.

He stretched through the thunderheads, rolling amidst the storm.

Each lightning strike intensified the golden radiance, as if he'd become a massive magnet compelling the storm's fury to strike him repeatedly.

It seemed less that the dragon endured the lightning than that the lightning begged for the dragon's attention.

Until—crack!—fissures appeared across the Young Dragon's scales, signaling he'd reached some critical threshold.

"Just a bit more to complete the evolution."

Garoth carefully monitored the electric sensations coursing through his musculature.

The palpable currents formed an intricate web within him, needing only a few final threads to fully manifest.

Then he'd no longer require thunderstorms for activation.

Resisting impatience, Garoth withdrew from the stormclouds, still crackling with residual energy as he folded his wings into a controlled dive, slowing his descent to land gracefully.

"This evolution shows little external change, focusing mainly on deep muscular structures—allowing internally generated golden lightning to further stimulate my body for comprehensive attribute enhancement."

"I'll tentatively call this the Supercharged Frenzy State."

"The sole drawback is that Frenzy State's electricity rapidly overloads my Explosive Scales, making simultaneous use difficult—though hardly a critical issue since Supercharged Frenzy can be reserved for pivotal moments."

Spreading his wings in the downpour, he contemplated silently.

Assessing his condition, Garoth estimated one more such refinement after proper rest would complete this evolution.

Then he'd possess another trump card.

Should adventurers come hunting him,

After exhausting themselves breaking through his Explosive Scale defenses, believing victory near—

A cacophony of frenzied electricity would herald his transformation, his body erupting with dazzling lightning to become stronger than before, commencing a magnificent second phase.

And should they miraculously withstand that?

When his engine-like heart thunders shake the skies, his Bloodburst technique would initiate a third phase.

Without absolute preparation and formidable power, few could hope to slay Garoth. He concentrated multiple gifts that any single one would make another dragon formidable.

The only imperfection was Bloodburst's alchemical origin.

As Garoth grew, the spell's benefits diminished, though its backlash similarly weakened, becoming less physically taxing.

Garoth speculated frequent Bloodburst training might trigger adaptive evolution—much like his lightning tail ring had served as a key unlocking this Frenzy State transformation.

"Praise the Dragon Lord!"

"Loyalty! Devotion!"

The Warhost garrisoned at Tempering Heights prostrated themselves, extolling Garoth's magnificence.

Garoth gestured for them to rise and resume duties.

His gaze swept across the monster captains, noting their equipment's distinctive diamond-like glimmer—extraordinary craftsmanship.

One year prior,

Garoth had experimentally placed the Diamond Stone Giant's core into the symbiotic pool.

This supreme-quality nucleus absorbed essence from other ores in the pool, continuously producing high-grade diamonds used to craft exceptional weapons and armor awarded as honors.

Surveying his surroundings,

Garoth noted Tempering Heights' garrison had nearly doubled.

And not just here.

Every Molten Iron Clan territory—pastures, mines, outposts—all featured increased guards.

These three years had seen explosive Clan development through various means of assimilation and conquest, uniting nearly all monster tribes scattered around Serpentine Earth Rift.

And this was merely the beginning.

Aside from ogres' slower maturation,

Creatures like gnolls, kobolds, and lizardfolk typically matured by nine or ten years, with litters of five to six—sometimes exceeding ten.

Having established trade routes with caravans,

The Clan faced endless demand for ores and biological resources.

Food shortages never troubled them.

These three years witnessed a population explosion among new subjects, who through various influences had grown deeply reverent toward Garoth.

Barring unforeseen circumstances,

In several more years when this generation matured, the Molten Iron Clan would expand further still.

PS: Seeking votes at month's end!