novelraw Chapter 148: Battle Qi! Evil Dragon Qi!
Chapter 148: Battle Qi! Evil Dragon Qi!
The prolonged rainy season had finally come to a complete end.
When the first genuine sunlight pierced through the clouds, rare morning mist rose from the frozen soil on the northern bank of the Estonian Great River. Being so close to the Permafrost Tundra, the air carried a faint, pervasive chill.
At the same time.
Inside a naturally formed basalt hollow.
A steel-cast black behemoth slowly opened its profound, ink-black eyes.
Garoth had awakened.
After an entire month of slumber.
This sleep wasn't a growth-related dragon sleep, but rather a healing rest to recover from his injuries.
Raising a claw, Garoth touched his thick neck.
The near-bone-deep slash wounds had completely vanished—flesh and scales had regrown, all axe and blade marks had healed without trace, even those terrifying wounds that had once pierced clean through his body were gone.For creatures of other races, such severe injuries would likely leave lifelong aftereffects even if healed.
But for dragonkind, anything short of instant death wasn't considered a major issue.
Through sleep—nature's finest remedy—his wounds had fully healed without any lasting consequences.
Having just survived his closest brush with death, Garoth now felt profoundly grateful for his relentless day-and-night training and precautionary preparations.
For instance:
His adaptation to serpent dragon venom had rendered most alchemist toxins nearly ineffective against him.
His deliberately thickened neck, hardened through years of targeted training, had withstood a Paladin's full-powered, skill-laden slash without being decapitated.
In dragon physiology,
Compared to their robust bodies, the neck remains a vulnerable point—proportionally long and slender.
Garoth was different.
Years of specialized training had given him a thick neck armored with steel-like scales and muscles powerful enough to support his massive body in inverted aerial maneuvers.
His weaknesses and shortcomings were being systematically addressed.
Rising to his feet, the red iron dragon stretched, lowering his torso while raising tail and hindquarters, simultaneously extending and flapping his wings as muscles and bones emitted firecracker-like pops, shaking off accumulated dust and pebbles.
Then, half-closing his eyes, he focused inward, sensing energy flows.
Beyond magical energy and life force,
A fiercer, more dynamic power surged within him.
—Dragon Qi, also called Battle Qi.
Garoth opened his eyes and took a deep breath.
Whoosh!
A black-red energy current materialized around his claws.
This semi-substantial Dragon Qi alternately flickered like flames and swirled like molten metal—primarily black-red with jet-black cores and crimson surfaces, making Garoth shake his head wryly.
Dragon Qi's coloration reflected one's life essence.
As a red iron dragon, black-red hues were perfectly logical.
Currently, his Dragon Qi remained sparse—only about one-tenth converted.
But once his Battle Dragon levels increased and all magical/life energies transformed into Dragon Qi, he could emulate that monk—engulfing his entire form in blazing energy during combat.
When that time came,
Activated Dragon Qi would cloak him in swirling black-red flames, projecting undeniably sinister and lethally dangerous vibes.
Golden hues would convey sacred majesty instead of menace.
Achieving such required high-level Dragon Qi mastery—then not just gold, but even rainbow-black or prismatic-white would be possible.
"The Dragon Hunting Team battle was perilous, but rewards were substantial. Most crucially, I've officially become a Battle Dragon."
Garoth reflected inwardly.
Dragon Qi's emergence marked his successful profession adoption.
During hibernation, he'd directly inherited an innate skill through draconic legacy.
—Claw Mastery.
Countless offensive and defensive claw techniques flooded his mind as if instinctive.
By comparison, his former claw usage seemed primitive and wasteful—unworthy of his physical gifts.
Now a casual swipe could precisely target a rock's weakest strata.
Such refined force control surpassed mere strength gains in value.
Moreover, his Battle Dragon level remained merely 1.
Future levels would unlock Tail Mastery, Wing Mastery, and—more pressingly—perception skills he currently craved.
Naturally,
Given sufficient time, he could learn techniques independently without relying on inherited wisdom.
Notably, profession levels and life levels operated separately.
For frail species, profession levels essentially equaled life levels.
But for apex magical creatures like dragons, post-profession power couldn't be judged by simple level summation.
Level 1 Battle Dragon seemed low.
Yet Garoth already felt tangible changes.
Beyond Claw Mastery, even one-tenth Dragon Qi conversion extended his Frenzied State duration and enhanced attacks/defenses.
His life level hadn't changed.
But combat effectiveness had undeniably risen.
"Offensive skills aren't my current lack—perception abilities are the gap."
"Reflexive Dodge at level 3, Danger Premonition at 6—neither far off."
Garoth pondered.
Battle Dragon levels grew through combat and near-torturous training—both Garoth specialties promising rapid early progression.
Eagerness for immediate training surged within him.
But remembering his dragons and retainers had vigilantly guarded him, and conditions being suboptimal, he suppressed the impulse and soared from his hidden cavern.
Hearing movement,
Nearby Young Dragon sentries snapped to attention, tension dissolving as the black dragon's silhouette carved across the skies.
After brief aerial circuits,
Garoth folded wings and descended.
The Faerie Dragon reached him first, fluttering around his bulk while scattering celebratory glittering dust.
"My dear brother, you've finally awakened."
Iron Dragon Sorog approached but abruptly halted mid-stride, scales quivering as if sensing intangible pressure.
Studying Garoth, his eyes betrayed astonishment.
The red iron dragon's physique appeared unchanged, yet radiated indescribable presence—as if the very air recoiled from his breath.
Fierce. Unyielding. Ascendant.
No visible bodily transformations.
But qualitatively, something fundamental had shifted.
"You..." Sorog hesitated, "...took a profession? Which one?"
Garoth answered plainly: "Battle Dragon."
Neither Sorog nor the red dragon seemed surprised.
Few dragons chose Battle Dragon—while combat-loving, most were too lazy for grueling training, especially with traditional warrior alternatives available. But Garoth defied norms.
"Battle Dragon and alchemist."
Sorog's gaze swept over Garoth and Samantha, contemplative: "With you both professed, I should also choose a path."
Given draconic bloodlines, sorcerer professions came most naturally.
Barring exceptions like Garoth,
Typical Young Dragons could realistically only pursue sorcery initially.
"Start with a sorcerer profession."
Garoth advised: "Remember—time favors us. Change paths after stabilizing past growth phases."
Short-lived species must specialize.
But across centuries, dragons often mastered multiple professions.
Millennia-old ancients—beyond sheer life levels—became impossible to predict regarding accumulated skills and hidden capabilities.
Garoth held magic interests.
But its lengthy study requirements and delayed combat applicability made it currently impractical—a future pursuit when circumstances permitted.
Soon after,
The migration convoy regrouped as Garoth soared overhead, circling the procession.
His elongated shadow crept northward across the wilderness.
River-adjacent areas proved unsuitable for permanent settlement—under dragon wings, the monster contingent resumed northward migration, the lengthy column resembling a slender stream merging into the wilds-tundra borderlands.