novelraw Chapter 192: Magnificent and Formidable, The New Scales
Chapter 192: Magnificent and Formidable, The New Scales
As darkness receded like the tide, Garoth's first sensation was the oppressive closeness of the cave walls. What had once been spacious enough for him to turn around now felt impossibly cramped, the cavern so narrow he could barely stretch his wing membranes.
His final juvenile dragon sleep had brought an explosive growth spurt.
"How long was I asleep this time? My size seems to have increased significantly."
The red iron dragon pushed himself up slowly with his claws, feeling his dorsal spikes nearly scraping the cavern ceiling.
Long-lived species typically had dulled perceptions of time's passage. He couldn't tell exactly how long he'd slept. But judging from his bodily changes, it must have exceeded the normal limits of a juvenile dragon's dormancy—likely sleeping straight through into his young adult stage past twenty-five years.
"I'm starving."
A furnace-like hunger burned in Garoth's belly. Before hibernating, he'd gorged himself on enough food to distend his stomach to its limits. Yet that wasn't nearly enough to sustain his prolonged dormancy's energy demands, not to mention the metabolic costs of his adaptive evolution.
Garoth ran a claw along his body. Thick bones protruded beneath his scales, muscles clinging tightly to his frame, somewhat desiccated.
"I probably look like some hideous black dragon right now."
The spatial ring on his tooth glowed faintly as rippling waves of energy manifested an iron bucket of 95-grade black oil in his maw. Originally prepared for his battle with the Bloodhoof Chieftain but never used, it now served perfectly as post-hibernation nourishment.Crunch! He devoured bucket and all.
The entire container of black oil sent liquid fire coursing through his gut—unpleasant yet strangely satisfying as he felt himself replenishing. More than just a sensation, his withered body visibly plumped up before his eyes, regaining its proper proportions.
Yet his stomach still felt hollow. He needed real food packed with diverse nutrients, not this single-nutrient "energy supplement."
With heavy footsteps that made the cavern tremble as if about to collapse, Garoth emerged from his cramped hibernation den.
Meanwhile, Deborah the brass-silver dragon suddenly raised her neck frills where she perched on a cliffside sharpening her claws. The tremors from the hibernation site made her draconic blood boil with excitement. She spread her wings and shot toward the source.
BOOM!
The camouflaged rock layer shattered like an eggshell as twin moonlight cascaded down. A massive shadow surged skyward against the silver radiance, wing membranes snapping open with a thunderous roar like an approaching storm.
The brass-silver dragon froze momentarily, her irises reflecting an unfamiliar yet majestic draconic figure.
The red iron dragon had grown to sixteen meters—comparable in length to a nearly mature hundred-year dragon. His densely packed musculature made his frame as broad as two red dragons standing side by side, projecting an indescribable sense of primal intimidation.
Every steel-forged limb exuded an uncanny beauty: a neck thicker than a mature white dragon's waist, arms seemingly capable of toppling mountains. Each dorsal spike resembled an unsheathed greatsword, gleaming coldly under the moonlight while radiating lethal menace.
His wingspan was exceptionally vast—a terrifying forty meters when fully extended, far exceeding normal draconic proportions to cast an oppressive shadow over the land.
His horns curved skyward—thick and unyielding at the base, tapering to sky-piercing points with perfect arcs—both magnificent ornaments and deadly weapons. New auxiliary horns had sprouted nearby, clustered like a regal crown.
But the most striking transformation was his scales.
Once plain black-grey with faint glowing edges, they'd completely transformed into an abyssal black resembling the night sky. The glowing borders had faded, replaced by shimmering silver edges that flowed with moonlight like mithril plating.
Majestic yet savage. Sacred yet dazzling.
These contradictory yet harmonious traits combined to make even his resting form extraordinarily dignified—fatally attractive to both virtuous and wicked dragons alike.
"Ga...Garoth?"
The brass-silver dragon's draconic speech carried a faint tremor as she gazed at the moonlight-draped behemoth. Despite sensing danger radiating from him, she instinctively drew closer like a moth to flame—a dancer tiptoeing along a razor's edge, yearning to test the boundaries of peril.
"It's me."
Unaware of Deborah's inner turmoil, Garoth noted her own growth over the decade. While her appearance remained largely unchanged, her spinal curves had grown more elegant, her silver scales more lustrous and crystalline.
"How long was I asleep?"
"A full decade."
Ten years? Indeed exceeding juvenile dormancy limits. For dragons, this wasn't exceptionally long yet sufficient for noticeable changes. Had the outside world transformed significantly?
The brass-silver dragon blinked. "You... look far more magnificent now."
The mithril-like scale edges added regal beauty that softened his ferocity, making him uniquely attractive to metallic dragons.
"Really? I haven't looked properly yet."
After this brief exchange, Garoth didn't wait for Deborah to approach. He beat his wings and soared into the night sky to examine his new form while assessing his changes.
Life Level: 14.
This matched what a fifty-year-old young adult gold dragon should achieve. Garoth was only thirty—equivalent to a human's prime, yet for dragons merely the transitional stage between juvenile and young adult, still far from maturity.
Yet while chronologically a young adult, his life level and physique already surpassed his age group, reaching true young adult dragon standards—especially impressive compared to elite species like red and gold dragons. Against white dragons, he even exceeded mature adult levels.
He'd awakened several quasi-spell skills:
[Scorching Metal] from his iron dragon bloodline—could superheat designated metal objects to burn those touching them.
[Flame Curse] from his red dragon lineage—doubled fire damage taken by cursed targets.
These skills naturally synergized perfectly.
Additionally, his Battle Dragon profession had reached Level 3. Having been Level 2 before hibernation, a mere one-level gain over ten years wasn't impressive but made sense—Battle Dragon advancement relied on brutal training and combat, not sleep.
His internal Dragon Qi reserves had tripled.
Beyond [Claw Mastery], he'd acquired [Tail Mastery] and [Reflexive Dodge]—the former a passive like claw techniques that elevated his tail combat to new heights, while the latter consumed Qi to temporarily boost reaction speeds.
Battle Dragons did possess elemental ranged attacks, but those required higher levels. For now, Garoth specialized further into melee combat with limited ranged options beyond his breath weapons, the strongest being his spherical [Flame Thunder Breath].
This wasn't a real weakness. His speed and mobility let him easily close distances to crush enemies in his preferred melee range.