novelraw Chapter 2: Water Affinity
Chapter 2: Water Affinity
Bernardo is the name of the planet beneath Garoth’s feet.
On this planet, magical culture is highly developed, and all countries spare no effort in advancing magical technology.
The more advanced nations have even created interstellar spaceships powered by magical engines, exploring the cosmos and other planets to gather resources from the universe.
“Dragons are almost the top-tier creatures, but in this world, they are far from invincible.”
Garoth blinked his eyes while looking at the False Moon in the sky.
The legacy mentioned that there was once an ancient blue dragon called Hurricane Wing, who destroyed and ravaged several cities of the Nausil Elven Empire, causing Nausil to hunt it relentlessly.
In the end, using a city as bait, Nausil trapped Hurricane Wing in a massive magical array.
The False Moon unleashed a beam that annihilated everything, killing Hurricane Wing.
“Moreover, other species on planet Bernardo have a bad impression of the Five-colored Dragons and the Iron Hybrid Dragons. Once discovered, they immediately prepare to launch an extermination campaign.”
Dragons have many classifications. For example, the most common are the Five-colored Dragons, Metal Dragons, Gem Dragons, and then the Iron Hybrid Dragons.
The Five-colored Dragons are inherently evil and fond of causing trouble and destruction, so they are labeled as evil dragons. The Iron Hybrid Dragons are even regarded as the ‘mad dogs’ among dragons, frequently killing their own kind, let alone other species.
“I am a hybrid of Five-colored Dragon and Iron Hybrid Dragon, and also a mixed blood of Red Dragon and Iron Dragon. I’m probably considered the worst of the evil dragons, a naturally evil dragon mutant, terrifying beyond measure and absolutely not to be spared.”
He plopped down by the lake.
The young dragon’s tail dipped into the water, swaying gently.
Moonlight shone on Garoth as he felt the tail drifting in the water, occasionally cleaned by small fish nibbling away the weeds and dust, filling him with comfort. He pondered silently.
“I still need to train more and strengthen myself.”
“If I become stronger, I’ll have more confidence facing potential dangers in the future.”
This phase of his dragon life had just begun. Garoth hoped to live as long as possible and not repeat the fate of his previous life—hitting a jackpot at the age of eighteen.
“Let’s set a small goal first: live a hundred years.”
“No, dragons only mature at a hundred years old. I’d rather aim to live a thousand years.”
Garoth leaned back.
His young dragon body smashed through the water surface, splashing countless sparkling droplets under the moonlight. He dove to the deepest part of the lake, enduring the heavy water pressure without breathing.
—In fact, dragons can also breathe underwater.
Garoth just wanted to train his cardiopulmonary capacity and his affinity to the water element.
Thanks to daily training, his lungs and heart were much stronger than ordinary dragons, and his dragon breath was more powerful and lasted longer than normal young dragons.
Additionally, both Iron Dragons and Red Dragons are fire-element dragons and actually dislike water.
Garoth, as their hybrid, was a pure fire-element dragon.
Water or ice attacks would deal double damage to him.
The best way to overcome fear is to face it directly.
To prepare for the day he might encounter attacks that counter his element, Garoth had long ago endured his dislike of water and occasionally immersed himself in it for desensitization and adaptation.
Now, his innate aversion to water had completely vanished.
Although he had never truly faced water-element attacks and couldn’t confirm his affinity to water, Garoth at least believed he would not suffer double damage.
Suddenly,
A faint ripple of water flow came from behind.
A black shadow swiftly approached and launched an attack on Garoth.
Garoth keenly sensed the change in water flow and turned his body before the attack landed, raising his claw to strike fiercely.
Boom!
A black dragon claw collided with Garoth’s fiery red dragon claw, stirring a circle of waves underwater.
The fiery red dragon claw and Garoth’s claw locked in a tight grip, struggling for dominance.
However,
Garoth’s strength was astonishing. The muscles beneath his scales bulged and expanded, lifting his scales higher. Inch by inch, his claw pressed down on the fiery red dragon claw, forcing it to retreat continuously.
Losing the struggle,
The owner of the fiery red dragon claw retracted it and stared at Garoth with a pair of red dragon eyes. With a clear yet displeased voice, he said, “Garoth, you detestable hybrid, I will defeat you sooner or later!”
The young dragon Samantha, Garoth’s biological younger sister, a pure-blood Red Dragon.
Among dragons, hybrids are rare because dragon bloodlines are dominant and difficult to blend.
For example, when a Red Dragon mates with an Iron Dragon, the offspring most likely turn out as either pure-blood Red Dragons or pure-blood Iron Dragons. The children inherit one of the parents’ bloodlines.
Hybrids like Garoth, who carry both Red and Iron blood, are very few.
Smack!
Garoth slapped the red young dragon on the head.
“When dealing with dragons stronger than you, mind your tone and choice of words.”
The slap made the red young dragon’s head tilt heavily, almost pushing her entire body off balance, the force was not light.
Between dragons, especially evil dragons, strength is the language they speak. Only strength can earn respect from other evil dragons. Garoth was accustomed to this way of communication among evil dragons.
His Red Dragon sister hatched a year after Garoth.
At that time, Garoth saw the plump and chubby little dragon with a cute and honest appearance, which made him pity her. So he tore a piece of meat from his food and gave it to her.
But,
She thought Garoth was weak and took advantage of him. Her evil dragon nature flared up, ordering Garoth to hand over all his food. Another Iron Dragon brother, who hatched simultaneously, also thought Garoth was weak and colluded with the Red Dragon sister to extort Garoth’s food.
When Garoth refused, the two immediately fought to snatch all his food.
They were later pinned down and severely beaten by Garoth, losing several teeth before they submitted.
As a hybrid dragon, Garoth was naturally stronger than ordinary Red or Iron Dragons, not to mention he was also a year older.
Meanwhile,
The Red Dragon sister snarled, baring her teeth, wanting to retaliate. But when she saw the fierce glint in Garoth’s eyes, she wisely restrained herself.
Red Dragons value violence and prefer to solve problems through force.
However, when their strength is inferior, they will tolerate for the time being and wait to surpass their opponent before viciously retaliating.
Moreover, she had taken quite a few beatings from Garoth over the years and knew her dragon brother wouldn’t hold back.
“My dear brother.”
The Red Dragon sister softened and said, “Mother wants you to go to the Dragon Nest.”
After stating her purpose, she muttered softly, “You like to soak in the water all day. You’re really strange, and you’ve made me get into the water too.”
The Red Dragon sister was uncomfortable in the water, her dragon face full of disgust.
She twisted her tail and waist and quickly floated upward, leaving the lake ahead of Garoth.
Garoth moved unhurriedly, flapping his wings underwater, then broke through the surface and soared into the air. Overtaking the Red Dragon sister, he flew toward the Dragon Nest.
The Dragon Nest—located on the cliff mountain body on the east side of the sky pit.
From the outside, it looked like a simple and rugged cave.
Moonlight could not reach inside the Dragon Nest, but the cave’s stone walls were coated with a peculiar metal. Some parts emitted bright light, so the interior was not dark.
Garoth folded his wings, crossed his limbs, and stepped on the metallic floor, moving deeper inside.
The further he went, the more metal surrounded him.
Clusters of metal bloomed on the stone walls like flowers, and some sharp metal pillars protruded from the ground.
Finally, when Garoth reached the deepest part of the cave, his vision suddenly broadened as he entered a huge ‘void’.
This core of the Dragon Nest was not a traditional rough cave.
The surrounding ground and stone walls were covered with a soft yet tough metal, similar in texture to mercury but with a rust-colored ripple on the surface.
Directly to the north stood a thirty-meter-high stepped metal platform, topped with the Iron Dragon Mother’s exclusive throne.
—It was forged from countless swords and spears. Those weapons of the defeated had now solidified into stairs, each step engraved with dragon language runes.
Garoth looked up.
On the throne sat a colossal beast twenty meters long. Every breath it took stirred gusts like roaring winds—a true giant dragon.