Defeating the World with the Power of One Dragon!

Chapter 98: Out of Control, Unexpected Gains

Under the velvet-black night sky, Garoth spiraled rapidly at high altitude. Unable to resist, he had nearly consumed an entire barrel of black oil. The dense energy transformed from the black oil surged through his veins, making his dragon blood boil like magma. His heart pumped like an engine, creating an urgent need for release.

He channeled the energy into his wings. The dark crimson flames at the wingtips expanded threefold, trailing dazzling streaks across the night sky. Garoth felt as if he had transformed into a true meteor, his speed breaking past previous limits and still climbing.

When sonic booms erupted continuously behind him, Garoth gradually realized something was wrong. His current speed was exceeding his control. Though he lacked his Explosive Scales, even his second layer of steel-hardened dragon scales began glowing red from the extreme velocity.

Clouds were torn apart, leaving long trails behind him. Mountain ranges blurred into indistinct smears in his vision. Attempting to dive and then climb sharply, Garoth found his usually precise flight control slipping as altitude decreased. Adjusting his wing angles proved difficult—his body's reactions lagged behind the incredible speed.

Though he stopped the energy flow to his wings, momentum kept him hurtling forward uncontrollably.

"Wait... I can't pull up!" Garoth's dragon pupils contracted as a gray-white cliff face filled his entire vision.

With no time to avoid impact, he instinctively curled up, wrapping his powerful wings around vital areas. Upon collision, the mountainside erupted in blinding orange-red flames, the shockwave snapping trees in half across a hundred-meter radius. Countless rock fragments scattered like cannonballs, some even reaching the distant Crescent Valley and sending curious werewolves scrambling for cover.

When the dust settled, the cliff bore a crater dozens of meters wide, shaped like a meteor impact. Garoth was embedded in the rock strata, his wings and tail twisted awkwardly, head and horns buried deep in stone.

"Cough... cough..." Garoth felt dizzy. Having exhausted his shock-absorbing Explosive Scales against the ogre clan with none regrown yet, even his robust physique couldn't completely withstand such an extreme-speed collision. Internal injuries were inevitable.

Distant howls of alarm rose from the werewolves. Forcing his head free from the rock, Garoth spotted Frostfang leading a group of warriors rushing toward the crash site in panic, having apparently witnessed his "crash landing."Attempting to move made the rock strata groan ominously. Extracting his entire body from the mountainside, Garoth wobbled midair before making an undignified landing on the slope.

The situation was utterly embarrassing—a mighty dragon losing control and crashing into a mountain after drinking black oil? This story would earn him centuries of mockery from other dragons. Thankfully, no others had witnessed it.

"I never expected black oil could enhance my flight speed this much," Garoth mused. "To the point of losing control. But uncontrollable power brings hazards and risks—not something to use casually."

Suddenly, inspiration struck. "Wait... if I took some faerie dragon scale powder to boost perception and mental reflexes, could I temporarily handle such extreme speeds?" If feasible, this combination—black oil, scale powder, and Bloodburst—might enable him to challenge stronger opponents, even dragons or giants.

"I'll test this when possible. If successful, it becomes my trump card!" The thought of enhanced safety made his tail flick happily.

Preparing to take off again, Garoth noticed a purple metallic glint in the shattered rock where he'd crashed. "What's this?" Using his claws to clear debris revealed veins of violet-hued metal ore embedded in the rock—copper ore.

While not magical, this malleable, thermally conductive metal was valuable raw material for alchemical golem components. Though not extremely rare in the Ser Wilderness, purple copper was scarcer and more valuable than the red copper mined by Rampage Bears in Needleleaf Valley.

Pain forgotten, Garoth carefully sensed deeper and discovered substantial deposits beneath the cliff—potential trade goods for black oil once caravan connections reopened. With cliff serpent dragon remains being finite and unwilling to sell his own scales or blood, this accidental discovery saved him prospecting time.

"Crashing into a mountain reveals decent metal deposits—fortune truly follows misfortune," Garoth thought, pleased by this rare stroke of luck.

As Graymane Werewolves approached, Garoth remained to instruct them about mining the site.

"Dragon Lord!" Frostfang's voice carried from a hundred meters away. The petite, glossy-furred female werewolf with keen eyes showed concern. Though aware of Garoth's resilience, such a high-speed impact couldn't leave him unscathed.

"Are you unharmed? I recently learned a healing spell—shall I assist?" she offered.

Garoth maintained flawless composure as if the earlier mishap never occurred. Casually tapping the exposed ore with a claw, he declared, "I detected this vein earlier. The impact was merely for precise extraction."

The young she-wolf glanced between the dust-covered, dignified dragon and the distinct draconic crater on the mountainside. "...Your perception and physical prowess are astounding," she murmured, ears twitching subtly.

Nodding imperceptibly, Garoth smoothly changed topics: "Mark this location. Have your clan mine and store the purple copper in our territory."

Frostfang looked puzzled. "Purple copper is soft—useless for weapons, inedible, and worthless for sharpening claws. Though uncommon, it has little value."

Most wilderness clans lacked knowledge of metal ores' true worth. Recognizing purple copper already placed her above most. While the Ser Wilderness teemed with mineral wealth, few monsters understood how to utilize it—understandable given even dragons sometimes erred due to limited perspectives, let less these primitive clans.

"When trade routes to southern nations reopen, these ores will reveal their true value," Garoth said, gazing skyward.

Frostfang nodded, curiosity gleaming in her eyes—what was this "true value"? Though eager to learn, she dared not press further when Garoth offered no explanation.

Taking flight toward Crescent Valley, Garoth left Frostfang and warriors to mark the site with guards posted before following him back.