Chapter 16: Alchemical Artifacts (Request Monthly Tickets, Request Follows)

Not long after, a long-awaited rain fell over the Ser Wilds; the sky was thick with dark clouds, lightning dancing like silver snakes within them.

Thunder cracked suddenly, deafening, as torrential rain poured and gales howled, drowning the Ser Wilds in a dense curtain of water.

The Red Iron hatchling stood atop the highest hill in the downpour, rain sliding continuously down its dragon scales.

Swish!

A bolt of lightning suddenly slashed across the night sky, illuminating the dim rain curtain for an instant—and precisely struck the Red Iron hatchling standing atop the hill.

Natural lightning was extremely fast.

At this stage, the hatchling could not possibly predict or dodge it.

Yet, Garos had no intention of dodging.

In fact, he had drawn the lightning here himself.

The silver-snake lightning descended from the heavens, narrowly missing Garos, striking the ground just before him—more precisely, striking the dark gold tail ring placed on the ground before him.

The lightning lasted only an instant.

When it vanished, the surrounding night sky grew dark again.

But the surface of the dark gold tail ring now bristled with countless small arcs of electricity, and the runes engraved within and upon it glowed one by one.

Feeling the acrid scent in the air.

Garos wondered if he should try wearing the dark gold tail ring and letting lightning strike him directly.

It would surely hurt—and feel amazing. He thought.

“Better not be that reckless.”

Shaking his head, Garos suppressed the impulse within him.

The power of natural lightning was already equivalent to a high-tier spell; he had not enhanced his lightning resistance, and while a strike wouldn’t kill him—not with a dragon’s body—it would certainly inflict serious injury.

He stepped back a few paces, standing quietly in the wind and rain, gazing at the dark gold tail ring.

Time passed slowly; lightning occasionally struck again, precisely hitting the dark gold tail ring.

After seven consecutive strikes, all the tiny runes upon it glowed fully, and the entire tail ring levitated, humming and trembling, blasting blinding flashes of electricity through the rain.

This tail ring, gifted by Iron Dragon Mother.

It was not merely an ornament—it was also an alchemical artifact.

Alchemy on the planet Bernardo was highly advanced; alchemical artifacts were numerous and of exceptional quality.

Unlike conventional magical items, alchemical artifacts could be used even by those without magic, but required specific energy replenishment methods.

Whether spellcaster, warrior, knight, priest, or druid—any sentient being with sufficient funds and access would arm themselves with alchemical artifacts to enrich their capabilities.

As apex monsters, dragons had once scorned alchemical artifacts.

But as time progressed, these artifacts grew increasingly refined and powerful; armies armed with them, even without apex beings, could threaten mighty dragons through sheer numbers.

Reluctantly,

dragons adapted to the times, using alchemical artifacts with resentment.

Yet because dragons themselves were apex monsters—with strong minds and abundant magical energy—they wielded alchemical artifacts with ease, capable of using many simultaneously.

Within just a few years, dragons came to say, “It’s actually great,” shifting from resentment to acceptance.

Dragons armed with vast quantities of alchemical artifacts became terrifyingly powerful.

Nations even issued outright bans prohibiting trade of alchemical artifacts with dragons.

But dragons were cunning and resourceful; as high-intelligence monsters, some were alchemists themselves, and when the profit was great enough, some sentient beings always dared to risk it and trade with dragons.

Thus, alchemical artifacts gradually became popular among dragons.

The dark gold tail ring gifted by Iron Dragon Mother had been taken from another dragon; it could absorb natural lightning and store it, then, with minimal magical energy and mental focus, unleash the spell—Lightning Enchantment.

To cast Lightning Enchantment:

The lightning energy would attach harmlessly to the user’s limbs, strengthening and stimulating muscles to enhance strength and speed, while adding lightning-based damage—paralysis and searing heat—to strikes.

“Fully charged. Let’s try it on.”

Garos hooked his tail, slipping the dark gold tail ring onto himself.

Lightning Enchantment!

Zzzzz! Vast streams of silver-white electricity erupted from the tail ring, instantly weaving into a dense network of lightning across Garos’s tail, crackling incessantly.

Unlike other dragons,

Garos’s original intent in using alchemical artifacts was not to strengthen himself.

It was to train himself.

Taking a deep breath, Garos prepared himself, lifting his tail high, then lashing it down violently.

Crack!

The lightning-charged dragon tail whipped across Garos’s own back; scales shattered and arcs of electricity sprayed outward, the current seeping relentlessly through every scale seam.

Needle-like stabs of pain and spasms of paralysis surged through his body; muscles twitched violently, his spine heaving and writhing.

“Perfect! This is exactly what I wanted.”

Garos was not alarmed—he was delighted.

He grew even more excited, striking himself repeatedly with his lightning-enchanted tail.

The more he adapted to attacks from alchemical artifacts, the higher his resistance would rise; should he face a siege or ambush later, he’d have greater confidence.

Beneath the hill, in the iron fir forest:

“Could the Dragon Lord be suffering from some mental illness?”

Watching Garos's self-harm, Mo Bell widened his eyes.

Meanwhile,

as Garos immersed himself in training,

the red dragon girl Samantha, dragging her half-mangled right wing, trudged through the muddy wilds, her dragon face filled with daze and grievance.

Grrr. The sudden rumble from her stomach sounded louder than thunder in her ears.

“I’m so hungry.”

The hatchling clutched her belly and plopped down into the muddy water.

The stormy weather already made her uncomfortable; now, ravenous and miserable, she thought of all the blows and hardships she’d endured, and wanted to burst into tears.

When she first left her territory,

Samantha had been full of pride, eager to announce her arrival to the entire world.

Soon, she discovered a goblin tribe.

Goblins, like kobolds and gnolls, were creatures that often clung to dragons, following them—among the most common vassals of young evil dragons.

Samantha landed boldly before the goblin tribe, demanding they surrender everything and kneel beneath her wings.

She assumed that merely by shaking her dragon body, the goblins would grovel at her feet, licking her toes in submission.

Instead,

the goblins feigned submission; once they realized Samantha was a lone hatchling banished by the Dragon Mother, they suddenly attacked her.

Faced with the overwhelming numbers of goblins who showed no fear, Samantha flew into a rage, preparing to crush these weak creatures.

Then,

one of the “weak creatures”—the goblin tribe’s chieftain—charged toward her on a massive, crude, steel-built war machine.

Samantha was terrified, spat a threat, and turned to flee.

Thanks to years of being oppressed by Garos,

she knew when to retreat—and barely escaped with her life.

Goblins did enjoy following dragons, but Samantha failed to understand: this loyalty had a condition. They followed only powerful dragons.

A lone hatchling banished by the Dragon Mother?

Don’t be ridiculous—you’re just top-tier alchemical material walking up to them.

Not long after being attacked by the goblins,

Samantha passed a mine; curious, she circled in the sky for a moment—only to be spotted by the army stationed around the mine, who launched an attack.

Samantha reacted quickly and fled.

But one rune-inscribed crossbow bolt pierced the thousand-meter distance, piercing through her dragon wing.

In the days that followed, with her wing severely injured and unable to heal quickly, Samantha found hunting increasingly difficult; when starving to the extreme, she resorted to gnawing dirt and chewing tree bark just to fill her belly.

(End of Chapter)