Chapter 16: Alchemical Device (Begging for Monthly Tickets, Begging for Continued Reading)

Not long after, a rare rain began to fall over the Sel Wilds, the sky shrouded in dark clouds, lightning weaving through them like silver serpents.

Thunder suddenly roared, deafening, rain pouring down in torrents, gale winds howling, the thick curtain of rain drowning the Sel Wilds.

The young Red Iron Dragon stood atop the highest hill in the downpour, rainwater streaming ceaselessly down his scales.

Fwoosh!

Lightning suddenly slashed across the night sky, illuminating the dim rain curtain for an instant — and with uncanny precision, it struck toward the young Red Iron Dragon standing atop the hill.

Natural lightning moves at tremendous speed.

At the young dragon's current reflexes, he had no way to anticipate or dodge it.

However, Garos had no intention of dodging.

In fact, he had drawn this lightning here himself.

The silver-serpent lightning came crashing down, missing Garos by a hair's breadth, striking the ground before him — more precisely, the dark-gold tail ring laid on the ground in front of him.

The lightning lasted only an instant.

When it faded, the surrounding night sky returned to darkness.

But across the surface of the dark-gold tail ring, countless small serpent-like arcs of electricity leapt and danced, and the runes inscribed within and without lit up one by one.

Feeling the scorch in the air.

Garos was somewhat tempted to try wearing the dark-gold tail ring on his body and guiding lightning to strike himself.

It would definitely hurt — and feel amazing. He thought to himself.

"Better not go courting death."

Shaking his head, Garos suppressed the impulse within.

Natural lightning's might was already on par with high-circle spells; he hadn't raised his lightning resistance accordingly. Taking a direct hit wouldn't kill him, given a dragon's body, but he'd certainly be badly injured.

He retreated a few steps, standing in wind and rain, quietly gazing at the dark-gold tail ring.

Time passed slowly; lightning struck down from time to time, hitting the dark-gold tail ring with precision.

After seven consecutive bolts, every tiny rune on it had lit up, the entire tail ring even lifting into the air, humming and trembling, shooting out dazzling electric light within the rain.

This tail ring, a gift from Iron Dragon Mother.

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

Alchemy on the planet Bernardo was highly developed; alchemical devices were numerous and of excellent quality.

Alchemical devices differed from the conventional notion of magical items — even those without magic could often use them, though they required specific methods of energy replenishment.

Mages, warriors, knights, clerics, druids — transcendent beings of any class, so long as they were intelligent creatures with sufficient funds and channels, would surely arm themselves with alchemical devices to expand their means.

As top-tier magical creatures, dragons disdained using alchemical devices.

But as the eras progressed, the alchemical devices of this planet grew ever more refined and powerful; armies equipped with alchemical devices, even lacking top-tier beings, could pose a threat to mighty dragons through sheer numbers.

Reluctantly.

The dragons went along with the trend of the times, using alchemical devices despite their aversion.

Because dragons themselves were the top-tier magical creatures — spirit resilient, magic power abundant — they took to alchemical devices with ease, able to employ a great many at once.

In no more than a few years, the dragons were shouting "so good," their aversion turned into acceptance.

Dragons armed with vast numbers of alchemical devices grew incomparably formidable.

The various nations even issued explicit prohibitions against trading alchemical devices with dragons.

But dragons would seize by force or cunning, and dragons were highly intelligent magical creatures — among them were alchemists as well. Moreover, when the profit was great enough, there were always intelligent beings willing to take the risk and trade with dragons.

And so, alchemical devices gradually became popular among dragons as well.

The dark-gold tail ring Iron Dragon Mother had gifted him was one she had once taken from another dragon. It could draw in natural lightning and store it, then — with only a sliver of magic power and spirit to guide — cast the spell Lightning Enchantment.

Activating Lightning Enchantment.

Lightning energy would harmlessly cling to one's limbs, stimulating and reinforcing the muscles, boosting strength and speed, while inflicting paralysis and searing damage of the lightning attribute on every strike.

"It's fully charged now — let's put it on and try."

Garos curled his tail and slipped the dark-gold tail ring on.

Lightning Enchantment!

Bzzt-bzzt-bzzt! Vast silver-white arcs of electricity burst from the tail ring, weaving into a dense web of lightning across Garos's tail in the blink of an eye, crackling and popping without cease.

Unlike other dragons.

Garos's original purpose in using alchemical devices was not to strengthen himself.

Rather, it was to use them to train himself.

Drawing a deep breath, Garos steeled himself, raised his tail high, then whipped it down violently.

Crack!

The dragon tail, coated in lightning energy, lashed across Garos's own back; scale fragments and electric arcs flew in all directions, the current slipping through every gap, burrowing down along the seams of his scales.

A needle-like stinging pain and convulsive numbness rose from within his body; his muscles, stimulated, twitched and rippled across his back in waves.

"Now that's a kick! This is exactly the feeling I want."

Garos was surprised — and delighted.

Growing ever more excited, he used his Lightning-Enchanted tail to lash himself again and again.

The more he adapted to attacks from various alchemical devices and raised his resistances, the more confidence he'd have should he face a punitive siege in the future.

In the iron-fir forest below the hill.

"The Dragon Lord isn't suffering from some kind of mental illness, is he?"

Staring at Garos's 'self-harm,' Moebel goggled.

Meanwhile.

While Garos was immersed in his training.

Young dragon sister Samantha dragged her half-crippled right wing, walking with uneven steps through the muddy wilderness, her dragon face filled with daze and grievance.

Grrr—the sound suddenly rising from her stomach rang louder in Samantha's ears than thunder.

"I'm so hungry."

The young dragon clutched her belly and plopped down into the mudwater.

The stormy weather already made her feel uncomfortable all over; now, suffering from hunger, Samantha thought of the blows and hardships she had endured during this period, and for a moment, she wanted to burst into tears.

When she first left her territory.

Samantha was full of spirit, eager to announce her arrival to the whole world.

Soon, she discovered a goblin tribe.

Goblins, these creatures, were much like kobolds and gnolls; they were beings that loved to attach themselves to dragons and follow dragons, and were also one of the most common retainers under young evil dragons.

Samantha landed swaggeringly before the goblin tribe, demanding they offer everything and submit beneath her wings.

She thought that with a single shake of her dragon body, she could make the goblins obediently submit, licking her toes and groveling before her.

But the result was.

The goblins first feigned submission; once they figured out Samantha was a lone dragon already expelled by the Dragon Mother, they suddenly launched an attack on her.

Facing the numerous goblins who feared her not, Samantha flew into a rage, preparing to crush these weak creatures.

Then.

One of the weak creatures in her eyes, the chieftain of the goblin tribe, charged forward piloting a massive, iron-forged construct of rough style.

Samantha's heart was greatly startled; she threw down a fierce threat and turned to flee.

Thanks to years of oppression by Garos.

When it was time to admit defeat, she was decisive, and by sheer luck escaped with her life.

Goblins indeed liked to follow dragons, but what Samantha failed to understand was that this following had prerequisites; what they liked to follow was powerful dragons.

A lone young dragon already expelled by the Dragon Mother?

Don't joke; she was completely top-tier alchemical material delivered right to their door.

Not long after being struck down by the goblins.

When Samantha passed a mine, she circled in the sky for a moment out of curiosity; as a result, she was discovered by the army stationed around the mine, which launched an attack on her.

Samantha reacted quickly and fled.

Yet one crossbow bolt inscribed with runes pierced through a thousand meters of sky and pierced her dragon wing.

In the time that followed, because her dragon wing injury was severe and difficult to recover from in the short term, Samantha's hunting became increasingly difficult; when hunger reached its extreme, she even had to satisfy her hunger by gnawing on dirt and eating tree bark.

(End of this chapter)