[Ding! Rank Up! LV.32 > LV.33!]
[Current EXP: 220/37500]
[True Name: Capulius Caesar (LV.33)]
[HP: 110/110]
[Attack: 90]
[Defense: 80]
[Special Attack: 72]
[Special Defense: 70]
[Speed: 80]
As the small line of text on the System panel flickered, Caesar felt as if a nuclear reactor had been forcibly stuffed into his body.
The once-parched mana pool was instantly filled, and the feeling of emptiness and exhaustion was swept away.
Even the slight frostbite left over from the battle healed rapidly under the surge of energy from the Rank up, leaving no trace behind.
Caesar stood up and stretched his neck, his joints making a crisp popping sound.
Fully restored!
"This..."
Slumped not far away, Cecilia's eyes nearly bulged out of her head.
She was still weak all over, her mana completely empty, making it a struggle even to move a single claw. Yet this despicable Earth Dragon, who looked like he was about to kick the bucket just a moment ago, had suddenly become full of life after eating a little something?
This isn't logical! This isn't magical!
Caesar glanced at her, seeing through her little thoughts, and his mouth curled into an ill-intentioned smirk.
"What, envious?"
He deliberately walked over to Cecilia and poked her chubby belly with a claw that had just regained its full strength.
"Envy is useless; I earned this bite by bite through my own ability. Want to learn? Think you can?"
"You... you monster!"
Cecilia was so angry she wanted to bite the Dragon, but she had no strength and could only voice a weak protest.
She looked at Caesar's smug face and then at the remains of the dragon carcass on the ground, a massive sense of frustration welling up in her heart.
She was a noble Silver Dragon, so why was she so weak now?
Meanwhile, this low-born Earth Dragon was using all sorts of unheard-of methods to grow stronger time and again, even managing to go toe-to-toe with a Legendary Great Dragon.
Could it be... could it be that she really couldn't keep up with the pace?
Cecilia's mind was a mess.
Caesar didn't bother with this idiot Young Dragon who was lost in self-doubt.
He walked over to the remaining dragon carcass, skillfully dismembered it with [Dragon Claw], picked out the parts with the most abundant energy, and stuffed them all into his Storage Ring.
These were Advanced ingredients; they could be chewed like compressed biscuits if he got hungry on the road.
Having finished this, he looked around.
This was no place to linger.
Although that Red Dragon woman had been tricked by him, the methods of a Legendary powerhouse were unpredictable; who knew if she had some kind of tracking Secret Art?
He still had to make a run for it!
"Hey, stop playing dead. Let's go." Caesar gave Cecilia a light flick with the tip of his tail.
Cecilia shuddered from the flick and grumbled angrily, "Who's playing dead? This young lady is... is having a strategic rest, okay! My mana was completely drained just to help you!"
"Oh, then continue your rest," Caesar said expressionlessly. "I'm leaving. You can wait here for that Legendary Red Dragon to come back and chat with you."
Legendary Red Dragon!
These words were like a bolt of lightning, instantly striking Cecilia.
Her bit of weakness and fatigue were immediately scattered by a massive wave of fear, and she scrambled up from the ground with unbelievable agility.
"Let's go! Let's go now! I'm fully rested!"
She cried out while looking around nervously, as if an imaginary enemy would crawl out of the mine tunnel at any second.
Caesar nodded in satisfaction.
To deal with someone so stubborn, scaring them with facts was the way to go.
He put away the [sharp claw] and sorted the remaining Materials like dragon scales and dragon bones into several Storage Rings.
These were all Advanced goods; they might fetch a good price later or be forged into equipment. He quite liked one of the spinal cords and felt it could be made into a greatsword.
After finishing all this, he led Cecilia deeper into the mine tunnel.
"Aren't we going back the way we came?" Cecilia asked softly, following behind him.
"Are you stupid?" Caesar grumbled without looking back. "Going back the way we came is like leaving a sign for them saying 'I ran this way, come catch me' so I can be dragged back to perform a Dragon Dance?"
If that Red Dragon really had some tracking method, going back the same way would be walking right into a trap.
The best option now was to find a way out of the mine tunnels and leave this Dragon Spine Mountain Range where they had stayed for two full volumes and 72 chapters.
The two Young Dragons, one after the other, followed the direction of the mine tunnel deeper inside.
Along the way, there were more and more abandoned mine carts and broken rails, the moisture in the air grew heavier, and the faint sound of flowing water could even be heard.
It seemed they were headed in the right direction.
As it turned out, they reached a dead end.
"No way out?"
Cecilia peeked and felt a bit discouraged.
"Who said there's no way out?"
Caesar didn't waste words and simply raised a claw.
[Sand Tomb]!
The ground began to vibrate.
The once-hard rock beneath the Garchomp's feet rapidly softened, turning into flowing sand.
Like a giant drill, Caesar controlled the sand flow to collapse downward, forcibly opening a path beneath the blocked mine tunnel.
The sound of rushing water instantly grew louder.
The sand subsided, revealing an underground river below... The water was pitch black and didn't flow fast, but it carried a bone-chilling coldness.
"Hiss..."
Caesar frowned.
He didn't hate water; after all, a Garchomp looked like a shark.
But he hated getting wet.
Because his ability was [Rough Skin], the scales on his body were as sharp and coarse as a rasp, with many tiny gaps between them.
Once in the water, that slimy, soggy feeling would get stuck in the gaps between his scales, which was very uncomfortable. It felt like streaking while wearing a soaked sweater.
"Going into the water?"
Cecilia, on the other hand, got excited.
She was a Silver Dragon; although she wasn't a water-type specialist, she didn't mind this kind of environment.
The little thing cheered and rushed out from behind Caesar, jumping into the river with a "splash."
Immediately after, a flash of silver light went off, and Cecilia once again transformed into that form that Caesar found incredibly abstract every time he saw it.
A rectangular fish that looked like it had escaped from the game "Minecraft."
Silver Dragon scales were forced onto the surface of the blocky fish's body, looking somewhat out of place. Beneath the body were four almost invisible short legs, and on its back was a pair of wing-like fins that looked like decorations.
The strange fish rolled happily in the water, enjoying the feeling of the current washing over its body, and its previous fatigue seemed to have lessened quite a bit.
"Let's go!"
Cecilia spun in the water and blew a bubble at Caesar.
Caesar sighed.
Just bear with it.
He took a deep breath, closed the gaps in his scales as much as possible, and then leaped.
"Splash."
The black figure vanished into the water.
The temperature of the underground river was a bit higher than expected.
Caesar swung his powerful tail, darting through the water like a torpedo.
Although he didn't like water, the Garchomp's streamlined body underwater indeed gave him extreme speed.
The two "dragons," one following the other, drifted along the underground river... about ten minutes later.
A massive underground lake appeared ahead.
The surface of the lake was as calm as a mirror, save for the ripples caused by their swimming.
The surroundings were very vast, and voices echoed.
And in the center of the lake stood a massive wooden structure.
It was a massive wooden elevator shaft; though it was heavily decayed, the grand scale of its former glory was still evident.
Caesar looked up.
At the very top of that shaft was a tiny point of light—
It was light.
It was light from the surface!