Chapter 3: The Auto-Aim Talent
Half a year later, the three young dragons had grown to the size of adult wolfhounds.
Carlos could finally spit out real fireballs, but his accuracy was abysmal. Eight out of ten shots missed, and the remaining two landed right by his own feet, making him a completely indiscriminate attacker.
Sephira could spray an extremely thin, high-temperature jet of fire, like a welding torch capable of cutting through rock.
Livia still only spat perfect spherical fireballs, hitting exactly where she aimed—her accuracy was as if she had auto-aim enabled.
That morning, Livia opened her eyes and froze.
The giant rock in the center of the lake was empty.
The lava lake was still churning, and the Dragon Mother's heat signature lingered, but the Dragon Mother herself was gone.
This was the first time in history.
The three young dragons lay at the edge of the lair, staring at each other.
"Where is Mother?" Carlos asked.
Sephira stared at the entrance, silent.
Livia mentally grumbled: The Ancient Red Dragon didn't just step out to buy groceries at the market, did she?
They waited for half an hour.
She didn't return.
They waited another hour.
Still no return.
Carlos stood up: "I'm hungry."
Sephira: "Me too."
Livia: "Let's wait a bit longer."
After another half hour, Carlos was so hungry he started gnawing on rocks—actual rocks, too.
Sephira's tail began to whip faster and faster.
Livia stared at the pile of treasure, analyzing every skeleton on top until she could practically count the cracks in the bone.
Carlos made up his mind: "I'm going out to find food."
Sephira immediately stopped him: "Mother said we are not allowed to leave the lair."
Carlos retorted righteously: "Mother isn't here!"
Sephira was momentarily speechless.
Carlos looked at Livia.
Livia thought for a moment: "I'll go with you."
Sephira got anxious: "You two—"
Livia interrupted: "You stay. If Mother comes back, tell her we went looking for food."
Sephira stared at them for two seconds, then silently stepped aside.
Livia and Carlos walked toward the lair entrance.
The entrance was a tunnel sloping upward, the rock walls carved with runes, just like the lair ceiling. After a quarter of an hour, they finally saw light at the exit.
Stepping out, they were directly inside the crater.
It was a massive crater, thousands of meters in diameter, with the lair situated on its inner wall. Outside was a steep slope covered entirely in volcanic ash and scree.
The sky was a uniform gray, making it impossible to tell if it was cloud or smoke.
In the distance, continuous volcanoes stretched as far as the eye could see, one after another.
Livia stood at the exit and took a deep breath: The sulfur smell was a bit lighter, tolerable.
Carlos had already bolted out, his four claws slipping in the volcanic ash as he tumbled and scrambled down the mountain.
Livia followed. After slipping twice, she learned to spread her wings for balance, managing a mix of sliding and running all the way down to the foot of the mountain in half an hour.
The foot of the mountain was a scorched black plain.
The ground was cracked, emitting steam from the fissures. There was no grass or trees, only black rock and gray volcanic ash—a typical starting zone for a novice dragon.
Carlos's nose twitched frantically: "I smell meat!"
Livia sniffed too. A faint, fishy odor mixed with the sulfur did indeed smell like meat.
The two followed the scent for fifteen minutes until they saw an object lying on the ground ahead.
It was the size of an ox, three times larger, with gray skin, horns, thick scales on its back, short legs, a large belly, and a tail dragging on the ground. It was completely motionless.
Carlos's eyes lit up instantly: "Meat!!"
Livia grabbed him: "Wait, don't charge yet."
He stared at the thing for a few seconds, unmoving.
He stared for a few more seconds; still no movement.
He picked up a rock and threw it, hitting its back with a clang, and the rock bounced off.
Still no reaction.
Carlos directly broke free and rushed forward, spitting a fireball at it.
The fireball exploded, making the scales crackle as they burned.
The creature finally moved.
It lifted its head, opened its eyes, and stared directly at Carlos.
Carlos froze on the spot.
The creature opened its mouth, and an orange-red light ignited in its throat.
Livia's pupils contracted sharply, and she roared: "Dodge!!"
Carlos had no time to react.
The fireball hit him head-on, blasting him over ten meters away, causing him to roll several times before landing on the ground.
Only then did Livia see clearly:
This wasn't a wild beast; it was a juvenile Red Dragon—no, it was a Dragon Beast!
Gray skin, full body scales, no wings, only bone spurs, and orange-red vertical pupils, exactly like the Dragon Mother.
The Dragon Mother's words instantly popped into his mind:
If you cannot call out its true name, it is a Dragon Beast.
The Dragon Beast stood up, a whole size larger than them. It first looked at the blasted Carlos, then fixed its gaze on Livia, and the firelight in its throat began to glow again.
Livia couldn't run.
He took a deep breath, the furnace in his chest compressing wildly, his throat muscles precisely adjusting the angle—
Fireball, launch!
A perfect sphere flew in a straight line, accurately hitting the Dragon Beast's right eye.
Crack!
The fireball exploded.
The Dragon Beast screamed and shook its head violently. The fireball it had been preparing to shoot went wide, flying past Livia and exploding on the ground behind her.
Livia's second shot was already ready.
He aimed for the same eye.
The Dragon Beast's right eye was instantly blown apart. It thrashed wildly, slamming its head into a large rock. The rock shattered, and it collapsed into the pile of debris, twitching twice before going still.
Livia stood in place, her heart racing.
Carlos limped over, half his scales scorched, blood trickling from his mouth: "Is it... dead?"
Livia's voice was a little shaky: "I don't know."
The two stared at the pile of rubble for a long time; there was indeed no movement.
Carlos nudged it with his snout. The Dragon Beast's head flopped to one side; it was completely cold.
Carlos turned to Livia, his face full of awe:
"You killed it."
Livia said nothing.
He stared at his own claws, only one clear thought in his mind:
This is the first time I have truly killed a living creature.
Not killing chickens or fish, but blasting something to death head-on with a fireball.
Carlos was already starting to crunch on the meat.
He bit through the hide and tore off a whole strip, chewing with his mouth full of blood.
Livia walked over, paused silently for two seconds, then lowered his head and took a bite.
Raw meat, strong flavor, but a stomach starved for half a day wasn't picky.
He swallowed, then took a second bite, a third bite...
The two devoured the Dragon Beast until only a skeleton remained.
After eating, Carlos lay on the ground, his belly swollen like a ball.
Livia squatted nearby, licking his claws, feeling calm in his heart:
From today on, I am a true predator.
The sky began to darken.
A deafening roar echoed from the direction of the crater.
It was the Dragon Mother.
The two instantly scrambled up and ran back for their lives.
Just as they reached the foot of the mountain, a massive black shadow descended from the sky. The Dragon Mother landed in front of them, shaking the ground so violently that gravel flew everywhere.
Her vertical pupils swept over Carlos's scorched scales, then landed on the blood staining Livia's claws.
"You went out," the Dragon Mother stated flatly.
The two dared not speak.
The Dragon Mother looked toward the skeleton on the distant plain: "You encountered one?"
Livia: "We encountered one."
"And killed it?"
"Killed it."
The Dragon Mother stared at him for a very long time, her vertical pupils narrowing into slits:
"You killed it?"
Livia nodded.
The Dragon Mother said no more, turning and walking toward the crater.
The two young dragons obediently followed behind.
Halfway there, the Dragon Mother suddenly stopped, not turning her head:
"Starting tomorrow, I will teach you how to use your brains."
Livia blinked in surprise.
Carlos had no reaction at all, as he had no idea what 'using brains' meant.
Sephira was waiting at the lair entrance. Seeing them return, she flicked her tail lightly. Once the Dragon Mother was inside, she immediately scurried over and asked in a low voice:
"Is Mother angry?"
Livia: "No."
"Then what did she say?"
Livia seriously relayed the message:
"She said she will teach us how to use our brains tomorrow."
Sephira was silent for two seconds, then asked sincerely:
"You have a brain?"
Livia couldn't be bothered with her and crawled into the lair.
In the center of the lava lake, the Dragon Mother was already lying on the giant rock, eyes closed in sleep.
The three little dragons returned to their spots and lay down.
Livia closed his eyes. Just as he was about to fall asleep, he heard the Dragon Mother murmur very faintly, as if recalling something from long ago:
"Aisdela's litter, seven of them, all died in the mouths of Dragon Beasts.
You killed one by yourself."
Livia pretended not to hear and continued feigning sleep.
Just then—
A tremor echoed from deep within the lair.
Closer than the last time.
The Dragon Mother opened her eyes and stared into the darkness.
Livia also quietly opened his eyes and stared along with her.
Something was moving in the darkness.
Very slow, very heavy, and very quiet.
The Dragon Mother didn't move.
Livia didn't move either.
The vibration lasted for a moment and then vanished.
The Dragon Mother closed her eyes and went back to sleep.
Livia lay there, staring into the darkness for a very long time.
That thing was still there.
He could feel it clearly.