Chapter 77: Who Said A Dragon Can't Learn Techniques?
[Day 61]
Yesterday we spent most of the day exercising and then doing Group Cultivation, after that, we had a big feast of roasted rabbit and wolf meat (not from our pack). Our wolves eat other wolves quite happily, so I guess there isn't any taboo about cannibalism between their species or something... well, I don't care either way.
A few days ago I had reached Rank 2 Middle Stage, which brought upon me a new evolution, of course!
And now... would you look at that, I got wings!
Yeah, real, and big wings that flap around and can fly!
My entire body continued to be rather tall, as I gained around one meter and a few centimeters of size. It was covered by even harder metallic plate-like scales that shined brightly with silver and azure colors, while I had several sharp spikes made of ice crystal growing in my back.
My tail became even longer and armored, and it got a sharp spear-shaped tip made of this ice crystal that is more of ore, I don't know if it could become a special cultivation material... but I can already imagine some cultivators desiring to kill me and use me for their cultivation one way or another...
By seeing my own face into an ice mirror, my face had grown big... and long, quite graceful and at the same time intimidating as hell. I guess I am really a big dragon now.
My arms got slenderer, and my claws sharper and even heavier than before, while having this metallic property too. Each time I slashed with them, icy winds could come out of them... And this wasn't because of a Skill activating, this was how they were now naturally.
Over my head, there was a crown of ice crystal horns that spiraled into the sky, and I looked pretty dignified already.
I mean, I already look like a boss dragon, how much will I change in the next evolution?
Probably I will just keep getting ridiculously bigger.
Maybe I will get more heads? Who knows?
What I don't like is that Benladann is even smaller than me now... I am already 6 meters big, she's half of it if not a bit smaller. I don't want to get so big that I end up seeing her as a little ant.
Damn, I wish she could evolve too and become something like a titan... Well, whatever.
I did have the dream of becoming a giant dragon that dwarfed everything before my mighty size as I dominated the world... So let's aim to that nonetheless. There's no point in complaining.
Oh right, and the wings...
At first, they felt pretty weird.
How would you feel if suddenly you gained a new pair of limbs out of nowhere?
Weird, right? And there was this constant pain that not even Pain Resistance mitigated, which was the nerves slowly adjusting my brain to the new limbs.
It hurt to adapt to it, but after one day of evolving, I had managed to flap my wings and fly up.
And I think I could fly even higher and higher if I used wind magic into the equation... I could just go anywhere I wanted.
But it would still take a bunch of time, and we are in our hermit cultivation mood for now.
The good thing about wings is that I don't need wind magic to fly anymore, so I save up mana, but calories are spent due to the fast locomotion that flapping such enormous wings and lifting this gigantic body imply.
This is why using wind magic is still better! In fact, due to my mana regeneration, just floating in midair is already better.
But... wings give you that amazing maneuver that is hard by just floating, so I will just use both around for the most efficacy and cost-efficiency, swapping between the two when needed or combining them too, according to my needs.
A lot of my Skills had awakened after the evolution, which surprised me.
After a Skill reaches Level 10, it undergoes an evolution of sorts, or an awakening, turning into a greater and stronger version of itself.
And that's what exactly happened to my first Skills, mostly the Ice Dragon Natural Skills!
CLASH!
And as I was thinking these things, I was with Benladann practicing offensive techniques.
And I am fairly good at using my tail as a spear, and also as a whip too! I simply crushed an entire pine tree by piercing it continuously with the tip of my tail, which is like a spear.
Crash!
The entire tree falls into pieces, as Benladann claps at me and cheers.
"Amazing Drake! You've gotten good at using your tail!" said Benladann.
"Oh, this is nothing," I said rather pridefully.
But I am indeed quite good at it, the point where this popped up right now...
Ding!
<You learned the [Whip Technique: Level 1] Skill!>
<You learned the [Spear Technique: Level 1] Skill!>
<You learned the [Projectile Fire: Level 1] Skill!>
Oh, that third one is a surprise... but now I more or less can use techniques with my tail.
The third one is...
Unleash a projectile launched from either your body or from magic, you can aim precisely at your target, and the projectile can fly for several meters across. Damage enhanced based on Skill Level and Strength and Magic stats (depending on if the projectile is physical or magical).
...
Oh~! Amazing Skill! Wait, with this... I don't need to use winds to launch Ice Projectiles anymore, don't I?!
"Look at this now, without wind magic!" I said, as I generated an ice blade and launched it to a faraway tree using Projectile Fire!
CLASH!
The blade pierced the tree cleanly and continued its course through several trees...
Clash! Clash! Clash! BOOM!
The last tree received the full impact and fell.
Benladann glanced at me as if she had seen something super cool, like when I was a young human and watched the Power Rangers.
"Amazing, you can use Telekinesis now?!" she asked.
"Oh? Err... not really... It is a Skill, a new ability, but maybe it is a bit like your Telekinesis, but it only works to launch things, I can't maintain them over the air without wind magic," I said.
"I see... It is so cool how you keep growing even after being such a big dragon, Drake! Will you become even bigger later?" she asked.
"Hmm... Perhaps. But you're also growing pretty fast, Benladann, now show me what you got!" I said.
"Alright!" said Benladann, as she held an axe made of ice.
Yep, she's practicing with weapons too!
By combining my Crafting Skill with my Magic Ice Creation, I can more or less crate weapon-shaped projectiles, right?
So I make them permanent using a ton of mana until they suddenly gain stats... Yeah, like game items. I discovered this after my Crafting Skill reached Level 5.
So if I put a lot of mind and mana into it (and time), I can more or less create powerful weapons or even armor, but I am taking it slowly because it takes a toll on my mind.
Benladann preferred an axe as her weapon like her father used to wield one.
And now... she's going to practice with yours truly.