Roran pushed off the cold stone floor of the cavern and began his ascent. The climb that would have been impossible for the old Roran the one with Strength 12 and broken ribs was now shockingly easy. His new body felt light and powerful. He grasped the rough edges of the hole and pulled himself up onto the black earth of the Scarlet Plains.
He was no longer a student. He was a weapon, forged by fear and tempered by the Dragon's will.
The mandate was clear: Refine Dragon Qi in the wild, using it to survive and to kill. Reach Dragon Qi Rank 1.
Roran knew the fastest way to refine power was through combat. He couldn't afford to meditate safely; he had to fight. He was ready to test his new Strength 65.
Roran moved with a silent intensity he hadn't known before. He didn't avoid the low-level monsters; he hunted them.
His first target was an Iron-Tusk Boar, a Level 3 beast with skin like iron plates and huge defensive power. The old Roran would have been crushed. This time, Roran met its charge head-on. The boar's tusks missed, and Roran's sword, now feeling perfectly balanced in his STR 65 grip, slammed down. It wasn't a slice; it was a physical impact. The blade bypassed the iron-hard defense and split the boar's skull in a single blow.
Too slow, Roran judged, already moving.
He spent the first month in the outer plains, hunting Level 2 and Level 3 beasts: packs of agile Wind-Shade Wolves whose coordinated attacks tested his Agility 58, and slow, heavily armored Granite-Shelled Turtles whose defense only crumbled under the full, devastating force of his strength.
His fighting style was pure, overwhelming physical force, mixed with the strange, subtle reinforcement of the Heavenly Dragon Technique. Because his Dragon Qi was incompatible with human mana, the beasts saw a weak human student, not a power that should be crushing them. They charged in with arrogance, and Roran ended them with swift, brutal efficiency.
He did not keep count, but the bodies piled up. The slaughter was relentless. He lived off the meager meat he could scavenge, fueled by adrenaline and the Dragon's power.
On the 30th day, as he cleaned the blood from his sword, the gold screen flared.
Rank : Dragon Qi Rank 2
Roran had made it. In one month, he had gone from a shattered core to a power level that would take a normal student years of safe meditation to reach.
With Rank 2 achieved, Roran pushed into the deeper sections of the Scarlet Plains, where the red mist thickened and the Level 4 and Level 5 beasts roamed.
This territory was harder. The monsters had real, developed skills. He encountered Stonehide Gorillas (Level 4), whose massive punches required Roran to fully utilize his Defense 55 and his refined senses to dodge the worst impacts. He fought against swift Crimson Vipers (Level 5), whose poison demanded the high endurance of his Vitality 100 just to keep fighting without fainting.
Roran was forced to become smarter. He relied less on brute force and more on the pure combat knowledge transferred from the Dragon. His sword became an extension of his will, seeking the precise junction of bone and muscle. He fought day and night, ignoring injuries that would have killed three normal knights.
The next three months were a blur of violence and survival. Slowly, his Dragon Qi refined further, growing cleaner and stronger with every kill.
After four total months in the Plains, the golden screen flashed again.
RANK : Dragon Qi Rank 3
Roran felt ready. Rank 3 was a colossal jump, putting him on par with some of the most powerful low-level Knights of the Ashborne House. He decided to find the biggest challenge yet: a Level 6 beast.
He found it near a boiling geyser a Thunder-Claw Lynx.
The Lynx was a magnificent, terrifying creature, faster than anything Roran had ever fought. It moved like a lightning bolt, its claws leaving burning trails in the air. When it attacked, it didn't just strike; it released compressed jolts of Lightning Mana through its claws.
Roran's Agility 58 was barely enough to stay alive. His sword strikes were fast, but the Lynx was faster. It darted in, sliced Roran's shoulder and chest, and retreated before his blade could connect. The electrical shock that ran through his body was paralyzing.
He tried again, roaring and attacking with pure, overwhelming physical force. His strength was enough to tear the Lynx apart, but he couldn't hit it cleanly.
Why? Roran gasped, wiping blood from his eyes. My strength is enough! My speed is enough! Why can't I land the killing blow? He felt something essential was missing in his training, a lack of control over the chaos of his new power.
He fought for hours, relying on his massive Vitality to keep him from collapsing, but he was losing. He realized his mind was not calm. He was fighting with the rage and desperation of the student who had been destroyed by Tarian. His Qi was strong, but chaotic.
He suddenly remembered the Dragon's silence. The Dragon's power was pure.
Roran stopped attacking. He let the Lynx charge. He closed his eyes for a split second, forcing his mind completely empty. He let go of the Academy, Tarian, his father, and the shattered core. All that remained was the sword and the target. The Dragon Qi in his heart, usually a chaotic, swirling vortex, instantly calmed, becoming a silent, perfect river of golden energy. This sudden, precise Qi control was the key.
The Lynx's final, lightning-charged claw strike came in. Roran didn't dodge wildly. He moved only his wrist, allowing the claw to graze his cheek while simultaneously executing a perfect, silent, simple thrust. It was a move of flawless control.
The fine sword slid through the air, completely unnoticed by the Lynx's senses, and pierced the small, hidden Mana Core deep in the Lynx's chest.
The Level 6 beast froze instantly. The lightning faded from its claws, and it dropped dead without a sound.