The Sel Wilderness was as hot as always, as if it were perpetually summer.
The land was dry and dust-laden, with the bright and harsh sunlight pouring from above, illuminating Galos as he circled in the sky, revealing his current form and demeanor.
Compared to a year ago.
Galos's body length had grown by half a meter, not much, making him approximately six and a half meters long now.
However, the heaviness of his body had clearly increased, with sturdy and powerful limbs, a solid and robust back and chest, and even his neck appeared thick and hard.
The entire dragon was incredibly strong; even through the scale armor, one could feel the magnificent and solid muscular build beneath, like blocks of steel forged into iron.
Red Dragons and Golden Dragons were such physically strong members of the Dragon Race.
Very few young dragons could compare with Galos's degree of strength.
Now, Galos, in terms of his physical stance, was practically the 'Tyson' among young dragons of the same age.
And that wasn't all.
The biggest change lay in Galos's pair of dragon wings.
Firstly, the wingspan had reached a massive fifteen meters, over twice Galos's body length. Moreover, the wing membranes were covered with what initially appeared to be feathers: densely layered dragon scales beautifully guiding the airflow when he glided through the sky, aiding rather than hindering his flight.
The previously painful part when flapping, the flesh membrane at the base of the wings connecting to the torso, had thickened threefold.
Layered with folds, it resembled Hundred-Forged Steel, hammered into shape.
Along the wing edges, an additional metallic-hued, exceptionally sharp material had grown, easily slicing through air and severing biological tissues, turning the entire wing into a giant blade, projecting an aura of formidable danger.
Over the past year.
Strength training was secondary; Galos spent almost every free moment honing these dragon wings, and his efforts paid off.
After a recent evolution.
Now, Galos could soar through the skies relying solely on his wings, his speed far exceeding that of dragons of the same level.
His life level hadn't changed, still at Level 7.
However, Galos felt he could fight two of his previous selves at once.
"I need to validate the results of my recent evolution."
"I've decided, it's you, Earth Bear."
Gazing through the clouds, Galos looked down at the surface below, observing the giant bear residing between the hills, standing eight meters tall, covered in yellow-brown, needle-like hair, resembling a giant version of a regular brown bear.
The Earth Bear before Galos was at Level 8, yet incomparable to the earlier Level 8 Petrifying Lizard.
Earth Bears were a strong type of magical creatures, with a certain chance of reaching Legendary status.
They not only possessed robust bodies, but also mastered various earth-based magic-like skills.
While they couldn't match dragons, they could easily crush most magic creatures of the same level.
Among the fir trees in the hills below.
The Earth Bear was using its back to scratch on a century-old Iron Fir, sending chips scattering like rain.
The aim this time was to test his current strength, not hunting.
Galos didn't opt for a sneak attack; instead, he unleashed his Long Wei, declaring his presence to the Earth Bear.
He flapped his dragon wings, mixing airflow with Long Wei, forming visible ripples that swept over the Earth Bear.
The Earth Bear, originally scratching itself with a look of pleasure, suddenly froze, and then its fur stood on end. Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, it looked up at the sky.
In its field of vision, a black dot was rapidly enlarging, diving toward it.
Scales, horns, claws, tail, wings...... it was unmistakably a Giant Dragon! Although given its size, it was still just a young dragon.
The Earth Bear, highly intelligent, wasn't frightened by the young dragon; instead, it rose on its hind legs and roared fiercely at Galos.
The soil and rocks in front of it suddenly heaved, condensing into massive rocks.
Raising a paw and stomping once more, five or six huge boulders rocketed skyward, aiming at Galos.
Facing the first boulder, Galos didn't dodge but lowered his head and charged.
Bang!
The rock shattered like tofu upon impact with Galos's dragon horns, breaking into fragments that scraped off his scale armor, leaving only faint traces of dust.
As for the remaining four.
Though he could have smashed through them as well, Galos opted not to recklessly confront them head-on.
His immense and powerful dragon wings flapped, stirring up strong gusts, and the dragon danced through the gaps between the four boulders with agile, nimble movements akin to a dragon playing in water.
Power, speed, defense...... Galos didn't want to have any weaknesses and strove for well-rounded development.
After dealing with the Earth Bear's initial assault, Galos closed in on the leafy hillside, while the Earth Bear remained at the base of the hill.
He folded his wings, diving through the treetops as he descended the slope.
The oak branches scraped harshly against his scales, and the razor-sharp wing edges sliced through, felling the ancient trees like wheat stalks cutting at the root.
The Earth Bear roared and slammed the ground with its massive paw, ten spikes piercing through the soil.
But just as the young dragon suddenly folded its wings and curled up, its dragon tail, wrapped in broken wood and leaves, swept wide, breaking the spikes in two. The rock fragments flew like bullets embedding into tree trunks.
The Earth Bear drove its paws into the ground, and a three-meter thick rock slab surged upward, aimed once more at Galos.
Galos didn't retreat but advanced instead, his wing edge slicing through the rock slab seam as he beat his wings vigorously, hurling the entire slab a hundred meters into the air.
Sunlight filtering through the giant suspended rock cast dappled shadows, and the young dragon seized the moment to strike from the light-dark boundary. In an instant, he closed in on the Earth Bear, his claws tearing into its hair and flesh, digging deep into its shoulder before rolling over in mid-air, slamming the nearly twenty-ton giant beast away like a ragdoll.
The tumbling bear snapped seven oak trees before coming to a halt.
Roar!
It roared and suddenly grabbed a broken piece of wood, hurling it into the air.
Earth-yellow magic energy wrapped around the wood, and as it neared Galos, it splintered into a shower of sharp spikes, whistling through the air toward Galos.
Galos maintained a calm dragon face, his massive wings spreading rapidly, sweeping aside the countless wooden spikes.
Occasionally, a few would land on him, yet they couldn't penetrate his tough dragon scales.
Only his eyes and similarly vulnerable places needed slight caution.
"It's my turn now!"
The Earth Bear had exhausted numerous magic-like skills in one go and was panting heavily, while the young dragon seemed to have no drop in stamina, accelerating as it flapped its wings and closed in.
Heavy Rock Armor!
Seeing the oncoming dragon, the Earth Bear stamped the ground and roared defiantly. The earth and rocks around it seemed to come alive, surging like a stream and clinging instantly to its body, layering and solidifying into armor with granite patterns.
The dragon's right wing spread open simultaneously, slicing through the air with a shrill screech, directed at the Earth Bear.
The Earth Bear raised its heavily armored bear arm to strike at the dragon's wing.
Clang—Shing!
A sound akin to metal striking metal rang out, shooting out blinding sparks, followed by the noise of a sharp blade cutting through flesh.
The Earth Bear howled in agony, as the armor on its bear arm was instantly torn apart by the dragon wing, the tough fur and flesh beneath sliced open, with bones severed as well.
As Galos and the Earth Bear crossed each other's path, half of the bear's arm flew, bleeding, into the air.