Ashen Dragon

The blistering breath of the Red Dragon brought a rare warm breeze to Antonio City, allowing people to feel warmth that had been long lost.

"That is truly not a legend!"

"He, he really can bring us warmth. We don't have to worry about surviving this winter!"

"Praise His Majesty Cassius..."

The public sentiment in the Anzeta Great Wilderness had undergone an earth-shaking transformation, and the image of the Red Dragon in people's minds grew more majestic.

Under the empire's industrialized production and the emperor's transformation of nature, people no longer had to worry about how to survive the cold winter or how to fill their stomachs. They could even look forward to a better future through the propaganda newspapers.

Such things were previously unimaginable.

It turned out that the previous propaganda of the Northern Nobility was vulnerable in the face of tangible benefits.

The emperor still patrolled his imperial territories. He appeared above the cities like the sun high in the sky, bringing miraculous visions to his subjects.

...

Meanwhile, Cassius spread his wings and soared across the sky, letting out a delighted roar, casting a shadow over the vast wilderness.

The panel information kept refreshing, albeit much more slowly.

As Cassius had anticipated, in the few days after the Experience Shop was launched, his experience points increased explosively, but afterward, the growth would slow down.

[You have gained 1500xp]

[You have gained 1500xp]

[You have gained 1300xp]

[You have gained 1200xp]

...

Now, ordinary experience points had become almost negligible to him.

Each "1500xp" on the panel required the combined 1500xp from dozens or even hundreds of players.

Fortunately, the player base was now large enough, and accumulating enough quantity could result in qualitative changes.

A stream could also merge into an ocean.

In the days since the Experience Shop opened, the 110,000 existing players in the Anzeta Great Wilderness enthusiastically exchanged, bringing Cassius a total of over 13 million ordinary experience points.

This was an astronomical number beyond the imagination of any player.

But when converted to Cassius's panel, it equated to 130,000 experience points.

This was the consumption rate of the Atavistic Red Dragon template.

Even though it had been cut down so much, these experience points were still more than enough, allowing the Red Dragon to cross the threshold to the next occupational level.

This significantly surpassed what he earned from annihilating the team of Legendary Dragon Slayers.

"Boom!"

Amidst a deep rumble, Cassius plummeted from mid-air, landing with a thunderous impact that raised clouds of dust and cracked the ground beneath his feet.

"Doing it yourself will never be as convenient as reaping the benefits from others," he mused.

"Tsk, tsk, it's great to be the boss and have 110,000 players supporting me, a dragon."

Gazing at the continuously refreshing experience points on his panel, Cassius's face broke into an irrepressible grin.

The expression was as greedy as that of any pure-bred Red Dragon collecting gold coins.

Next, another unremarkable experience notification appeared.

[You have gained 1200xp]

This time, however, the message did not get lost in the flood of experience gains. Since it exceeded a threshold, it brought a qualitative change for Cassius.

[Your total occupational level has increased to 18]

[Your current occupations are: True Dragon Sorcerer 14 / Bloodscaled Fury 3]

[You can choose to advance your current occupation: True Dragon Sorcerer or Bloodscaled Fury]

In terms of strength enhancement, Bloodscaled Fury was undoubtedly the more sensible choice.

For occupations, every four levels represented a dividing line. Advancing Bloodscaled Fury to the fourth level could potentially elevate Cassius's melee combat abilities to a new height.

But this improvement was hardly necessary for Cassius now.

Moreover, this occupation was one of the traps that Gelrazax had set for him. It could possibly destabilize the Heart of Karex, pushing him toward the chaotic faction.

At present, under the dual effects of Emperor's Dominance and Holy Order, the Force of Order pervaded the space around him, completely suppressing the chaotic power within the Heart of Karex.

Yet that scorching heart still beat and surged within Cassius's chest.

The burning blood of the Ancestral Dragon still flowed through his veins.

This was a curse brewed by the Abyss and the Mad Dragon God—it was not so easily eradicated.

Cassius could feel that it was merely lying dormant under the pressure of order, not wholly resolved.

Should the Imperial Region loosen its grip or Wind of Bahamut shatter, the chaotic, maddened, frenzied will could very well resurge and reclaim dominance over his body.

This was something Cassius was determined never to see happen.

Therefore, until the curse was entirely lifted, he would not take any risks of losing control, nor would he covet that frenzied power.

Level 15, though still a transitional level for the sorcerer occupation, could nonetheless bring him a new Dragon's Spell and this was the value of the True Dragon Sorcerer spellbook.

This was a tangible enhancement of strength, importantly risk-free and without any adverse effects—only needing a bit of favor from the Goddess of Fate.

Thus, Cassius made his choice without hesitation.

[You chose to advance True Dragon Sorcerer to level 15]

[Due to the innate spellcasting of dragonkin, your current spellcasting level is: 20]

At this level of spellcasting, he had already reached the highest tiers of the Magic Web.

They sought deeper, more concealed things beneath the surface of the Magic Web and aimed to master the use of the Magic Web, making spellcasting more intuitive.

Cassius now felt as if he had "touched the ceiling."

It was said that in ancient times, the Magic Web had not been merely nine layers, but nearly boundless, with people recklessly drawing unlimited power from it until their folly destroyed everything.

The current Magic Web was sealed off by the deities.

The former arcanists were imprisoned, confined within the nine-layer Magic Web, thus forming what was generally understood as mages.

However, investigating the origin and transformation of the Magic Web was not what a sorcerer like Cassius, whose mind was filled with power, sought.

Now the Red Dragon only felt that his control over spells and influence on the Magic Web had grown stronger, making him quite exhilarated, with sparks even flitting in the corners of his eyes.

Soon, however, Cassius held his breath, waiting quietly, silently praying to himself.

Suddenly, his pale gold pupils lit up.

[You have gained the ninth-tier Dragon's Spell—Dragon's Absorption]

[Dragon's Absorption]

Ninth-tier defense, transmutation spell

As innate magic creatures, every breath of giant dragons greedily absorbed the surrounding energy, converting it into fuel for their breath—dragon sorcerers further refined this talent, turning it into a complex Dragon's Spell.

You open your mouth, creating an energy vortex that absorbs any ranged spell aimed at you, and you can use the absorbed energy to cast your own spells.

(Note: This absorption has a certain threshold)

"Dragon's Absorption..."

"An interesting spell, somewhat similar to the Mana Absorption from my previous life, but much more powerful."

Cassius stared at his panel, nodding in satisfaction, even his long and sturdy tail swaying slightly.

This was his first ninth-tier spell earned from his own efforts.

Not reliant on any magic equipment.

"I, Cassius, have achieved my current strength all because of my extraordinary talent..."

"System panel, level up!"