Ashen Dragon

Chapter 539: Chapter 10 Report Chapter 539: Chapter 10 Report “Indeed, dragons are creatures that can become stronger even while sleeping; this time, after my slumber, my power has increased significantly.”

Cassius observed his now more robust and menacing body.

However, compared to the drastic transformation he underwent last time due to absorbing the Ancestral Dragon Bloodline, which made him almost unrecognizable, the appearance change this time was not as conspicuous.

As the Red Dragon continued to digest the Ancestral Dragon Bloodline and naturally grow stronger, only he knew how powerful the gained strength was—it was an all-around enhancement.

He opened his own panel and, as expected, saw substantial changes.

[As a True Dragon with Ancestral Lineage, you grew stronger during your sleep, chasing the mythological bloodline powers of the Barbaric Era to become more powerful.]

[Strength: 34→36]

[Constitution: 30→33]

[Intelligence: 17→18]

[Perception: 20→22]

[Charisma: 35→36]

[All dragons develop inherent magic abilities as they mature, while the oldest dragons can trace their power back to the spells created by the Nine-Faced Dragon God.]

[You gained an additional 3 caster levels as a Magician.]

[Your current casting level is: 24]

Even the ancient Red Dragon, with its innate talent, had a casting level of only 19.

And with Cassius’s current arcane power, perhaps only Osedro, the anomaly among dragons, could compare.

“Hoo…”

The Red Dragon took a deep breath, feeling the flow of the surrounding magic currents and controlling the finest elemental particles.

Cassius had a newfound sensation: he no longer needed to fully rely on the magical heritage within his bloodline. Instead, he could create spells using his own arcane abilities.

Unlike mages, who rigorously construct spell prototypes, magicians often create spells like masterful painters, using their innate talent to “paint” on the Magic Web, presenting what they desired.

At Cassius’s current level, casting Ninth Tier Spells was routine, and if granted access to forbidden spells, he could manipulate elements that exceeded the ninth tier of the Magic Web.

After feeling the changes in his body, Cassius noticed that the system’s evaluation of his strength also changed.

[Ashen Empire’s Emperor – Cassius]

Challenge Level: 28 (125000xp)

Even the ancient Gold Dragons, typically the strongest among common dragons, had a Challenge Level of only 26. Now, Cassius could effortlessly defeat an ancient Gold Dragon.

“With such strength, I should be ranked highly even in the entire Fianso Continent.”

Cassius stretched his neck, drawing his powerful scapular muscles backward, with his dragon wings almost lying flat on the ground, stretching the vigorous, life-filled body.

“Huff!”

The Red Dragon snorted, releasing white-hot smoke from his nostrils—the discharge of excess heat from his body.

He looked toward the mountainside of Dragon Mountain, where the once magnificent palace had been reduced to ruins by his “wake-up temper,” with blackened remnants scattered everywhere.

But this wasn’t the first time; Cassius had long since gained experience dealing with it.

“Just as well, the old palace was a bit too narrow. I can take this opportunity to expand it.”

“It’s been a while since I used the Imperial Region’s power…”

Casually giving himself an excuse, he then concentrated fully, channeling all his strength.

[Imperial Region: Modify Terrain]

“Boom——”

The ground trembled once again.

Dust filled the sky, and debris flew everywhere.

But this time, it was not pure disaster. The ground gradually rose, stone pillars emerged slowly from the earth, gradually forming into the shape of a palace.

Those stones and steel seemed to be sculpted by an invisible hand, forming walls, colonnades, domes, and even intricate frescoes.

This was almost an exact replica of the former palace, but this brand-new palace was more spacious, grander, and truly achieved “merging with the mountains.”

“Is, is that the palace?”

“Cassius above…”

The soldiers guarding the entrance, gazing at the rising palace, were dumbfounded.

They had long heard of the Red Dragon shaping mountains and bringing warmth to Anzeta, but seeing stones rise and build a palace exceeded their imagination.

To them, it was nothing short of a divine miracle.

But Cassius didn’t care about that; in fact, he was glad to see his ability to gather more faith grow. This was the foundation of becoming a god.

Suddenly, a spell message came from the ruins, and Cassius dispelled the barrier without much thought.

With a clatter, a broken mirror slowly rose from the rubble, shedding fragments.

A familiar voice trembled from the magic mirror, filled with undisguised excitement.

“Master…”

“You’ve, you’ve awakened!”

A face of an Ogre appeared on the cracked mirror. Despite the shattered surface, his ugliness was unmistakable.

Cassius nodded slightly, his tone calm as he commanded, “Come to the palace. I need to know what happened during the past year.”

“Yes, Master.”

Ramp nodded repeatedly in agreement, then cut off the magic image connection.

A few seconds later, the space in front of the Red Dragon rippled, and Ramp hurriedly stepped out from the portal, kneeling at the Red Dragon’s feet.

“Master…”

For some reason, Cassius felt that this Ogre lacked the vigor he once had.

From that corpulent body emanated an aura of fatigue that even the luxurious mage robe could not hide, with dark circles forming under his murky small eyes.

If Ogres had hair, this particular Dragon Vein Ogre Mage would surely be bald.