The Vast Expanse of the Aerlan World
After a day and night of battle, Caesar allowed himself a brief respite. Barely opening his eyes, he was greeted by two imposing snow-capped mountains.
"Diana?" His voice was faint, a slight call, but his eyes still sparkled with vigor.
It's said in human colloquialisms that there's no field so barren as to kill the ox, though this certainly does not apply to dragons. For an adult dragon, months of continuous high-intensity combat prove no challenge. Yet, the human girl had reached her limits.
At the sound of his voice, a half-hidden face peeked out from between the mountains, her bright and lucid eyes meeting Caesar's gaze before quickly turning away, cheeks tinted with an embarrassed flush.
The body of a spellcaster is not as fragile as some might imagine. Sure, they are more delicate compared to warriors in close combat roles—but that is relative. The world of a video game needs balance among classes, whereas the real world does not. Indeed, spellcasters who have basked in the essence of magical energy over the years have bodily strength that far surpasses ordinary humans.
A high-ranking mage, clad in heavy armor with sword in hand, could chase down and thrash even the mightiest of giants without magic—some mid-tier warriors might not even prove a match.
However, spellcasters primarily rely on their spells. A legendary-level warrior might tear the earth asunder with a single sword strike, severing mountains, but a spellcaster of equal caliber could usher an apocalyptic disaster with a mere tenth-level spell.
Magic remains the eternal mainstream in the infinite planes of existence—it is why humanity can stand out amongst the endless races, and high-tier spellcasters that achieve legendary status are revered even by dragons.
Diana, cheeks still flushed, casts a healing spell upon herself. The pain and discomfort swiftly fade away. For her, too, this was a first encounter, and it was evident she, likewise, was basking in the afterglow.
Ceasar ceased his motions, sensing she was on the cusp of her endurance. The planting of seeds demands patience; it requires time to bear fruit, and he was prepared for this long haul, vital to his ambitions of growing stronger.
He enveloped the exquisite princess with his embrace, greedily savoring the sweet fragrance of her pale skin while playfully toying with a silver ring plundered from the leader of the Griffin Knights.
A space ring.
Sized for a human finger, it appeared incredibly delicate compared to even a single dragon scale. Caesar examined it momentarily, noting the spell lock crafted by a mid-tier mage required a passphrase for access; forced entry would inevitably destroy its contents.
Nevertheless, he was not perturbed.
For Caesar, a lock left by a high-tier spellcaster would pose a challenge, but a mid-tier mage's enchantment merely required time to dismantle.
Draconic heritage is a treasury of plunder, and as he pondered this, a crimson magical luminescence started to emanate from him.
Unlocking Spell!
The draconic incantation uttered, focus affixed upon the ring, and soon its contents began to manifest in ripples of spatial distortion. It was merely a matter of time.
Dragons possess an abundant majesty of magic. Even by casting such low-level spells continuously for an entire day, there would be no risk of magical depletion. And thus, after a short while, the ring surrendered its treasures, revealing among them a stack of scrolls.
Light Body, Wind Wall, Fireball... The mid-tier spells had been depleted in battle, leaving behind only these lower-tier scrolls, mostly from the school of Transmutative magic—thirteen in total. Caesar found them mildly interesting, for even third-tier magic could inflict but minor harm upon him.
His attention then shifted to a wealth of magical gemstones—over thirty. They evidently comprised the Griffin Knight leader's hoard accrued over the years, much to Caesar's delight.
The riches of a mid-tier warrior were impressive; the wealth of a mid-tier mage, unimaginable. It made Caesar all the more fond of humans—or, more precisely, their treasures. It's no wonder the female Red Dragon often looted the realms of humanity.
Among the rest were ancient, yellowed tomes.
He picked one—the script was in the common tongue, mostly intelligible to any dragon.
"The Roguish Dragon Knight," a tale of a noble knight's journey across the land, from a dalliance with a saint of the Church of Light to encounters with aloof elves and empire princesses. His stories, infused with encounters including a Foxkin beauty, a generous noblewoman, subduing a saint from the Dark Convocation, and even earning a dragon's favor, culminating in his ascension to a legendary Dragon Knight renowned across the continent, and eventually, winning a Valkyrie's attention...
Every knight's ultimate fantasy, richly detailing cultures and traditions, steamy storylines embellished with vivid illustrations—a solitary pleasure for many a knight in Silvermoon Kingdom during lonely nights.
Even Caesar found it captivating, unlocking from the drawings positions previously unknown to him; all of which he anticipated exploring with Diana once her vigor returned.
In addition, the book provided valuable insights.
The primary material plane where Caesar stood was called Aerlan World, encompassing seven continents of varied power. Silvermoon Kingdom was but one kingdom within the Emerald Continent. There were countless smaller islands and a Western Sea, ruled by four formidable races—Giant Sharks, Naga, Mermaids, and Sea Monsters, each as powerful as any magical empire. The standard of a magical empire includes at least ten legendary beings.
Aerlan World was a might among the unlimited universes, with numerous planes bound to it—such as the Dragon Nest, Sevenfold Heaven Mountains, Endless Abyss, Chaos Star Realm, Elemental Domain, and Elven Forest—a world watched over by a pantheon of deities.