18 - First Breath

I now gaze at the items that I have... Captured? Conjured? Hmm, more words being forgotten from my vocabulary. Yet, I am going to look at my collections. Ah, yes. The items I have collected.

[} Items {]

[ Token ] [ Earth Verdant Serpent Scales × 2 ] [ Idiots guide to Dragon's Breath ] [ Survival Guide of Bare Grills ] [ Mighty Steel Legs ]

I think I will go with the Dragon's breath first. How can I become a Dragon without knowing how to breath fire? A dragon that breath no fire is not a Dragon at all, it is a lizard.

Now to learn Dragon's breath!

I mentally select the [ Idiots guide to Dragon's Breath ]. The item's panel opened, revealing its description.

[ Idiots guide to Dragon's Breath ]

[ Type : Manual ]

[ Grade : Earth ]

[ Description : Beginner's guidebook that provides basic information on "Dragon's Breath." Written in simple language and accompanied by illustrations. With this even the dumbest dragon can learn how to perform "Dragon's breath" ]

[ Open ]

Open,

The system window vanished and I braced for pain that accompanied knowledge injection. But all I got was a bonk to the head. I opened my eyes and saw that I had been hit by a book. A paper cover book with the words 'Idiots guide to Dragon's Breath' written on its cover.

Hey, System,

[ Yes ]

Isn't it suppose to be injected into my brain?

[ Low price = Less service ]

Curse you, System!

I took a deep breath to calm my anger. I couldn't believe this bullshit! I am in a cultivation world, what's with these Cooperate schemes! You gotta be freaking kidding me! I am loosing shit! Pay for premium, my arse. 

Hu Ha Hu Ha.

Breath in, Breath out. Calm yourself, calm yourself. You can do this, you can do this. Let's learn the Dargon's breath and burn some forest to release some pent up stress,

Okay, Lets do this,

I opened the book, it was a picture book. The first pictured showed a red Dragon breathing in air. It showed the air move and gather in its lungs. The pictures were quite descriptive as it it showed the air's traveling path lungs. Also, with the image came with a line of instructions.

[ Breath form you abdomen and fill your lungs to your capacity. Keep the breath in for 10s before you breath out. Repeat it until you are calm and familiar with it.]

So I did what it said. I took beep breath from my abdomen and released it slowly. I did it a few more times to familiarize the sensation. I also did a few more just to be safe and shift to the second page to read the instructions.

[ Now try to draw breath from the inside, draw from the flame that burn within you. Fill your lungs with the flame and repeat step one. ]

What? The fire with in me? Do I need to have ulcer? I don't feel anything burn in me?

I didn't understand, so, I looked to the picture for more explanation.

The image showed the red Dragon drawing fire from with in, from its stomach. The fire filled its lungs. The fire churned ready to burn anything and everything.

I looked into my body for a the fire, and I saw my star system. Hmm, does a star qualify as fire, maybe. So, I pulled on it. Which should have been a thought out decision, yet, it was not, My planets were absorbed by my core the minute I drew Qi from in.

Drawing Qi was a kind of weird sensation,, It like you are and at the same time, not touching the Qi to control it and move. But god, I suck at explanation. I just can do it. End of subject.

I did it, I drew Qi from my core to lungs, and back. I did it a few more times to get the gist of it and I was familiar. Naturally it was just drawing my lungs with enough Qi.

Okay, now that I finished page to 2, now to page 3

[ Now breath in the air but fill your lungs with the fire then breath out. ]

The heck!

I looked at the image and saw the dragon puff up, but the fire was filling its lungs instead of air. following it, I puff up my chest while filling up it with fire like I am filling up it with air. Kinda confusing but I think I get the gist of it.

So, I suck in air into my lungs while pulling Qi from my core. I could feel the Qi fill up my lungs and breathed out slowly, letting out the air and Qi. But I know there was another page so, I repeated it again a few times.

Now to the next page I turn and... nothing.

There was no more pages, there was only three. I shook the book to see if the page was stuck, but nah, there was only three pages of instruction. What is this?

This is a scam! I paid 50 Ex points for this?! Give me my money back!

[ No returns ]

What do you mean no returns? I paid for a book on how to learn Dragon's breath, not some breathing exercise!

[ It did show you how to do it ]

[ If you can't learn it, then its your problem ]

I want my money back, now. I will complain about your poor services to the heavens.

[ Okay, Okay ]

[ I will explain ]

[ You need to do the final step with imagination ]

[ Like the Dragon, Imagine yourself drawing and breathing fire ]

Then why didn't the book explain it like that?!

[ That book was meant for a hatchling with intelligence of a Dragon ]

[ I can't do anything if you are dumb ]

It you who is dumb, it is your children who are dumb. It is the whole generation that comes after you who are dumb.

[ Warning (1)]

[ Three warning and I will electrocute you to death ]

(⊙_⊙)?

[ I will ]

[ ^_^ ]

You got to be kidding me? Then why are your calling me dumb if you are so offended? You got to have the gut to receive before you insult me.

[ I am just stating facts ]

[ I am not insulting you ]

You kidding me?

[ No ]

Then am I really dumb? Do I have no IQ?

[ Took you long enough to understand ]

Am I really dumb? (ಥ_ಥ)

[ o(*≧▽≦)ツ┏━┓]

YOU!!!!!

[ God, It's so easy ]

[(～￣▽￣)～]

That's it! I had enough of your lies! I will believe you no more!

[ Chill, Mate]

[ It's all in a days fun ]

Not for me!

[ Okay ]

[ I will teach you how to do Dragon's breath ]

Huff!

[ But fly out of here ]

Why?

[ Do you want to burn down the house and sleep on the streets? ]

Noooo (＿___＿)

[ That's what I though ]

I looked around, this cave walls were the ones that were protecting me form other predators. I probably do not want destroy it. I unfurled my wings, which felt releasing. I lifted my wings high up before bringing them down with full force.

I felt the winds shift and my body being lifted. I can finally lift myself with my own wings, my own strength, after leveling up. Maybe not... I just landed back. Okay, only few seconds but still progress. I flap my wings again, but this time continuously. I, slowly but steadily, moved up. It took few minutes but I was at the caves opening.

Maybe, I should have asked the wind for help?

At the thought she appeared. The wind snuggled around my scales, easily lifted me and place me on the edge. I ruffled my feathers and sat at the top of the mountain. The view I was seeing was... too beautiful.

So beautiful,

Words shouldn't be able to describe such beauty. This was a different kind of beauty then watchin the formation of Star.

The clear night sky that spread infinitely. The shining jewels that glowed like fireflies, twin moons high up in the horizon. Each so clear and beautiful. The forest below was still, canopies shaking with light breeze. The sound of nocturnal animals moving in the darkness. The hoot of owls and the crickets of cicada.

I could only appreciate that It was good that I was born again. This was not something I would miss for the world.

[ This is a gift ]

It is,

..

I sat there with the Wind and System, just enjoying peace and quite, watching nature at its calmest. I didn't know how long I sat there, but when I woke from the daze, the horizon was red. I watched as it dawned, the golden glow reflect of my eyes. The morning rays scattered on my scales.

The sun rose and the sky turned purple to red. The forest slowly woke up, beasts that hunt in the night entered their slumber while those those in the light, emerged.

It was like drinking a refreshing morning coffee. that's how the experience felt.

But now let's get back to learning...~Da-Da-Da-Dragon's breath!~

Okay, teach me system,

[ Nothing much, just imagine ]

What?

[ Will your Qi ]

Soooo~ All I need to do is imagine and will my Qi to do so? That's it? I spent 50 Ex points for that shit?!!! You kidding me!!

[ You didn't know before ]

[ But you know now ]

This is your freaking scheme to swallow my points, isn't it? You give me shit items that don't even work.

[ I am teaching you, aren't I ]

You are,

[ Consider it a tuition fee]

Fine,

[ Now do the thing ]

Hmm,

I decided to try it and follow the instructions. I breathed in the flames that was within me. The cloud of Qi swirled in my chest. Now, all I need to do is imagine, but what do I need to imagine. Should I go with standard flames or for something cool like lightning.

System, don't I need to have compatible affinities?

[ No ]

Okay,

With no affinity limit I think I know what I want. The most coolest and the most deadliest of creatures to ever live, The King Of Monsters.

He thought back to how his star core was formed. How the Qi collided, How the energy manifested, How the heat and radioactivity generated, How the energy is released, How a whitehole behaves, How a star shoots out energy in the process of formation,

He contemplated it all and understood it all and the Qi followed his will.

..

On the outside,

As Lijen entered his state of concentration,

The world around his entered an abnormal silent, Qi in the air moved, converged and collide. The scales on the Dragon's body breathed in, The speck of light moved, gathering to form a ring on his chest,, resembling a Blackholes' acceleration disk.

The resolution of the light particles accelerated as a thundering hum echoed off the small body. The scales tightened, energy coursing though them like lava through the earth's crest. They converged and bend to his will. 

He looked up, his maw opened, erupting a torrent of pure destruction that cut through the skies like celestial sword. A straight divide like a swords blade, piercing the heavens and beyond.

~VRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO~

The air itself vibrated due to the pure power, yet the spectacle only lasted for a moment. The energy slowly ended and everything in Lijen's body returned to normal. The resolving specks of light return to stand still while the Qi in his core was drained. 

Lijen slowly felt to his side, drained of all energy.

..

That took everything from me,

I can't believe how tired I am. I can't even move my tail, let alone my body. What the heck is this energy usage? Its so inefficient But... It looked damn cool.

Hehehe

I finally did the Dragon breath, I am ready for aerial assault. I will go back and have a rematch with the Alligator. I will bomb him with my atomic breath, we will see what he does then. He will probably be fried, I can't even eat him and I would be tired like this.

I need to find a way to reduce the energy output, otherwise I am toast to any other beast that decides to try its luck.

[ You did well ]

[ Maybe a bit too well ]

[ Now we can practice on adjusting the energy output ]

You knew,

[ Of course I knew ]

Why did you say that I would be this tired?

[ Would you have controlled the amount of energy you used? ]

Nah,

[ Go to sleep now ]

[ We will continue this tomorrow ]