Planning the Next Step
Ray woke once again in the all too familiar clearing, remembering his last moments in that fight, "I got overconfident" he concluded. After successfully passing through the illusion, he lowered his guard, and did not realise that Payrontu would still be nearby. Realizing that he was at too much of a disadvantage, he decided on returning to Malt. He then investigated the state of his armour, his scream of "I WILL END YOU" echoed throughout the forest.
Meanwhile, the dragon in question's thoughts would definitely make the hero even more furious.
'I wonder what magic I can get to mess with the hero next time?' I thought, but came up with no answers. I only knew of illusion magic because the hero talked about it, and finding a new type of magic surely shouldn't be easy. However, I am a King tier dragon, so maybe I could just brute force my way to new magic, like I did for illusion magic? But that still doesn't solve my problem, so I'm just going to go to sleep early, and come up with an answer tomorrow. Laying down on the ground, I forlornly looked upon Ray's extravagant pieces of armour, wishing that I could get an armour stand, or some sort of display case, as they were going to waste strewn on the floor. If I had enough to make a pile, that would change everything! Alas, I did not have enough armour for even a small pile, so I would have to abandon the idea.
I woke at sunrise like normal, and didn't move for the next hour, like normal. But I eventually convinced myself I had better things to do, and reluctantly picked myself off the ground before lumbering to the mouth of my cave, thinking about magic. Remembering my status, I had an brilliant idea; 'Compound just means a mix, right? Does every mix of magic produce compound magic?'. Something like this would only be possible for those with multiple strong affinities, but I had all of the basic elemental affinities, so I might be able to unlock all compound magic! Looking out from my mountain across the nearby forest, I thought of an idea to try for a new compound magic. Plants are common, and part of nature, so shouldn't there be magic to control plants? Knowing what I was aiming for, I just had to figure out which elements I needed to try and fuse. Luckily, as I know how plants grow in the world around me, and see them every day, it should be easier for me to find plant magic than illusion magic. Wholly believing this, I set off into the densest part of the forest, trying to surround myself with nature.
After searching for a good spot to take a nap- I mean, practice nature magic, I discovered a particularly vibrant tree that seemed extremely healthy. It was very different from the nearby trees, so I Inspected it.
---
Mana Infused Tree
A tree which has roots that have tapped into a rare ley line, which channel mana throughout the world. Due to having access to massive amounts of pure mana, this tree has grown exceptionally strong, and has the ability to control other plants and protect its surroundings.
Material quality: A+
---
This is very convenient. From its description, nature magic does actually exist! As I have very good mana perception, I should be able to understand how nature magic is used. Happy with my luck, I curled up beneath the mana tree's massive foliage.
• • •
I definitely did not fall asleep. Not even for a bit. I was diligently training the entire time, and successfully gained the compound magic Plant Magic. It is a mix of the earth and water elements, and can be used to create and control plants. I was definitely testing it continuously, and that is why I have been here so long. Now that I have tested as much as I want to, I can leave here immediately, and I will make sure to remember this place for future naps- I mean, plant magic training. Yep. definitely plant magic training. Aside from that, I am worried about the hero, as I have been absent from my cave for... at least one day. I'm scared that he might think I've migrated or something, and then never return! If he never comes back, who will I get to practice all my horrific- I mean interesting spells on? I'll never get to see his beautiful dancing- I mean sword skills ever again! With these thoughts swirling through my brain, I rushed back to my cave as fast as my wings could carry me.