Chapter 67: Ancient One [Bonus]

Winds surged everywhere, and the heavy rain turned into hail with massive egg-like hailstones falling. Huge bolts of lightning were striking grasslands under the smoke-covered dragon without any break, littering the green ground with black burned circles.

The dragon was nonchalantly flapping his wings in mids of it all as his affinities protected him from winds and lightning with only heavy hailstones harmlessly drumming against his rocky armour. All of the lightning bolts were avoiding him, and the winds around him were calm even with a massive storm breaking havoc through the plains. He was looking at the spherical object covered in lightning that lay in his scaly hand.

Ding!

//Analyze result:

Name: Elemental Core of a warrior tier thunderstorm elemental

Type: Crafting Material/Metamorphosis Catalyst

Grade: C

//

'This will be useful when I reach level fifty during metamorphosis. I should probably already start to plan it and start to collect materials for it.' then he looked at the rampaging storm, 'But now I should get out of here. The last thing I want to meet now is some high-tier elemental... there was also that roar.'

Vesuvius flapped his wings, quickly flying towards the edge of the storm, powerfully winds during the storm boosting him to an incredible speed.

Suddenly a horrible and strong presence sent shivers through his body. The dragon turned back his head, and his eyes went wide.

A massive scaled draconic beast rose up into the sky. Its body was sleek and elegant, with massive horns covered in lightning and wind crowning its head. It was more than four times the size of Vesuvius. Storm clouds were rotating around its body as if it was the eye of a hurricane. Massive arcs of lightning kept surging out of its body, illuminating the whole plain. Its reptilian eyes sparkling with electricity, focused on the smoke-covered dragon.

It flapped its massive wings causing loud thunders, and all of the wind in the storm changed its direction, launching the huge beast towards him. It streaked across the skies leaving behind a trail of lightning.

Vesuvius stopped flying away as he knew that he couldn't outrun it. He instead straightened his long neck proudly, looking at the incoming beast.

As it got closer, the dragon easily recognised its smooth small scales and its sleek and elegant body, 'It is wyrm.'. He breathed out in relief as the wyrms were calmest and most easy to get with from all draconic species. His eyes fell upon the massive storm around him, 'They already formed their domain, so they must be at least ancient wyrm. On top of that, they are not some regular single affinity wyrm but a powerful one commanding the powerful concept of thunderstorms and elements belonging under it.'

Domain was one of the integral powers of higher draconic species like wyrms and pinnacle draconic species like true and lesser dragons. Draconic species were incarnations of natural powers and life. As they aged, their power grew so much that their surrounding always changed to comfortably accommodate them. For example, if it was a frost dragon, their surrounding would change into a freezing arctic landscape. In the case of volcano dragons, a whole hill they made their lair in would change into an active volcano. The size of a domain depended on individual strength, ranging from small ones covering the size of a town to huge ones covering whole empires. It wasn't just a matter of comfort. It also gave them favourable terrain to fight in, making them much stronger.

'Damn, now I want to reach the adult stage soon, even more.' Wyrms needed to be ancient ones to form their domains, with lesser dragons forming one when their become elder, but for a true dragon like Vesuvius, he just needed to reach the adult stage of his growth.

The wyrm quickly crossed the plains and stopped before Vesuvius, their glowing reptilian eyes piercing through him. Vesuvius tensed under the inquisitive gaze of the wyrm. He knew that his dragon authority would make it unlikely that the wyrm would kill him, but he was also sure that there was no way for him to command them.

Suddenly a thunder-like laugh came from the wyrm, lightning around flickering in the tandem, "Hahaha, that ritual really worked. Such a young dragon and already so strong. They really made a monster. Inferior species will once again know the fear of the dragons!"

Vesuvius was in awe at the size of the wyrm, feeling like a dwarf in comparison to their huge body, 'Wyrms are known for being smallest and physically weakest out of all draconic species except for wyverns... well from now also dracodactyls, but they are still so big.' Vesuvius shuddered to imagine a legendary mountain-like size of ancient dragons.

The wyrm soon calmed down, rhythmically beating their massive wings, stabilising themself in the air, "Have you come for the trials?". They wyrm looked once again at the dragon, pure might radiating out of that gaze, sending shivers through his body.

Vesuvius was confused, but the smoke around him masked it before he carefully asked, "What trials?"

"Trials for titles of dragon lords. As the strongest living volcano dragon, you have already fulfilled one of the conditions needed to get the title of Dragon Lord of volcanoes dragons. Now, you only need to pass the trial to become an official candidate." Once calmed down, the wyrm spoke in a cold but patient tone appropriate for their immense knowledge.

After seeing that the wyrm likely had no enemy intentions, Vesuvius calmed down and started to think about the situation in front of him, 'That trial sounds like a good way to increase my power, but it can be dangerous...'

Seeing the dragon hesitate, the wyrm spoke once again, "The trials are safe. They all happen in a special space created by the greatest and only dragon god. One can't die there. The only punishment is shame and pain."