Ashen Dragon

Chapter 61 Awakening (Part 2)

Several dragon spells appeared in Cassius's mind. He could now release these exquisite spells like an artist. This was the innate talent of a True Dragon Sorcerer.

The magical essence of giant dragons made their every move seem like spell casting. Thus, dragon sorcerers derived various spells from actions like scratching, flying, hatching, and breathing.

"No wonder they're called dragon spells,"

"They truly suit the dragons perfectly."

Cassius sighed.

For instance, the Scratch Technique. If any ordinary mortal used it, it would only be a completely useless trick. But paired with the naturally powerful claw strikes of dragons, it could become an effective long-range attack method, consuming no energy at all.

"Scratch Technique!"

A flickering magical field vaguely in the shape of claws materialized in front of the Red Dragon. As he swung his claws forcefully, this magic energy was directed toward the distant stone pillar.

Instantly, stone fragments flew everywhere, and three deep gashes appeared on the pillar. Following that, the fragile middle of the pillar could no longer bear the weight of its upper part, collapsing to the ground with a crash, shattering into pieces.

"Not bad power."

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Cassius nodded with satisfaction, exhaling a breath of sulfurous hot air.

"And then there's this Fourth Tier Spell..."

He had never accessed the fourth layer of the Magic Web before.

Moreover, "Braving the Fiery Pits" was even more complex than typical Fourth Tier Spells because it was a hybrid of spell and shaping energy.

Transforming the body into flames and reconstructing it with fire was an extremely subtle form of shaping energy, while transporting oneself to any area covered by Flamethrower Breath was similar to the spell form of Misty Step.

"Braving the Fiery Pits!"

With the incantation in Draconic, Cassius took a deep breath and spewed out a large blaze.

As the last bit of energy left his mouth, his massive body merged directly into the raging flames, becoming a complete incarnation of flame.

"Boom!"

A mass of fire condensed into a giant dragon shape, but it crashed into a stone wall, causing the entire cave to shake and a number of stones to fall down.

"Such a complex spell, having to manage both fire and transportation,"

"I still can't fully control the teleportation location."

"Ouch… that hurt a bit."

Cassius shook his slightly pained head, muttering to himself. Fortunately, the thick-skinned Red Dragon didn't mind the minor collision.

Although a sorcerer's spell casting wasn't as rigorous as a mage's, it still required an understanding of its operational principles and coordinated control.

After experimenting with a series of newly gained abilities, Cassius fully recovered from the drowsiness of his deep slumber, becoming somewhat inexplicably excited.

With such a significant power boost, how could he not test it out?

"I've been sleeping for so long—"

"It's time to go out and take a look."

The Red Dragon stepped out of the cave, directly crossing the several guardian inscriptions Ramp had set up earlier.

If triggered, these inscriptions would cause rune explosions, but Ramp had set it so the Red Dragon was excluded from their trigger conditions.

Walking through the dim underground passage, the once spacious tunnel now felt somewhat narrow to him.

Finally, the Red Dragon saw the sunlight he hadn't seen in ages.

"Roar——"

Cassius couldn't help but let out a cheerful dragon's roar.

The scene before the Ashen Nest had undergone almost a complete transformation compared to before his slumber.

The Rock Fortress at the entrance of the valley had been reinforced multiple times, now as indestructible as its name suggested. The city walls were over ten meters high and three meters thick, equipped with catapults and great crossbows, with the Goblin Guard Army standing ready atop the walls.

Several tall watchtowers stood on either side, with sharp-eyed Lizardfolk crossbowmen stationed on them, guarding against any invaders. The hillside also featured several wide wooden platforms for the wyverns to take off and land.

Inside the Ashen Nest, several wooden military camps had sprung up, built using standard goblin construction, housing the most elite Goblin Corps.

In the depths of the valley stood a stone tower, its surface flickering with magical aura. It was clear the designer intended to make it elegant and beautiful, but it came across as more like "a dog painted to look like a tiger."

"A Mage Tower?"

"That guy Ramp… really needs to improve his aesthetic sense."

Cassius gazed at the so-called "Mage Tower"—especially its entrance, resembling a huge mouth—and couldn't help but twitch his lips slightly.

The retainers of the Ashen Nest, the goblin guards and Lizardfolk, and the ogres carrying items, all looked up towards the source of the sound.

Soon after, there was an uproar.

"What's that sound?"

"Is it…"

Having slept for five years, some of the newer retainers hadn't even seen Cassius's true form, only remembering the huge commotion caused by the Red Dragon's slumber.

"It's the master!"

"The master has awakened!"

"So big, so powerful."

"By Maglubiyet, this is my first time seeing such a gigantic dragon."

"I knew joining wasn't a mistake."

Cassius looked down upon these retainers.

Their numbers had greatly increased compared to before his slumber, and most of them had completed the transformation, becoming half-dragon monstrosities with scales, claws, and other dragon characteristics.

From the distant stone tower, a massive figure awkwardly flew over—that was Ramp.

"Flight Magic?"

Cassius watched the ogre mage struggling with flight, his expression slightly surprised.

"Huff, huff, huff… Master, you've... finally awakened."

Ramp landed with a thud, still panting heavily.

Cassius looked him up and down. Compared to before, the ogre was even more massive and robust.

He no longer wore shabby animal skins, but a large robe sewn from several magic cloaks, his hands adorned with numerous rings—clearly human magical bracelets.

Cassius chuckled:

"Ramp, it's been a while, and you've become quite wealthy, even building a Mage Tower."

Ramp quickly bowed his head, replying, "Master, all these treasures are yours, obtained from those ignorant adventurers."

"Give me a basic report on the Ashen Nest."

"Yes, master."

Ramp used a prepared spell on the wall, projecting image after image.

Like a company manager from a previous life, he reported various aspects of the Ashen Nest to the Red Dragon—something Cassius had previously taught him and called "ppt," a method Ramp quite liked for its elegance.

In this report, Ramp tallied the territory and retainers status, progress on mining veins and metal smelting, the scale of beast taming, and even briefly mentioned the still under-construction Barto City.

"I must say, well done."

Cassius sincerely praised him, feeling the ogre was truly talented. Although the report was rough in many areas, it was quite impressive for an ogre to achieve such detail.

Hearing the Red Dragon's praise, the Dragon Vein Ogre was elated:

"It's all thanks to you, master. Under your wings, we've achieved these small successes."

"Beep…"

The ogre's "ring" sounded, and his expression became excited.

Cassius observed his ecstatic, ugly face, somewhat puzzled, and asked:

"Ramp, what's happening?"

"Master, my Alert Technique was triggered! More adventurers have arrived!"

Ramp's face showed the joy of a farmer during harvest; it seemed he had reaped many benefits from those adventurers.