"And?" Isaac asked when Alice suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
The massive black dragon lowered her head slightly. Her eyes flickered, as if she were testing something internally.
[I can use a... roar? It feels like if I use Mana to amplify my thoughts—]
"You shouldn’t use that here," Avery said.
She appeared in front of Alice without any visible movement, simply existing there as if she had always been standing in that spot. The air around her remained calm despite the dragon’s massive presence, and the contrast made her seem even more composed.
Isaac and Chairman Lucius stepped out of the house at that moment.
Chairman Lucius was awestruck.
He had seen many powerful awakeners. He had seen monsters that could level buildings. But standing in front of him was a gigantic black dragon whose scales reflected faint streaks of golden light. Her wings folded behind her, her tail swaying slowly, her eyes calm and intelligent. And that dragon... was his daughter.
He didn’t speak for a few seconds.
Isaac, on the other hand, accepted the situation much more easily. He glanced at Avery.
"Do you know what type of ability Alice is talking about?"
"Yes," Avery replied. "It’s [Dragon Roar], and [Dragon Flames]. Dragon Roar is a type of mental attack. If those who hear it are too weak, they will instantly die. The others will receive a debuff. It’s a very powerful yet dangerous skill as it can’t differentiate between friends and foes unless you are a High Dragon. That’s still too far for Alice. So don’t use that skill."
[It kills... everyone?] Alice looked quite excited.
"Yes. Allies included," Avery said calmly, making Alice’s excitement dim. "Unless you reach High Dragon stage. At that point, you gain enough control to exclude targets."
Isaac frowned slightly.
"High Dragon? I feel like I heard that somewhere."
"You probably did. Dragons are divided into several stages: Infant Dragon, Adult Dragon, High Dragon, Arch Dragon, and Dragon Kings. These rankings are determined by the finesse of mana control and Magic Arts the dragons can use. Generally, the mana control and Magic Arts improve with age for dragons, so even if they don’t do anything, they will reach higher stages," Avery replied.
Isaac blinked.
That suddenly made him curious.
What stage were his dragon maids?
They were clearly old. Much older than Alice.
[What stage am I right now?] Alice asked, lowering her head slightly.
"Infant Dragon. You need to be able to use Magic Arts comparable to S-rank Spell-type skills to be qualified as Adult Dragon. That’s the basic threshold," Avery replied. "I can teach you some Dragon Magic Arts that I know."
Alice nodded. She didn’t say anything, but her tail began swishing from side to side a bit strongly. The motion was slow at first, then slightly faster, as if she was trying to contain her excitement.
Isaac watched her.
She was sitting on her two hind legs, her front legs straight, her wings tucked in, tail moving happily. Despite her enormous size, the posture made her look... cute.
He chuckled softly.
Chairman Lucius finally spoke.
"Something this big... won’t it make Alice a bigger target for monsters?"
There was worry in his voice.
Avery shook her head.
"There is no need to worry. The Dragonification should give a huge boost to her stats, so even though it makes her a bigger target, she will have an easier time fighting the monsters."
[Indeed. I feel strong. So don’t worry too much, uncle.]
Chairman Lucius sighed slowly, still trying to process everything.
Isaac opened his mouth.
He wanted to ask Avery why Alice had become a black dragon instead of a golden dragon. He was worried this difference might not be a random mutation. But before he could speak, Alice suddenly moved.
Her claws gently grabbed Isaac by the back of his shirt.
Then she lifted him.
"Wait—"
And threw him onto her head.
[I want to try my new skills. So I will come back soon.]
Before Avery or Chairman Lucius could stop her, Alice flapped her wings.
The air exploded outward.
A powerful gust slammed into the ground, kicking up dust and loose debris. In a single motion, she lifted into the sky, her wings spreading wide. Her shadow stretched across the ground, enormous and overwhelming.
In a split second, Isaac and Alice were already near the top of the sky dome.
Below them, the city shrank rapidly. Buildings turned small. People looked like tiny dots. And everywhere, heads tilted upward.
Countless people stared at the black dragon flying overhead.
Isaac realized something.
He should tell Ruby to alert the city. Otherwise, panic might spread. But Alice spoke before he could send the message.
[Wear a mask and some basic defense equipment. We are going outside the barrier.]
"Aren’t you in a bit too much of a hurry to test your skills? Since when did you become this impatient?" Isaac laughed as the wind whipped past him.
[I’ve always been like this.]
Isaac could hear the smile in her voice.
He quickly opened his spatial ring and pulled out basic defense equipment. Mask. Protective coat. Reinforced gloves. These were standard items for leaving the Fortified City.
While changing mid-air, he received a message.
Ruby had already informed the city that this was a training drill and not a monster attack.
"Good timing," Isaac muttered.
Then he suddenly realized something.
"Wait. What about your defensive equi—"
Alice flapped her wings again.
The air tore apart.
Before Isaac could finish his sentence, the city behind them shrank into a dot on the horizon.
"Holy shit! This is awesome!" Isaac shouted over the roaring wind, gripping her scales tightly so he wouldn’t be thrown off.
The speed was insane.
They were flying extremely fast. The landscape below blurred into streaks. Mountains passed within seconds. Forests vanished instantly. Even the corrupted air outside the barrier didn’t seem to affect Alice at all.
Just as Isaac thought it couldn’t get more amazing, Alice turned her head toward the north-east.
[There are monsters in that direction.]
She flapped her wings again.
Her speed increased.
The ground turned into streaks of color. The sky stretched around them. The air screamed past Isaac’s ears.
Although only a few seconds passed, Alice had covered a huge distance. It meant she detected the monsters over such long distance. Finally, Alice spread her wings wide to slow down.
They stopped near a red river.
The water looked thick and dark, almost like diluted blood. Around the river, several quadrupedal monsters stood grazing. They were enormous. Muscles bulged across their bodies. Their horns curved forward like sharpened blades.
They looked similar to bulls from Isaac’s previous world.
But far more terrifying.
[Champion ranks. They will be a good practicing target.]
Alice opened her mouth.
Heat gathered instantly.
Her throat glowed.
Golden light formed deep inside her jaws. The temperature around them rose rapidly, distorting the air. Even Isaac, protected by equipment, felt the heat.
Then she released the Dragon Flames.
Golden flames poured out like molten metal, sweeping across the ground.
The monsters that should’ve been as strong as Champions of Mid-rank species were snuffed out like candles, with not even their ashes left behind.
Alice closed her mouth.
[How is it?] She huffed slightly, clearly proud.
"It’s strong. Very, very strong. As expected of my Alice." Isaac leaned forward and gently rubbed her head.
Her tail swayed again.
Then she flapped her wings once more.
They took off.
She searched for more monsters.
Going into the wilderness was supposed to be dangerous. Even elite squads moved cautiously. They would form large groups, use scouts, maintain defensive formations, plan retreat, and yet casualties were common, so was fear.
But today was different.
It wasn’t awakeners hiding from monsters.
It was monsters hiding from them.
Alice’s presence swept across the wilderness like a storm. Her aura spread far, and weaker creatures sensed it instantly. They fled into caves, burrowed underground, or hid inside forests.
Those that were too slow...
Were burned.
Golden flames carved lines across the land. Groups of monsters disappeared. Champion ranks fell instantly. Even stronger creatures retreated without fighting.
Isaac laughed, enjoying the hunt with Alice.
This was domination.
Hours passed.
Eventually, Isaac noticed the terrain changing.
They were approaching another Fortified City.
"We would normally need days to reach this city if we go through the wilderness, but you reached here in just a few hours. Good job."
He rubbed her head again.
Alice slowed as they approached the city.
The walls came into view.
Then the cannons moved.
Multiple defensive cannons rotated simultaneously, locking onto Alice. Defensive formations activated. Alarm signals spread across the city.
Overlords of the Eltari race rushed out.
Two Orc Overlords stationed near the walls pulled out their weapons immediately. Their auras surged, preparing for combat.
A voice echoed across the city.
Soft, yet authoritative.
"Who are you?"
A figure flew up from the central building. She stopped mid-air, facing the black dragon directly.
"I do not know who you are. But retreat. This is my city. If you do not leave, then don’t blame me for—"
She paused.
Her eyes shifted.
She noticed Isaac sitting on top of the black dragon.
"...eh? Isaac?"
She blinked.
Then looked at the dragon again.
Her eyes widened.
"Alice!?"