The time when Gauss used it came earlier than expected.
Moreover, perhaps due to the difference in strength between him and Aaliyah, the spell took effect with little difficulty.
After initially failing for a while, Gauss gradually found his rhythm and quickly interrupted Aaliyah’s casting time and again.
Aaliyah gave him a resentful glance.
It was supposed to be special training to make her casting less susceptible to interruption.
But in reality, it was just practice for Gauss, wasn’t it?
Ever since Gauss truly mastered Magic Counter, she found it nearly impossible to cast successfully under this spell’s interruption.
Forget about her, she felt that even an expert-level caster would likely have their spellcasting interrupted if they weren’t careful.
"I can’t do it, I just can’t!"
She sighed and plopped down on a large rock nearby, waving her hand to fan her flushed cheeks.
The scorching afternoon sun and the energy spent on continuous casting had left her cheeks red, sweat trickling down her neck.
"Gauss, you’re just bullying me, aren’t you?"
"How could I possibly withstand your Magic Counter?"
She was only a minor support.
The goal Gauss set for her was utterly unattainable.
"Ahem."
Gauss, having used her as a practice target for some time and seeing her drenched in sweat, felt a slight pang of guilt.
But did this practice truly offer no help to Aaliyah?
Not necessarily.
"Well, why don’t you try casting again?" Gauss blinked.
Aaliyah rested briefly until her internal Natural Power stabilized, then mobilized the power within her body.
"Demon Fire!"
As the Natural Power surged forth,
a fantastical light flickered before Aaliyah.
Even during the day, this effect was strikingly conspicuous.
"Huh?"
She wasn’t surprised by the peculiar glow of Demon Fire itself, as she’d mastered this spell for quite some time.
However, compared to before,
there was an indescribable sense of fluency in her casting this time.
Upon closer thought, it seemed the casting process had become smoother.
"Could it really be effective?"
"Of course, as if I would lie to you." Gauss breathed a quiet sigh of relief, realizing his assumption was indeed correct.
How could intensive training not yield results?
Going through unpleasant training repeatedly can rapidly enhance one’s understanding of the corresponding spell.
Feeling the changes within her, the initially frustrated Aaliyah felt a bit embarrassed.
She thought she’d wronged Gauss in his kindness.
"Well, let me rest a bit before continuing, okay?"
Aaliyah wanted to train a few more skills.
Gauss naturally had no objections to this.
He also needed to continuously practice spellcasting to enhance his proficiency in Magic Counter.
In the distance, Albena watched them with a sigh.
As a warrior, she had no way to participate in this kind of caster training.
...
Night fell.
The day’s heat dissipated, and the night breeze rustling over the woodland brought a chill that seeped through clothing.
Through the clouds and mist, a crimson silhouette was soaring in flight.
Upon closer inspection, a young man sat on the dragon saddle.
His single-mirror spectacles were particularly bright, surveying the vast earth below.
This person was Gauss.
Using the vantage point provided by the Red Dragon Beast, combined with the effect of the [Eagle Eye Monocle], he was able to scout out potential enemies at a great distance.
Every night recently, he had been riding the dragon out, seeking foes, eliminating them, and clearing the battlefield.
Busy and content.
"Let’s fly in that direction, we haven’t gone that way before."
Gauss directed the Dragon Beast to head in a new direction.
With each passing day, his rapport with the Red Dragon Beast deepened.
"Do you want to eat goblins or kobolds today?"
Gauss patted the Dragon Beast beneath him, speaking as if to himself.
"Roar—"
It wanted neither.
Eating the same food repeatedly can easily lead to fatigue, especially since neither goblins nor kobolds are particularly tasty.
When it dominated kobolds in the past, it was only out of novelty and as a form of intimidation.
It didn’t mean it enjoyed eating such dry, bony, foul-smelling creatures.
"No, I think you want to."
Gauss could roughly understand the Dragon Beast’s thoughts just by being in contact with it.
"Only by enduring hardships can one become the Dragon among Dragons."
"You have to know, compared to true dragons, you’re naturally at a disadvantage, so you need to work harder to catch up with them."
"Hephaestus, you wouldn’t want to be ridiculed when one day you see your Dragon Mother and siblings, would you?"
Normally, Dragon Beasts don’t have true names like dragons.
So, Hephaestus was the name Gauss gave the Red Dragon Beast.
The inspiration came from Gauss’s previous life, Hephaestus, the Greek god of fire.
Gauss named him with a hope for the dragon to essentially "rise to divinity."
Especially with the recent discovery that the Dragon Beast was gradually being set on the right path under his guidance, he was more certain that under his tutelage, its future would be limitless.
However, the only problem was that this dragon lacked initiative.
To put it simply, it was too lazy.
Indeed.
Despite its fierce appearance, and as one of the most vicious and brutal among the Five-Colored Evil Dragons, Gauss saw it as lacking ambition.