SSS Rank Dragon Tamer: Unleashed
Chapter 61: Sparks of Growth

Chapter 61: Sparks of Growth

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Zephyr’s hand tightened around the grass bundle.

"One a month, huh?" he muttered. "No pressure, Star."

Star blinked up at him. Zephyr smirked. "Don’t explode, okay?"

Then Zephyr blinked. "Wait... wait... Inventory? Since when do I have an inventory?!"

He frowned and stared into the glowing system window, then tapped at the blinking line:

[Herb stored in Inventory: FirenEssence Satchel.

Remaining uses: 10 ]

"System," he muttered. "Explain. Now. Why do I have an inventory I didn’t know about?"

The reply came instantly, calm and clinical as ever:

[Ding! SYSTEM RESPONSE-

Inventory Access: Unlocked since 30% Bloodline awakened.

Reason for non usage: All previously obtained items were categorized as Useless Junk, Common Grade Materials

Inventory space is limited to 50 slots (Upgradeable)

Automated storage triggers only for Grade-S or higher-ranked items.

User has shown poor material selection judgment. System has been optimized by ignoring trash.

Note: The host didn’t check the system.]

Zephyr’s eye twitched. "Trash? That was food! And my camp gear! I carried all that on my back!"

[SYSTEM RESPONSE

Correction: 34% of carried gear = Cracked iron cookware

19% = Dented rope and broken tools

6% = One soggy sandwich

Storage denied for user’s own safety and system hygiene. Host had a cart and mule to pull everything.]

Zephyr stood dumbfounded, arms slack at his side. "You... you could’ve at least told me!"

[SYSTEM UPDATE: User never asked.

Reminder: You may access Inventory Menu by saying "Inventory" or focusing your system lens for 0.5 seconds on stored item tags. ]

Zephyr groaned and dragged a hand down his face. "I’ve been lugging around thirty pounds of busted gear like a donkey while you had a magic pocket dimension in your back room!"

Star tilted his head, watching Zephyr yell at the air.

"Unbelievable..." Zephyr hissed. Then his eyes dropped back down to the shimmering Phoenix Grass in his hand. A fire so warm, it almost felt alive.

He read the system line again:

[Item Grade: S]

"...S-rank," he whispered. "I’m holding a genuine, S-rank herb..."

His heart skipped a beat.

Back in Lowmoor Academy, he’d only read about S-rank materials. S-rank materials are national grade treasure. They were supposed to be rare, legendary. Items with enough energy to fuel spell engines, mutate beasts, or collapse small cities.

And now he had ten. Ten stalks of pure phoenix fire, still warm from an immortal beast.

"I... I need to be really careful," he muttered, tightening his grip. "If I mess up feeding even one of these... Star could explode."

Star gave him a flat stare.

He shook his head again. "You really need to give me a handbook, System."

[SYSTEM RESPONSE: Suggestion acknowledged.]

Zephyr opened his mouth. "Remember to tell me about everything."

Star exhaled a puff of smoke in agreement.

After that Zephyr walked in silence for half an hour.

The world outside the volcano felt too bright, too open. The volcanic mist had clung to his clothes, and the weight of the parting hug and kisses first lip kiss still lingered on his chest. Fenna’s kiss had been soft, brief, and full of strength—a warrior’s promise hidden in affection. But it didn’t make the ache any less.

Star walked beside him, occasionally glancing up. The young dragon’s tail dragged a little more than usual.

"She’ll be fine," Zephyr murmured, more to himself than the drake. "She has an old phoenix teaching her. And if anything goes wrong, she’ll punch it."

Star gave a slow trill that sounded almost doubtful.

"Yeah," Zephyr admitted, sighing. "I miss her already too."

They reached the camp just past noon. The Ember Nest was quiet, the training ring still blackened from their previous sessions. Zephyr dropped near his pack, looked around at the empty space, and clenched his fists.

"All right," he said aloud, trying to push away the lump in his throat. "We train. Fenna trusted me to get stronger. No excuses now."

Star perked up.

Zephyr reached into his system storage and carefully pulled out the Phoenix Grass bundle.

The roots were still moist with mineral dew. The leaves shimmered faintly, each one etched with flickers of red-orange veins like they carried the phoenix’s fire inside them.

"She and the system both said only one per month." Zephyr broke off a single stalk. "Too much and you’ll explode, apparently."

Star sniffed it, then took it gently into his mouth.

The moment it touched his tongue, his pupils shrank. He froze. Then...

WHOOSH!

Star’s entire body burst into a golden flame. Not burning—no, it was radiant. A halo of fire light engulfed him, lifting his claws a few inches off the ground. His wings spread wide, and the veins along his body pulsed like lava pathways.

Zephyr backed up. "Holy shit... Star! Are you okay?"

Star let out a long roar. Not a baby chirp, not a trill. A true, elemental roar that shook the leaves from the treetops.

[SYSTEM NOTICE: Star has consumed Phoenix Grass. Fire Capacity: +300% New Trait Acquired – Phoenix Burn Core (Dormant) Skill Mutation Possible. Analyzing current fire techniques... Mutating primary fireball...]

A swirl of heat surrounded Star, and suddenly the air warped. His basic fireball spell began to reshape itself, layer by layer.

[SKILL UPGRADE COMPLETE: Skill: Fireball (basic) → Fireball (Rare).

Description: Condenses extreme heat into a dense ball of fire that explodes on contact, igniting surroundings in a 3-meter radius. Leaves behind smoldering terrain.

Cooldown: 5 seconds.

Rapid Fireball: three shots at once.

Cooldown: 15 seconds.]

Star blinked. Then puffed up proudly.

"Oh, so now you have a fireball with area damage?" Zephyr raised a brow. "That’ll be fun."

Star didn’t stop. The fire didn’t vanish. The grass’s energy continued pulsing in his core, churning the inner flame and cracking apart more potential.

[SYSTEM NOTICE: Secondary mutation unlocked. Fire Node unlocked: Dual path combustion active. Additional Fire Techniques Available.

Skill 2: Ember Lance

Description: Concentrates internal fire into a long, piercing spear of heat. Travels faster than a fireball. Can melt iron. Ideal for precise ranged attacks. Cooldown: 30 seconds.

Skill 3: Infernal Ring Description: Unleashes a spinning ring of flame around the caster or target, burning enemies in all directions. Close range AoE attack. Cooldown: 45 seconds.]